Although some are legitimate, free trial offers are common Internet scams. Most of these online cons include high charges after your time with the free trial runs out. So if you decide after a couple days that this product is not for you and you forget to cancel during the trial period, then they take full advantage of this by whacking you with fees, many of which were hidden or not disclosed in the first place.

Time Periods for These Internet Scams

Most of the time the free trial offer will be giving you a test period of 7 days, 14 days, or 30 days. However, the time frames are frequently confusing. For example, you might think you’re canceling on the last day of the trial period when that day has actually expired based on the way the period is calculated.

Ways to Identify Free Trial Offer Internet Scams

Now if you look into the terms and conditions, sometimes you can find a hidden piece of information. Some of this can be fine print charging you $100 or more per month until you cancel. Others can also throw in things like having to pay a termination fee to end the monthly service. When signing up for these trial offers, the product will ask for your payment information (name, credit card, etc.) in advance so they can start charging you right away when the trial period ends…or even before if they’re just flat out aiming to cheat you. The terms and conditions tends to be the main source of the scam when they are trying to make the most money off of the people who sign up.

Another way for these scams to work, and are used in Internet scams usually, is to have a already checked box on the page that you are using to sign up. The boxes are put in certain locations of the page, before the text you read or after most of the time, and tend to be out of sight of where most people would normally stop and pay attention to these sorts of things.

Ways to avoid these Internet scams are not too difficult, but may take more than normal time to go through the product sign up. If you are interested in a product, read the terms and conditions before you start putting information in (particularly payment information) for signing up for it. Find out if there’s going to be a one-time payment at the end of the trial period or if you’re on the hook to pay monthly until canceled.

Also remember to check the page entirely for pre-checked boxes and read what the check box is for. The check box can be some as simple as authorizing them to email you a weekly newsletter, or it could be if you want to download a spyware program or browser toolbar. What the check box is for can vary depending upon what the text is next to it says.

When in doubt, if the offer looks too good to be true, pass on it. Chances are you’ll be avoiding one more of these Internet scams in the process.

While checking your email inbox, you might come across one of the Internet scams in an email saying something about getting an online job with Google. You open it up and read  about it. In the end, it is just another spam email wanting you to sign up for a kit. To get it, you have to pay shipping and handling. The email promises you will make thousands of dollars a month if you use this kit.

Once you clicked the link and went to the website it sent to you, you arrive at a website to sign up for their kit promising you riches. First page would start out by asking for some simple information, next page would ask for what you want to use to pay for the kit.

Deceptive Billing For These Internet Scams

Now here is where these Internet scams really come into play. Within the fine print of the terms and conditions on the website where few people would read it, you will be told that you’re agreeing to pay a monthly fee once you signed up.

So for a small one-time fee of four dollars plus a much higher monthly fee, you would be able to invest in this fraudulent Internet scam to make money of the Internet just by posting links.

Although the email pretends that the job you’re getting is associated with Google, it isn’t a job…and Google has nothing to do with the fake opportunity.

How To Avoid Fake Google Jobs Internet Scams

To avoid these Internet scams will not take much effort. When looking through your emails for the day, if an email that isn’t from someone you know, you can either read it and delete it, or just delete it without even reading it.

If you read the email, and it is promising you money off the Internet, or telling you that they made a certain amount of money and to read more in the web site’s link below, mark the email as junk, delete it, block the sender, and it’s done.

Don’t hit any “unsubscribe” link in the email  or reply to it because you will be confirming to the spammer your email is a legit one to which future spam can be sent.

There is no true way to keep every single piece of spam telling you to make money off the Internet. Even the best spam filters let through scams like this one from time to time.

If the subject of the email sounds like a once in a life time biz opp, don’t even open it. Never click any of the links in the email, because you might be installing spyware or viruses on your computer by doing so. If you don’t respond or click on a link, there’s a good chance you can avoid Internet scams involving fake Google jobs.

Some people are being scammed out of money, passwords, and confidential data by Internet scams run by con artists claiming to work for Microsoft. In some cases, the victims also have their computers infect by viruses in the process.

How these Internet Scams Work

You receive a phone call from someone claiming to be a Microsoft employee. If you live outside of the United States, having someone speak with a U.S. accent adds a hint of credibility to the call because Microsoft is headquartered in the United States.

The caller tells you that he needs to remotely access your computer in order to make necessary repairs. Frequently, these repair claims involve removing viruses that are allegedly on your computer.

You will probably be asked to pre-pay for this service. However, that isn’t essential to running these Internet scams involving fake Microsoft employees.

The con artist will take your money if you pre-pay. In addition, if you allow him remote access to your computer, he will be able to sift through your data, stealing your passwords and other private information. This can include your online banking information.

In addition, the scam artist can actually place viruses on your computer, delete data, or even install a key logger or other spyware.

