Author Notes: Reference Copy, links to Original Copy removed due to the Age of the Content. See the top Blog Menu for Copyright Concerns, Some Content Removed.

1. Our Handbook and ISA Groups, IUH 2009-12, 2ND Ed, R513A

Internet Crime, Scams, Fraud, and Spam all impact our ability to do business online. Many newbies turn to the Internet as a quick cure for some financial ill; out of work, working at home, too much debt, etc. They become frustrated and give up when they find themselves scammed and further in debt. They soon learn that there are no real quick financial cures online…

Whether you are a seasoned business owner or a newbie to business, this Handbook has been written for you. It brings an offline business perspective to help prepare you for business online or offline. Offline, it is easy to see some of the business aspects that you must prepare for; product or service, location of your space, distribution, licenses, etc. Offline, few prepare themselves for personal or business growth and most fail to understand the risks that they will encounter in business.

Perhaps, one of the simplest examples of risk comes from my days a newspaper delivery boy on a bicycle. Risks to my customers included late, wet papers or non-delivery of the news. Risk to me included the weather, wet news, bicycle breakdown, and dogs come to mind. You know, the unchained dogs that chase cars or anything that moves; very few bites but a lot of anxiety and commotion. I remember this one Great Dane that looked bigger than a horse; he never chased, barked or put me in danger, however, his stride would easily catch me, he always drooled and would seek me out to wipe his mouth.

One of my offline businesses included business and development financing; as such, I encountered nearly every financial scam or scheme available. I was the risk manager for my clients and my business. However, many of my clients of larger firms didn’t even have a risk management program or policy and few understood what their business risks were. From a financial perspective; I needed to know what their and my risks were in analyzing and financing their requests.

Starting a business offline, whether a franchise or new business is expensive and usually your choice evolves a product or service that you already have a passion for, perhaps a hobby or interest, at least something that you have some knowledge and understanding. This minimal understanding reduces your risk to scams and is a step toward success…

It is true, that starting a business online is inexpensive, but few understand business or business risks; they oversimplify doing business online. Instead of following their passion, interest or hobby, newbies jump at the first sounds good, feels good opportunity proved to their inbox, only to jump to the next and the next opportunity. There is no business pattern, plan or strategy given to their behavior.

Without question, Internet Crime, Online Scams and Spam are our greatest online business risk. Your inability or failure to understand and control your emotions, to recognize the broad range of scam you will encounter online, put you and chances of online business success in grave danger. New Internet users (newbies) are growing at a current rate of 44% or more per year and accelerating. Most of them have little or no background for doing business on or offline

Too many newbies turn to the Internet as a last resort to solve their financial crisis; be it out-of-work, excessive debt and related Further, most of our new users lack the business skills and a basic understanding of just how much impact that Scams would have on their potential for a successful online business. More and more businesses are taking advantage of the low cost Internet advertising and the affiliate models, so readily found online, but most fail to understand or include online spam and scams in their risk management plan.

Our Internet Users Handbook along with our various Internet Scams Anonymous Groups help fill the void with a broad approach to Avoiding Internet Crime while Doing Business Online. While This Handbook was originally prepared originally as resource for our Internet Scam Anonymous (ISA) Groups, Its value serves a much greater audience, truly a one-of-akind Handbook and Resource for All Internet Users, Individuals, Businesses and Risk Managers that want to start, attempt or grow an online business. The handbook is largely written for the individual user reading, but Business and Risk Managers will find this a valuable resource for formulating their own Internet Usage and Risk Management Policies.

Our goals are to combat these crimes by showing our members how to recognize and control their emotional propensity to participate in these scams. With one hand, we seek are helping to protect the members or readers, with the other we are helping by provide them with the tools to succeed online.

THE HANDBOOK HAS A TWO-FOLD OBJECTIVE:

• How to Recognize and Avoid Scams
• To Properly Prepare You to Start or Grow Your Online Business

As you may imagine, the Internet is an ever-evolving and growing network, and while the basics of doing business, as well as the scams, may prevail; the strategies, business models, and techniques also evolve. Therefore we will continue to try to keep up and make periodic revisions to this handbook which are provided to you freely as the owner of the current edition

Forming or participating in business online is so easy and relatively cheap that nearly everybody thinks that they can do it, including scammers. Business failure rates online are about the same as offline, say 95% over time. To be successful online, certain individual traits still apply; mindset, interest, and passion. Because scams and fraud are the greatest online business risks; the due diligence process is just as important online, as offline.

