Like clockwork, every morning I scan my favorite online news sources to update myself on the "goings-on" of the world. Yesterday was no different. More bailouts, bungles and blunders. Hmm...seemed not much had really changed overnight. Then my eye caught an ad embedded in a story about the dismal state of the global economy.

Headline read, "Scam-Free Work at Home Jobs! No Experience Necessary! Act now!"

That got me thinking, how many people actually fall for these ads? You know those blatant, in-your-face ads with claims that can't be true and "call to actions" that force you to stop whatever you're doing to give full attention to this "once-in-a-lifetime offer."

Let me ask you. Have you ever forked out money for something that sounded like a good product or service to someone who seemed like a nice person and avoided that nagging voice in your head that said, "Sounds too good to be true!?"

You did?

Then what happened? Let me guess. You get the product. It's not even close to what was described, doesn't do half of what the expert testimonials claimed it would. And, you know that 100% money-back guarantee? It isn't worth a dime when the seller goes AWOL.

Then anxiety rushes in and you realize - scam, internet...I've been had.

I'll let you in on a little secret. You're not alone. A lot of people fall for those ads...hardworking, sensible people who for the most part aren't looking to become millionaires. They just want a little slice of their own pie, to take control of their life and provide a comfortable lifestyle for their family.

But the truth is, people do fall for the ads. That's why scammers keep running them. And people keep falling for them. And admittedly, I've fallen for them myself.

Let's see, there was that home business membership site that was pitched to make you millions and when I finally got the chance to peek inside (after forking over more than a $1000), there was nothing there. No articles, no content, nada...in fact the only thing that was there was an affiliate link to sign up other suckers like me.

And then there was the year-long "search engine domination" service using Web 2.0 methods, promising never-before released marketing techniques and new content added to the site throughout the year. Sure, there was content added to this "bare bones" website, but much of it was generated by users trying out the techniques. Occasionally, there was a lame "inspirational" 5 minute audio clip recorded in the guru's car as he was off to put together another deal. Oh, brother. But I should have known something was up when during that first mastermind the "guru" explained call protocol...absolutely no negative comments or the call would end immediately.

How stupid could I be? Turns out, pretty stupid. It wasn't enough that I wasted $1500 on this pathetic excuse for a mastermind program, but what really took the cake was when he took an additional $500 from my PayPal account (which I later recovered).

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