Internet marketing, also known as digital marketing, web marketing, online marketing, search marketing or e-marketing, is the marketing (generally promotion) of products or services over the Internet.

Internet marketing ties together the creative and technical aspects of the Internet, including design, development, advertising, and sales.[4] Internet marketing also refers to the placement of media along many different stages of the customer engagement cycle through search engine marketing (SEM), search engine optimization (SEO), banner ads on specific websites, email marketing, and Web 2.0 strategies.[citation needed]

Internet marketing and retail fraud is a fast-growing[citation needed] area perpetrated by dishonest internet marketing and retail sites involving a variety of products and services. The victim is tricked, by a legitimate-looking site and effective marketing, into giving their credit card information and [card security code] (or sending funds by other means) in exchange for what they believe to be goods or services. The goods never arrive, turn out to be fake, or are products worth less than those advertised.

Where a credit card is involved, the perpetrators may also use the customer's credit card information to obtain cash or to make purchases of their own. A common example of this type of fraud would be pornographic websites that advertise free access, but require a credit card "for age verification purposes only". The scammers use the credit card information to make fraudulent charges.