NEW YORK(Reuters) -- Need to pay down credit card debt? Desperate for money for music lessons? Simply tired of working and too embarrassed to stand on corner with a tin cup? Try "cyberbegging." For some, clicks in their cyberpails are starting to add up. Karyn Bosnak, for example, paid off $20,000 in credit card debt -- accumulated from her life in New York -- last month, after Web strangers contributed more than $13,000 to her cause, according to her Web site (http://www.savekaryn.com). Now that she has paid off her debt, Bosnak is passing buck, and directing Web surfers to other cyberbeggars such as an aspiring opera singer trying to pay for voice lessons and college loans (http://www.saveelaine.com). Along way, Bosnak has parlayed her new-found fame into talk show appearances and a reported book deal.

Hunt for cash grows ===================

Yahoo started a "begging" category with four sites in 1996. But recent spike in activity and diversity of sites, last month led Yahoo to rename category e-panhandling, said Michelle Heimburger, senior lead surfer for Yahoo. There are now 51 sites in category, ranging from some shamelessly looking for cash to others seeking financial assistance for loans or medical treatments, Heimburger said. Rich Schmidt, a freelance music marketer, who was one of first cyberbeggars, wants little more than an appearance on "Late Show with David Letterman" ... and, of course, cash. "To me, Internet is creative anarchy. I just wanted to make my mark. I thought, what if 1 percent of Web surfers out there sent me a dollar," Schmidt said. "That was impetus for idea." Internet Squeegee Guy "will wash inside of your monitor screen for spare change."

Send a dollar =============

Although telemarketing calls should diminish, especially if you’ve registered for national do-not-call list, scam artists are still out there hoping to con you out of your hard earned money. Scam artists don’t care about breaking telemarketing sales rules because most are fly-by-night operations that change names and locations quickly before they are caught by authorities.

Fraudulent telemarketers’ favorite victims are elderly and those on fixed incomes. Why? Because it’s easy for phony telemarketer to get them to let their guard down especially when they hear “you’ve won a prize!” After all, we all like to win things don’t we? The problem here is that caller asks you to send them money in order to claim your prize.

Don’t send any caller money if they :

1) refuse to stop “selling” when you say “no”.

2) ask for a credit card number in order for you to claim your prize.

3) offer to send a representative or courier to pick up a fee associated with winning a prize.