* Identity Theft * Email Scams * Phishing Tips * Ebay Fraud * Dating Scams * Fake Websites * Bogus Job Offers * Web Scams *

Saturday, March 29, 2008

Plasma TV Rip Off

Here in California, there is a gang of con artists posing as contractors & ripping off Restaurants & other businesses.
The restaurant manger I spoke with informed me that the individuals walked in to the restaurant, claiming to be a construction company. The manager made an agreement with the cons to have the kitchen cook vents cleaned. The fake workers had bogus insurance, a bogus license, fake paperwork & id's...the whole nine yards of made up fake credentials.
So, on a Sunday night a few weeks back after the restaurant closed, the fake workers were given the keys, the alarm & the green light to steal.
They stole one item:



No alcohol, no equipment, no money, no food, no computers......all that fabricated paperwork & creating a felony - for a TV.
NOTE TO THE CRIMINALS:
Seriously ask yourself - is it worth th risk?

WARNING SIGNS & SECURITY TIPS
1. Be Leary of walk-ins. Do your background homework.
2. Make phone calls, do research, get references - always make sure contractors check out.
3. Security cameras are a great idea if workers are left in establishments without supervision.

Was this article helpful?
Email me at FraudFlyer@yahoo.com

  • Subscribe via RSS!

Wednesday, March 26, 2008

CHARITY EMAIL FRAUD


The following is an example of another fraud email, this one really laying on the God & Christ talk pretty thick.
Use common sense when receiving stuff like this. Just delete it. Do not entertain the idea that this could possibly be true.
WOULD YOU SEND OUT AN EMAIL TO A COMPLETE STRANGER IN ANOTHER COUNTRY, AND ASK THEMTO HANDLE YOUR MILLIONS FOR YOU? I think not. HERE IS THE SCAM:
{Dear Beloved in Christ,

It is by the grace of God that I received Christ, having known the
truth, I had no choice than to do what is lawful and just in the sight of God for eternal life and in the sight of man for witness of God & is Mercies and glory upon my life.
I am Mrs.Sarah Baxter, the wife of Mr ricky Baxter, my husband worked with the
Chevron/Texaco in Jordan for twenty years before he died in the year
2005.We were married for ten years without a child. My Husband died after a brief illness that lasted for only four days. Before his death we both got born again and dedicated christians.
Since his death I decided not to re-marry or get a child outside my
matrimonial home which the Bible is strongly against.When my late husband was alive he deposited the sum of US$7.5 Million.(Seven Million Five Hundred Thousand U.S.Dollars) with a Bank in Europe.
Presently, this money is still with the Bank and the management just
wrote me as the beneficiary that our account has been DORMANT and if I, as the
beneficairy of the funds, do not re-activate the account; the funds will be CONFISCATED or I rather issue a letter of authorization to somebody to receive it on my behalf (note that you
need to activate this account) as I can not come over. Presently, I'm in a hospital in Jordan where I have been undergoing treatment for esophageal cancer.
I have since lost my ability to talk and my doctors have told me that
I have only a few weeks to live. It is my last wish to see this money distributed to
charity organizations anywhere in the World.Because relatives and friends have plundered so much of my wealth since my illness,I cannot live with the agony of entrusting this huge responsibility to any of them.
Please, I beg you in the name of God to help me Stand-in as the
beneficiary and collect the Funds from the Bank.I want a person that is God-fearing who will use this money to fund churches,orphanages and widows propagating the word of God and to ensure that the house of God is maintained.
The Bible made us to understand that blessed is the hand that giveth.
I took this decision because I don't have any child that will inherit this money and my husband's relatives are not Christians and I don't want my husband's hard earned money to be misused by unbelievers. I don't want a situation where this money will be used in an ungodly manner.
Hence the reason for taking this bold decision.
I am not afraid of death since I know where I am going to. I know that I am going to be in the bosom of the Lord. {Exodus14 VS14}says that the lord WILL fight
my case and I shall hold my peace. I don't need any telephone communication in this
regard because of my soundless voice and presence of my husband's relatives around me always.I don't want them to know about this development.
With God all things are possible.
If you are interested in help me fullfill this dream, you can email to my personal email:

XXXXXXX@yahoo.com
Your Sister in Christ,

Mrs.Sarah Baxter}

***THE FACT THAT THESE ARE STILL CIRCULATING, MEANS THEY ARE STILL DUPING PEOPLE. LET'S GET THE WORD OUT!

PROTECT YOURSELF * PROTECT YOUR FAMILY * PROTECT OUR WORLD *

  • Subscribe via RSS!

Saturday, March 22, 2008

ATM SCAM

ATM fraud is on the the highest of all time, as technology gets better and more advanced. Thieves have caught on to the benefits of using devices to access your money. Pay attention to your money, people. Check your bank statements weekly for fraudulent withdrawals, and keep up on all credit card/paypal and other accounts.


