Greed - The Snare Of Scam Victims

Aussies Collaborates With Nigerian and Ghanaian Authorities to Fight Online Fraud.

2009-07-28T05:56:00.000-07:00

An initiative to combat online scams is being trialled by the Queensland Police Service via its website. The portal will give fraud and scam victims the chance to report their case to Ghana police or the Nigerian Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.

It will also provide information on fraud and scams, as well as how to protect yourself.

It will be co-launched with the Nigerian High Commission next month, says Queensland police Detective Superintendent Brian Hay. Internet fraud and scams come in many guises, preying mainly on lonely hearts and businesses that can be easily fooled into sending cash to places such as Nigeria.

According to Hay, these types of money-hungry scams derive mostly from parts of western Africa, predominantly Nigeria and Ghana.

"It will make the process far more efficient and give people instant connectivity, which is something they would have struggled with in the past," he says.

"We would like to expand that to the rest of the countries in Africa and other places globally, so that people can go onto one spot in Australia. It's a long-term process, which we're looking to make far simpler and efficient."

Hay was awarded recently for his efforts in educating the public on cyber crime and online fraud. He played an instrumental part in investigating the Nigerian advance-fee fraud scam, which had cost vulnerable Australians $36 million a year.

Hay also leads the Queensland Fraud and Corporate Crime Group, which embarked on initiatives aimed at preventing and reporting cyber crime. As part of a collaborative effort with Western Union, it developed a fraud prevention early-warning system that indicates when money is sent to high-risk countries.

"We're doing a whole lot of new research at the moment," Hay says.

"In the early stages, we're having some wins. Some of those investment and inheritance scams are reducing but the big problem that we've got now is we've seen a 100 per cent increase in romance and relationship scams. It's just gone through the roof."

Hay says investigating new scams requires a new approach.

"We're trying to look at what drives people, what traps them and what age groups are more susceptible," he says. "It's very sad when you see these victims of romance scams. It's just amazing how much more money is still going to countries like Nigeria and it's being driven at the moment by relationship fraud."

The police service plans to host an identity crime symposium on the Gold Coast in October.

FBI Uncovers Bernard Madoff's Nigerian Scam Connection

2009-04-01T05:18:00.000-07:00

APRIL FOOL

Zimbabwe First Lady Grace Mugabe Trying To Scam Me

2008-12-18T02:45:00.000-08:00

I got this email from a supposed Mrs Grace Mugabe

Subject: KIND AND URGENT RESPONSE IS NEEDED!!!

Thursday, December 18, 2008 12:40 AM

From: "MRS. GRACE MUGABE"

To: undisclosed-recipients

Goodday,

I know that this mail might come to you as a surprise as we have not met before,My name is Mrs. Grace Mugabe, the wife of Mr. Robert Mugabe the president of Zimbabwe i got your contact through Zimbabwe chambers of commerce and industry. Our country is currently facing international saction all over the world and my effort to so speak peace into my husband(President Robert Mugabe) prove abortive because he already have a wrong notion towards the western nations intention over his removal plan and his state when he lives office.

As you know the country(zimbabwe) is presently facing a strong epidemic and a high inflation and the pressure from the international communities to bring to bring down the regime of my husband(president Robert Mugabe) is a sure reality and when this happens i and my children might also go down with him.As the first lady of our country i have been able to use my position to raise some money from contracts which i deposited with a European diplomatic security company the sum of US$35M(Thirty Five Million US Dollars) knowing fully that our government will soon be brought down by international communities as Africa Union are beginning to take side with the international communities because of the manner at which things are degenerating in Zimbabwe.

I contacting you because I want you to go to the security company and claim the money on my behalf since I have declared that the consignment belong to my foreign business partner. You shall also be required to assist me in investment in your country.

I hope to trust you as a God fearing person who will not sit on this money when you claim it, rather assist me properly, I expect you to declare what percentage of the total money you will take for your assistance. When I receive your positive response I will let you know where the security company is,the requirement and the payment pin code to claim the money which is very important.

I shall keep you updated and also instruct one of my loyalist to alway keep you updated whenever my schedule is tight as i dont want my husband to know about this deposit and my proposal because my life might be in danger as you all know his kind of person.All this i am doing to assist my children as i know very soon when our regime is brought down our entire property will be confisticated along.I ask you to also pray for me to survive the internal threat i am experincing from my husband President Robert Mugabe because as i am sending you this urgent proposal tears flow from my eyes as i am living with a human monster.

For now, let all our communication be by e-mail because My husband security network is monitoring all activities sparing no body including my humble self his wife and other family member as he do not trust any one especially this period.

Thank you and God bless you and family and please contact me through this email. Private email: gracemugabe@aol.com

MRS. GRACE MUGABE.

SCAM: ENDEAVOUR TO USED IT FOR THE CHILDREN OF GOD

2008-11-19T08:17:00.000-08:00

NEVER REPLY TO AN EMAIL LIKE THIS!!!

Subject: ENDEAVOUR TO USED IT FOR THE CHILDREN OF GOD

Wednesday, November 19, 2008 7:08 AM

From: "Mr susan"

To: undisclosed-recipients

Mrs Susan fernando.
I am the above named person from Kuwait. I am married to Dr SAZON FERNANDO who worked with Kuwait embassy in Ivory Coast for nine years before he died in the year 2005.We were married for eleven years without a child. He died after a brief illness that lasted for only four days. Before his death we were both born again Christians.Since his death I decided not to re-marry or get a child outside my matrimonial home which the Bible is against.When my late husband was alive he deposited the sum of 18Million Dollars (eighteen Million United State Dollars) with one finance/security company in Amsterderm-Netherlands. Presently This money is still with the Security Company. Recently my Doctor told me that I would not last for the next three months due to cancer problem. Though what disturbs me most is my stroke sickness. Having known my condition I decided to donate this Fund to church or better still a christian individual that will utilize this money the way I am going to instruct here in. I want a church that will use this funds 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 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 hence I know where I am going. I know that I am going to be in the bosom of the Lord. Exodus 14 VS 14 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 health and because of the 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. As soon as I receive your reply I shall give you the contact of the Finance/Security Company in Amsterderm-Netherlands. I will also issue you a letter of authority that will prove you as the original- beneficiary of this Funds. I want you and the church to always pray for me because the lord is my shephard. My happiness is that I lived a life of a worthy Christian. Whoever that wants to serve the Lord must serve him in spirit and truth. Please always be prayerful all through your life. Any delay in your reply will give me room in sourcing for a church or christian individual for this same purpose. Please assure me that you will act accordingly as I stated herein. Hoping to hearing from you. I have set aside 20% for you and for your time and 10% for any enpense if there is any .

Remain blessed in the name of the Lord. Yours in Christ

Mrs. susan fernando

Note: reply email to mrssusan2008@aim.com

REMEMBER NEVER REPLY TO AN EMAIL LIKE THIS!!!

How To Hack A Paypal Account

2008-11-19T07:17:00.000-08:00

Someone sent me this email and there is no doubt it is from a fraudster. Read along.

Subject: Your Account Access Is Limited.

Wednesday, November 19, 2008 2:16 AM

From: "service@paypal.com"

To: undisclosed-recipients

Dear Member,

We are constantly working to ensure security by regularly screening the accounts in our system. We recently reviewed your account, and we need more information to help us provide you with secure service. Until we can collect this information, your access to sensitive account features will be limited. We would like to restore your access as soon as possible, and we apologize for the inconvenience.
Why is my account access limited?

Your account access has been limited for the following reason(s):

Nov. 19, 2008: We determined someone may have tried to access your account without your permission. For your protection, we have limited your account access.

(Your case ID for this reason is PP-xxx-xxx-xxx.)

How can I restore my account access?

Please visit the Resolution Center and complete the steps.

Sincerely,
Account Review Department

Please do not reply to this email. This mailbox is not monitored and you will not receive a response.

So I Click on the resolution Centre and below is what I Saw.

Obviously they would have used my information to access my account and you know the rest. So when you get a mail like this, simply delete it. Remember to be Fore-warned is to br Fore-Armed!!!

Mrs. Linda Hoffman Sent Me this Email

2008-11-14T10:24:00.000-08:00

NEVER RESPOND TO SUCH EMAILS!!!

Subject: YOUR ASSISTANCE PLEASE

Friday, November 14, 2008 4:14 PM

From: "Mrs. Linda Hoffman."

To: undisclosed-recipients

Message contains attachments
me_and_my_late_husband.jpg (56KB), me at the hospital.jpg (55KB)

Dear friend,

Greetings! Am Mrs. Linda Hoffman Now undergoing medical treatment here in the UK. I am married to Dr. Richard S. Hoffman. We were married for fifteen years without a child. Before his death he made a vow to use his wealth for the down trodden and the less privileged in the society. Since his death I decided not to re-marry or get a child outside my matrimonial home.

When my late husband was alive he deposited the sum of five million six hundred and forty thousand Euros (5,600,000Euros) with a Finance firm presently, this money is still with the Finance House. Recently, my Doctor told me that I would not last for the next 45 days due to cancer problem. Though what disturbs me most is my stroke.

Having known my condition I decided to donate this fund to an individual or group of persons who will utilize this money the way I am going to instruct here in. I want an individual that will use this fund to provide succour to poor and indigent persons, orphanages, and widows and for propagating peace in the universe.

I understand that blessed is the hand that gives. I took this decision because I do not have any child that will inherit this money and my husband relatives are not inclined to helping poor persons and I do not want my husband's hard earned money to be misused or spent in the manner in which my late husband did not specify. I do not want a situation where this money will be used unwisely, hence the reason for taking this bold decision.

I do not need any telephone communication in this regard because of my health and because of the presence of my husband's relatives around me always. I do not want them to know about this development. As soon as I receive your reply I shall give you the contacts of my Attorney.

I will also issue you a letter of authority that will empower you as the original beneficiary of this fund. I want you to always pray for me. My happiness is that I lived a life worthy of emulation.

Any delay in your reply will give me room in sourcing for an individual for this same purpose. Please assure me that you will act according to my specification herein. Herein are my photos for your perusal.

I await your correspondence to my mail.

Yours Sincerely
Mrs. Linda Hoffman.

REMEMBER NEVER RESPOND TO SUCH EMAILS!!!

Personal Loans Scam: Respond for end of your financial turmoil

2008-11-13T10:24:00.000-08:00

Subject: Respond for end of your financial turmoil

Wednesday, November 12, 2008 9:52 PM

From: "Philip Coaster"

To: undisclosed-recipients

Dear Sir/Madam,

I am Mr. Philip Coaster, a private lender .I give out loans to bussines people and individuals for just 3% interest rate.

