178

We'd love to be able to assure you that all sites on the Internet were run by scrupulous traders, but to do so would be very wrong.  Parts of this magazine itself have been displayed on another website since October 1999, without our permission and in breach of our copyright. Whilst imitation is the finest form of flattery, outright theft is no joke. The Internet has more than its fair share of sharks and charlatans. This does not mean it should be avoided completely. just navigated cautiously. 
We will be listing the names of organisations which exist to help with the policing of the Internet and any other information which may be helpful to you in protecting yourself from unpleasant Internet experiences. You can help us to help everyone by keeping us informed of anything you wish you had known...
We will try to help resolve outstanding problems with Internet traders who may be letting the rest of us down intentionally or as a result of inefficiency. You must always exercise caution when dealing with strangers on the Internet as elsewhere.
If you have ordered goods, or services, from a website advertiser and received something other than the advertised goods or received nothing at all, tried to get satisfaction from the advertiser and come up empty-handed, tell us all about it. 
You will need to give us full details of your identity, of how you paid for the goods, and when; whether you simply failed to receive anything, or whether the goods were not as advertised, and of what you have actually done about the matter before coming to us.
We will ask the advertisers to tell us what, if anything, they intend to do to rectify the situation and ask them to reply to you as well as to us.
If we consider the outcome of negotiations satisfactory that will be the end of the matter.
If, on the other hand, we find that complaints against that advertiser are justified we will notify the advertiser that you are about to publish the facts of your dealings with them on this page and give them a final opportunity to resolve the matter before going ahead with publication.
Equally, if you have received excellent service from an online vendor, we will be glad to give them your public appreciation and let other readers know about them.

http://www.bbb.org   -   the website belonging to the Better Business Bureau - apart from information on businesses and how long they have been trading, what complaints have been received, etc., charities about which you are dubious may also be checked out on this site.
http://www.fdn.net    -   the Fraud Defense Network  - this site is largely concerned with insurance fraud but also deals with other types of 'shyster' and provides links to other organisations devoted to specific fields, such as  medicine, for example.
http://www.fraud.org   -   the US National Fraud Information Center - there is good advice on this site and a good complaints mechanism, too.
http://www.ftc.com   -    the site belonging to the US Federal Trade Commission gives advice which is well worth checking out. Forewarned is forearmed...
http://www.scambusters.com   -   on this site you can learn plenty about the range of fraudulent activities in existence, rather than about specific 'scammers'.