Fraud schemes that have victimized consumers for many years before the Internet are now appearing online.  With the explosive growth of the Internet, and e-commerce in particular, online criminals try to present fraudulent schemes in ways that look, as much as possible, like the goods and services that the vast majority of legitimate e-commerce merchants offer.  In the process, they not only cause harm to consumers, but also undermine consumer confidence in legitimate e-commerce and the Internet.

Here are two of the major types of Internet fraud consumer organizations are seeing:

"Work-at-Home" Schemes Online are cropping up everywhere.  Fraudulent schemes often use the Internet to advertise business opportunities that will allow individuals to earn thousands of dollars a week in "Work-at-Home" Dreams.  These schemes typically require the individuals to pay anywhere from $35 to several hundred dollars or more, but fail to deliver the materials or information that would be needed to make the "Work-at-Home opportunity a potentially profitable business.  If it sounds To Good to be True, it is a FRAUD.  The only money being made is the person selling the information to Fraud Victims.

Auction and Retail Schemes Online.  According to the Federal Trade Commission and Internet Fraud Watch, fraudulent schemes appearing on online auction sites are the most frequently reported form of Internet fraud. These schemes, and similar schemes for online retail goods, typically offer high-value items - ranging from Rolex watches, Computers, Designer Clothes and Accessories, that are likely to attract many consumers. These schemes lore their victims to send money for the promised items, but then deliver nothing or only an item far less valuable than what was promised.  These predators profit because it is their mindset, that it will cost the victim more in legal fees than it is worth.