"BELIEVE IT OR NOT YOU CAN GET YOUR LOANS IN LESS THAN AN HOUR".

I can give out loans ranging from US$15,000 up to US$500,000. I give out local and international loans to any individual/company all over the world and your rate will not change during your loan repayment!

My Personal Loans can help make dreams possible especially with the present financial crunch in the world at large.

I do not require much documents if you are interested in getting a loan.

OTHER BENEFITS YOU STAND TO GAIN :
14-Days Guarantee: You can change your mind within 14 days with no charges, no hassles.

No Prepayment Penalties: Pay off your loan any time without extra fees!
Fixed Interest Rates: Your rate will not change during your loan repayment!

As a security precaution, sessions end after 1HR of inactivity.

To apply now,kindly furnish me with the following details;

*Requested LOAN Amount....
*First Name....
*Last Name....
*Street Address....
*City *State *Zip Code....
*LOAN DURATION....
*Primary Phone....
Alternate Phone....
*Email *Verify Email.....
Alternate Email (Optional)....
*Date of Birth....
*MONTHLY INCOME....

Not all lenders can provide the maximum loan amount BUT WE CAN !.

Reply back to : phillip@philipcoasterloan.com

REMEMBER NEVER FALL FOR AN EMAIL LIKE THIS!!!

Greetings My Beloved One!!!

2008-11-13T08:48:00.000-08:00

NEVER RESPOND TO SUCH EMAILS!!!

Subject: Greetings My Beloved One!!!

Sunday, November 9, 2008 11:49 PM

From:"Mrs.Karen Saliba"

To: undisclosed-recipients

Beloved One,
Please don’t cry for me after reading my message because my spirits and my soul will rest in the bosom of the lord in the next three months. Having known my health condition I have decided to donate a sum of $5.5 Million to church or better still a Christian individual that will utilize this money according to my wish.

I want a church or individual that will use money to fund churches, orphanages and widows propagating the word of God. I took this bold decision because I am not afraid of death hence my soul is going to be in the bosom of the lord. Exodus 14 vs. 14 says that the lord will fight my case and I shall hold my peace.

Waiting to hear your opinion via my Email address:anahapvt11@live.com

Best Regards
Mrs.Karen Saliba

REMEMBER NEVER RESPOND TO SUCH EMAILS!!!

BUSINESS PROPOSAL FOR YOU FROM HANG SENG BANK HONG- KONG

2008-11-13T08:38:00.000-08:00

NEVER RESPOND TO SUCH EMAILS!!!

Thursday, November 13, 2008 12:04 AM

From:"soniung@arcor.de"

To: ptricklee@yahoo.com.hk

Subject: BUSINESS PROPOSAL FOR YOU FROM HANG SENG BANK HONG- KONG

Greetings,

Greetings of the day to you, although you may be skeptical receiving this email as we have not met before, I am Mr. P. Lee a South Korean,54 years old and happily married with grown-up children, and i am an Executive Director of Hang Seng Bank Ltd,in charge of the International Remittance department. nevertheless I have a business proposition involving the sum of US$25,500,000.00 Million in my bank which I know we will be of mutual benefit to both of us, and I believe we can handle it together, once we have a common understanding and mutual cooperation in the execution of the modalities. I shall furnish you with more information’s about this operation when l receive your reply.

Should you be interested, please send me those information’s
1.Full names,
2.Age
3.Occupation,
4.Private phone number,
5.Current residential address.
Via this email address :( pterickleechang@yahoo.com.hk or ptleechang@yahoo.com.hk)

Your earliest response to this letter will be highly appreciated.
Kind regards,
Mr.Pt. Lee
Hang Seng Bank Limited
Hong Kong.{Asia}
Email:-pterickleechang@yahoo.com.hk
Email:-ptleechang@yahoo.com.hk

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REMEMBER NEVER RESPOND TO SUCH EMAILS!!!

Using Identity Theft To Rob A Bank

2008-10-25T05:55:00.000-07:00

When Bank One notified Houston veterinarian Mike Janney that he owed $85,000 on his line of credit, he was stunned.

"I'm thinking, 'How can this be?' I've never even used this account."

Janney fell victim to fraud when a bank employee sold his personal information to an identity theft ring. His bank had to cover the loss, along with another $12 million stolen from other customer accounts during a two-year identity theft blitz that ended in 2002.

Janney said he considers such thieves to be no better than common bandits from the era of Bonnie and Clyde. "Instead of blowing through the front doors of a bank, guns ablazing, they took my identity," he said. "That was their mask."

Sophisticated and ingenious techniques have allowed these modern-day crooks to use thousands of stolen identities to drain billions from banks and other financial institutions. Meanwhile, the average stickup guy gets about $7,200 in a bank heist, according to the FBI, and is more likely to get caught.

"Not only dollar for dollar, they get more money this way, but it's [also] safer," said Assistant U.S. Attorney Jay Hileman of Houston, who prosecuted many of the 30 conspirators in the Bank One fraud case.

Identity theft has become the most common way to steal from a bank.

A 2003 Federal Trade Commission report estimated identity theft losses to financial institutions at $47 billion, roughly the combined gross domestic products of Afghanistan, Madagascar and Jamaica.

In comparison, there are about 7,600 bank robberies a year, amounting to roughly $77 million in losses to the institutions, according to the FBI.

Putting the identity theft ringleaders behind bars barely makes a dent in what prosecutors describe as the nation's biggest white-collar crime.

"I think that we're going to always be one step behind, chasing the crooks," Assistant U.S. Attorney Jim Buchanan of Houston said. "They're always thinking up a new tactic."

The banks fight back with ever-improving methods to detect and deter the frauds, but the identity thieves are constantly fine-tuning their methods as well. "The criminals are like water: They see an obstacle; they try to go around it," said Nessa Feddis of the American Bankers Association.

Here are some examples of how identity thieves have developed ways of robbing bank funds:
# A bank employee sells your personal information to criminals, who then use the information to take over your account.
# Crooks use your Social Security number and date of birth to open accounts in your name to launder checks. If the police catch up, it's your name on the account -- not the crooks'.
# An e-mail scam known as "phishing" attempts to trick people into giving out their personal information and credit card numbers.
Victimless crime?

Those who steal the identities and organize the frauds often view it as a victimless crime. Even a 17-year prison sentence hasn't tempered the attitude of convicted identity thief Jason Carpenter.

"I still feel it's worse to steal from an individual than it is to steal from a bank," he said. (Read more from Carpenter)

Matthew Boyden, a U.S. postal inspector who investigates mail fraud, said that viewpoint is typical of many identity thieves. "I've had several tell me it's so easy to do, and [that] it's somewhat our system's fault," Boyden said.

Meanwhile, consumers end up paying a price, in frustration and time. A survey published in January by the consulting firm Javelin Strategy & Research found that the average identity theft victim spends 40 hours to straighten out the mess.

"We've talked to a number of victims and they've had frustration; they've been scared to death when they discover this," said Hileman, the assistant U.S. attorney. "They're angry. Some of them feel violated."

Passing the buck to customers

Just as shoplifting is built into the cost of retail merchandise, banks recoup their losses through higher customer services fees and interest rates.

Janney said he realizes that "it doesn't cost me a nickel here, but it does end up costing me down the line, because the bank is not going to sit there and take losses."

Police, prosecutors and financial institutions are nowhere near claiming victory in what has become a high-stakes battle of wits, and identity thieves are constantly remodeling their schemes to stay ahead of investigators.

"It's evolution at its finest," Boyden said.

Jason Michael Carpenter Said Identity Theft was easy fun

2008-10-25T05:22:00.000-07:00

Jason Michael Carpenter, a convicted identity thief who is serving 17-and-a-half years in prison for conspiracy to commit wire fraud, and fraud in connection with access devices, says stealing identities was fun and "incredibly easy."

He spoke about identity theft tactics with "CNN Presents" from the Federal Detention Center in Houston as part of an hour-long documentary, "How to Rob a Bank." That airs at 8 p.m. and 11 p.m. ET Saturday.

CARPENTER: It was fun, not in the sense that it was fun to steal the money, but it was fun to get away with something like that. Being so young as I was and to think that I could be doing something like that. ... I didn't look at it like a big deal. I just looked at it as something to get away with. ...

CNN: ... Where did you figure out how it all works -- in chat rooms?

CARPENTER: Pretty much in chat rooms and just reading it. Since I've ... always been around computers, (the) computer comes naturally to me. ... You'd be surprised the amount of credit card information that is actually circulated around the Internet. And once you get a hold of it, you just figure out how can you use it, if you want to. ...

CNN: Describe to us what "phishing" is.

CARPENTER: Phishing is ... one big source of credit card information. Phishing would be when you are sending out e-mails or messages to people, telling them that for some reason or another, and portraying yourself as a financial institution or an official working for a company or an Internet service, (and telling them that) they need to resubmit their credit card information to you. And instead of having it done on the official Web site, it would be done on another Web site that you set up and information would be sent to you.

CNN: So you just ask for it?

CARPENTER: Exactly.

CNN: And people send it?

CARPENTER: Seven out of 10 times people will send it.

CNN: You're kidding?

CARPENTER: No. It's extremely easy. ... If I was really driven, it would take me two or three hours, and I would have your information -- Social Security number, date of birth, driver's license number, bank account numbers.

CNN: Is that because you're a genius or because it's just so easy?

CARPENTER: It's because it's so easy. It's ... incredibly easy. ...

CNN: Did you think people would be victimized by this or just the banks.

CARPENTER: What I thought at the time was that most of the credit card companies earmark so much money every year for fraud and ... I thought the person would, at most, have to pay $50 or $100. And then the charges would be ... removed from the credit cards, and the credit card company would absorb the loss. But they made so much money that anyway, I didn't mind. I didn't see it as such a big deal.

CNN: So ripping off the credit card companies or the bank, in no way equates to ripping off a person?

CARPENTER: I don't see those things as being equal. Ripping off a financial institution or a bank or a large business, it's not the same as if you're taking the money directly from somebody's pocket or their bank account. ...

CNN: Did it surprise you that each step of the way you were getting away with more and more and more?

CARPENTER: It was very surprising how easy it was. That was the reason that I kept doing it -- just because it was so easy to get away with something like that. That's what really kept me doing it.

CNN: Was it like an addiction?

CARPENTER: Almost, almost because I would just do more and more and more just to see if I could get away with it. ...

