Web scams rarely stand up to rational scrutiny. In the previous example, the "Inland Revenue Department" told me I was due for a tax refund. So why did I have to sign-in to my internet bank account? Since when did you have to do that so a third party could deposit money?

Similar thinking applies to our next scam, which came via an email from a relative's hacked Hotmail account. The brief message claimed my relly had just signed up for a way to make thousands of dollars a month from the internet. Why didn't I do the same?

Spotted the logical flaw yet?

Imagine you've figured out a way to make a lot of money from the internet -- legally. What would you do? Quietly get on with it, or build a website proclaiming your greatness and offering to sell your secret to others? Really, there's no logical reason to do the latter -- unless the selling of that "secret" is the way you intend to make money in the first place!

It's a bit like a man in a pub tellng you he has a proven, 100% guaranteed, foolproof way of making easy money. It requires very little work and no outlay. The full details are contained in this sealed envelope, yours for just $10. But don't open it till you get home because it really is a stunningly simple secret and we wouldn't want the whole world to find out.

It's only a tenner. So you pay your money, take the envelope home, open it up and find a note inside that says, "Copy out this piece of paper as many time as you like, seal them inside envelopes, and sell them like I sold you this."

It's the same with these websites. Trust me, if there really was a legitimate way to make gazillions out of the net with no effort, do you really think the likes of Bill Gates, Steve Jobs and Rupert Murdoch wouldn't utterly own it by now?


(Click for a larger view)

This particular page (still up at the time of writing) is particularly sneaky. At first glance it appears to be a genuine story from a large news site. There are links to other pages, to the weather, to other sections on the site, and even comments from readers -- not all of them wildly enthusiastic. Even the site's URL ...



...seems to fit the bill. Or at least until you start dragging your cursor around.

Just watch the Status Bar at the bottom of your browser as you run it over those links: Home, US, World, Politics, Entertainment ... they all point to the same page. And so does every other "link". This is virtually a one-page website! Well almost. Any of those links will lead you to further come-ons and inducements to sign up for the free trial offer ...



... which almost certainly involves a variation of "Just do what I did to you."

But there's one final giveaway that this is a scam. Move away from the page and you get this parting popup ...



Wow, a FREE trial offer at a "total cost of less than $5"???

[Exit, laughing.]