New type of nigerian scam

Beware of 419scam

419 Nigerian Scam

Watch the video and beware of nigerian scam

Police alarmed at Internet scam

Police from Corporate Crime Group were alarmed after alerted to two scam incidents targeting Queenslanders and Australians, as well as a website that was offering the personal details of thousand Australians.

Detective controller Brian Hay of the State Crime Operations Command’s Fraud reported: The problem with highly complicated scams is that they are very convincing. While it is very encouraging members of the community are becoming more doubtful of bargain one-off internet deals and can’t miss the opportunities. Unfortunately offenders are becoming smarter and developing scams designed to trick even the most security conscious person.

Many websites marketing cheap flights have been identified as being involved in scamming victims. The most recent website identified is www.flisave.com. Likely travelers visit the site with the promise of discounted flights and customers are asked to contact those running the site by email.

This serves to ease the fear lots of people of shopping on the sites that payment is not requested until the tickets arrive from the airline where the customer pops in their details and the tickets arrive. The customer may even ring the airline and also validate their seats.

People should consider having their credit rating monitored look for anomalies in their financial accounts. Be wary of scams unsolicited contact via email.

Nigerian scam

The Nigerian Advance Fee Scam had been existed around for quite a while, but despite many warnings it continues to draw in many victims. In fact, the Financial Crimes Division of the Secret Service receives about 100 telephone calls from victims/potential victims and 300-500 letter pieces of related correspondence per day about this 419 scam!

Women most likely to fall for internet scam

According to new research women aged between 25 and 34 is the most likely group to fall victim of online scams. The findings come from an experiment conducted with 2,000 online consumers which measures the skill to respond to online scam scenarios.

Even confident web users can also be vulnerable. The tests ranged from fake social network pages to competition scams. Women were most likely to fail the test and men were most likely to fall for confidence trick scams.

Scams succeed because they ''look like the real thing and they always used to push your buttons'. Scams come in many forms a knock on your door, through the post, a call on your phone, a text message on your mobile, via email and over the internet.

The top five scams are:

• Internet purchases
• Bogus prizes
• Counterfeit cheques
• Relationship websites
• Dodgy loans

Once you know you have been scammed, it's more important to bait scam, act quickly and report it to authorities for further action. Be aware of the scammers, use good judgment and always remember that if a deal sounds too good to be true.

Shortchanging scam

The scam artists are gracefully misleading the cashiers by carrying out several activities. He made a small purchase, asked for change, made an intentional mistake, and while making small talk cheated the store out of ten-dollars.

Beating scammers is very easy. All is to CONDUCT ONE TRANSACTION AT A TIME. Finish making chance, and if the customer asks for more chance, treat it as a separate transaction. Do this and you won’t lose.

E-Scams and warnings

Consumers continue to lose money from work-from-home scams that assist cyber criminals move stolen funds. Due to their deliberate participation in the scams, the individuals may face criminal charges.

Work from home scam victims are recruited by organized cyber criminals like:

• Newspaper ads
• Online employment services
• Unsolicited emails
• Social networking sites ads work from home opportunities.

Once recruited, rather than becoming an employee of a legitimate business, the consumer is actually a mule for cyber criminals who use the consumer’s to steal money.

Source: e-scams and warnings

Phone Scam Steals Millions from Elder American

A very big phone scam exploits the good name of the Make a Wish Foundation and it has siphoned over $20 million from unwary Americans and has been rising in recent months. Some of the authorities said it is speedy becoming one of the ugliest telemarketing schemes mainly to target the aged in years.

Many scammers pretending to be calling from government agencies as the Internal Revenue Service and the FDC (Federal Trade Commission) have put a new twist on an old defraud.

They were thrashing offshore, thousands of miles away, but they're using internet phone technology to masquerade their location.

Victims see a 202 area code on their phones when the calls come in. They dial apparently authentic U.S. phone numbers to call the scammers back. Unlike the standard telemarketing frauds, these weren't people hiding behind a phone number you couldn't call, a voice you couldn't re-erect.

These were people who left telephone numbers and would talk to you," said Paul Allvin, a vice president of the Make-A-Wish Foundation, who became alarmed when he started hearing from multiple victims a week about the fraudulent calls. Paul Allvin, a vice president of the Make-A-Wish Foundation said these were people who left telephone numbers and would talk to you.