CNN: Are the robbers winning this one in the cops-and-robbers game?

CARPENTER: They are because there's a lot of things ... that go on that they're never going to find out about. And when they do find out about them, it'll be a long time. And the amount of people that are doing these crimes ... it's not something that they have enough manpower and enough knowledge ... to catch them all.

Online Lottery From Con Artist

2008-10-14T18:08:00.000-07:00

NEVER RESPOND TO THIS KIND OF EMAIL!!!

SUBJECT: WINNING NOTIFICATION/FINAL AWARD..

Tuesday, October 14, 2008 11:10 AM

From:

"Martina Balazova"

Add sender to Contacts

To:

kevwek@yahoo.com

WINNING NOTIFICATION/FINAL AWARD..
EURO MILLONES LOTERIA ESP
APARTADO DE CORREOS 48, 28230 las Rozas,
MADRID ESPANA

RE: WINNING NOTIFICATION/FINAL AWARD:
ATTN; WINNER,

We are pleased to inform you of the release of the long
awaited results of the EURO MILLONES LOTERIA S.A PROMOTION
PROGRAMES.ESPANA held on 11th of OCTOBER 2008 your email
address attached to the Ticket No:TK/365\\9NL that
drew the lucky Winning No Y-871GTH.

You have been approved for a payment of 900,000.00Euros
(NINE HUNDRED THOUSAND EURO) in cash credited to File
No:Q/1709/WB. Batch No XQ1017BN This is from a total cash
prize of NINE MILLION EUROS Shared among the
ten International winners in second categories.

Congratulations!!!

All participants were selected through a Multi
international computer ballot system drawn from 98,000
(Ninety eight thousand) names of email users around the
world.

To begin your claim, do file for the release of your
winning by contacting our accredited agent: Foreign
Transfer Manager EURO MILLONES LOTERIA S.A
Mr. Eric Manfred.
TEL: +34 -634-059-412
Email: writeericmanfred@gmail.com
Email: infoericmanfred@gmail.com

YOUR SECURITY FILE NUMBER IS D1-67/WM4 (keep personal)
Remember your winning must be claimed not later than
(27-10-08) after this date funds might be returned to the
lottery company as unclaimed prize furthermore should
there be any change in your address do inform your claims
agent as soon as possible.

Yours truly,
Mrs. Roselyn Antonio,
EURO MILLONES LOTERIA S.A,
THE PROMOTION DIRECTOR.

NEVER RESPOND TO AN EMAIL LIKE THIS!!!

SEEKING EXECUTOR OF LAST WILL AND TESTAMENT.

2008-10-13T13:18:00.000-07:00

Below is an email I received from a conman.

SEEKING EXECUTOR OF LAST WILL AND TESTAMENT.

Monday, October 13, 2008 8:15 PM

From:

"BARRISTER. JORGE COMA."

Add sender to Contacts

To:

undisclosed-recipients

Dear Sir/Madam,

My name is Barrister Jorge Coma, an Attorney (Lawyer) to late Mr.Yaroslav Zojniuk.
I am writing to notify you of the TESTAMENT of my late client Mr.Yaroslav Zojniuk, a Ukrainian who unfortunately lost his life in the Madrid Bomb Blast on March 11, 2004, in Madrid-Spain.

PLEASE VISIT THE BELOW SITE:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/3500452.stm

The deceased (Mr.Yaroslav Zojniuk) was a prominent business man who travelled to Spain on business survey/holiday with his wife and their only daughter when they met their tragic death.

My client before his death made a deposit of Thirty Seven Million, Three Hundred Thousand United States Dollars (US$37,300,000.00) in his effort to set up a business in Europe.
However, I am searching for a trust worthy person or the relatives of the deceased regarding his deposit, as the holding financial institution wants him to come forward for the endorsement of the re-investment documents,as I have been given ONE MONTH to come forward with the next of kin to my late client for the endorsement of the re-investment documents,hence I am seeking your assistance to provide you as the next of kin to my late client, since he died with his wife and their only daughter without making a WILL in all his deposit paper works.

This transaction is very confidential as I can re-draft his LAST WILL AND TESTAMENT to bear your name as the TRUSTEE & EXECUTOR. This transaction shall be executed under legitimate and legal procedures that will protect you from any breach of the Law.

It is in this regard that I decided to solicit your assistance, by presenting you as the Executor and Trustee (Next of Kin) to the deceased. Although, I have agreed on the following sharing ratios: 35% for your assistance and 65% for me but this is still open for negotiation.

Kindly revert back to me urgently on your kind interest to lay claim of the deposit with your Name, Telephone and Fax numbers, Present contact address, Occupation and Country of Residence for more information on how to release the inheritance sum via this email address: jorgecoma930@aim.com OR comajorge930@gmail.com

Regards,
Jorge Coma (Barrister).
Attorney At Law.

WARNING!!!
WHEN YOU RECEIVE SUCH MAILS, DELETE THEM AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. DONT BE TEMPTED TO REPLY.

Beware Of https://www.al-padeel.com/Login.aspx/

2008-06-21T09:24:00.000-07:00

Whenever you get emails like this, Beware!!!

Dont lose a fortune, before you learn a lesson.

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Scam Artists Think Of New Ideas Everyday

2008-06-21T09:05:00.000-07:00

I got this mail this morning and felt i should share it to all. Scammers are always busy devising different means of getting money from others . So others should always learn not to be greedy. Remember you only fall victim if you are greedy too.

Congratulations! You Deserve it!

Saturday, June 21, 2008 8:03 AM

From:"Quentin Beverly" Add sender to Contacts

To: yournursemimi@yahoo.com

Congratulations! You Deserve it!

This is perfectly legal! If you have any doubts, refer to Title 18
Sec. 1302 & 1241 of the Postal Lottery laws. Keep a copy of these steps for yourself and, whenever you need money, you can use it again and again. This is the biggest growing internet money making scheme on the net, you will see that as you post your letter to the message boards and/or email it to other people, your PayPal account?s balance will increase gradually.

PERSONAL TESTIMONY:
Well, this article asks you to send $1.00 through PayPal to each of the emails stated in this document. You then place your own email address at the bottom of the list at No.6, and post the article in at least 200 Newsgroups. (There are thousands) It looks pretty easy to do so far. So after thinking it over, and talking to a few people first, I thought about trying it. I figured, what have I got to lose except $6.00, right? Like most of us I was a little skeptical and a little worried about the legal aspects of it. I found out that it follows the same regulations as the mailed chain letters, which according to the U.S. Post Office (1-800-725-2161) is indeed legal! Then I invested the measly $6.00. Well GUESS WHAT!!! Within 7 days, I started getting money in my PayPal account! I was shocked and excited! I thought it would end soon, but the money just kept coming in. In my first week, I made about $30.00. By the end of the second week I made over $1,100.00! In the third week I had over $8,000.00 and it's still growing. This is now my fourth week and I have made a total of more or less $36,000.00 and it's still coming in rapidly. Its: certainly worth the $6.00., I have spent more than that on the lottery!! Let me tell you how this works and most importantly, why it works? Also, make sure you print a copy of this article NOW, so you can get the information from it as you need it.

REQUIREMENTS:
You must have a verified PayPal account. If you do not have an account you can go to https://www.paypal.co... (notice the secure "https" within the link) and follow the instructions to set up a free account. Be sure to sign up for a free PREMIER or BUSINESS account (and not just a PERSONAL account) otherwise you won't be able to receive credit card payments from other people. In order to place the initial $6 into your account, you will have to verify your bank account with PayPal (which may take a few days). PayPal is 100% secure and is used my millions of people worldwide.

STEP 1:
Sending PayPal money: "It is an undeniable law of the universe that we must first give in order to receive." Send, through PayPal, $1.00 to each email on the list below. Make the subject of the payment "Email List" and in the comments, write "PLEASE ADD ME TO YOUR EMAIL LIST." (This keeps the program 100% legal, so please don't forget!). What you are doing is creating a service by this and best of all is that you are not giving your personal details out to anyone at all. NO RISKS! THIS IS ABSOLUTELY
LEGAL!

*SEND $1 TO EACH OF THE EMAIL ADDRESSES LISTED BELOW THROUGH PAYPAL*
The email list:

1) betchawefamily@yahoo.com
2) zoomzoom2me@yahoo.com
3) gaininterest@yahoo.com
4) mammakj12@yahoo.com
5) gotchalookn@gmail.com
6) wish4patience@yahoo.com

STEP 2:
Now take the 1st email off the list that you see above, move the other addresses up (6 becomes 5, 5 becomes 4, etc?) and add YOUR email address (the one used on the PayPal account) as number 6 on the list. MAKE SURE THE EMAIL YOU SUPPLY IS THE ONE YOU USE FOR YOUR PAYPAL ACCOUNT; OTHERWISE YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO RECEIVE YOUR INCOMES.

STEP 3:
Try to keep this article as close to original as possible. Now, post your amended article to at least 200 newsgroups, message boards and email your message to as many people you can. (I think there are close to 32,000 groups)
All you need is 200, but remember, the more you post, the more money you make ? as well as everyone else on the list!

GIVE OTHERS THE CHANCE TO MAKE MONEY:
You should email everyone you know and tell them about this new, easy, profitable, and 100% legal method to make big amounts of money in a really fast way. Remember, if they make money... you also will. This works like a chain.

*INSTRUCTIONS*
HOW TO POST TO NEWSGROUPS, MESSAGE BOARDS:

Step 1:
You do not need to re-type this entire letter to do your own posting. Simply put your cursor at the beginning of this letter and drag your cursor to the bottom of this document, and select 'copy' from the edit menu. This will copy the entire letter into the computer memory.

Step 2:
Open a blank NOTEPAD file and place your cursor at the top of the blank page. From the 'edit' menu select 'paste'. This will paste a copy of the letter into notepad so that you can add your name to the list.

Step 3:
Save your new notepad file as a .txt file. If you want to do your postings in different sittings, you'll always have this file to go back to.

Step 4:
Use Netscape or Internet explorer and try searching for various newsgroups (on-line forums, message boards, chat sites, discussions.) Lets say you browse or go on any search engine like, yahoo.com, google.com,
altavista.com, excite.com then you search with this subject millionaire message board? - Money making message board? - Employment message board? - Money making discussions? - Money making forum? - Business message board? Etc. You will find thousands of message boards.
Click one by one then you will find the option post a new message. (Some may need registration to post the message, so just register only in FREE FORUMS. If they ask to pay you, don't sign up, SIMPLE.)

