Speaking of ridiculous e-mails, has anyone received one lately from the offspring off a dead Nigerian diplomat? You know the one — that same guy who has specifically chosen you, from all the world’s online users, to help him move millions of dollars of shady inheritance in return for a hefty seven-figure fee (for the record, these e-mail scams are actually called “Nigerian 419 scams”).

Or how about those e-mails congratulating you on winning a lottery in the Netherlands — or maybe in Spain? How you can win a lottery somewhere if you never bought a ticket?! In spite of it all, don’t those e-mails almost seem legitimate? I mean, they don’t actually ask you for any personal information or money.

If you still receive online messages like these, don’t sweat it. Almost everyone does. And you’ll be surprised how many people actually do fall for these email scams. If you’re one of them, though, here’s some sound advice:. Don’t quit your job! Needless to say, there’s no lottery payout, and the Nigerian millionaire’s nephew is most likely a down-and-out scammer, e-mailing you and millions of others from a shabby cyber café in downtown Lagos. So what’s all the hubbub about?

The truth is that e-mail scams are getting better at fooling people, and fraudulent scammers are getting a lot more creative. In fact, according to the Federal Trade Commission, telemarketing fraudsters are duping us all out of nearly $40 billion every year.

And while most of them are designed to trick you into paying for something that doesn’t exist, a growing number of online scams are carefully crafted to trick you into parting with personal information — which may lead to Identity Theft Crime.

Here are a few specific online scams to watch out for today:

Credit repair companies that offer to “clean up” your credit report for a small fee. Beware of these “special promotions” that base these fees on performance. You know, statements like, “…you only pay after they fix the problem..” Sounds good, right? As soon as any semblance of confidence and trust is established the scammers will try to persuade you to part with your Social Security number. This way, they can take a look at your credit report and begin the “promised and miraculous transformation.” Get wise fast.

These folks mean business, and they can ruin your credit overnight. If you want to protect your credit, then take time out to learn more about companies like PrivacyMatters (credit.privacymatters.com) to monitor your credit report daily and to learn more ways to possibly better your credit score.

Employment service and job placement scams that want to help you launch a “new and exciting career.” These criminals may call or e-mail you, offering to help you “…find a better job in your local area…,” and send your resume to thousands of employees, promising to only take a fee when they land you that killer new career you’ve been hoping for.

Again, this scam focuses on swiping your Social Security number, and just to keep things interesting, they might offhandedly ask you for your Social Security number to run a simple background check — before they can “officially” take you on as a client. Remember a basic rule of anti-ID theft practices: Unless you are dealing with a source you know to be reputable, DO NOT GIVE OUT YOUR SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER — EVER.

With the real estate market currently in the tank, watch out for refinancing scams. I received a call recently from someone claiming to be from my mortgage company. A skilled and fast talker actually had me nearly convinced that the call might be legit … until he asked me for my Social Security number.

That was the signal that this was a scam.

Like any good real estate broker, this guy was very sharp and convincing on the phone. Had I not been trained to watch out for this type of phone scam, I might have given up the information. That’s why it’s so important for you to be skeptical about such things from the start. You can be both contrite and polite later.

And while you’re busy learning to be skeptical, practice some self-defense techniques too:

- Just hang up the phone. Lack of phone etiquette is not a crime.

- Start speaking in gibberish or in nonsensical terms. Part of out-scamming a scammer is to beat him/her at the game. Fight fire with fire.

- If you tell a would-be scammer over the phone to “mind their own business,” you may be able to throw them into a panic. Scammers can be pretty self-assured that they will wreck your day. Be ready for them.

So be careful out there. It may be a hard thing to accept in other aspects of your life, but when it comes to the online world, trust nothing and no one.