Well, the time has come to wrap up my series on fake profiles. I could go on and on about the various ways shady individuals use fake profiles to exploit unsuspecting Web-goers, but I believe I’ve covered the big problem areas by tackling MySpace and other social networks, online dating websites, and Craigslist scams.

You may not think fake profiles on the Web are a big deal, but recent news shows otherwise with a Craiglist fake profiler being sued and the case where faking MySpace information may become a federal crime. As long as there’s money in creating fake profiles online, there will be seedy people there to do it.

If you never knew about the many ways people use fake profiles to exploit people, hopefully, you’ve learned a little about the motivations behind the scammers as well as ways to detect and avoid them in the future. Whether you plan on buying something from an unknown web user or merely interact with them socially, the big thing to come away with here is that you should now be more aware of the potential uses of fake profiles so that you can more comfortably navigate the Web.

Now, if you are one of these scammers, perhaps you’ve learned a little about how you really are hurting people. Whether it’s the advertiser you’re immorally and oftentimes illegally pushing, or the people you’re tricking with your fake profiles, you should be taking a deep breath and looking at how you’re exploiting others to earn your money rather than contributing something valuable. If you never care to take pride in your work and only care about money regardless of how you get it, then nothing I say will ever change your mind. But maybe… just maybe, a few of you out there that may take the first step into rethinking your online strategies… you never know.