Think again. People of all ages fall victim to increasingly sophisticated crooks each year. More scam artists are taking to the Internet, finding new and creative ways to rip off consumers, especially those desperate for income during the economic downturn. They peddle fraudulent business opportunities and use e-mails and social networking sites to gain access to personal information.

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Top scams in Utah

1. E-Commerce/Internet offers Offers made via the Internet fail to deliver.

2. Coaching services Consumers who buy business opportunities pay extra for consulting services designed to ensure success. Both the opportunity and coaching are questionable.

3. Retail sales Retailers fail to deliver products, refund money, disclose refund policies or honor warranties.

4. Health spas/gyms Consumers are denied refunds after a gym closes.

5. Alarm systems Companies use aggressive tactics to sell products door to door, selling a new service as if it were an upgrade to an existing service, obligating the consumer to pay on two contracts.

6. Services Lawn care, cleaning services and other service providers fail to perform work at the agreed-upon price.

7. Home improvement/repair Contractors fail to deliver after taking a deposit, fail to honor warranties and misrepresent work.

8. Debt collection Collectors try to collect from someone other than the debtor, collect more than are owed or skirt laws.

9. Auto repair Shops perform unneeded repairs, fail to disclose refund policies and fail to get authorization for repairs. 10. Billing fraud Unauthorized charges are made on a credit card or advertising presents itself to the consumer as a bill.