To: StockDung who wrote (84111 ) 5/21/2003 10:36:17 AM From: Taki Respond to of 122087 The latest scams Con artists know the news. There are new opportunities for fraud every day. May 12, 2003: 11:06 AM EDT By Leslie Haggin Geary, CNN/Money Staff Writer New York (CNN/Money) - Bogus scholarship deals. Fake SARS treatments. When it comes to scams, con artists continue to spot new opportunities to rip off the public, preying on emotions such as fear, ambition or anger. "People who run scams are attentive to the news. They're nimble. They're opportunistic," says Eileen Harrington, spokesperson for the Federal Trade Commission, which tracks down con artists of all stripes. Consider the onslaught of coverage about the most recent outbreak and spread of SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome). Understandably, news of the virus is enough to make anyone nervous. And con artists know this. According to the FTC, bogus operators have started to sell products guaranteed to prevent, treat or cure this disease. They range from various pills to $150 air filtration systems to droplets of medications and ointments like "colloidal silver generator" that sell for as much as $99. Their claims to protect or heal are not supported by science, however. Government officials warn that consumers should exercise a healthy dose of skepticism before they buy products from today's snake oil salesmen. "SARS is a newly diagnosed and newly recognized condition. If there was a preventive medication it'd be all over page one of the newspapers," says Harrington. How to protect yourself? Get knowledge from trusted medical sources, such as the Centers for Disease Control, which posts up-to-date information about SARS on its Web site.