How to thieves get your information, you ask? By hacking into bank databases, phishing email scams, devices attached to retailer computer systems, and card skimming devices(like the picture above) placed on ATM machines and gas pumps. Knowing what to look for will make you one step closer to fraud proof.

The ATM card skimming devices fit right over the real card readers. There is usually a tiny camera somewhere on the ATM machine also, where the information of the ATM screen is recorded, as well as you punching in your PIN number. The scammers will now have your information, and it's bye bye bank account.
ATM scams have been reported in every major city in the world, and we can help prevent it.
If you notice anything suspicious when using an ATM machine, report it immediately to the authorities, and use another machine at a different location.

  • Subscribe via RSS!

Tuesday, March 18, 2008

Why Online Fraud Protection?


Internet fraud has no limits and its anonymity has left many individuals and businesses in jeopardy. For E-commerce businesses it is necessary to have online fraud protection as the percentage of internet fraud keeps growing with time.
Getting online fraud protection helps improve the consumer confidence in your online business. If you have an e-commerce business that provides online fraud protection then you will have a higher percentage of consumer trust than those who do not provide online fraud protection. Online fraud protection will help you check for suspicious orders and help minimize the affects of fraud on your business. With online fraud protection you can provide protection to your customers against credit card theft and this will help protect you and your customers against potential fraud.

There are various kinds of internet frauds that you need protection against that include fake websites, online auctions and lotteries, emails asking for personal information, insecure servers and businesses claiming to give away hefty amounts of money as rewards.

Online Fraud Protection – Save yourself now!

With a few easy and significant steps you can get online fraud protection against potential threats.
Here’s what you can do:


• Websites beginning with ‘http’ are secure and before filling in any personal information on a webpage, you should check for its authenticity and security
• Do not trust emails asking for personal information even if they claim to be from your bank. Always call up your bank or the intended source to verify these as legitimate companies will never ask for personal information via emails
• It is not wise to trust the links given in emails. To check for authenticity, directly type the URL of the company’s website
• Don’t forget to inspect the credit card bills and other financial records that you get every month in order to protect yourself against credit card scam
• Report suspicious emails or mishaps in financial records immediately and in case of credit card scam suspicion contact your credit card issuer immediately
• Do not give out your credit card number online unless the website is secure

Tools used for Online Fraud Protection

Various software and tools are used that can protect you and your business from internet fraud. Email filters are great for detecting spam and potential fraud emails. Anti-virus and anti-spy software helps protect you against any possible virus and spy threats that might possibly pass any important information. For online fraud protection these software are essential especially while downloading. Keep these softwares updated and install a firewall that will help monitor all the incoming and outgoing traffic from your computer.

No one can ensure you a 100% online fraud protection; however taking all the needed action on your part will greatly ensure protection against any potential risk of fraud.


Online Fraud Protection and Credit Card Scam Security with Instabill's merchant accounts.



Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Sara_K
http://EzineArticles.com/?Why-Online-Fraud-Protection?&id=656616


Banks: Real Or Fake?


Banks in every country around the world are required to be licensed and registered. If a bank is not registered, it means automatically that it is fraud. criminal Running a fake bank is a felony criminal offense that equals some serious jail time. You can determine whether a bank is, in fact, real in the U.S.A. by using the ABA verification tool found here:

ABA Routing Number Verification Tool





Socialhook Bookmarkhttp://yourfavorite.com/checkwriter/verify.htm


Friday, March 14, 2008

Mashable.com Scammer Alert !!

Today I logged on to my Mashable account, and I have the same message sent to me that I have seen already a dozen other times. This is what is says:

"Comment request from kate121
Message: Hello Dear, I saw your profile today in this site (www.my.mashable.com) and i stopped to take a very good look at it. I want you to know that i will be intrested to know you better because you sounded very sweet in your profile and i will like us to become friends and know eachother the more. Here is my email address (ukwak@yahoo.com) send me an email today please! Yours forever, kate. (Remember that distance,age or colour does not matter in a real relationship but love matters alot). I am waiting for your reply now"

And to my horror, when I checked my 'friend requests', this person had already been 'accepted' as my friend. ?? I did not accept this person! So I changed my password & deleted their info from my page.


Again.....the 'red flags' here are the misspellings, and the chosen words........"(Remember that distance,age or colour does not matter in a real relationship but love matters alot)"

Typical scammer statement, trying to earn trust. Be careful out in cyber space people!

Thursday, March 6, 2008

Example Of A Scam on A Popular Social Networking Site


The following ad is a scam setup.....looking to bait the first sucker. I will point out the red flags......