One team of con artists spoke with Patricia Bowles, the owner of a Virginia modeling studio, almost every day for more than a month. Eventually, they had persuaded her to send more than $300,000 through Western Union and Moneygram in what she thought were luxury taxes and insurance fees on the $1.1 million prize they promised would be arriving any day.

Source: phone scam

Election scam

Elections less than a week left, state and federal officials are asking for the public’s help in spotting election scams and voter fraud.

New Hampshire Attorney General’s Office warns Granite Staters to be wary of voting scams concerning the Internet. According to a news release from the agency Wednesday, Officials are inspecting reports from voters who said they received phone calls heartening them to vote early using an Internet website. NH doesn’t allow voting on the Internet. Votes cast on websites will not be counted only on Nov2 providing personal information on such websites may expose voters to identity theft.

Officials are asking anyone who receives a call about online voting to listen to the call, write down the site address, and also record the phone number listed in caller identification systems. Report those calls immediately to the Attorney General’s Office at 866-868-3703. Residents can register to vote at their polling place and vote on Election Day. U.S. Department of Justice has also established an Election Day phone hotline for election fraud.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark S. Zuckerman, NH election officer, will be on duty while the polls are open. Federal Bureau of Investigation will have special agents available in each field office to receive complaints about election scam or voter fraud. An election fraud fact is posted on the U.S. Attorney’s website at www.usdoj.gov/usao/nh.

Nigerian scam

Nigerians are scum of the earth scammer.

• They never care if you send them virus.
• They don't have their own computers.
• They use internet cafes

The only way to fight back the scammers is to waste their time.

Smart tips to beat scammers

There has been an increase in scammers who targets victims to persuade them to install remote access software on their computers. The scammers try to trick you into believing there is a trouble with your computer as a pretext to persuade you to pay for a service by using social engineering tricks. If fooled, your personal information may also be used for some identity theft.

The stories the scammers use to persuade potential victims pay for the service are very similar to:

Claims to be from Techisonline and is aware there is a problem with the person's computer or Claims to be aware there is a virus or Claims to be a Microsoft Certified Engineer.

The scammers are using remote access softwares likes LogMeln and TeamView.

Do not install software from people you do not trust, in particular if the telephone call was not personally requested. If you have installed the remote access software already, uninstall it immediately using the normal methods. If you provided your credit card details to the person you believe was a scammer, bait the scammers and contact your financial institution immediately.

Arizona authorities warning seniors about scam

Arizona authorities are warning about scam in which thief’s pretense as grandchildren over the phone and ask for bail money.

The most recent scam was happened on Oct 18. A 75-year-old Cottonwood man got a call from a woman who recognized herself by name as his granddaughter and told him she had been under arrest in Canada and that she needed bail money. After, somebody who said they were a police sergeant called and told the man to give $5,600 in bail money to contact in Florida where the man followed the instructions but later found out his granddaughter never had been arrested and was safe at her home in Utah.

Sheriff's spokesman Dwight D'Evelyn reported that two such incidents occurred in September last year. He said such types of scams are difficult to investigate because scammers usually live outside the U.S. and discard cell phones before they can be traced. He said detectives judge whoever is responsible uses social networking sites, like Face book to recognize family members through profiles and photos.

He warned people to tell their parents and grandparents about this scam and that any requests for money to be wired must be seen as a red flag. He finally reported, these suspects purposely target seniors who may be more gullible and cooperate quickly out of concern for their 'jailed' loved one.

Internet scammers

The scammers upload fake attractive photos. They pretend to be the foreign specialists working in Nigeria.

After they set up some lovely mail with you, fall in love and maybe even send a presents, they will tell you that their employer pays them with Money Orders, and they can’t cash them in Nigeria.

Scammers finally will send you the Money Orders and ask you to deposit them into your bank account and then wire the money to them through Western Union. But those Money Orders are no good, and not even worth.

The people in the pictures are usually not the ones that are behind the screen. They have one goal likely to get as much personal information Credit card numbers, account details, personal home address etc. Kindly notify these kinds of scams and bait the scammers.

