It’s human nature to be at our most vulnerable when dealing with issues of the heart. Scam-masters and con artists know this and they’re taking advantage of the online dating craze that has grown for a decade and that shows no signs of slowing. This graphic by our friends at Zone Alarm shows the bad side of eRomance. When you’re lonely and looking for fun or fulfillment online, remember that there are those in the same field but with completely different goals. Click to enlarge. …

When Facebook, Microsoft, and a mysterious website known as Make-My-Baby go to town, everyone wins. Everyone, that is, except for us. The company uses a fairly simple affiliate marketing technique that is not only spammy but also potentially dangerous. It lures people in via Facebook ads… a lot of them. Only AT&T and Match.com contribute more to the $1.86 billion in yearly ad revenue that Facebook receives. Once visitors arrive at the site, they are prompted to install a toolbar plugin to “present an enhanced experience” for their users. At this point, you should run away. Once installed,…

There has been some concern over the past few days about a potential security hole in iTunes, although reviews by Apple and PayPal show that no vulnerability exists. The problem actually relates to a good old fashioned phishing scam, a common, non-technical approach to ripping people off online. The scam involves users following links or instructions in emails advising them to either change a password, click a link that ultimately leads them to malware or make some other inadvisable alteration to their account. TechCrunch first covered the story yesterday, although the article seems to accuse…