Robert Siciliano is a NextAdvisor.com Expert Guest Blogger
An axiom in business is that we buy and do business with those we know, like and trust. In the 21st century, we have seen CEOs, investment bankers, politicians and those in the highest positions of confidence completely all who put them on their pedestal.
Madoff pleads guilty to orchestrating a Ponzi scheme of $ 65 billion and 3 rows of investors present at his trial applauded, cheered and sang. These are people who gave an incredible amount of money on a man who is probably a psychopath. 
What does this say about us as a species that relies so much?
Charles Ponzi started his project there are 100 years old and was taken 10 years later. The SEC intervened and arrested. The SEC did not stop Madoff. They allowed it to prosper until the operation imploded. 
Growing up, most of us were schooled on "Stranger Danger" because our parents were also told not to talk to strangers. Foreigners are "strange" so dangerous. At least it seemed to be the theory. Unfortunately, I have seen too often the people we know are sometimes the worst apples in the bunch. Teachers, coaches, clergy, etc.
In an article in the Wall Street Journal, Bruce Schneier notes that, overall, people are generally good and honest. So it is basically true that a foreign approach probably would not mean an imminent danger.
On the other hand, if someone sues you or approach, they are essentially giving you unwanted attention and potentially distract you from the truth. They may be prepared to take advantage of you in some sneaky way.
when we see the application of the law poses as a young 14 year old girl in a chatroom and is quickly approached by 50 men with cameras, taking pictures of themselves. So in that sense, talking to strangers is bad. Click here for a video.
Nigerian 419 scams are based on one principle: get to know your brand, get them to like you and they will trust you. Completed. They start as a stranger, then become their victim the night in shining armor coming to rescue their emotional (and financial). 
I have spoken several times on insider hacking into a company maliciously in the network and data theft. These people are not strangers, they are funny drunk guys at Christmas.
You want to avoid being scammed? Prevent data theft? Prevent identity theft? Protect yourself against piracy?
Do not rely solely on a single system to protect you. Do not expect the government and bureaucratic organizations bazillion to protect you. Do not assume that the application of the law or other authoritative body will be there when a predator strikes.
All existing systems often work, and fail far.
Security is about layers. The more layers of protection you have in place, the more difficult you make for the villain to access. Redundancy, Predictive, proactive thinking.
Somebody pour me a scotch. Single malt.
Oh, and I'm very happy to work with Uni-ball in 2009 in a partnership to help raise awareness of the growing threat of identity theft and provide tips to protect yourself. Check uniball-na.com for more information.
See identity theft expert Robert Siciliano to discuss scammer Bernie Madoff here.
Robert Siciliano is CEO of IDTheftSecurity.com, an expert on identity theft, professional speaker, security analyst, published author and television news correspondent. Siciliano works with Fortune 1000 and start-up companies as a consultant on product launches, branding, messaging, representation, SEO and media. the thoughts and advice of Siciliano on all these issues often appear in both television and print media news, including CNN, MSNBC, CNBC, FOX, Forbes and USA Today. He has 25 years of safety training as a member of the American Society for Industrial Security. He is the author of two books, including The Safety Minute: Living on high alert; How to take control of your personal safety and prevent fraud.