Phishing scam nets drivers licences

The New Zealand Transport Agency is offering to waive the fee for a replacement driver's license for victims of an online phishing scam. An extensive email, claiming to be from the New Zealand Transport Agency services team, was recently sent to customers. Recipients were asked to enter their license details on a scam account of the NZTA website.

Today people who entered their personal details on the fake website must contact it on 0800 822 422 to have their licenses cancelled, an agency reported. The agency is contributing to waive the normal fee of $38.20 for a replacement license for those who caught out.

Phishing scams try to gain personal details from recipients and may result in identity theft. NZTA spokesman Andy Knackstedt said: If you receive one of these messages you must delete it immediately. The agency urged anyone who provided their drivers license on the fake website to have them cancelled.

NZTA had exposed a newer version of the email after warnings were issued to customers about the original frauds yesterday. The Ministry of Consumer Affairs and the Department of Internal Affairs have added it to their public scam warnings.

Fake Health Insurance Scams

Jewelry maker Beth Wicker suffered from stroke last April. She still in the hospital to get recovered from stroke and told her health insurance policy which was supposed to be paying her bills was fake.

Wicker reported to CBS News correspondent Wyatt Andrews:"That this is scam. The insurance I thought I had doesn't exist." The call to Wicker's cell phone came from Scott Richardson, the top insurance regulator in South Carolina. He said, we wanted them to know they were in a bad deal.

To protect from insurance scam:
One of the largest scams involved an official group called, the American Trade Association which was never licensed to sell insurance. Sometimes customers like Wicker would receive policies from real companies whose names were being used without consent.

In the meantime, David Vladeck at the Federal Trade Commission has cracked down on various scams, where an estimated 100,000 families lost nearly $100 million.

FTC says 3 companies such as Health Care One of Arizona, United Benefits of Tennessee and Consumer Health Benefits in Florida promised their customers major medical insurance. But they gave them medical discount cards.

Investigators says the scammers are targeted middle aged Americans who lost their jobs and their company sponsored health insurance during the recession, not able to pay for insurance on their own and then go on the Internet looking for something different. The basic scam was selling insurance. CBS News agreed to withhold his name, but he worked briefly for a scam operation, before blowing the whistle.

Beth Wicker still owes medical bills of around $17,000 and doesn't have insurance. She often wonders why the scammers aren't in jail. She said "I don't know why somebody can't track them down and shut them down instead of letting them just repeatedly do this over and over.

No investigation so far led to an arrest and the scammers are still out there. So what can consumers do? There are two key things to know. First, don't give in to any sales pitch that pressures you to act now. That's a red flag. Second, health care products like limited liability, mini med, insurance and medical discount cards can be lawful, but they need a license and that can be verified by checking with your state insurance department.

To avoid Tax scam

If you get an E-mail from the IRS asking you to visit a website with your tax return, please just ignore it. It's a scam. According to computer security company McAfee: reports of this kind of phishing fraud have popped up all over the country in recent weeks. The company reports about a month ago says, a series of fake emails and websites were created and they're now used to scam people into sharing personal information online. Consumers who use the IRS's online payment system appear to be most at risk.

According to Sandy Botkin, tax expert, He often receives phone calls, E-mails, or letters that appear to be official and inform them that the IRS owes them a refund. In turn to get it, the taxpayer needs to provide his Social Security number, mother's maiden name, and other personal information.

Taxpayers should always be wary when approached by anyone claiming to represent the IRS. They should never share information on a website that they are directed to by an E-mail message.

OptOutPrescreen.com is a website set up by the credit reporting industry to let you opt-out of firm offers of credit. You will not receive unsolicited offers of credit, such as new credit cards, and you'll reduce one of the most common ways your identity could be stolen through your mailbox. It stops "unsolicited" offers. To do this, call your credit card company and ask to opt out of their internal marketing campaigns.

Remember to review your credit reports annually. If you are the victim of identity theft, you want to detect and bait it as early as possible so you can limit the damage. By reviewing your reports every year, you can catch suspicious accounts easily. It's also a good idea to review your reports for honest errors as well. Fixing them can take several weeks, so you want to fix them as they appear.

