Scam Victims United

Computer Assistance Scam

2012-01-20T09:23:00.001-06:00

Most of us use our computers on a daily basis, and the idea of a virus in our computer is something that no one wants to deal with. So what if a computer technical support service called you and warned you that they had detected a virus on your computer, and they were able to help you to rid your computer of that virus BEFORE it corrupted all of your files and documents?

This is one of the phone scams that is going around right now, and I know about it because they called my house twice this week. When I answered the phone the person on the other end identified themselves as a Tech Support Specialist from Microsoft. They knew my name and address, and they told me that they had detected a problem with my computer. It just seemed strange to me that a company like Microsoft would be calling me to alert me to a virus on my computer, but I listened to what they had to say because I knew it had to be a scam and wanted to get some more information from them. They wanted me to go to my computer and go to a website and that is when I told them that I knew that there was no problem with my computer.

After hanging up, I jumped on my computer and started doing some Google Research. I found that this scam has been hitting people in the UK, Australia, South Africa and now it seems to have made it's way to the United States. Had I stayed on the phone, the phony Tech Support caller would have directed me to look at some files on my computer that would have "proven" that I had the virus that they were calling about. They would have then directed me to a website where I could download a file that would fix the issue, but what that file really does is allow them access to your computer! Now they have all of your information! And to top it off they will ask you to pay them for this service.

Microsoft has information about this scam on their website . . .

Once they have access to your computer, they can do the following:

Trick you into installing malicious software that could capture sensitive data, such as online banking user names and passwords. They might also then charge you to remove this software.

Take control of your computer remotely and adjust settings to leave your computer vulnerable.

Request credit card information so they can bill you for phony services.

Direct you to fraudulent websites and ask you to enter credit card and other personal or financial information there.

Neither Microsoft nor our partners make unsolicited phone calls (also known as cold calls) to charge you for computer security or software fixes.

As with anything, do your research first. One intended victim indicated that when they spoke with the phone Tech Support person they indicated that they had 4 computers in their home, and asked which computer had the problem . . . the phony Tech responded that they could turn on any one of their computers to fix this problem. This was a dead giveaway that it was a scam.

If you have been hit by this scam you should change your passwords, use a trusted malware scanner to remove any unwanted software from your computer and contact your bank and credit card companies.

Thousands Scammed by Facebook Starbucks App

2011-10-27T10:46:00.000-05:00

Guest Blog Post by Brittany Lyons ~

For many Facebook users, the offer of free Starbucks gift cards is simply too much to pass up. Recently, many users clicked on just such a link that popped up in their friends' status updates, after those friends had “liked” the page. Instead of taking them to a legitimate corporate website, the users were directed to a fraudulent website, where they gave up their private information in order to receive the non-existent gift cards.

Facebook scams like these are not a new occurrence. In August of 2010, the statuses of users' Facebook pages were flooded with messages letting people know that Justin Bieber was giving away free concert tickets. When users clicked the link, they went to a Facebook application page that asked for the user’s mobile phone number in order to enter a contest to win £50,000 (80,000 USD). The catch is that it was also a premium service that charged £4.50 (7 USD) to the mobile phone bill once a week.

The one thing that Justin Bieber and Starbucks have in common is an extremely large fan base, and thus more potential victims who scammers can target. This is also why scams will often be disguised as popular services like online PhD programs. That large number of potential victims is then multiplied by the number of friends that these fans have, and scams like these get passed along from friend to friend like wildfire. It is possible that thousands of people may have given up their personal information before the Starbucks scam app was removed by Facebook.

This connection between friends is what makes Facebook scams different than the email spam messages of the past. Email spam would just get sent to random people, typically by unknown senders, which made them relatively easy to block, filter or just ignore. Facebook scams, on the other hand, rely on trusted connections between friends in order to spread. Once someone has clicked on the link, the app re-posts that same link on their status, sending it out to all of their connections. Since a Facebook user would not be as suspicious of a message or link from a friend as they would with a random sender, there is a better chance of them opening the scam link or message and passing it on.

To avoid scams like this, it's important to know the posting habits of your friends. For example, if friends are posting links when they normally do not post links, or they are linking to something you don't think they are a fan of, there is a good chance that they have been scammed and didn't even post the link in the first place. Most of these links are actually rogue Facebook apps installed on a user’s Facebook page. If you are ever taken to a Facebook application install page, pay attention to whether or not the application asks for authorization to post on your wall, and think carefully before granting that authorization—your friends will thank you.

Users should also avoid giving out personal information as a rule, especially in the case of promotional offers. Check the security setting on your Facebook profile, so that you are using “secure browsing”--that means there is an “https://” in front of the page URL rather than the “http://” that's more common. Secure browsing has a tendency to block all apps, rather than just the scams, but the extra step it takes to open a link will prompt you to think twice about how secure it is. Finally, users can also keep track of ongoing scams and frauds by checking the Facebook page of Sophos, a company that monitors and reports scams, viruses and frauds that are spread throughout the Internet.

