1. They contact you via spam.

I don't care what treasures of the world they offer you, what kind of improvements to your life they promise to deliver or how great and seductive it all might sound, if it comes to you in a piece of spam, it's a Big Fat Lie.

2. They offer you once-in-a-lifetime great business or investment opportunity, but don't tell you much about it. Actually, after reading all their materials you still have pretty vogue idea of what they're taking about.

There are plenty of legitimate opportunities to make money on an Internet. However people and companies that offer them will clearly and in detail tell you about their offers, so you'd know exactly what you're getting into. Also, this legitimate opportunities will be supported by some kind of a free offer, so you might get a taste of quality of their product or service and make an informed decision.

3. They sell something that you want, but only accept a cashier's check or a Western Union transfer.

Cashier's check and Western Union payment options are great for scammers because it let them cheat you out of money while keeping their anonymity and distance. Just say no and move on.

When in doubt about a merchant, use only trusted third party payment options. Such as PayPal.

4. You befriended someone in the Internet chat room, forum, dating site, etc. You talk, you share, you have a lot in common. Or so it seems. Then, they ask you for money to help with their sudden hardship.

You want to be a good person, you like them, you want to help. Unfortunately, you don't really know them. They can be anybody. Moreover, normal people don't ask virtual strangers for money. It's that simple.

5. You met someone charming on a dating site. You ask them what they do for a living and they tell you. It sounds wonderful and important. Unfortunately, when you ask for some details, they won't elaborate or will only give you vague answers.

They lie. There's no doubt about it. It's only a question of to what degree. They might be an accounting clerk and tell you they're a CPA. Or they might be an inmate and tell you they're a space engineer.

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For more articles on the topic on lie detection visit my blog How To Tell Lying Guides.

For the list of up-to-date E-mail scams and warnings visit FBI's Cyber Investigation page.