RIP-OFF ALERT: How many Americans get taken in Internet scams over the course of a year? 100,000? 500,000? Newsday reports it's more than 5 million of us!

Clark is absolutely stunned by that stat -- and he takes calls about this stuff all day long for a living!

By now you've probably become familiar with the usual suspects when it comes to Internet scams. There are the Nigerian scams; the bogus notices of international lottery winnings; the offers of unexpectedly enormous checks for a Craigslist or eBay item; and so many more.

There's a scam born every millisecond. According to the Newsday stat, it's like taking 13,699 Americans and filling a basketball arena every day of the year.

That's how many of us get taken annually!

In related news, yet another Ponzi scheme was busted earlier this month, according to a separate Newsday report. $55 million was allegedly taken by an investment adviser who set up 7 supposed funds to hold the money. He even generated statements for his clients -- something that's not very hard to do with a simple word processing program.

There are a few lessons here to note. You want to get your statements from a real brokerage house or fund complex like Merrill Lynch, Charles Schwab, T. Rowe Price, Vanguard or Fidelity, to name just a few.

Monitor your money and do not let your guard down! This is of special importance for successful entrepreneurs who may not have a lot of time to think about managing their money. That would be a real mistake.