Step 5:
Visit these message boards and post this article as a new message by highlighting the text of this letter and selecting paste from the edit menu.
Fill in the subject. This will be the header that everyone sees as they scroll through the list of postings in a Particular group, click the post message button. REMEMBER, THE MORE NEWSGROUPS AND/OR MESSAGE BOARDS YOU POST IN, THE MORE MONEY YOU WILL MAKE!! That's it! You will begin receiving money within days! JUST MAKE SURE THE EMAIL YOU SUPPLY IS EXACTLY AS IT APPEARS ON PAYPAL. You're done with your first one. This will truly work for you. Congratulations!

Congratulations!

Do Not Fall For An Email Like This

2007-11-10T05:28:00.000-08:00

The Official U.S Green Card Lottery Program

United States Department of State, National Visa Center

32 Rochester Ave, Portsmouth, NH 03801-2909

www.us-green-card-lottery.org

Case Number: 20070C00000156

PA Name: [Your Name]

Preferences Categories: DV DIVERSITY

Foreign State Chargeability: Asia-Pacific

Dear [Your Name],

We wish to notify you that you are among the selected lucky winners of the U.S visa lottery (Green Card) through our email ballot lottery program held on the 20th of October 2007 in Arkansas (USA) The Green Card email ballot lottery program was conducted under the terms of Section 203 of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) Section 131 of the Immigration Act of 2006 (Pub.L.101-649) The aims and objectives of the program is to give free visas to citizens of developing countries around the world who wishes to travel to U.S and start a new life and work.
Selection.
6.3 million email addresses were randomly extracted during the 33-days extraction period that ran from 12.00 AM on September 10, 2007 until midnight, October, 9 2007. All extracted email addresses were assigned to different ticket numbers for representation and privacy for final selection through computer draw system, your email address attached to ticket number 56402-188 drew the lucky numbers which subsequently won you the U.S Green Card.
Notification is through the selected winning email addresses with the PA name, approximately six hundred and twenty five (625) lucky selected winners had been notified through their selected winning email addresses including you today (Mon 05-11-2007) All the selected lucky winners will need to obtain their visas from any of the U.S Embassies and arrive here in the USA for the issuance of their Green Cards under the U.S Government Green Card lottery program and they should act on their visa claim application quickly before the expiration of the visa claim deadline which is on the (10-12-2007)
The visas have been apportioned among the six geographic regions with a maximum of seven percent available to persons born in any single country, our Green Card experts had been apportioned among the six geographic regions. Your visa duration is 10 years multiple entries to the U.S, it is renewable upon expiration and it permits you to travel to the U.S with your spouse.
Basic question.
How can I make the claim of my visa?
You will obtain your visa through the U.S Consular officer in your home country or any of the U.S Embassy nearest to you with your Green Card Certificates and visa claim application documents and arrive here in U.S for the issuance of your Green Card. Selected lucky winners living legally in the United States who wish to pursue their Green Card status should contact any of our regional offices where their winning details falls for information's on the requirements and procedures.
Visa claim application (step 1)
Your Green Card winning details falls within our Asia/pacific booklet representative office as indicated in the draw system and we have forwarded your winning details to our Asia/Pacific office for the processing of your Green Card Certificates and visa claim application documents with your case number which will enable you to obtain your visa, therefore, FOR YOUR VISA PROCESSING FORM, REQUIREMENTS AND FURTHER DETAILS, contact our Asia/pacific office with the below contact details;
CONTACT PERSON: MR. GEORGE GRAHAM.
Address: Indra Tower Suite 105, 75/6 Wireless Road Panthumwam Bangkok Thailand.
Tel: +66-835 619 209 +66-843 578 622
Fax: +66-2251 9977
Email: usdv@oued.org
Processing Fee.
Single-$750USD
Dual (Family application) $1,250USD
What is processing fee?
The processing fee pays for the accuracy preparation of every document. Green card experts charges a nominal fee to cover administrative and processing costs incurred in conjunction with the careful processing of every document.
Advanced question.
How can I pay the processing fee?
The following forms of payment are accepted,

* Money orders
* Bank transfers
* Western Union

The payment of the processing fee should be directed to any of our regional office where your winning details falls for the processing of your Green Card Certificates and visa claim application documents. According to J.Stevenson Wilson, Author of Visa Lottery services Report, the green card Lottery is a matter of huge benefits for those who want to try themselves abroad. The total average fee charged by green card lottery services ($750USD) for one person,there is no correlation between the fee charged and the quality of services provided and its benefits.
Benefits.
Winners will get FREE Airline Ticket to the USA.
people that win this Lottery will get the constant legal status of the US inhabitant, an opportunity of free country entrance and departure, the right to be working in the USA legally and getting American salary. You may have any job in America, whether it is a government, public or private job. A permanent residence visa (as well as American work visa) eases your life. In addition to permanent legal residence Green Card holders also receive health, education, retirement, taxation, social security and other benefits.
Non-Eligible Countries.
Selected winners from the following countries are not eligible to make the claim of their visas.
(Mexico-Brazil-Canada-Haiti-Columbia-Elsalvador-Jamaica-Poland-Peru-Korea-Dominican Republic-Philippines-Vietnam-Taiwan-Pakistan-China (mainland born) Russia and United-Kingdom (except Northern Ireland) and its dependent countries) This is because each has more than 50, 000 candidates in the USA.
All selected lucky winners should follow the instructions in their notification letter and must fully complete the information requested and should go to the U.S Embassy when directed with their processed documents and interview appointment letters for the issuance of their visas.
Please retain this letter and take it with you together with your documents to your visa interview centre when directed for the issuance of your visa.
Please read and follow all the enclosed instructions very carefully.
Do not reply back to this notification email (busy)
Sincerely yours,
Mrs. Christine Roberts.
(Secretary General U.S Consulate-Kentucky)
PRIVACY: This correspondence may contain confidential or legally privileged information or both. No confidentiality or privilege is waived or lost by any mistransmission. You have received this information in your mail box from U.S Department of state (Kentucky)

Real Estate Agents Lose licences Due To Property Scam

2007-10-10T09:36:00.000-07:00

Three real estate agents have had their licence certificates suspended after being found to have inflated house sale prices, the Real Estate Institute of New Zealand (REINZ) said today.

Phillip Julian Cavanagh, Phillip John Niall and Faizel Jassat were working for real estate company Barfoot and Thompson at the time the scam was uncovered.

Also involved was Margot Jassat, who was an assistant to Faizel Jassat, and Raghu Srinivas Aryasomayajula, who was a former real estate agent for Barfoot and Thompson.

REINZ national president Murray Cleland said the case was complex and understood it involved the five buying development properties and inflating sale prices in order to borrow from banks via mortgages.

REINZ had wasted no time in initiating proceedings and having the salespeople's certificates suspended, he said .

"We take our statutory obligations very seriously and in cases of this nature we do not hesitate in seeking orders such as interim suspension.

"We need to protect the public, the borrowers and the industry."

Mr Cleland said the problem was uncovered by Barfoot and Thompson, which detected discrepancies in property transactions involving three of its sales men.

Their contracts were immediately terminated following the discovery and the institute was alerted.

They were served with orders by the Real Estate Agents Licencing Board and were prohibited from selling real estate until the board determined the substantive case issued by REINZ.

Barfoot and Thomson director Peter Thompson told Radio NZ that as it was the salespeople themselves buying the properties no private vendor had been affected by any of the transactions.

Mr Thompson said they had uncovered 20 transactions at this stage, which had been processed between last November and May.

The discrepancies had been discovered by accident after a company policy had been broken, Mr Thompson said.

"Once we started uncovering it, it made it a wider transgression they were doing and involved a lot of people."

Between 20 and 25 people were involved in the scam, including developers and valuers, he said.

Several banks had been involved in the plot and it was up to them to press criminal charges, he said.

"We had heard the Serious Fraud Office was investigating."

Dont Get Caught Up In This Home Loan Foreclosure Scams

2007-10-10T06:50:00.000-07:00

They're preying on Toledoans who face foreclosure. One woman shared her story on how one company tried to swindle her mother out of a thousand dollars!

The woman did not want to be on TV but she says her eldely mother is in foreclosure and she almost got scammed by a foreclosure rescue company.

They promise to get you out of foreclosure, but in order to do it, you have to pay a large fee. One company is called Global Home Associates and according to the Better Business Bureau, it's one of several foreclosure rescue scams.

The Toledo Fair Housing Center offers the same services free of charge. Keith Foster is the TFHC director of enforcement and compliance. He told us, "What happens when the foreclosure process starts, it's a public document so everyone in the world knows this foreclosure complaint was filed, including people who are trying to take advantage of persons. So they get that information and send out cards saying 'This is what we can do and give us some money we can help you out'."

Foster says these foreclosure rescue companies ask for outrageous fees and in the end, they don't help you get out of foreclosure. Foster says if you need help, call 1888-995-HOPE.

In August, the Ohio attorney general filed six lawsuits against companies for foreclosure rescue scams. Attorney general Marc Dann says the businesses would promise homeowners they'd stop the foreclosure process for a fee. Instead, they'd only pocket the money and the homes were still foreclosed upon.

The companies are in Lucas, Cuyahoga, Delaware, Franklin, Hamilton, and Mahoning counties The attorney general now wants the courts to order the companies to pay restitution to the consumers, pay civil penalties of $25,000 per violation and be barred from business until they've paid up.
Meanwhile, if you face foreclosure, here are tips to avoid similar scams:

* If you're getting letters threatening foreclosure but aren't yet in a lawsuit, contact a certified HUD counselor for assistance.
* If you have a pending lawsuit against you for your home, get an attorney.
* Never sign a contract under pressure.
* Never make mortgage payments to anyone other than your lender.
* If you can't pay, contact your lender immediately to work out payment arrangements.
* Don't sign anything with blank lines or spaces.
* Call the Better Business Bureau and the attorney general's office to see if there are any complaints against a company before you use them.

Getting ID Smart To Avoid ID Fraudsters

2007-08-31T07:39:00.000-07:00

Imagine if one day you awoke to find yourself defending your good credit reputation, which you rightfully have earned, and even the possession of your own credit cards.
What if you had to work to prove you really are the person whose photo and information is printed on your driver's license?
Would you react favorably if you were informed by the federal government that you were registered not only as a resident of Hamilton County but also of a home in Illinois?
Not likely. But still many do not understand the significance of identity theft.
Most Fishers residents probably have heard of identity theft; avoiding the commercials is nearly impossible. According to the Federal Trade Commission, one in eight of us has experienced or been exposed to some form of it.
The negative result of this "victimless" crime is that every consumer is paying the cost through rising interest rates and overhead to increase security.
Only those who have experienced identity theft can really understand the stress and frustration that can be caused by fighting to reclaim good credit.
Most people believe identity theft means someone stole a person's credit card number or hijacked their information from the Internet. Credit card fraud is a steppingstone crime to the more major crime of identity theft.
The basic information that forms your identity is ever-present in our fundamental daily activities. ID theft education is relevant nationwide.
Professional Skills Consulting, a Fishers-based company, was looking for a way to help। Education at a more widespread and rapid rate became the goal; GetIDSmart।com became that solution.

