Photo: Hemera

If some people can’t get their hands on your money or personal information by legitimate methods, they’re perfectly willing to use shady techniques to line their pockets. A quick Google search will turn up tons of articles about online scams, identity theft, and other cons that dishonest people are using to get your hard-earned cash.

We asked the folks at Scam Detector about five common scams they’re seeing out there and the best ways to avoid them. Scam Detector is a Web-based app that detects over 550 different acts of fraud, from financial ploys to social media trickery. This slideshow features the company’s responses and advice. Some of these schemes may seem pretty simple, but they’re successful nonetheless.