Overall, the best mentality to have when seeing promotions that offer gift cards and other goodies on Facebook is this: if something seems to be too good to be true, then it probably is.

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Brittany Lyons aspires to be a psychology professor, but decided to take some time off from grad school to help people learn to navigate the academic lifestyle. She currently lives in Spokane, Washington, where she spends her time reading science fiction and walking her dog.

Guest Blog Post ~ Shredding Documents

2011-10-03T11:50:00.000-05:00

Today we have a guest blog post to share with you from Chris at http://www.shreddingmachines.co.uk/

My parents and I were recently talking about ID theft and shredding over dinner. My father’s company purchased a Cross-cut Office Shredder from ShreddingMachines.co.uk to shred all sensitive information on site. This sensitive information includes corporate information such as invoices and pre-printed company letter paper but also the personnel files of his employees.

My mother works in the HR department for a much larger company so a vast majority of the documents that needed to be shredded relate to individuals who work at the company. This includes their names, addresses, home telephone numbers, bank account details and many other pieces of information that you wouldn’t want to fall into the wrong hands. I asked how this information was shredded and expected one of 3 answers:

1. Each member of staff has their own personalised shredder
2. There was a large centralised shredder for each department
3. A specialist company comes and does the shredding for them on site

The actual answer left me stunned. They got another company to shred all of her documents FOR FREE! They put all of the documents that need to be shredded into bags and then these are left in a room for the company to collect. The company would arrive every Friday to collect the bags and take them away with them.

I asked why the company didn’t charge any money for this service and was told that it was because they make their money from selling the paper. I asked how she knew that the paper had been shredded and she very proudly told me that they received a certificate through the post a few weeks later confirming that the paper had been shredded!

I could not believe what I was hearing. Sensitive information is left for over a week in bags marked “to be shredded” and are then collected by a company who makes money from the contents of these bags.

There are two problems that I can see:

1. Imagine someone broke into the property overnight and saw these bags. It wouldn’t take a genius to realise that bags marked “to be shredded” contained sensitive and potentially valuable information.
2. What is to stop the company who collects these bags from selling them to someone else and then providing you with a false certificate?

That is not to say that this particular company acts in this way. I have no idea of their name and they may be the most ethical company in the World. However why take the chance? If they could collect the paper and get $5,000 for the recycled value or sell the information for $20,000 then unfortunately there are some members of society that would choose the latter.

Do you know what happens at your company? In the UK companies must comply to the Data Protection Act. The important part is the 7th Principal that states that “Appropriate technical and organizational measures shall be taken against unauthorized or unlawful processing of personal data and against accidental loss or destruction of or damage to personal data”. This is clearly not the case if your information is taken off site. In the US there is no equivalent legislation, however companies are encouraged to self regulate this to ensure that data does not fall into the wrong hands.

This has hopefully made you think about what your company’s shredding policy is.
IT IS OKAY TO ASK!!

It is your personal information that could be at risk and it is your identity that could be stolen so you are allowed to know what the process is. All companies should have a shredding policy in place. If they don’t then why don’t you put yourself in charge of creating one? If your Company has their information shredded off-site then show them this article and see if you can get them to change how they do things.
The golden rule applies in this case as it does with most things in life. If something sounds too good to be true then it usually is!

Internet Scam Victims - Real Stories

2011-07-24T17:25:00.000-05:00

When I first became a scam victim I was embarrassed and did not want anyone to know . . . that lasted all of 5 minutes and then I was angry at so many things . . . the scammers for their greed, the banking system for not giving me accurate information about how long it takes for a cashier's check to clear, the wire transfer company for not having more warnings about these scams in their businesses and for turning a blind eye to the problem.

That is when I KNEW I had to do something. I started to contact the media in order to get our story out there, and you know what . . . it HELPED! It helped me to talk about it and get it out there, but it also helped so many other people. My phone was ringing off the hook from people saying "The same thing happened to me" or from people who heard our story in the media in time for them to know the situation they were about to enter into was a scam and it saved them thousands of dollars.

If you are a scam victim, you could do the same thing for someone else. I am contacted by the media in a regular basis asking for help in locating recent scam victims who would be willing to share their story. Wouldn't it be wonderful to know that you saved someone else from going through the living hell that becomes your life when you discover you are a victim of a scam.

If you would like to be able to help to educate people about scams and fraud, and possibly save someone from becoming a victim, please email me and I will work to connect you with a media person that will do your story justice and help us to take a step forward in educating people about these scams.