How to Avoid These Fake Microsoft Employee Internet Scams

If you get a call out of the blue claiming to be from Microsoft, don’t believe it. Microsoft does not initiate calls to service your computer even if you’re running a Windows operating system on your computer.

Challenge anyone who claims to be from Microsoft to prove he really is working for the company. Don’t take the voice at “face value” no matter how smooth talking the con artist sounds. Scam artists are unlikely have the serial numbers for your Windows OS Microsoft Office, or other Microsoft software you’re running on your computer. A real employee will have access to this information and other means to prove he is the real deal.

A legitimate employee from Microsoft will contact you by other means if follow-up is really needed. When in doubt, hang up the phone to avoid Internet scams like these.

If you’re single and looking to improve your social life by using an online dating site or matchmaking service, beware of Internet scams. These types of Internet fraud typically involve someone who pretends to be interested in you but only has the goal of stealing money from you rather than winning your heart.

Internet dating scams are run by both men and women…and sometimes the gender (and even sexual orientation) of the con artist is the opposite of what’s posted online in dating profiles.

How These Internet Scams Work

Con artists who run Internet scams that prey upon online dating victims have mastered the art of being sincere and acting genuinely attracted to you even though they’ve never met you in person. Because they’re often sociopaths, there’s no remorse about playing with your feelings in order to achieve the goal of fleecing you out of your money.

But most of these Internet dating frauds lack the patience to pull off the con over a long period of time. Typically with in 2-3 days of connecting with you online, they will tell you a story of a sudden emergency that requires immediate cash and they ask you to help them by lending money that they promise to promptly pay back to you. If you loan money, they will disappear and you’ll never get repaid.

If you don’t loan the money, they’ll disappear and move on to another potential victim of their Internet scams. Because it is a numbers game, you can be sure they’re chatting with several people at the same time in addition to you with the expectation that at least one of you will be gullible enough to fork over the requested funds.

How to Avoid Internet Scams In Cyber Dating

Here are some warning signs that the person you’re dealing with online is running Internet scams instead of trying to connect with you romantically.

• They become too friendly right away.
• They talk about how God has brought you together even though you’ve never met.
• They come up with a sympathetic story and ask you for money without ever meeting you in person.
• They act hurt, try to use guilt, or shame you into paying over the money by implying that you don’t really care unless you “loan” them funds.
• They disappear when you ask to meet them at your lawyer’s office or the local police station for safety purposes to hand them over the loan.

Never loan money to anyone you meet in online dating, particularly those you’ve never met and dated for a period of time in the real world. Report these jerks to the dating site where you met and to the police so that others won’t become a victim of their Internet scams.

Although many online merchants have money-back guarantees and honor requests for refunds if you’re unhappy with a product or service you’ve purchased, some Internet scams are based in part on promising you refunds the con artists have no intention of ever delivering.

Signs You’re Dealing with Internet Scams Involving Fake Refunds

Although any merchant can make mistakes, if you’re getting more than one of these warning signs when trying to get a refund, chances are you’re dealing with one or more Internet scams.

• The phone number you call is disconnected or just rings without being answered or going to voice mail.
• Messages you leave on voice mail are not returned within 3 business days.
• Your email requests for a refund bounce as undeliverable.
• Your email requests for a refund are not responded to within 3 business days.
• You’re given conflicting information on the status of your refund request.
• You’re told that your refund request is too late even though you made it timely.
• You’re threatened with a lawsuit or having your reputation destroyed online simply because you asked for a refund.
• You’re asked to sign a waiver, release, or confidentiality agreement in order to get your refund.
• You’re blamed by customer support for the product or service not working correctly.

How to Spot Fake Refund Internet Scams before Buying

Google the Seller’s name, the product’s name, and add words like “scam,” “scams,” and “fraud” to your searches. Although there are always a few crazy dissatisfied customers out there, if you see pages of complaints involving nonpayment of refunds or other deceptive practices, find another source from which to buy the product or service you want. That way you can avoid these refund Internet scams.

37signals Product Blog is a breath of fresh air because what you see is what you get…a blog that’s clearly devoted to providing valuable content about the company’s products. No fluff. No attempts to hide the fact the blog is about products for sale. From Basecamp to their Chalk app for the iPad, you get information that helps you use their products.

If you’re going to create a blog to sell your stuff online (or market other’s products and services as an affiliate marketer), 37signals provides an excellent model for doing so. Of course, that means borrow the concept. Don’t rip off the site.

Don’t miss the fact that the name itself prequalifies readers. If you’re interested in the types of products they offer, you’ll likely take a look at the blog. If not, you’ll go elsewhere. Regardless, it’s a win-win because everyone knows what’s being offered on the blog.

