Millions use the computer and the internet everyday for a variety of reasons such as sending e-mails, searching for information in search engines, researching and internet marketing.

It is estimated that about 80% of the e-mails received by individuals are spams and that spams constitute about 21% of the e-mails received by commercial and business institutions. A significant percentage of these are scams. Scams are prevalent everywhere in the internet in a variety of forms such as advertisements in Classifieds, Websites and in e-mails.

The vast majority of people who fall victim of these scams are either innocent people who are new to the computer and the internet or the opportunity hunters who are anxious to make thousands of dollars overnight. The scammers target these innocent and gullible people who simply do not possess the knowledge to identify a scam.

It is often extremely difficult for the genuine marketer or vendor to compete with the scammer who is prepared to go to any extent, to lie and capture the imagination of the gullible victim.

It is very unfortunate that most of those who have been scammed do not report or give publicity to these scams. The are two main reasons for this. The first is that they do not wish to be seen as having acted foolishly. The second is that they will not be able to retrieve the loss as there is no one to whom they could report the scam to.

Prevention is better than cure. These steps can help you to act smart identify and avoid being scammed through your computer.

1. Do not believe claims for unrealistic earnings such as "make $3ooo a day".

2. Do not make any attempt to respond to such advertisements or e-mail letters.

3. Do not get sucked by the hype. Take some time, do some research and check out the company. There are a few good organizations that can help you in this such as the "Better Business Bureau".

4. Do not reply to e-mails that appear to be from banks, government agencies, and reputed e-commerce sites asking for your personal and financial information.

5. Do not click on any links on spam e-mail from unknown origin. Always type the web address of trusted websites into the browser yourself.

If you have been a victim of a scam, you need not despair. There are organizations to whom you can submit your complaint such as:

1. The Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3).

IC3 accepts online Internet crime complaints from either the person who believes they were defrauded or from a third party to the complainant.

2. The Federal Trade Commission.

The FTC's mission is to protect consumers from fraudulent or deceptive claims that mislead consumers, and from harmful business practices.

3. The Squeaky Wheel.

You can register a complaint with "TheSqueakyWheel" website. It will be seen by thousands of entrepreneurs nationally and internationally. This will prevent others being scammed and you can also check whether others too have been scammed.

Scammers are masters of the art and know the weaknesses of the innocent and the gullible users of the computer and the internet. If the offer sounds too good to be true, then it probably is. Don't get sucked in by the hype. You certainly don't want to be the victim of a scam.