Scammers Making Millions

By Cory J. France

(TriceEdneyWire.com) - Internet Scams. They begin as a hushed utterance behind your computer screen; inviting you into a virtual universe. They are "desperate cries for help"— “virtual opportunities of a lifetime”—artificial information seekers.

Jasmyn Turner, sophomore college student of the Washington, DC metropolitan area, blindly accepts an 'offer-of-a-lifetime' with a simple click of the mouse from her personal email. She is lured by the details it lays out, provided by an unnamed source that can assure her a healthy pay-check along with the simple convenience of working at home. However, as a naive college student—"thirsty for bucks"—she accepts the then “incomparable opportunity” and unavoidably joins nearly a million other Americans fraudulently hoodwinked by these false, misleading allurements.

For Jasmine, internet and email systems seemed ideal and reliable for those in search of an honest living. "I immediately followed through with the opportunity. It seemed almost perfect. Never before did I think something like this could ever happen to me", said Turner candidly.

According to the US Department of Justice, there are nearly 400,000 complaints a year regarding online scams with fraudulent losses totaling nearly $500 million. Scam artists in the current economic condition have become hard-pressed for ways to make money; naïve individuals like Turner making the easiest of targets for their tricks. Some even go as far as creating letters, commercials, and the like. "These days, you certainly can't risk having your personal information in cyberspace, too much is at risk,” said Marjon Wolfe of Washington, DC. “There is always that "sixth-sense", a slight hunch I get when I think I’m being scammed”.

No one person is exempt from the unfortunate shams of online fraudulent activities. In fact, nearly every individual is subject to its circumstance. According to USA.gov—“The best way to fight internet fraud is to learn how to avoid becoming a victim”. With the ever-changing functionality of the internet and growing number of desperate scam artists, these virtual heists are considerably an epidemic. Perhaps someday, more sooner than later, victims will no longer be swindled by these “masters of deceit”.