One of the popular Internet scams is an email you receive from a friend who needs your help right away because he’s stranded in a foreign country. You’ll get a sad story of a robbed wallet or purse, and the friend needs a few thousand dollars to cover hotel bills and a flight back home. Of course, there’s a promise to promptly repay you once the friend arrives safely.

If you send money, it will disappear forever because the sender is a con artist running Internet scams and not your friend.

Why These Internet Scams Work

There’s typically some credible information in the email that makes you think it’s really your friend instead of Internet fraud. What’s likely happened is your friend’s email or social media account has been hacked. And even if not hacked, the Internet scams still work if you receive the information from a new email address but it contains personal information about your friend…and that information is usually grabbed by the thief off of Facebook, MySpace, or a similar social networking site.

How to Avoid Fake Friend Internet Scams

Here are a few things you should do even if the email looks legit.

• Call your friend and see if he’s really on a trip.
• If you can’t reach your friend by phone, call mutual friends, family, acquaintances, etc. to confirm he’s away on a trip and whether they’ve heard about any trouble he’s been in while traveling.
• Email the sender back with a message that contains false info about your friend that a thief wouldn’t likely know was false (i.e. wouldn’t protest/contradict what you wrote), such as a reference to your friend’s nonexistent son when you know he only has daughters.
• Ask the sender to provide you with personal information that only your friend would know, such as what happened at a particular memorable event.
• Tell the sender that you’ll send the money to the local police station where he’s at so he can pick it up. Don’t actually send money…the response or nonresponse to your message will tell you alot about the sender.

When in doubt, don’t send a dime. Don’t let your loyalty make you a victim of fake friend Internet scams.

These type of Internet scams rely upon a very small percentage of spam email recipients to be gullible enough to believe the lottery exists in the first place. But the Internet fraud works because of the millions of emails sent, it only takes a few to fall victim to make it profitable for the con artists.

How Cyber Lottery Internet Scams Work

You receive an email announcing that you’ve been selected as the winner of a lottery. The lottery has an official sounding name that may include the name of a country or even a celebrity. These Internet scams rely upon you believing the lottery is credible because of the name associated with it.

In order to collect your (nonexistent) winnings, you’re told that you have to pre-pay the taxes on your windfall. Of course, any money you send is simply stolen by the con artists running the Internet lottery scam.

How to Avoid Online Lottery Internet Scams

Here are some warning signs that you’re dealing with Internet scams instead of a real lottery.

• If you receive an email notifying you that you’ve won, chances are it is a scam.
• If you never paid for a lottery ticket/entry, chances are it’s an Internet scam.
• If you’re asked to send money in order to claim your prize, chances are you’re dealing with Internet fraud.
• If the sender’s email address is from a free account (yahoo, gmail, etc.), you’re likely dealing with a con artist.

When in doubt, talk with your lawyer before responding. Don’t get taken advantage of by these lottery Internet scams.

Internet scams include fake auction websites designed to attract buyers of nonexistent products. The winning bidders pay for goods but receive nothing in return.

Here’s how this online scam typically works…

A con artist sets up a website listing items for sale that are extremely popular but in short supply. For example, if there’s a new iPhone released or a new video gaming system that parents are trying to get for their kids as holiday gifts, the scam site will have these items listed for bidding.

Why these Internet scams exist

Of course, there are no sellers, the products are unavailable, and the only goal of these types of Internet scams is to get desperate buyers to “win” by paying for items via the website’s payment system. The scammers close down the site after receiving enough payments, deliver nothing, and then set up a new fake auction website under a different name to start the same con all over again.

Red Flags for these Internet scams

Some warning signs for this kind of Internet fraud include…

If the offer looks too good to be true, it probably is. Even if the auction site is legitimate, you’re probably looking at a seller who wants to cash in by auctioning something he doesn’t have. And if you’ve never heard of the auction site before and it is selling high demand items at very attractive prices, ask yourself if you’ve found a bargain or yet another of these Internet scams before bidding.

If  you’re trying to save your home from foreclosure because you’re behind on your mortgage payments, be wary of Internet scams designed to take advantage of you.

One popular Internet scam is to set up websites or lead gen ads that pretend to provide home owners with foreclosure help from the government.

How Home Foreclosure Internet Scams Work

Here’s how this type of Internet fraud works…

You fill out information seeking help to prevent foreclosure. What you’ve done is given your phone number and email address to businesses that will either claim to help you if you pre-pay a fee (a big red flag) or try to talk you into high-interest refinancing of your debt.

This “help” is not from the government. It is designed to take advantage of you when you’re vulnerable.

How avoid these Internet scams

Go directly through your government’s website to find what’s really available for foreclosure assistance in order to avoid these frauds. Be very skeptical of websites that don’t have a “.gov” name pretending to offer you with government foreclosure help. In most cases, you’re dealing with one of these foreclosure help Internet scams or lead gen for the con artist.