Two people hit it off online. within the span of 24 hours, one of them gets her assistant to contact the other to organise meet-up details, claims that cars are booked for travel and that their airfare is booked - and then suddenly has died from being hit by a car. Is this a well-documented scam? [more inside]
posted by divabat on Apr 20, 2013 - 31 answers

Help understanding "new media" and the internetz: Are these "freelancing gig"/content generation/social network websites which are popping up on the web these days scammy? Help me understand this phenomenon. [more inside]
posted by dahliachewswell on Apr 24, 2012 - 8 answers

What can I do to take down a Penny Auction site in the US? [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Apr 5, 2010 - 8 answers

How should I attempt to get satisfaction (ideally, a refund) from a scammy "grant" company? [more inside]
posted by hulahulagirl on Dec 20, 2009 - 3 answers

I just got this in my inbox from Google Groups. Is this some sort of scam or problem? [more inside]
posted by St. Alia of the Bunnies on Jan 14, 2009 - 9 answers

I have made several purchases from a small on-line company. They have always shipped the order out correctly and on time. I just received and email from them stating that they had a problem with my payment. If they genuinely had a problem, I want to help them fix it. If this is a scam, I don't want to be an idiot. I'm confused by them telling me not to reply to the email, but to send a new one. I would appreciate any help or advice that anyone could give me. [more inside]
posted by colt45 on Aug 19, 2008 - 12 answers

I am pretty sure I am caught up in an Internet scam, and I want to know the best way to proceed to make sure I cover all my bases. [more inside]
posted by mto on Jun 20, 2007 - 24 answers

The scam (if that's what it is) is as described below and I'd welcome any comments or links to places which discuss such things. [more inside]
posted by thayerg on Jun 8, 2006 - 12 answers

I posted something for sale on Craigslist. The first response I got was interested and asked normal questions. I responded, but the followup from the possible buyer was totally different tone and asking to pay in a form (AlertPay International Money Order) I'm not familiar with and can't find through a search. I want to sell this item, but I don't want to be scammed. Anyone know what AlertPay International Money Order is and whether it's on the level? [more inside]
posted by nramsey on Jun 2, 2006 - 24 answers

I remember a typical late 1990s Bubble story where a scammer was hyping a fake streaming video technology to grab investor cash. What name should I look up under? [more inside]
posted by meehawl on Feb 12, 2006 - 16 answers

I am pretty sure I'm just being paranoid, but I would like to check with the savvy crowd here first. I have listed a range/stove for sale on Craigslist and I got a response from someone who's interested. He has asked for my name and address to send me the payment. All of that is relatively normal. [more inside]
posted by mikel on Jun 21, 2005 - 10 answers

I think homestudynet.com is a scam. Can you help me prove it?
posted by reklaw on Sep 1, 2004 - 3 answers