I got this on another list. Thought I'd pass it along. Lanita Greetings List Members, Watch Out for Fraud With your help, the mailing list and message board administrators on RootsWeb do a good job of catching spam and keeping it out of your RootsWeb communications. However, I recently received an e-mail from an individual who had been contacted off the boards and solicited for what she thought was an obvious scam. The potential scammer said that she was looking for a distant relative of someone who had recently passed away and left an inheritance that would go unclaimed unless she could find a relative. This is a common type of e-mail fraud; if the victim bites, the scam artist often asks to get personal account information in order to wire the victim the purported inheritance. Or the scammer sends a bogus check or money order and asks for a portion of money in return. By the time the victim and bank discover the first check was a fraud, the victim has already given away a significant portion of real money. Since fraud on the Internet is so commonplace nowadays, it is good to keep yourself educated on what fraud looks like and how to avoid it. I conducted a quick search on the Web and found a few helpful sites on avoiding and reporting fraud. Take a few minutes to browse through them: Too Good to Be True--United States This site is sponsored by the United States Postal Service, the FBI, and other U.S. organizations. It identifies common types of fraud, gives contact information for filing a complaint about fraud, and provides other helpful links. http://www.lookstoogoodtobetrue.com/index.aspx Reporting Economic Crime On-Line--Canada Sponsored by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, this site provides a centralized place for Canadians to report any fraud, traditional or Internet-based. Complaints are directed to the appropriate agencies. Links and articles on fraud education are also included. http://www.recol.ca/ Advice Guide--UK This PDF, authored by the Citizens Advice Bureau, identifies common Internet scams and provides useful links for keeping up-to-date on the latest scams, reporting abuses, and more. http://www.adviceguide.org.uk/i_fraud_on_the_internet.pdf Also, if you see spam or something suspicious on a message board, please report it by clicking the "Report Abuse" link. If you see something suspicious on a mailing list, please notify the list administrator. Previously published in RootsWeb Review: 09 May 2007, Vol. 10, No. 19.