scams - criminalise them

Yes they should be penalized, but since there are no laws governing the internet it ia very hard to do. The outside world would prosecute them if they could it was a blatant scam. It is very hard to prove it is a scam if the company can prove x amount of people were successful. It is best to do your due diligence and not get involved if you are not sure what the program is all about.

I hate scams, I have joined many programs like this, but they have not paid me.

SCAMS are treated as crimes but they would fall under fraud or estafa. scams that are from the internet are hard to trace and penalize. the best guard against scams is to be vigilant. never give your trust easily. i also hate people who defraud other people. they are sick individuals. the right place for them is JAIL.

Scams only work because even honest people can be greedy. Scams appeal to the greed in a person. Plus, many people just don't take time to examine the pot of gold and see if it is just gold paint. Personally, I detest spammers .. well, detest isn't strong enough .. I REALLY detest spammers! :)

You're right. They should be punished in a way that would make others reluctant to scam anyone. The punishment should fit the crime, so it should include reimbursing the victims.