It doesn't matter whether we are offline, online, or in the next paradigm. We need to stop focusing on the Internet as a dangerous place. Here I sit in Japan, but in a few mouse clicks I am up to speed on a lot of the scams and alerts that are going on worldwide today. I am empowered by the Internet to avoid trouble and fight back. Information can be disseminated by companies, agencies, and individuals so quickly that a person or company offering questionable services or misinformation can be overpowered with information.
Consumers can fight back with facts.
But they always have been. They write them off as a cost of doing business. It is just an expense. They make this up with high volumes. Same thing holds true online.