"I want a boy for cybersex my mail nathaly18x@gmail.com


About

Type:
Fashion & Style

Location:
USA, California
los angeles, saint 12

Desription:
Hi, my name is nathaly I´m 18 years old and I look for boy to practice cybersex, I advise you I don´t accept your first words are:
- Offensive.
- 'Connect the webcam and undress'.
Also everybody must send an email to nathaly18x@gmail.com because I'd like to know something about the person who I want to practice sex. If anybody add to messenger without send me an email forget contact with me.
I have boyfriend and I just want to practice cybersex or ocasional meeting (I'm living alone on a flat). Obiously I must need discretion.

I'm waiting excited your answer.
XXX"

1. Notice the black border on the top of the picture. What is that about!
2. This ad was posted in 'Fashion & style", and it is supposed to be a group to join, not a sex ad
3. Read the words. Someone who does not speak very good English wrote that ad!
4. "I am living alone in a flat" - What the hell is a flat? I live in L.A., as does this 'alleged' person in the ad. We do not call places we live 'flats'. Ever.
5. Of course, it is a new profile on the social networking site, with no friends, no info, zip.
6. A gmail, hotmail, & yahoo email accounts are widely used by scammers, so always be skeptical when you see these free email contacts. Note: I said WIDELY used. Not completely. I have a yahoo account!




Looking out for the good, by exposing the bad. Protect Yourself. Be Informed.

Recent Email Scam To Beware Of

Local women unwilling centerpiece of e-mail scam

Published Saturday, February 16, 2008
Vickie Moyle of Nenana and Margaret Sanders of Fairbanks want people to know that neither one is trapped in Africa — and please don’t send money.
Moyle is director of the Nenana Tortella Council on Aging, and Sanders, 83, was director until three years ago.
And that is where things get confusing for anyone who received an e-mail Tuesday from Sanders, signed by Moyle, saying that Moyle was in Kano, Nigeria, attending a program on “Empowering Youth to Fight Racism, HIV/AIDS, Poverty and Lack of Education” at Bayero University.
None of it was true. And neither was the rest of the e-mail that described Moyle as being in desperate straits since she left a bag with her money, passport, documents and valuables in a taxi and was now in need of $500 to pay her hotel bill and another $500 to get home.
“It has been sent to everybody in the world,” Moyle said Tuesday afternoon, after a day spent trying to explain the Monday “phishing” e-mail she received at the senior center and unfortunately answered.
Even though Sanders isn’t the current senior center director, her name is still part of the center’s e-mail address.
When Moyle took on the directorship, she and the center’s bookkeeper each tried to change the center’s Yahoo e-mail account address to reflect the change, but neither succeeded. So it was left as is, and all was fine until Monday.
On that day, Moyle responded to an e-mail from what she thought was Yahoo asking for an update on the center’s account information. Moyle complied, answering the request in between the many other duties she attends to daily.
“I got something from Yahoo that looked official and answered, and that’s where the danger arises,” she said. “I know better, too.”
Arriving at the Nenana Senior Center Tuesday morning, Moyle found that she wasn’t able to open the center’s Yahoo e-mail account — the password had been changed — and that’s when she realized she had been caught in a phishing scam.
Then the phone calls started coming in — from as far away as Oregon — to get more information about Moyle’s and/or Sanders’ Africa plight, depending on how it was read by each e-mail recipient. Moyle surmises that everyone on the senior center’s e-mail address list had been sent the bogus e-mail.
The e-mail had just enough pathos that people were truly concerned and were willing to send money.
“At first I thought it was some kind of a joke,” Moyle said. “Come on, everyone knows I’m not in Africa and I’m not starving — I’m over 200 pounds.”
But the calls didn’t stop, and Carol Switzer at Denali Center faxed Moyle the original e-mail.
“I’m also insulted if people think this is from me,” Moyle joked. “The grammar is awful and the punctuation is terrible.”
Moyle takes responsibility for the problem. And she contacted the bank and authorities, including the FBI. But Moyle has no way of knowing whether anyone actually did send money. The e-mail said respondents wanting to donate would be sent details on how to transfer the money through a Money Gram or the Western Union.
FBI special agent Eric Gonzalez of Anchorage said similar scams happen all the time and will continue to be launched on unsuspecting Internet users.
“The Internet is anonymous,” he said. “If it looks suspicious, it probably is.”
E-mails received from banks, Pay Pal, AOL or Yahoo may look entirely credible but should never be responded to.
“What they are hoping to do is obtain identification such as a date of birth or password, and once they have that information they can wreak havoc with your information,” Gonzalez said.
Gonzalez offered advice for Internet users.
“AOL, Yahoo or the bank, they already have your identifying information. They are not going to ask you via an e-mail,” he said, adding that scammers also use the telephone to obtain personal information from trusting people.
“There are bad people out there,” he said. “That is just the reality, and people have to be more cautious.”

Resources Navigation