The year's top scams: news you can't trust

It's time for the top 10 scams of 2007.

From cruel foreclosure frauds to Nigerian puppies -- in other words, from the tragic to near comical -- this was a banner year for consumer scams. Much like many other years.

The Internet continued to provide a worldwide platform for fraudsters. New scams popped up and some old-fashioned schemes came back.

So, without further ado, here's a countdown of infamous notables for the year.

Hold your applause, and your wallet.

10. The hands-down, scummiest scam of the year was fake Red Cross phone calls to spouses of soldiers in Iraq.

The caller, saying he was from the agency, delivered the news that the soldier had been injured and airlifted to a hospital. Before treatment could begin, the caller needed the soldier's Social Security number, date of birth and other personal information.

Luckily, the soldier actually was fine. The call was an attempt to get information needed for identity theft.

The American Red Cross put out a warning, saying it would never call a spouse to say a service person was injured.

9. "Natural" Viagra turned out to be not so natural in some cases.

Some over-the-counter supplements, with names as unsubtle as 4Everon, claimed to remedy erectile dysfunction as effectively as the prescription drug.

The Food and Drug Administration found that they indeed did their job well. But that was because the active ingredient in the concoctions was the same as in real Viagra.

The scam could have serious consequences because the "supplements" posed health problems if mixed with drugs taken for diabetes and other conditions.

The FDA forced 4Everon off the market.

8. It looked like good news from the Internal Revenue Service: People across the country got e-mails saying they were owed an unexpected tax refund.

The bad news was that the e-mails, which asked for information such as bank account numbers, were frauds. They were yet another attempt to get the personal data needed for identity theft.

The IRS said it would never send e-mails requesting financial information.

7. As if people who fell behind on mortgage payments didn't have enough troubles, an increasing number became victims of foreclosure rescue frauds.

According to real estate experts, the scams take different forms: Owners unknowingly sign over properties; loan restructure "experts" collect fees and do nothing; fake refinance brokers inflate property values for personal gain.