I spend so much of my time on computer and Internet security issues that I sometime forget that good old-fashioned scams are part and parcel of the dangers of being online as well. I was reminded of that when a Washington, DC area friend called me recently to ask if she should provide credit card information online for a Craigslist’s apartment rental. I checked it out, and boy, am I glad I did.

I called the contact info for the rental listing, and asked why they needed her credit card information. After fumbling for an answer like a five-year old trying to explain why the cookie jar was empty for a few minutes, they hung up. Further checking revealed that the ‘rental’ apartment was already happily occupied by its owner.

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