Internet Scam Infographic

I always thought that I could never fall for an Internet-based scam.

Even if I needed them, I would never purchase pharmaceuticals over the Internet. And I’m pretty sure that I’m not on the rolodex of the Nigerian prince who needs urgent rescuing.

But I was recently contacted by a potential client via e-mail. They were contacting me from the Far East about a Canadian matter in an area I practiced in. I obviously requested the requisite pieces of identification, and expressed that I needed money up front in trust. Since they weren’t asking for any money from me, I thought I was okay.

Just to be sure though I Googled the person’s name (sidenote: everyone Google’s your name). The exact name, with copies of the identification provided to me, showed up on a LawPRO site. Aside from now considering LawPRO as a Snopes of the legal community, I forwarded the page to a few colleagues, many who indicated that the sophistication of the scam probably would’ve duped them as well.

For this reason I thought it would be useful to share an infographic released by Mashable today, focusing on Internet scams. You can view the graphic here.