Headlines Make Scam Bait

The Nigerian scam, which seeks topart suckers from their cash by offering ashare in a multimillion-dollar stash inreturn for help in disentangling the fundsfrom bureaucratic red tape, is actuallydecades old. But scammers can put a newface on the old dodge by switching thecountry of origin to one that may be morein the news, like Iraq, Libya, or Iran.Similarly, the SARS epidemic spawnedsnake-oil sales pitches hawking miraclecures. Beware of any miracle breakthroughs,consumer experts say, and beleery of anyone who asks for paymentupfront in the form of an application orregistration fee before you receive whatevergoodie is being offered. And nevergive out a credit card number unlessyou're absolutely sure of the personyou're dealing with.