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Whenever I mention to friends, family or complete strangers that I do business online I always get the comment that I must be running a scam.

This comment always infuriates me because I, like the vast majority of people doing business online run a legitimate business.

When I ask why they assume any business on the internet is a scam I often hear one of 2 answers.

The first answer is 'I know a person who answered an email and they lost hundreds of dollars'.

We all know someone who has been robbed ' either by their car being broken into or from answering an email online and falling victim to the scam. I will not deny that there are real scams out there. In fact here is a list of some of the most popular scams. If you come across any of these hit your delete button as fast as you can:

- Disaster scams - These were due to the high number of natural disasters within the last year such as the tsunami, hurricanes and earthquakes. How people can used these terrible events to scam people out of money is beyond me!

- Nigerian scams ' These are those common emails we all receive from some lawyer of a prominent Nigerian citizen who needs our bank account number to transfer millions of dollars into to avoid corrupt government officials taking it. Never give your bank account number out to anyone!

- Lottery scams ' These are the 'you are a winner' emails to lotteries often in countries where you do not live. Reality is you never bought a lottery ticket and you are not a winner ' they just want your bank account number.

- Spyware ' This is the installation of software on your computer without you knowing or approving it being installed in order for them to track where you go on the internet and even keystrokes like when you enter your credit card information on a online purchase form.

- Dangerous viruses, worms, and Trojans ' This is similar to Spyware

- Phishing scams ' There are typically emails from a person who is pretending to be a well known business like eBay or PayPal asking you to click on a link to verify your account. This link is actually the scam and gives the sender access to your computer and files or account information. These big companies would never send you an email like this.

- Identity theft ' This is everywhere, not just online!

The second answer I commonly hear to why anything online is considered a scam is 'I purchased something online and it was a waste of money. The product was a scam.'

Now I will be the first to admit I too have purchased some things online that I have never used and wish that I didn't. Does that mean I was scammed? No, it means I made a poor purchase. I have also purchased clothes from a store and never worn them. Now would you consider that a scam? I don't.

This commonly happens because we fall prey to good sales copy. A good advertisement is designed to encourage us to purchase the product it is selling. And too often we fall for the ad and make the purchase regardless if we will use the product or service. This is not a scam, just poor decision making by the purchaser.

The internet has become the most dynamic marketplace ever created. We now have access to items and services from all over the world at the click of a button. Like any marketplace there are people who will try to separate you from your money in illegal ways. However, just like your local mall or brick and mortar business the majority of people doing business on the internet are fantastic, honest people. Don't miss out on the opportunity to purchase that item you always wanted or service you really need just because it is only sold on the internet.

Copyright 2006 Chris Stirling