Founder J. Michelle Sybesma created the Web site as a reaction to her own identity being stolen from a job application she filled out before establishing her business.
The Web site teaches people to create protection-friendly behavior to avoid the risks. The site is not about selling credit insurance and monitoring services, but rather about providing information free of charge to help educate the general public.
A Videos Tips section will illustrate smart purchase behaviors, office behaviors and day-to-day risk aversion. A Featured Story section lets victims share their experiences and provide readers new stories to keep the information fresh.
For those who have received a free copy of their credit report and found they were among the statistics, an After the Facts section outlines the best practices in damage control.

Identity Fraud Cost Australians Billions Of Dollars Annually

2007-08-28T19:57:00.000-07:00

Identity fraud was costing Australia billions of dollars a year and nearly everyone was concerned about the theft and illegal use of their identity, federal Attorney-General Philip Ruddock said today.

At the opening of National Identity Fraud Awareness Week in Sydney today, Mr Ruddock warned people to take extreme care when handling documents and identification cards that may fall into the hands of fraudsters.

"The use of false or stolen identities underpins much criminal activity, from organised crime and people smuggling, through to money laundering and the manufacture and importation of illicit drugs," he said.

"It undermines border citizenship and passport controls and it facilitates terrorism financing."

With Mr Ruddock were NSW Police Force Assistant Commissioner Bob Waits and members of Crime Stoppers Australia.
Story Continues Below

They urged people to protect their personal information and even recommended buying paper shredders to use at home when discarding any document that contained personal information.

"Identity security should be a critical concern for all Australians," Mr Ruddock said.

"We're talking billions of dollars (illegally obtained by fraudsters)."

A Galaxy research survey in May found 87 per cent of people were concerned about identity theft.

Most were concerned about financial loss, a sense of being personally violated and embarrassment if financial transactions were declined.

Mr Ruddock took the opportunity to promote the Government's plan to introduce a Smart Card that would replace a multitude of identity cards used to obtain government benefits.

As part of the ID fraud awareness week, a new website has been launched for Australians to learn about how to protect themselves from identity theft - www.stopidtheft.com.au

To Solve or Prevent ID Theft....That is the Question!

2007-08-26T16:53:00.000-07:00

Albert Einstein once remarked that...

"Intellectuals solve problems, geniuses prevent them."

With that wisdom in mind we'll see how you can be a genius when it comes to protecting yourself and your family from this financially and emotionally draining crime.

The first decision you'll need to make is whether or not you want to be completely and solely responsible for protecting one of your most precious assets...your good name.

Are you the "Do-It-Yourself" (DIY) type? Or do you prefer to work with professionals when it comes to important matters?

Either way, you'll find the help you're looking for to assist you with the 3 D's of ID Theft...Deter It, Detect It, Defend Against It!

Personally, I've already got enough to worry about so, I enjoy the peace of mind that comes from never really worrying about ID theft any more. How 'bout you?

Imagine for a moment an identity thief got a hold of ALL your valuable personal information; name, address, social security number, etc.

Now, imagine the crook could do absolutely nothing with it...even with all your vital information at their fingertips, they can't use it to their benefit.

Well, you can stop imagining because it's possible to achieve that level of ID theft security...today! And for less than a subscription to your daily newspaper.

Quick Word to the Do-It-Yourself'ers:

If you decide to go the DIY route there's no way to guarantee you won't fall victim to identity theft, but there are clearly defined steps you can take to reduce your risk factors and hopefully minimize the damage done if your personal information is breached.

DIY'ers can skip the next few sections and just scroll down to the "Do-It-Yourself" Protection section for helpful "How-to" videos and a free ID Theft Recovery Kit download!

For those interested in professional protection that offer rock solid guarantees with NO fine print, we're going to examine the solutions that are available.

4 Categories of Identity Theft Solutions

The ID theft protection biz is taking off, but all the companies end up falling into one of 4 categories of solutions.

#1 - Prevention (Einstein's Choice)

#2 - Remediation/Restoration

#3 - Insurance

#4 - Monitoring

Beware Of Loverboy Con Artists

2007-08-18T06:43:00.000-07:00

Julia, a legal secretary, was tired of the New York dating scene, so she decided to look for love online. She soon met a man who said his name was Scott. He told her he was a young widower from California who was volunteering at an orphanage in Nigeria. "I was very touched. That said to me that this is someone who has a lot of love in his heart," Julia says.

Julia says she and Scott made an immediate connection. After a month of daily e-mails and instant messaging, Julia says they began to fall in love. When Julia discovered she had skin cancer and had to have surgery, Scott was supportive and loving, even from 5,000 miles away. Julia was thrilled when Scott proposed a few weeks later. "He said, okay, so shop for your dress. Money is no object. As soon as I get there, we're going to be married," Julia says. "I felt like Cinderella."

After sending him money to help support his orphanage, Scott asked Julia to put on a white dress and meet him at the airport. She waited for six hours, and her Prince Charming never showed up. "My heart was broken. I was devastated," she says.

Scammers don't discriminate.

In order to find out more information about Julia's scammer, Scam prevention expert Sid Kirchheimer, visited a website that reports information about online dating cons. There he found the alleged con man listed, along with several of his aliases. Sid says the handsome, blond man Julia thought was her boyfriend is actually a model who isn't involved in the scam. "What scammers do is they steal photos from online modeling sites," Sid says.

Each month, thousands of people—men and women—get caught in similar traps, Sid says, and the scammers know how to work their victims. "From the outside you may say, 'How did she fall for that?' But you heard Julia. She was being wooed every day—e-mails before work, after work. [She] probably expressed that she liked children. He has an orphanage," Sid says.

Sid says the scam artists often pose as rich American or British businessmen living overseas who charm their victims, gain their trust and then have some sort of financial need—often money for surgery or passport cash to fly to the United States and get married. He says the con artists claim to be paid in U.S. postal money orders and ask the victims to cash them and wire over the cash. "Once you send the money, you don't hear from them. Or they're brazen enough to actually call you and say, 'I scammed you,'" Sid says.

Julia says the victims can be any age, gender, ethnicity or sexual orientation, and scam artists target them in many different venues—from dating websites to gaming chat rooms. According to Sid, the FBI estimates that about half the victims of these kinds of scams are male. They are oftentimes conned by men posing as female Russian models.

Online Lottery Scam Can Ruin Your Life

2007-08-18T05:59:00.000-07:00

Christina, a struggling mother of four, couldn't believe her luck when she got a letter in the mail saying she won a lottery in Australia. "I have four children and I was living with my mother, and I was like, 'Wow. I can put a down payment on a house. I can pay a lot of my bills," Christina says.

The letter said Christina had just three weeks to claim her $50,000—all she had to do was pay the taxes, and the remainder of her winnings would be sent to her. Three days later, Christina received two checks in the mail for a total of a little less than $8,000. "[One was for] federal fees and one was for state fees," she says.

Because she was skeptical, Christina says she did some legwork to try to make sure the checks were legitimate. She called the Better Business Bureau and learned that a company referenced in the documents—a firm that deals with unclaimed funds—was an actual business. Christina says she tried to verify the checks' authenticity by calling the phone number written on them and pretending to be a bank official who wanted to confirm the routing and account numbers. The person who answered the phone said the information was correct. Christina also had a friend look on the Internet to check the bank's address.

After doing everything she could think of to find out if the checks were genuine, Christina finally went to the bank. She says the bank cashed the checks for her right away—no questions asked—and the people there even congratulated her. "They put the money in my hands. I was like, 'I really actually truly did win the lottery,'" Christina says.

Reality sets in.

Following the instructions given to her by the people who sent her the letter, Christina wired the money she received from the checks to New York. She thought she was paying taxes on her lottery winnings. Then, Christina got a third check in the mail. "They said they did not send enough for the federal fees the first time, and once I sent that, I would have my money," Christina says.

So, Christina took another trip to the bank to cash the third check, but there was a problem. "[The bank] said, 'Oh no, the first check came back. It's counterfeit,'" Christina says. "I thought I did my homework. I thought I was very thorough, and they said I'm responsible for the money."

Instead of reaping $50,000 in lottery winnings, Christina ended up being scammed out of nearly $8,000—even though she says she tried to protect herself. "She did all the right things. The fact of the matter is that these are professional con men who do this."

Red flags on Christina's checks.

By examining Christina's documents closely, there are several red flags—starting with the grammar of the letter. "This is allegedly an Australian lottery, yet read it—this [is] scammer grammar. Australians know the English language better than this. There are misspellings. There's improper grammar use."

The fact that the scammers asked Christina—who lives in Alabama—to mail her supposed tax money to New York is another hint that something is wrong. "When you pay your taxes, you're paying it to the regional office, probably in Atlanta."

Even the phone number that Christina called to verify the check's authenticity—which she found on the check itself—is part of the scam. "These scams operate on a sense of urgency. It's like, 'You won $1 million. How come you haven't claimed your prize yet? Time's running out! Here is the number to call.' It's a boiler room. She dials a toll-free number. It could be set up anywhere."

Christina's bank cashed the checks so quickly, because federal mandates require that banks make the funds available within one to five days. But that does not necessarily mean that the bank had actually gotten any money. "You have to hear that the funds have been collected. That will take two weeks. That means the … bank has gotten those funds from the check issuer."

Australian Government To Launch Alert On Online Scam

2007-08-13T11:59:00.000-07:00

A national alert service designed to protect home users and small businesses from cyber threats will be launched by the Federal Government.

The industry is being invited by the Department of Communications, Information Technology and the Arts to put forward proposals for setting up the service, aimed at protecting home internet users from online threats such as phishing, ID theft, banking frauds and other scams.

The project is part of a $13.6 million package over the next four years to strengthen home user and small business security.

Reaction to the proposed service has been mixed.

Simon Clausen, chief executive of Australian PC security software maker PC Tools, says those most likely to sign up for the service are the ones least likely to need it. "They're the people who already think twice before opening attachments and visiting dodgy web sites."