The scope and content of this Handbook cover a broad range of topics from personal assessment to scam identification and avoidance, spam, to starting, growing, managing, and operating a successful online business,

THIS HANDBOOK IS FOR THOSE THAT WILL HELP THEMSELVES!

• We can only provide the blueprint, you must take responsibility to learn and prepare for your own success.

Our Testimonials show that owners, members, and affiliates that use this Handbook have one of the most comprehensive references available regarding Scams, Spam and all aspects of Doing Business Online. It is a compilation of years of experience and the Best of the Net, Articles, Blogs, Tools, Tips and How-To, and other Resources for newcomers (Newbies), as well as seasoned veterans (but still able to learn new tricks). The use of the strategies and techniques offered herein is supported by our ISA Group members who participate and share their online experiences. If you are new to business, or online, then arm and prepare yourself for success online. Learn the business.

As we study Scammers and their schemes, we find that they are Masters of Persuasion and the use of Spam. Microsoft advises us that over 97% of the emails they receive each day are unsolicited. Another source says it is at least 60%. The problem is so big that it ties up both individual and organizational systems with junk, Spam. I am reminded of the garbage in – garbage out days!

To help resolve this problem, Internet service providers (ISP), email providers, advertising agencies and even Instant Messaging (IM) sites are all trying to reduce spam and scams by various blocking or screening strategies. However, as a result, even legitimate email is sometimes spam blocked, because of a selection and use of the wrong word

A great number of, networks, blogs, articles, and groups do a great job dealing with various segments of Internet Crime. Much of their work has been complied herein as The Best of the Web, for I could not have said it better. Of course, there are many others included that ranked high in our hundreds of searches.

Throughout this Reference Handbook, we recognize and appreciate the contributions that these and others have made to the subject of Internet Crime, or Cybercrime, as well as Starting and Growing a Successful Business Online. Every effort has been made to respect copyright issues; sources have been identified, etc.

INTERNET SCAMS ANONYMOUS GROUPS

Ownership of our Handbook is supplemented by free membership in one or more of our Internet Scams Anonymous (ISA) currently located throughout the Internet. Although not necessary, these Groups give you the added benefit of communication with like-minded Internet users, both seasoned and newbies.

These groups are Anonymous Groups because few of us will admit our mistakes and even fewer of us will learn from them. Yes, I too have been a victim. My experiences, lessons, and research are included throughout this Handbook. The most basic lesson that I overlooked was my failure to do my online Due Diligence; something that I had done for years and helped others do offline. Second, I initially succumbed to the temptation of the online wealth headlines. If they can make that kind of money, why can’t I?

Regardless of whether we are an individual or a business, we always have a monetary need that scammers love to play to as they take our money. Most often it is fast money to them and none for us.

Elsewhere in this Handbook, we speak of the senior’s trust in what they read, and the false promises offered by the Scammers. Online, we can forget the “put it in writing for me”.

TIP: A word of caution as you progress online; everything and anything you see online can be fabricated, from fraudulent websites, emails that look like they came from the original source, payment proofs, and testimonials, all!

We do not promise great wealth here, but we do offer you an opportunity to get on the right path to success, and to show you a strategy to control your emotional propensity to join these various scams and frauds. We stress doing your own due diligence to avoid the mistakes that I have made. We are especially concerned for those newbies that can least afford it, from wasting their limited resources on Scams.

To sum this up, we are about business, your business. Again, This Handbook for all practical purposes is a Business Handbook, taking you from personal assessment, start-up, growth, operations, and the management of business risk. In this case, we focus on scams and spam risk.

Thanks for Reading – 1. Our Handbook and ISA Groups, IUH 2009-12, 2ND Ed, R513A

Dr Don, Founder, ICFO