Avoid getting hooked by a Phishing Scam

Are you receiving email with a similar message? It’s nothing but scam called phishing and it involves Internet fraudsters who send spam or pop-up messages to bait personal information like credit card numbers, bank account information, Social Security number, passwords, or other sensitive information from unwary victims.

Phishing scams target student:Scammers have been sending e-mails claiming to be official university officials in order to gain secure information from students.

FTC suggests the following tips to keep away from getting hooked by a phishing scam:

• If you get an email or pop-up message that asks for personal information, do not reply and also don’t click on the link in the message. Legal companies never ask for this information via email. If you are worried about your account, contact the organization mentioned in the email using a telephone number. Don’t cut and paste the link from the message into your browser. Phishers can make links look like they go to one place, but that in fact send you to a dissimilar site.
• Use anti-virus and anti-spyware software and update them regularly. Some scam emails contain software that can harm your computer or trail your behavior on the Internet without your knowledge.
• Look for antivirus software that recognizes present viruses and older ones that can effectively reverse the damage and that updates repeatedly. Operating systems or browsers also may offer free software patches to close holes in the system that hackers or phishers could exploit.
• Review credit card and bank account statements once you receive them to check for illegal charges.
• Don’t email personal or financial information where email is not a secure method of transmitting personal information.

If you believe you’ve been scammed, file your complaint at ftc.gov.

New York State Department of Labor warns job seekers for online scams

Now scams are being targeted at the most powerless people, the unemployed. Lately, the New York State Department of Labor has detected a surge in online scams cloaked as job opportunities where their stock and trade is peddling hope.

Colleen Gardner of the State Department of Labor stated: People have a hope to get a job and they think they've landed a job and end up being not only out of a job but also out of additional money. Department of labor officials said many of these traps are advance fee schemes, which assure jobs for a sort of processing fee or good faith money. It's a job opportunity that doesn't make money but takes money.

Some scam involves taking an applicant's private information to allegedly check references and history, and the applicant's individuality is stolen and credit is bankrupted. These scams are difficult and harder to detect and catch, as they move from one online venue to another. Those who are job hunting online should stay with entrenched employment sites, including the government's free one.

Those who have bump into an online job scam kindly report it to DOL at www.labor.ny.gov, a better way to come out of scam.

Combat between Scammers and Scambaiters

Everyone with an email account had received at least one letter from a desperate person in Nigeria who claims a large amount of money. But desires help with expenses in order to regain it. Over the years, thousands have fallen victim to this fraudulent appeal.

But some were decided to fight back against these scammers. They are called scam baiters and they decided to give scammers a taste of their own remedy.

The primary goal of scam baiting is to distract the scammer and to stop the scammers operation. Scam baiters have also begged telephone calls from scammers. These calls are frequently intended to be entertaining and to just waste the 419 scam mail senders time and money on an overseas call.

Mother charged for cancer scam

A mother Carol Lynn Schnuphase persuaded her 12-year-old son in an attempt to get donations from well-wishers, he was dying from cancer. She drugged her son Christopher to make him look ill, shaved his head and eyebrows in an effort to convince people the youngster was dying from leukaemia.

A 47-year-old mother spiked her son's meals with drugs to make him appear ill before contacting church and local businesses groups to raise funds for his treatment. Investigators said Carol Lynn Schnuphase had received more than $7,000 before her scam operation was discovered by her sister.

Her Face book page statement: 'Christopher now knows he's dying.'
Schnuphase later told relatives that he had succumbed to the illness. But police in Roseville and Michigan, believed the 12-year-boy is in perfect health. Detectives who interviewed members and relatives of Schnuphase's family said they truly thought the boy had cancer. Her relatives became suspicious when Schnuphase said her son had died and she had decided against holding a funeral.

Deputy Chief of the Roseville Police, James Berlin said: Schnuphase did scam over a period of several months. Church groups held fundraising activities and she canvassed local businesses for donations. Deputy Berlin said 'They feel they were helping out a mother and her son. People want to think the best of other people.'
He also stated the boy did not know he was being used as part of a scam. He said his mother drugged him by putting opiates in his applesauce and other food. By shaving his eyebrows and hair Schnuphase was able to tell people that it had fallen out from chemotherapy treatment.

Schnuphase has been charged with child and faces up to 14 years in jail. Her son has been placed with promoter parents.