if you look at where we are now, compared to where we were during the 90's, i dont think we're in any position to complain personally
1995: DSL, 56k, PPP, PPTP, heavy collisioned hubs, basic (very basic) AES encryptions for transfers etc.
2011: network technologies supporting up to 100GB/s (prototype but still), and stable provisions for up to 10GBASE-T, Broadband lines readily available at 1gbps, averaging in the UK at around 10mbps, many people have 20-50mbps; Ethernet and fibre mediums, VoIP, CSMA/CA switches, managed switches, VLANs and VPNs, L2TP, the new VPN in Win7 whatever it's called, SSL, TSL, HTTPS, etc.
i might have strayed a bit away from 'internet' and onto 'networking' but it's all relevant in my mind.
With the internet, you really get what you pay for, and get back what you put in. If you go blindly into the internet someone is going to try and rinse you, but if you dispel your technical ignorance and learn a bit about the internet, scams and security issues are easy to avoid. Firefox, Chrome and IE tell you about a site's security certificate, the kind of encryption being used and who's providing it. It really doesn't take alot to be safe on the internet.