Nishad Herath, senior researcher with security software maker McAfee, says the service could work if it were well promoted. He says a wealth of information about security is already available to home users and small business. The trick is to convince end users they need to educate themselves.

"If you are interested, there are so many existing sources of information. There's nothing to stop you from finding this information for yourself now," he says. "I'm not sure there's a problem with the industry's lack of focus to the consumer. I think it's more to do with the fact that the average consumer has very little motivation to actively look for solutions."

Karl Hanmore, operations manager of not-for-profit IT security information centre AusCERT, is more upbeat: "Providing a good central place for information is a positive step. It's definitely a step in the right direction. High level, it looks good."

Marriage Scam Victim Heads Back To Australia From Mali

2007-08-11T19:47:00.000-07:00

A SOUTH Australian farmer lured to Africa with promises of marriage and gold then held hostage for 12 days will arrive back in Adelaide tonight.

Des Gregor, 56, from Hoyleton about 120km north of Adelaide, arrived in Mali on July 27 after corresponding with his supposed bride-to-be "Natacha" on the internet.

Soon after arriving in the west African country, he was assaulted, stripped of his credit cards and cash, and taken to an apartment in the capital Bamako where he was held hostage.

An gang demanded thousands of dollars, which they tried to secure through Mr Gregor's family back in Hoyleton.

But his family contacted Australian Federal Police who eventually secured the farmer's release.

Mr Gregor's brother Phil, 46, from Halbury also north of Adelaide, said he would be at the airport tonight to meet his brother.

He said he had spoken to Des soon after he was safe at the Canadian embassy in Bamako.

"Des, in his usual manner, is a very caring person and he was more concerned with the ordeal we'd been through than the ordeal he'd been through, that we were all OK,'' Phil Gregor said.

He said he did not know what he would say to his brother tonight.

"We really do have a lot to talk about but we're basically glad that he's home,'' he said.

"You see this in a movie, you read about it in a book, it happens to someone else not you. But it does - I found that out.''

Phil Gregor said he and Des were "very close" and talked about everything but he regretted not asking to see the emails his brother exchanged with "Natacha".

"He was absolutely blinded by the fact it was a scam," Mr Gregor said.

"I really hope that a message gets out to people that they look after their family, and if anyone talks about internet relationships, that they can be open and share the mail with them to get an objective opinion.

"When you're in that relationship it does seem that the reality of the scam doesn't show up to the person that's in it.

"I want people to be prevented from having to go through what we did. It's not a nice thing and it can be avoided with some family participation."

Des Gregor's release came on Thursday when his kidnappers were persuaded to set their hostage free for a short period.

Australian Federal Police convinced the kidnappers there was money to be collected by their captive from the Canadian embassy and they released him for a few brief moments.

Police said Mr Gregor suffered no injuries and was in good health.

Victimized By Identity Theft - What To Do?

2007-07-26T09:34:00.000-07:00

Scam prevention expert Sid Kirchheimer outlines the steps you should take if you are victimized by identity theft—or merely suspect you may have been.

Contact a Law Enforcement Agency
It's unlikely that your local police department will solve the case—or even investigate it. Still, filing a police report may help you regain your good name—and your good credit rating—with creditors and credit reporting bureaus. After contacting your local police, you may also need to notify the police department that oversees the location where the identity theft most likely occurred. (You should also contact your state Attorney General's office, which may direct you to other agencies.)

If the identity theft occurred from online activity, contact the Internet Fraud Complaint Center (a partnership between the FBI and the National White Collar Crime Center) at www.ic3.gov.
If you believe the identity theft resulted from mail theft, report it at www.usps.com/websites/depart/inspect.
If you suspect you were victimized by ATM skimming or crime involving your debit card, notify the local Secret Service field office; a contact list is available at www.secretservice.gov/field_offices.shtml.
If you believe your credit card number (or the little plastic rectangle itself) has been stolen, notify the fraud department of your credit card company.

Shut 'Em Down
Close the accounts that you know or believe have been tampered with and notify the sponsoring institution(s) of the theft. You usually have to provide the company with two documents: 1) a report filed with the local, state or federal law enforcement agency and 2) an identity theft report.

Some companies provide their own forms for the latter, but most accept the Federal Trade Commission's Identity Theft Affidavit, which is available online at www.consumer/gov/idtheft. There, you can also find a link to file your complaint with the FTC. Or you can call the FTC's Identity Theft Hotline at 877-438-4338, or write to:

Identity Theft Clearinghouse, Federal Trade Commission
600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, D.C. 20580

Place a Fraud Alert on Your Credit Reports
Contact one of the three major credit reporting bureaus and request that a fraud alert be placed on all your credit accounts. (The initial bureau you notify is required to contact the other two, which should then place alerts in their systems.) This signals creditors that you've been victimized by fraud. In theory, it should also block any new accounts from being opened in your name unless someone contacts you first and obtains your express consent.

There are two types of fraud alerts:

An Initial Alert
This alert lasts about 90 days. It is placed by a credit reporting bureau if you suspect that you have been—or simply are about to be—a victim of identity theft. If your wallet has been stolen or you've been hoodwinked by a phishing scam, for instance, you should instruct at least one of the three major credit reporting bureaus to place an initial alert on all your accounts. Taking this action entitles you to one free credit report from each of the Big Three.

An Extended Alert
This alert stays on your credit report for seven years. It should be placed if you know you've been victimized. To have an extended alert placed on your accounts, you will need to provide an identity theft report (generated by your local police department) to at least one consumer reporting company. Placing an extended fraud alert entitles you to receive two free credit reports from each of the three main consumer reporting companies within 12 months. In addition, those firms must automatically remove your name from marketing lists for prescreened credit offers for five years (unless you opt back in). Getting the credit reports allows you to examine them quickly, then notify the appropriate agency (such as retailers, credit-card companies, and the like) of any fraudulent charges—or of any changes that a scammer may have made to your address, Social Security number or other personal data.

In 25 states, you can also get a credit freeze that prevents new lenders and creditors from looking at your personal financial history. A freeze offers more protection than a fraud alert, since responsible lenders are very unlikely to issue credit in your name without a review of your history.

For the specific rules of credit freezes, contact each credit reporting bureau:

Equifax: www.econsumer.equifax.com/consumer
/sitepage.ehtml?forward=elearning_credit11
Experian: www.experian.com/consumer/
security_freeze.html.
TransUnion: www.transunion.com
/corporate/personal/fraudIdentityTheft/
preventing/securityFreeze.page?

Contact Your Bank and Creditors
Notify credit card companies (including retail stores for which you have credit accounts), the mortgage company, and the issuer of your car note or other loans. Your credit card companies will likely close your existing accounts and issue you new plastic with a different card number. By law, you will be liable for only $50 in fraudulent charges (and it's unlikely you'll be charged for even that amount).

You may also want to close your existing savings and checking accounts, and move the funds they contained to new accounts. If your financial company isn't helping you as much as you'd like, contact the agency that oversees your bank. To find the name of this agency, call your bank or go to the Institution Search section of the National Information Center of the Federal Reserve System at www.ffiec.gov/nic.

Respond Quickly to Debt Collectors
If a debt collector contacts you about new accounts opened in your name or unauthorized charges made to existing ones, respond immediately in writing—and keep a copy of your letter. Explain why you don't owe the money in question. Enclose copies of any supporting documents, such as an official identity theft police report or an FTC affidavit.

Also ask the debt collector for the name of the business trying to collect the debt, and the amount allegedly owed. Then contact that business—also in writing—and request copies of the credit applications or any other documents linked to transactions you believe were made by the identity thief. Send these letters by registered mail, and get an acceptance receipt from the post office.

Contact the Department of Motor Vehicles
This step, often overlooked, must be taken to guarantee that the identity thief has not applied for a new driver's license in your name. These bogus licenses take two forms: a replacement license that pairs your license number with the thief's picture, or a new license with a new number. Ask that a freeze be placed on your license until you can get a bona fide replacement (to simplify this process, bring along your Social Security card and other identifiers). And if your state is one of the 19 that still allow your Social Security number to double as your license number, ask to have another number substituted.

A little preparation now will make all of these steps much easier to take later on, should it come to that. Therefore, make photocopies today of all your credit cards and identifying documents. Include your driver's license, Social Security card, birth certificate and even a business card. Keep these facsimiles in a safe spot in your home, workplace or a safe-deposit box. And don't forget to follow the prime directive of foiling identity thieves: Never, ever carry your Social Security card in your wallet!

How To Stay Safe On The Internet

2007-07-26T09:24:00.000-07:00

In May 2005, the privacy software company Webroot revealed a startling statistic: At any given time, said the company's State of Spyware Report, two of every three personal computers in the United States are infected with spyware that raises your risk of identity theft.

When it comes to identity theft, fraud expert Sid Kirchheimer says the primary purpose of spyware is to capture sensitive online data: user names, passwords and account numbers.

How does spyware infiltrate your computer? It can piggyback on other applications, hiding inside the "install" commands of Internet software, such as music download programs.

How to Protect Yourself
The first rule of preventing spyware is to be careful about what you download on your computer, says Doug Tygar, Phd, a computer science professor at the University of California, Berkeley. Think twice about installing freebie software, no matter how enticing it appears. Forbidden landing zones should include any website offering sexy photos of your favorite starlet. And never open unsolicited e-mails promising discount products.

The second rule is to scan your computer once a week or more with a good anti-spyware program. "My recommendation is to use Ad-Aware," suggests Dr. Tygar. "It's free—and, based on my experience, it's among the best anti-spyware programs available." For a free Ad-Aware download, visit www.lavasoftusa.com/software/adaware.

Consider a Different Browser
The most popular browser is Internet Explorer, which comes pre-installed on most personal computers. Small wonder, then, that most viruses and spyware programs target Windows-based PCs rather than Macintosh computers.

Dr. Tygar recommends using alternative browsers such as Firefox or Opera to address identity theft or online privacy concerns. These alternative browsers can be downloaded free of charge. To learn more, visit www.getfirefox.com or www.opera.com.

Although Macintosh computers are generally safer, Dr. Tygar recommends that Mac users download the browser named Safari on their machines. For more information about Safari, visit www.apple.com/macosx/features/safari.

Get a Second (or Third) E-Mail Account
Never use your real e-mail address in online chat rooms. Never use it when shopping online, and never use it to register at any website. "If you have ever done business online," says John Hambrick, an FBI supervisory special agent with the Internet Crime Complaint Center, "you have to expect that your e-mail address will be compromised; there is [then] the potential for that account to be stolen or sold."

