Email scams are getting more creative by the day. Some of the most common Internet and email scams are related to the lottery, advanced fees for loans or credit cards, disaster relief donations and life threats. 

Many of us play the lottery daily in big hopes of one day winning that million dollar prize. However, scammers are aware of the national interest and have repeatedly tried to scam people into paying a "processing" fee before they can collect their "winnings." To stay on the safe side, play the lottery at your nearest gas station, grocery store or other convenience store where the numbers will be drawn on the TV. This will prevent you from being scammed into believing an email is providing you with the "processing" fee to collect your money.

Advanced fees or loans and credit cards are next in line. Annual fees are not applicable when signing up for a credit card or loan. The fee is applied to the balance of the card upon use every month. Some companies will even wave the annual fee if you clear your credit balance before the bill cycle ends. 

Disaster relief donations are becoming more popular because of the natural life disasters that have been happening. Scammers will set up fake charity websites and steal money donated to the victims of that specific disaster. If you receive an email regarding a donation, it is best not to open that email and just delete it.

Finally, life threatening scams have popped up from time to time. These can be extremely scary and force someones hand into doing something they might believe is fake but aren't 100% confident. The sender of the email will say something regarding how they have been hired to harm you or kill you by someone you know. Multiple email threats will come in and eventually start demanding money to make sure that nothing will happen to the victim. The FBI has been notified of this extortion death threat email and request that if you receive one similar, that you report it to them immediately. 

Internet and email scams affect people daily and will only continue to get more creative. If you are unsure of the sender or email title, it is in your best interest to immediately delete that email. If you open an email by accident and it looks like it came from a legitimate company, it is always smart to contact them or do research regarding the email contents before continuing.