By now, many of us are familiar with phishing and Nigerian money scams, but those are not the only Internet schemes trying to deceive you to get at your cash. There are new scams, and they're coming from surprising places.

'ASTROTURFING'

"Viral marketing," that is, using the Internet and its social networks to quickly spread the word about a product to large numbers of people, has become popular and successful. For example, studios create MySpace profiles for movies, and then they wait for Net users to create a buzz.

But some companies are employing increasingly underhanded techniques. For example, Ruckus, a legal file-sharing network, allegedly created a fake profile on Facebook.

As the story goes, "Brody Ruckus" said his girlfriend would consent to group sex if 100,000 people joined his Facebook page. More than 300,000 joined. Ruckus the company got the e-mail addresses of those who joined. They, in turn, received unsolicited e-mail about its products.

That's just one example. Some company shills pose as customers to tout products in forums and on message boards. This is "astroturfing," or trying to create a false grass-roots buzz around a product.

Company employees also pose as consumers to post negative comments about competitors' products. These employees are called "trolls."

The bottom line is, you can't believe everything you read. Be skeptical. If something sounds too outrageous to be true, it probably is.

'PUMP AND DUMP'

You've probably received e-mail promoting stocks, and you may have seen messages posted on Internet forums touting a company. The promoter claims to have inside information about an upcoming announcement. The message cites rising stock prices and sets a high target value for the next few days. The sender could be a company insider or a paid promoter.

These "pump and dump" schemes generally affect microcap stocks. The prices are low and the stocks trade in limited quantities. Because the companies' assets are small, they aren't required to file Securities and Exchange Commission reports. Lack of information about these stocks makes them prime targets for scams.

The hype pumps up the stock price as unsuspecting investors buy in. Then the promoter dumps his shares, the price plummets and victims lose their investments.

The messages may even say that the sender will sell his stock shares. This helps the spammer comply with SEC requirements.

Also, be wary of newsletters. Some are paid to promote stocks. Newsletters must disclose explicit details of money they receive to promote stocks. Frauds may only include vague disclosures, or nothing at all.

The lesson: Do your homework before purchasing stocks.

The crooks are becoming more cunning. The best protection is knowledge, and a big dose of wariness.