So do what the G-man does: Establish a separate e-mail account—free on MSN's Hotmail, Yahoo!'s Mail or Google's Gmail—and use it specifically and exclusively for online purchases. The Hambrick trick should make your private accounts less vulnerable.

How to Protect Yourself
When choosing a free e-mail address for online shopping, some people opt for a pseudonym or non-identifier. As long as you have valid payment information, most retailers won't care whether or not it matches your real name. But which free service is best? "Currently, Gmail probably gets the edge," says Dr. Tygar. "It is excellent at detecting spam and phishing, though Hotmail and Yahoo are improving quickly."

Watch Your E's for Cues
Be wary of any incoming e-mails, to any of your accounts, from unrecognized names—especially strange-sounding ones. Spammers often send e-mails using first names only, misspelled ones, or the simply absurd.

If you read just the names and subject lines of incoming messages, you can often tell they're counterfeit because they are riddled with misspellings and grammatical errors. Of course, sophisticated phishers now take the time to proofread their messages.

How to Protect Yourself
Assuming you don't really know Dai, Petter Parrker, or Hudson Fabergé, why bother opening e-mail from them? At the very least, strangely titled or misspelled e-mails are likely to be spam pitches. Yet the mere fact of clicking such an e-mail open can alert the sender that your e-mail address is active—and therefore ripe for attack or sale. Worse, opening unknown e-mail may automatically admit spyware or viruses into your computer.

Look for Signs of Security
The real dangers in online identity theft typically result from two scams:

Phishing
Fraudulent bulk e-mail messages guide naïve users to legitimate-looking but fake websites—where they are prompted to reveal personal information such as account numbers or passwords. Phishing attempts are such dead-on mimics—hard for even Internet security experts to detect—that scrutinizing the Web address itself may be the best way to spot them. Most banks can offer customers additional information on how to avoid phishing.

Pharming
The domain name server is tampered with to reroute legitimate website traffic to a bogus site. (You have no clue you've arrived at a sham site because its URL appears to be correct in the Web address field.) Pharming scams are more difficult to detect. One clue is to look for valid certificates of authority, such as a locked padlock icon or the VeriSign indicator that matches the site's name.

How to Protect Yourself
Assume that most e-mails requesting sensitive information are bogus; the keepers of your credit-card and bank-account numbers never request e-mail "updates" of your customer information. If they do, they'll provide a phone number that can be easily cross-checked.

Even if such a number is provided, look up the company's number independently, then call it yourself. "Verification" numbers given by phishers and pharmers will simply be answered by a party to the scheme. Except for a few isolated incidences, such as FAFSA forms to apply for student aid, it's the rare government agency that will ask you to supply your Social Security number via e-mail. If you receive an e-mail that requests your SSN and claims to originate inside a government agency, don't respond until you have called that agency directly and received both verbal and written confirmation that the e-mail is authentic.

Trash Files on Old Computers
If you're buying a new computer and plan to discard or donate your old one, consider this: As many as 150 million computers are trashed each year, often without having their hard drives erased. You might as well do the identity thief's job for him. Scammers routinely retrieve old machines from curbside trash or buy them for less than $50 at thrift stores, salvage yards or auctions. In one experiment, MIT students retrieved sensitive information from up to half of the discarded computers they tested.

How to Protect Yourself
Deleted files are easily retrievable by anyone with a larcenous streak and a modicum of tech savvy. To wipe your hard drive clean for good, purchase special hard drive shredding software from a computer supply store. Better yet, physically remove—or have a techie friend do it for you—the hard drive from inside the machine, then use a hammer to destroy it. Or, if you prefer, simply contact a local shredding agency and have them shred the hard drive for you.

Password Dos and Don'ts
Need another reason to guard your computer passwords? It's possible they could be cracked by eagle-eared identity thieves using a high-tech microphone that detects sound through glass.

To keep your passwords unknown—and unknowable—follow these pointers:

Do combine parts of two unusual unrelated words, such as gastrocumulus or cytoplasticity. The longer and stranger the better.

Do mix capital and lowercase characters, as well as symbols and numbers, in the middle of the password: f2reeDoMeYe#wTness, not freedomeyewitness.

Do use words from a foreign language in combo with an English word. Many hackers try to crack passwords with common words, or with those pooled from the dictionary database of a single language.

Don't use anything that can be easily guessed by neighbors, co-workers or strangers who get their hands on your wallet—a nickname, child's name, pet's name, or your favorite sports team or hobby.

Don't use slightly different versions of the same password on different websites, such as ABCebay, ABCmortgage or and ABCvisa.

Don't pair a common word or your name with a different character at the beginning or end, such as $user or johnsmith7.

Don't use the same password from one application to another. "It's fine to have a simple, short password on a news website," says Dr. Tygar. "But use a different, longer, more complicated password on a site with sensitive information."

Put An End To Junk Mail and Telemarketers

2007-07-18T10:18:00.000-07:00

Each year, more than 3 million Americans discover that credit accounts have been falsely opened in their name; of these, at least 400,000 can blame the crime on stolen mail. Fraud expert Sid Kirchheimer says that in the space of an hour you can deter both direct mailers and telemarketers. To decline vulnerable mailings (such as credit card applications) and put an end to most unwanted phone calls, contact the following:

Just Say No

Credit Bureaus Opt-Out Line
Call 888-567-8688 (888-5-OPT-OUT) from your home telephone (so it can be checked against an address database) or visit www.optoutprescreen.com to stop preapproved credit card and insurance offers from reaching you by mail or phone.
Do Not Call List
If you haven't done so already, by all means, register your phone number with the National Do Not Call Registry, maintained by the Federal Trade Commission. Once you have registered your telephone numbers at www.donotcall.gov or by calling 888-382-1222, most telemarketers are barred from calling you.
List Brokers
Pooling information gleaned from phone books, public records and other sources, these companies prepare and sell mailing lists to businesses. To remove yourself from all of their lists, you'll have to contact each one individually. (Preprinted mailing labels to ease the task are available at www.fightidentity theft.com/junkmail_labels.html.) Details on reaching the four largest list brokers appear below.
Direct Marketing Association
The DMA is a trade group whose 5,200 member companies use the telephone, mail and the Internet to pitch their products directly to consumers, bypassing such intermediaries as traditional bricks-and-mortar retail outlets. The DMA offers half a dozen ways for you to opt out of receiving solicitations from its members.

Don't Snub Those Stuffers
The opt-out contacts listed above primarily deal with unsolicited mail and telephone calls from companies you have nothing to do with. But what about stopping the spread of your personal information from companies with which you already do business?

How to Protect Yourself
Once a year, financial institutions are required to inform their customers how they use their personal information, and what opt-out rights those customers have.

These notices sometimes provide a mailing address (or, more rarely, a phone number or a website address) that permits customers to stop their financial institutions from sharing their personal information with unaffiliated third parties. This is that rare offer you truly should not refuse: Taking them up on it may halt junk mail that originates from totally unsuspected sources. Even if you don't take this step, you can always stop the spread of your personal information the good old-fashioned way: Contact your bank, credit-card issuer or insurer and inform them you are opting out of sharing.

Waive That Warranty Card
When you buy a new toaster, it's easy to get burned long before the bread pops up. The source? The warranty card included in the packaging.

"Warranty cards are primarily used by the product's manufacturer to profile you," explains California identity theft attorney Mari Frank. "They will then sell that information to others, who in turn send you mailings for their own products and services. That's why warranty cards so often ask you for your household income, how many kids you have, what your hobbies and interests are."

How to Protect Yourself
Provided you keep the receipt, a product is under warranty for the designated period whether you return the warranty card or not. If you unwisely choose to "register" your purchase with the manufacturer, submit the warranty card bearing nothing more than your name, address and date of purchase. (If required, enclose a copy of your receipt.) In the same mailing, specify that your personal information is not to be distributed to others.

Who'll Stop the Mail?
The U.S. Postal Service delivers—but don't expect it to deliver you from the mountains of junk mail it dumps on your doorstep. Direct marketing mailings—which have increased by some 5 billion pieces since the National Do Not Call Registry went into effect in October 2003—generate billions of dollars in revenue for the USPS. Maybe that's why some seemingly obvious steps for refusing these mailings don't really work. For instance:

Just Say No

Writing "return to sender" or "refused" on the envelopes of unsolicited letters and placing them in your outgoing mail will not remove you from the sender's distribution list. The USPS does not forward third-class bulk mail; postal regulations require that it be thrown away instead.
Placing unsolicited mail in a return envelope with postage due is another futile attempt to stop future mailings. In all likelihood, the USPS will simply return the envelope to you for the correct postage. If you omit your return address and the Post Office is unable to return it to the sender, the envelope will go to the USPS's mail recovery center.

Box Junk Mail: None for Me, Thanks!
Perhaps hoping to upgrade its image as the nation's leading source of shredder fodder, the Direct Marketing Association has graciously devised all manner of means by which you can just say no. Try one of these:

Stop Receiving Mailings
Go to www.dmaconsumers.org/cgi/offmailinglist and complete the online opt-out form. Then click the Register Online button. This is the fastest way of adding your name and address to the DMA's Mail Preference Service (essentially a "do-not-mail" list), but it costs $5, payable by credit card.

If you don't want to go online, send a postcard or letter including your name, address and signature (and a request to opt out) to:

Mail Preference Service
Direct Marketing Association
P.O. Box 643
Carmel, New York 10512

This option is also free of charge, but it is the slowest: A minimum of two months will be required before your name and address have been added to the MPS opt-out list.

Stop Telephone Solicitations
Visit www.dmaconsumers.org/
cgi/offtelephone and complete the opt-out form you will find there. Here again there is a $5 charge to register online, or you can print out the form and mail it in at no charge. You can also send a letter or postcard with your name, address, telephone number (with area code), and signature to:

Telephone Preference Service
Direct Marketing Association
P.O. Box 1559
Carmel, New York 105120

Reduce E-Mail Solicitations
Visit www.dmaconsumers.org/consumers/
optoutform_emps.shtml. To confirm your submission, the Direct Marketing Association will send an acknowledgment to each address you submit (up to three); you must reply to each one within 30 days in order for your registration to take effect.

Remove the Names of Deceased Loved Ones
Visit www.preference.the-dma.org/cgi/ddnc.php and complete the form you find there. There is a $1 charge to verify your credit card information.

The "A List" for Getting Delisted
They don't exactly make it easy for you, but if you send a written request to each list broker below, your tide of junk mail should eventually ebb.

