Scheming high-tech scammers.

• Author: Luzzatto, Kfir
• Position: HEALTH BEAT - Medical fraud

HIGH-TECH SCAMMERS rely on the excitement of the layperson, who sees the (imaginary) opportunity to participate in an adventure, which not only is profitable beyond imagination, but is groundbreaking. The lowest form of hi-tech scam, however, occurs in the medical field, and I cannot think of anything crueler than giving false hope to a terminally ill person just to make a profit.

Cancer scams come in different types and sizes, and include those directed to the patient and his or her family, targeting one individual at a time--but there are others that are planned on a much more grandiose scale. A word of warning before proceeding: do not confuse failure with malice. Many good-faith attempts to find cures for different types of cancer fail. Those are not scams; that is how medicine--and science in general--advances.

Who does not want to find a cure for cancer--even "only" for one type? The allure of a project that brings hope of success is such that it saps your common sense and switches off all of the warning lights. That is how high-tech scammers sign you up, take your money, or use you to build the credibility that they need to go after the big investors. Then they may find an investor who has sickness in the family and hopes to beat the cancer that is plaguing his dearest or himself by funding the development of the "miraculous cure." After the first one invests, signing up others is easy.

For a high-tech scam to succeed, the scammer must create a semblance of seriousness. Articles are written by well-meaning (but oftentimes clueless) journalists about the "medical breakthrough." Thus, irrefutable "proof' is provided by the scammer, which leads to a clear conclusion: it only is a matter of time (and money) before the "cure" is made available to one and all.

In order to succeed, a scammer must present a facade of seriousness--a degree in medicine or life science, a CV (curriculum vitae) showing that he or she has a relevant background (possibly faked), and often an apparently reliable person who endorses him or her. The following warning signs should alert you that the person you are dealing with may be a scammer:

Too good to be true. The project in which the person is involved is extremely exciting, promises a cure for a variety of unrelated...