Chapter 7. Online Fraud: How Big a Problem?
Con artists prey on the naïve, the ignorant, the gullible, and the greedy. They’ve plied their trade for untold thousands of years, duping their victims out of their money, their possessions, and even their very identities. Given the profession’s durability and adaptability, it’s not surprising that today’s con artists have embraced the Internet, perpetrating all manner of online fraud.
What types of fraud are we talking about? Most of it is monetary in nature—phony retailers who charge your credit card but never deliver the goods, eBay scammers selling counterfeit merchandise, even buyers who pay with purloined funds.
But here’s the thing: Online fraud isn’t that much different than the old-fashioned ...
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