You have probably come across several websites that offer file sharing, for either music or movies. The pages look good graphically, but it’s usually a long way before you can see or hear the content, and most times you never get that far. The scam comes in 3 forms.

Scenario 1. You are required to pay a monthly fee to access the content – which is fine; the scam occurs when, in order to see or hear the content, you also need a certain program or software to unlock it, which can only be purchased from the same guys.

Scenario 2. The files are poor quality or play only half - they can only be seen in full great quality if, again, you cough up some money.

Scenario 3. If the file sharing is free, several files are infested with malware, spyware or other software that can contaminate your computer or gain access to your personal files, including key-logger (software which records whatever you are typing on your keyboard) or an auto-calling software, which can greatly affect you if you have your computer connected to the phone. The software is programmed to call hot-lines automatically as soon as you download it, getting your phone bill to thousands of dollars.