Scams and Swindles: How to Recognize and Avoid Internet Era Rip-Offs [Paperback]

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Book Description

Publication Date: May 2006

Phishing. Spoofing. Spyware. Swoop and squat. Malicious spam. Chain letters. Ponzi schemes. ID theft. The Internet Era has created a whole class of frauds and schemes that separate people from their money. It's also given new life to older cons and scams. This book organizes various rip-offs by type and severity. Then it explains how each type of scam works -- and how an ordinary person can recognize it before getting taken in. Drawing on interviews with law enforcement experts, victims and even crooks, this book gives readers a state-of-the-art primer on financial crimes and the sleazy dealings that fall slightly short of illegal. It also uses real-life case studies of frauds, to show how they start and how they end -- all in a plain-English style that everyone can enjoy. And this book does more than just tell stories; it gives readers questions, checklists, worksheets and other tools to make sure they're not being scammed -- or to take the right actions if they have been.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

The Silver Lake Editors have been writing on topics in personal finance, insurance, security and risk management for two decades. Many of their books have been adapted as licensing and continuing education materials for professionals in the insurance, risk management and security fields. From the early 1990s, they started editing shorter books designed for consumers, and this is the 17th title in that series.

Product Details

• Paperback: 276 pages
• Publisher: Silver Lake Publishing (May 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1563437864
• ISBN-13: 978-1563437861
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 4.7 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #909,144 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A basic primer packed with insights any Internet user should be aware of, September 4, 2006

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Scams and Swindles: How to Recognize and Avoid Internet Era Rip-Offs (Paperback)

Scams & Swindles: How To Recognize And Avoid Internet Era Rip-Offs is a basic primer packed with insights any Internet user should be aware of. From Nigerian schemes and money laundering to phishing, id theft and investment frauds, Scams & Swindles covers method, purpose, and how to avoid becoming a victim. Mortgage fraud, spam and spyware receive insights too all with an eye to Internet dangers.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars no technical answer to phishing, June 22, 2006

By 

W Boudville (Terra, Sol 3) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Scams and Swindles: How to Recognize and Avoid Internet Era Rip-Offs (Paperback)

The book is a hallmark of our current Internet experiences. The editors go through the various scams circulating on the Web. Like the Nigerian 419. Or the Russian/East European mail order brides. Or the fake prescription drugs. An amazing compendium of the darknet. Some readers may be scared off the net. But more likely, you will gain some protection simply by being aware of the book's advice.

One chapter is devoted to phishing. Where an email purports to be from a bank, and breathlessly urges you to log in to your account, to ascertain some important detail. Or the email might say it is from eBay or Paypal, with similar urgencies. The chapter is instructive for many readers. But please note that the editors do not offer anything in the way of a technical antiphishing solution. Their methods involve manual effort on your part. Alas, there will always be gullible or inexperienced users to fall prey to phishers.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars This book is a must read for anyone interested in their internet security., August 16, 2008

By 

Mindy Koch "Mindy Koch" (Fort Leavenworth, KS) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Scams and Swindles: How to Recognize and Avoid Internet Era Rip-Offs (Paperback)

I think this book really should be a must read for anyone who in online. Internet security is a big problem, and as truly unpleasant as spam is, as malware is, as viruses are... they are NOTHING in comparison to identity theft and to internet cons that drain bank accounts.

According to the first chapter there are ten million americans scammed and swindled every year. That number is staggering to me. To put it into perspective... there are 120 countries on the earth that have less people in their borders than the number of people swindled in America every year. Portugal. Sweden. Switzerland. The Domincan Republic. Chad. Finland and Norway combined. There are more people swindled in America than even live in the countries that I just named. That is insane.

Here are the things I liked about this book and why I think it should be read:

1. It is an easy to read writing style. Not too techy. Not too legalese.
2. It tells about real life stories. Not just hypothetical scenarios. Lots of actual cases of scams and swindles.
3. It gets the information and advice and perspective from not just the law enforcement involved, but from the victims and from the actual con artists.
4. It breaks the scams down step by step, including the variations, and shows how to know when you are being scammed.

Internet security is so important in this day and age of identity theft, internet cons, and hacking of personal information. There is only so much that software can do to protect us. Frankly, we have to be knowledgeable and protect ourselves.