As much as the internet has revolutionized modern life, opening new doors to progress, it has also sadly revolutionized the art of the con, opening new doors for scammers and con artists galore to step through and attempt to take advantage of well-meaning, good-hearted people like you.

In order to better arm yourself from these purveyors of ill-will, we've put together a list of some of the most common and prevalent online scams:

Phishing

Victims of this type of scam receive an email that purports (and by all measures appears) to be sent from a company or institution to which you belong, such as the bank you do online banking with, PayPal, eBay, Amazon.com, etc. The email advises that your personal information needs to be updated and gives you a link to click to get to the page on the company's website where you can enter said information in. The link, however, takes you not to your familiar and trusted site but to the scammer's mock clone site that looks exactly like the site it purports to be. Enter your personal information in there and you give the scammers just the tools they need to conduct identity theft. A key indicator that such an email is not legitimate is that you aren't addressed by name. If you have any question, contact the company directly by the phone number you already have on file (not one in the email, for heaven's sake!) or simply type into your URL/address bar the actual address of the site in question. To be completely safe, never give your personal information to a site that you reach by clicking a link in an email.

Reshipping Scams

These come in many forms, usually as an offer of employment or a business opportunity. The idea is that goods allegedly purchased by an overseas corporation without a U.S. address needs someone just like you to forward these items to it. You're offered considerable compensation simply for accepting these items and reshipping them to the corporation. What's really going on is that these items are being purchased with stolen credit cards and the criminals are attempting to launder the stolen items through you.

Money Laundering and Advance Fee Fraud (or the Nigerian 419 Letter)

"Dear (your name): I am a well-respected official with a check worth tens of thousands or millions of dollars that I am unable to cash. If you could forward me just a small percentage of the total amount, I'd happily send you the check and let you keep the remainder". Remember Wimpy from Popeye? "I'd gladly pay you Tuesday for a Hamburger today." Don't do it. Tuesday will never come and you'll be out a burger!

The Free IPod, XBox, etc. Scam

If you're ever told that you've won a prize from a contest or sweepstakes you didn't even enter, be wary. And when they say, "all you have to pay is shipping and handling," what they mean is "give us your credit card number and we'll use it to steal from you." Alas, there's still no such thing as a free lunch.

Other common scams to watch out for include the following:

• Auction Fraud - To protect yourself, only make online purchases from trusted sellers.
  
• Boiler Room Scams - Savvy fraudulent brokers may try to coax you into buying a hot investment - a "sure thing" - that doesn't even exist.
  
• Online Dating Scams - Fake profiles aren't solely the realm of sexual predators. If a person you meet online asks you for money, however convincing the story, do yourself a favor and set your sights elsewhere - fast!
  
• University Diploma Scams - The only education these illegitimate online universities will give you is an education in losing your shirt. Always check a college's accreditations before enrolling.

Protect yourself online. Be alert. Be skeptical. Be smart.