New scam asks people to fax away data

Just when you thought you knew how they were doing it. It is not uncommon for banks, etc. to ask you to fax them a signed form. The difference is that you have initiated that transaction.

While those who succumb to advance fee fraud, do so out of greed -- something for nothing, those who succumb to this do so from fear and from a willingness to help. In some ways this is a "your mother is sick and you need to go with me" scam. The scam itself is not new, but the implementation is.

The good news is that people have become very aware of e-mail phishing. So much so that the bad guys are trying a new tactic.

The bad new is that surreptitious trojans and worms seem to be the most effective. They are also more difficult to detect and to guard against.