Hey buddy, wanna buy a lawn mower? 

Never seen the thing, but from all the phone calls a friend of mine has received, it sounds like a heckuva deal.

Runs well, hasn't been used much – advertised as "like new," as a matter of fact. I'm sure it's a beaut.

The trouble, however, is my friend is not selling a lawn mower. He doesn't even own one, actually, because he lives in a third-floor condo where there's little grass to be cut.

Still, lawn mower or no, he's been fielding calls for one all week because somebody posted his phone number in an advertisement on Craigslist.

And once my friends and I were done getting a chuckle out of the situation – we also made a few lawn-mower inquiries ourselves, from private numbers, just to add to the problem – one of us asked a more serious question: Could it be some kind of scam?

Now, we didn't put any thought into how exactly such a scam would operate, nor did we stop to consider what could possibly be gained from such an operative (it wouldn't be the first time one of us spoke first and thought second).

Sure, it was probably just a typo, but considering the reputation of Craigslist and the frequency of scams these days, not to mention how sophisticated many of these rouses have become, we were right to be wary.

And it's not just the Internet, either.

Just last week, as a matter of fact, my cellphone rang at my desk, with the call display showing an Alberta area code.

Now, I'm not one to answer unknown numbers – I admit, I'm a notorious call screener – but I have family in Edmonton, so I figured I'd pick up.

I shouldn't have. It wasn't family, but instead a pre-recorded message from a robotic-but-pleasant sounding young woman.

"Congratulations.... you have won... 2,000... 600 travel dollars! To claim your prize, press one now."

Two hours later – this time from an area code that, after a quick Google search, turned out to be Fresno, Calif. – I got another call.

This time I'd won $3,200.

My lucky day, I guess.

Or it might have been, if I wasn't such a noted skeptic.

I, like many, have been on the receiving end of the Nigerian e-mail scam – where you'll be richer than an African king if you just send all your personal banking information right away – and I've had friends who've come close to being bilked buying things online.

While most people aren't likely to be swayed by these cons, all it takes is one person to fall for it in order for the thieves to keep at it.

Which is why a little common sense is needed now more than ever, and if there's any good to come from all this, perhaps it is people being more guarded and aware, and a little more leery of situations that seem too good to be true.

But just in case, repeat after me: There's no such thing as easy money... There's no such thing as easy money... There's no such...

Well, you get the point.

So, it is with that mantra echoing through my head that I will continue to brush off the advances of all political questionnaires, customer surveys and unsolicited sales pitches, alike – even if the person on the other end of the line is Nigerian royalty looking to offload a small fortune.

Sorry, it's nothing personal – I just don't want to talk to you.

Unless, of course, you're in the market for a lawn mower. Will trade for travel dollars.

Nick Greenizan is a sports reporter at the Peace Arch News.