Scam

It's easier than ever for con artists to swipe your sensitive financial information -- and then use it to decide if you're a good target for a scam. But the war isn't lost: Consider these easy strategies to protect yourself.

Penny auction site YouNeverLose.com takes the risk out of paying to bid: Crazy as it sounds, you "gamble" without the possibility of losing your money.

Japanese optics giant Olympus is suing several former executives and its current president, seeking millions of dollars in damages after revelations about a decade-plus scheme that hid $1.7 billion in securities losses from investors.

Any fan of the Ocean's Eleven films knows the setup: An inside man handles the cards, and a high roller rakes in the dough. For Phuong Quoc Truong, the big scam wasn't a movie script: It was his way of life.

Each year, a disturbing number of women fall prey to fraudsters posing as U.S. servicemen, who woo them long-distance, then ask for cash. "A couple of years ago we were getting hundreds of calls a year about this scam," says Christopher Grey of the Army Criminal Investigation Command. "Now we get thousands."

Kris Humphries may be mourning the death of his brief marriage to Kim Kardashian, but that may not be the only thing he has lost recently. It appears he may have been the victim of financial fraud, losing perhaps several hundred thousand dollars. Let his case be a warning to you: Here's what to watch out for.

When Juliette Kimoto took to the stage to accept her crown as Mrs. Nevada in 2006, she seemed an obvious fit for the coveted pageant title. What she declined to mention, however, was that she was also engaged in an online operation that would eventually rob tens of thousands of people of $30 million.

As financial scams evolve to keep pace with the changing American economy, it is important that consumers educate themselves about common scams. Here are five steps you can take to avoid becoming the victim of financial fraud.

It looks like an ordinary cash machine, and you type in your PIN without a second thought. But there's a hidden device recording your ATM card's magnetic strip, and capturing your PIN. Big money is about to vanish from your bank account. Or maybe not: Here's how to prevent skimmers from getting their hands on your data.

In a shaky economy, senior citizens have become a prime target for scammers. Here are some of the common scams -- and warning signs -- to watch out for, along with some tips on how to protect your elderly loved ones.