Hello and welcome back to Moneygirls quick and dirty tips for a richer life.

I'm your host Laura Adams. This episode is part two about how to prevent identity theft and stay safe from cybercrime.

If you miss part one, find it in iTunes or in the Money Girl section at quick and dirty

tips.com.

Some of the most successful online scams have been accomplished by email that appears to be from well-known companies, such as eBay, Bank of America, or PayPal, for example.

The scammers like to go fishing with recognized company names and logos because they know it gives their

bait an extra dose of credibility.

But the reality is that no reputable company should send you an email asking for your

confidential information.

Many thriving scams are surprisingly silly.

I'm sure everyone has received an urgent email from someone in Nigeria who desperately

needs your bank account information to wire you a couple

million dollars.

Give me a break.

That's the classic Nigerian advanced fee fraud, also known as the 419 fraud.

I still get a couple of these bizarre messages each month,

and they just make me laugh.

Any email I get that begins with,

Dear Gentlemen, go straight in the trash.

Some other common fraud schemes come in the form of chain letters,

fake charity emails, and even a rip-off that appears to be from the government.

That one takes your credit card number and charges you for a

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