News in today's paper about an alleged credit card scam aimed at older people is a timely reminder about the need to take care on solicitations which promise the world.

The basic rule when it comes to detecting scams is that if it seems too good true then it probably is.

Certainly that seems to be true in the cruise ship offer in today's paper. A cruise for four people involving flights and cruise fares for just $79.95 is far too good to be true, especially when you don't have to take the cruise for three years.

At some point, the customer is going to be asked for a credit card number, and from then on, the scammers are in business. It is likely that the client is gong to end up not with a cruise, but a massive credit card debt and very little way of getting the money back.

The need for caution is now greater than it ever was. With a recession in place and many people facing tough times, the "great offers" will be more tempting than ever before.

This does not only apply to solicitations over the phone or the Internet, but also pyramid schemes and other multi-level marketing schemes and to schemes which promise you an astronomical income within a few short months.

It also applies to get rich quick schemes where all you have to do is buy a set of tapes or books, often for thousands of dollars. Usually the only people who get rich quick from those programmes are the people selling the books.

What is disturbing is the failure of the authorities to prosecute those who are behind these schemes. It was alleged that some senior Police officers were involved in the explosion of pyramid schemes some 18 months ago. But no one, whether they were Police officers or not, was ever prosecuted.

There are times when the founders of these schemes are difficult to identify or it is hard to build an entire case against them which will hold up in court. It is also true that the victims of the scams are sometimes reluctant to offer evidence; they still hold out hope that that are going to get rich one day.

Be that as it may, it is incumbent upon the Government to ensure that the laws are in place and the Police and prosecutors have sufficient resources to fully investigate these scams.

The only way of preventing them from occurring is to make an example of the people behind them and put them behind bars for a long time.

Bermuda has had some marked success in this area in fighting money laundering; the same tactics - including international cooperation - need to be applied when it comes to scams.