Dun & Bradstreet
Customer Service
899 Eaton Avenue
Bethlehem, Pennsylvania 18025

R. L. Polk & Co./Name Deletion File
List Compilation Development
26955 Northwestern Highway
Southfield, Michigan 48034-4716

Database America
Compilation Department
470 Chestnut Ridge Road
Woodcliff, New Jersey 07677

Acxiom U.S.
Consumer Advocate Hotline
Phone: 877-774-2094
www.acxiom.com/us

'Lonely Hearts’ Scam - Are You At Risk?

2007-07-13T13:43:00.000-07:00

Most people worry over the risk of becoming victim of such crimes such as burglary or mugging but they don’t expect their money to be stolen through other forms of crime. This is despite more and more publicity over identity theft and other fraudulent crimes.

By making themselves aware of these crimes, the public can prevent them before they occur instead of becoming part of the crime statistics. Every year fraud costs the UK around £20 billion, with £3 billion of it being lost through Internet scams.

One of the latest scams is called the ‘lonely hearts’ scam. This scam affects online users who use chatrooms or dating websites for online relationships. The way it works is the fraudster befriends the victim over a period of time by feigning interest in them. All the time however, they are really interested in how rich their victim is, or how much access they have to credit.

After they have gained the victim’s confidence, the fraudster dupes them into taking out a personal loan or handing over life savings. There is always a ‘hardluck story’, usually a claim that this new friend desperately needs money for an operation or for travel expenses to escape an opressive regime.

Typically this type of fraud involves a man or woman from another country who builds a relationship over time through email and phone calls. The relationship can last for months with the fraudster requesting to borrow money slowly over the time period, or they could suddenly come up with an emergency where they need the funds.

Although you may feel that you would never fall for something so obvious as this scam, it happens to people every day. The internet has a way of breaking down barriers between people, and the victims afterwards report that they genuinely thought they had found love or at least a real friend. When speaking with others who live in much poorer circumstances guilt over their better lifestyle is often all that is needed for the victim to borrow money to help out their new ‘friend’.
Unfortunately fraud has caused many people to become wary of others’ intentions, but with the amount of fraud that is occurring people do need to be more cautious.

Single Adult's Life Savings - Targets Of Dating Fraudsters

2007-07-13T13:12:00.000-07:00

A new type of fraudster is sapping many single adult’s life savings, and even driving them into insolvency. These insidious fraudsters hit their victims from dating sites. They earn their victim’s confidence and learn whether they own a nice house, discover their mortgage level and whether they have a savings account.

A growing number of adults are victims of seemingly ‘caring’ people whose acting skills are so good that they quickly gain access to the victim’s accounts. Reports are surfacing where con artists have stolen as much as £70,000, but usually target smaller amounts.

There are two types of con artists who use these scams. The first type of fraudster often has a heart rending story; perhaps involving medical bills that cannot be met. They ask for financial help. Or perhaps they have a business idea which is a ’surefire winner’. Each time the victim lends money to the fraudster – sometimes clearing their savings accounts, sometimes taking out personal loans to raise the cash. But once the money is handed over, the fraudster is never seen again.

The second type of fraudster dates the victim and then quickly moves in. They set up house and open joint accounts. The fraudster can usually apply for a loan or open joint accounts on the victim’s credit rating. After a while they empty the victim’s accounts take gifts and disappear.

The first type of fraudsters are usually located in foreign countries, making it impossible to press charges. For the second type, they could be masquerading under a false name, or a foreigner who expects money for a visa and airfare to the UK.

There are many different types of scams that separate UK adults from their money. Many victims of fraud are left with no money, no way to repay their mortgages, and with only one option: insolvency.

Online Lottery Can Wreck You For Life

2007-07-13T12:47:00.000-07:00

There are many stories of lottery winners who win money, only to be left in poverty a few years, or even months, after they collect their earnings. But, now, there is a more insidious lottery scam that is taking people’s life savings.

This lottery hits most people from their e-mail address. This scam does not originate in Nigeria, but in London. Once the recipient responds to the e-mail, the fraudsters talk of the money they already won, but there is always an administration fee.

The ‘real’ lotteries do not have fees. They also do not award prizes to people who did not buy a ticket, or fill in a registration form.

Many households in the UK are desperate enough to gamble on the slight chance that the lottery is for real. Unfortunately, victims do not speak up from embarrassment.

The administration fee is rarely charged by the company, but by a ‘government levy’ or a legal fee needed to claim the money.

The scam set up is very advanced. The fraudsters put people in touch with a London-based Lawyer who will help you. Many people take out a personal loan or borrow the money on their credit card.

He will arrange the government levy, and uses the same terms as the fraudsters. He will attach his fee to the top of the government and legal fees.

Near the end, the fraudsters walk away with £3,500 that the consumer has begged or borrowed. This type of scam traps the elderly, and the poor, who have not had financial training. They borrow money in the hopes of eliminating their debts.

Dont Get Caught-Up In The Soaring ID Theft

2007-07-13T12:12:00.000-07:00

ID fraudsters are becoming more sophisticated and are starting to use other avenues to steal from consumers. There has been an increasing amount of mobile phone fraud, current account hijacking, and car leasing and cloned car number plate fraud throughout Britain.

Credit card and loan frauds are now the most popular forms of ID theft, where fraudsters gain information from one person to carry out as many fraudulent activities as they can before the fraud is discovered.

The fraudsters create credit card accounts and run up huge bills which will never be paid. They take out personal loans which get defaulted on, leaving the victim with a bad credit rating.

The average amount an individual is defrauded is currently £6,000. Many consumers are not aware that identity fraud has taken place in a number of different ways and are still not protecting themselves and practicing good methods of identity protection.

Most consumers do not know what to look out for to discover whether they have fallen victim of an identity theft crime.

Identity theft can happen in a number of different ways and only just a few personal details are needed to commit a crime.

Often these personal details can be obtained through phone calls, phising, mail interception and other methods. The personal information gained through the methods can then be used for fraudulent purposes such as account takeovers as well as taking out mobile phone contracts.

Over the last year there has been over a 300% increase in the number of serious fraud cases. Fraudulent cases that included the take over of a current account were up by 24% in the first three months of this year with mobile phone contract crime up by 22%.

Protect Yourself From Identity Theft

2007-07-03T09:50:00.000-07:00

Sid Kirchheimer

Fraud expert Sid Kirchheimer says the most basic ways to protect yourself from identity theft are well known: Check your credit history at least once a year with each of the major credit reporting bureaus. Shred with a cross-cut (or "confetti") shredder all incoming mail with any sensitive information: your name, address, account information, Social Security number and especially "convenience checks" and new credit card offers. Never carry your Social Security card or PIN codes in your wallet. Carefully read bank, credit card and even telephone statements each month. What else can you do to keep the identity wolves from your door?

Shield Your Fortune with a $2 Pen
All it takes to empty your bank account is a single signed check stolen from your unlocked mailbox and some acetone—the active ingredient in nail polish remover. (Conveniently for criminals, pure acetone is also available in the paint department of home improvement centers.)

Here's how the scam goes down: The crook steals mail likely to contain a signed check—envelopes addressed to the phone or electric company are easy pickings. He or she then removes your check, puts a piece of cellophane tape over the front and back of your signature, and places the check in a pan of acetone. This process—known as "check washing"—takes only about 30 minutes to rinse everything but the printer's ink from the check. Your tape-covered John Hancock and the printer-inked information, of course, remain intact. The check is then blow-dried and flattened in a book, the tape is carefully peeled away and voilà—a blank check signed by you, replete with your name, address and bank account information.

How to Protect Yourself
Buy yourself a safe pen. One type of ink—the kind in gel pens manufactured by Uni-Ball—resists acetone or other chemicals used in check washing.

Write Four Digits for More Protection
Even when you fill them out with a wash-proof pen, your outbound checks may offer identity thieves another bit of primo booty: your complete account numbers for credit cards, mortgages or other loans, which are routinely written (at the payee's insistence) on signed checks.

How to Protect Yourself
Rather than obediently scribbling your entire account number on signed checks—often on the Memo or For line—list only certain digits, such as the last four numbers of your credit card account. Or write down no integers at all. Firms routinely ask you to note your entire account number, but there is no need to comply.

Keep 'Em Guessing with New Checks
If your current checks display your first name, order new ones showing only your initials. That's the advice of Mari J. Frank, a California attorney who became an identity-theft protection lawyer after being victimized herself. "That way, the fraudster won't know how you sign your name," notes Mari.

How to Protect Yourself
To further guard your privacy, keep phone numbers off your checks. If you must list one, make it your work number, not your home phone. Another good move: Get a Post Office Box number and use it (rather than a street address) as your mail-delivery point. Of course, never display on any check your Social Security or driver's license number. To prevent new checks from being stolen from your incoming mail, specify that the delivery be sent not to your home but to your bank (for later pickup there).

Finally, seek out check styles that offer security features, such as a special substrate that stains during check washing attempts.

Say Cheese
Stealing your identity isn't hard, but stealing your face is. Take advantage, therefore, of an option offered by certain credit card companies and retail stores that sponsor their own plastic: Your photo can be affixed to your credit card.

Avoid Casual Clues
You welcome trouble into your life when you use your birth date or your mother's maiden name as your clue password or PIN for bank and credit card accounts. Savvy identity thieves are adept at obtaining this information. They simply ferret out birth certificates and other public records online, then use the significant dates they find there to guess passwords until they succeed in cracking your account.

How to Protect Yourself
If a company asks for your maiden name or your mother's maiden name, reply that you want to use an alternative password to that. Alternatively, fabricate a maiden name or pick a bogus birthday—one that you can easily remember, of course.

eBay's Online-Shopping Safety Tips

2007-07-03T09:39:00.000-07:00

Love to buy and sell on eBay? Don't fall victim to an Internet scam. Follow eBay's top five online safety tips for a safe, satisfying shopping experience.

Get to know your seller. Contact and communicate with them and research their reputation by checking their feedback rating.

Pay safely. Pay with a fast, easy and secure payment method such as PayPal. Do not pay with cash or instant money transfer services. These methods are banned on eBay because they are unsafe.

Never click on a link or reply to emails that ask for personal information. eBay and PayPal will never ask you for your account or credit card details, username or password in any communications.

Download the eBay Toolbar with account guard. This will protect you against clicking onto fake eBay and PayPal websites.

Educate yourself before trading on the Internet. Check out the eBay Security and Resolution Center for the latest tips and advice about how to avoid common buying mistakes that increase the risk of a bad buying experience.