I've often wondered when in human history the concept of the scam originated. At what point in civilization did the first man or woman decide to broker an exchange of currency and goods on a deceptive premise? Was it a corrupt Egyptian chariot dealer who sold poorly refurbished vehicles at top market value? Or perhaps an unscrupulous Babylonian alchemist who sold colored water in the guise of powerful love potions? There is no clear historical indication of when the act of cheating an individual out of their money, wares, or other assets was pioneered.

The American Heritage Dictionary cites the origin of the word "scam" as unknown. Some scholars have suggested the word derives from"scamp", which is the 19th century British slang for cheater or swindler. Other sources indicate the word first enjoyed common usage in the 1960s. I have yet to find a study that actually pins down the coining of the term.

Despite the ambiguous background of both the word and the practice, one thing is certain. Scamming, swindling, hoodwinking, and duping of all kinds does not by any stretch appear to be a short lived phenomenon.

We are warned on a regular basis about some kind of shady operation that has cheated victims out of x amount of dollars. For confirmation of this, just tune in to the evening news or click on over to your favorite news site.

Regrettably, it is common knowledge that cyberspace is brimming with identity thieves, con artists, ponzi schemes, email phishing, and an endless array of unethical "business opportunities". Millions of dollars each year are lost by victims of such scams.

If you're like me, you probably get angry when you hear about a life insurance scam that targets senior citizens and disappears into the night with thousands of dollars, or a false charity that solicits massive donations from middle to lower class households before vanishing without a trace. I mean, it's appalling to think of these crooks who, for whatever reason, feel they don't have to work an honest job like the rest of us. How can these people call themselves human when they go to such despicable lengths to steal from people who probably need every dollar they have just to pay the light bill and feed their households?

On the other hand...

Life is a two way street. We can't push all the responsibility for the outcome of an interaction onto only one party.

Clearly, I'm not justifying the actions of those who operate scams at the expense of the innocent. I am saying, however, that "it takes two to tango".

In many cases, a little common sense, or some time spent on careful investigation of the circumstances, would dispel the efforts of a would be scammer before any money changed hands. All too often when people are conned, they are hoping against hope, and buying into an idea that is obvioualy too good to be true.

I'm sure you've received at least a couple of emails that fit into the "Nigerian Scam" category. These messages usually run along the lines of:

DEAR SIR,

CONFIDENTIAL BUSINESS PROPOSAL

HAVING CONSULTED WITH MY COLLEAGUES AND BASED ON THE INFORMATION GATHERED FROM THE NIGERIAN CHAMBERS OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY, I HAVE THE PRIVILEGE TO REQUEST FOR YOUR ASSISTANCE TO TRANSFER THE SUM OF $47,500,000.00 (FORTY SEVEN MILLION, FIVE HUNDRED THOUSAND UNITED STATES DOLLARS) INTO YOUR ACCOUNTS. THE ABOVE SUM RESULTED FROM AN OVER-INVOICED CONTRACT, EXECUTED COMMISSIONED AND PAID FOR ABOUT FIVE YEARS (5) AGO BY A FOREIGN CONTRACTOR. THIS ACTION WAS HOWEVER INTENTIONAL AND SINCE THEN THE FUND HAS BEEN IN A SUSPENSE ACCOUNT AT THE CENTRAL BANK OF NIGERIA APEX BANK.

These emails then go on to explain how the recipient can receive this enormous transfer of funds within a few business days. All that is required is a routing number so the money can be easily wired into the correct account, and an advance fee of between $1,000 and $10,000 for "adminitrative purposes".

Let's see. An email from someone you have never met, who claims you are entitled to 47.5 million dollars, if you'll just shoot them your bank account info, complete with wire access number, and an administrative fee of up to $10k.

Could this be a scam of some sort?

Would you believe the "Nigerian Scam" model had resulted in losses exceeding 6 billion dollars by 2002? Absolutely incredible that anyone could be duped by such a transparent ruse.

Another point of interest is that, according to an FTC study conducted last year, nearly 20% of all consumer fraud victims were scammed on at least two occasions, and almost 10% were duped a third time. Impressive learning curve for a twelve month period, eh?

If so many people weren't allowing themselves to be robbed blind by anyone with a trick up their sleeves, maybe there would be less scams to worry about. Without victims who are (apparantly) willing to buy into even the most absurd pitches, I imagine many con artists would be forced to get day jobs.

I've been a little coarse in an effort to make a point, but now I'll be honest. I've been scammed myself on multiple occasions.

Granted, I've never fallen for anything quite as ridiculous as the "Nigerian Scam", but I have done my share to fund the scam industry by taking risks despite my better judgement. During the first eight months I spent in the net marketing arena, I blew more money than I care to admit on stuff that I knew deep down would never pay off.

Why did I do it? Because I wanted to believe that I was in the right place at the right time, or that I was somehow entitled to a lucky break.

I'm not ashamed to tell you this, because I know I'm not alone. I know quite a few intelligent, successful people who have allowed themselves to be fleeced on at least one occasion.

The important thing is that we learn from our bad decisions, and accept at least part of the responsibility for our loss. It seems personal accountability is not a popular ideal in our society, but pointing fingers and laying blame has historically done very little toward creating a real solution to any problem.

As the saying goes...

Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.

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Tim Whiston is a full-time entrepreneur and internet marketer. He publishes a monthly ezine, and is the author of Net Marketing Exposed.

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