Also, you can connect with me and follow our updates from http://www.retaggr.com/page/ShawnMosch/

Guest Blog and Scam Warning

2011-07-03T09:14:00.000-05:00

Today I am sharing a blog post written by my good friend Denise Richardson

If you are looking for work-at-home opportunities --you may have already come across this deceptive marketing website dressed up as an investigative news site. A number of scam websites try to make themselves look legitimate through the use of bogus claims and website scripts that detect where visitors are browsing from and update portions of the site to mention their towns or cities.

Unfortunately, some websites try to take things one step further and attempt to pass themselves off as sources of legitimate news in hopes of tricking those who are looking for legitimate opportunities. It appears that The Consumer Warnings Weekly site at ConsumerWarningsReport.com does exactly this; it masquerades as a consumer website that purports to separate the scams from real opportunities, all the while being disguised as an investigative news organization.

The Consumer Warnings Weekly site features information about fake consumer investigations which claim to reveal a work-at-home program that isn't a scam, and further claims that the one the site promotes has worked for people in the visitor's hometown. Included are pictures of checks and a variety of comments which are most likely fake, along with "endorsements" from major news organizations such as CNN and MSNBC which are either taken out of context or are completely fake. Pictures on the site are stock photos, taken from free photo libraries and other websites to try and give the site the look of a more professional operation. Even the advertisements on the page are fake, directing users to other portions of the scam site when they think that they're clicking on an ad to learn how to avoid online scams. To top it all off, the site even features a Facebook "Like" button so that unsuspecting visitors can share the scam with their friends and potentially draw in more victims.

Of course, if you scroll all the way down to the bottom of the website then all of this is revealed to you in fine print. An "Important Consumer Disclosure" is located at the bottom of the page where many websites print their copyright information, obviously with the hope that it will be ignored by a number of visitors who routinely ignore similar text on other sites. This disclosure reveals that the site is in no way affiliated with any news outlet and that the story presented is only loosely based on an actual story. It goes on to reveal that both the comments and pictures are bogus and that the page receives compensation for any ad clicks or purchases made while on the site. To quote the disclosure, "I understand this website is only illustrative of what might be achievable from using this/these products, and that the story depicted above is not to be taken literally."

A number of websites and products use fictionalized accounts of what their product may be like to avoid having to pay endorsement fees, but few of them attempt to pass themselves off as consumer news reviews. The way that the site presents itself is intended to trick users into thinking that they've stumbled upon a legitimate opportunity when the disclosure itself states that results like those presented on the site may only occur with the top 1% of users of the program.

A number of savvy opportunity seekers will see through the site almost immediately because they've seen similar scams and know to avoid them. Unfortunately, not everyone who's searching for a way to make money at home will be as experienced in avoiding work-at-home scams. These are the people that the Consumer Warnings Weekly website is aimed at, those who will see supposed endorsements from major news networks and assume that the site is a legitimate opportunity instead of being nothing more than a scam.

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Denise is the author of the book Give Me Back My Credit

The benefits of using Cross Cut Shredders

2011-06-15T15:49:00.002-05:00

Today we have a guest blog post to share with you from Chris at http://www.shreddingmachines.co.uk/

The benefits of using Cross Cut Shredders

Identity Theft is a buzz word in today’s World with endless mailings and adverts telling you to shred sensitive information that you don’t need (remembering to keep documents required by the tax man) and to take out an ID Theft insurance policy. Doing these, they lead you to believe, will protect you from ID Theft and let you lead a happy scam-free life.

However what they don’t tell you is that not all shredders will keep your information secure. When purchasing a shredder you need to choose between a “Strip” or “Cross” cut model. Strip Cut (or Ribbon Cut) models shred your documents into long strips of a certain width (depending on the model). If someone had the time and patience they could piece together your document and read the contents. Cross Cut (or Confetti/Particle/Crypto Cut) models shred your documents both length and widthways leaving you with small particles that look like confetti. Depending on the security level of the machine you could end up with between 300 and 1500 tiny pieces of confetti from each piece of paper that you shred. This makes the final information much harder to piece together for a potential criminal. Can you imagine trying to join together pieces of confetti only a few millimetres in width and length to recreate a document, particularly if that document has been shredded along with others?

Any shredder owners out there will tell you how annoying it is to constantly empty the bin of your shredder. Fortunately Cross Cut shredders will cause the shredded waste to compact into the waste bin more than Strip Cut models meaning that the bin has to be emptied less frequently. This all seems to mean that Cross Cut shredders are the best thing since sliced bread, however, as with everything; they do have some disadvantages as well.

The first of these (and probably the most important) is that due to higher manufacturing costs, these machines are usually more expensive than the equivalent strip cut models and in some cases can be over double the price. Another drawback is that the higher the security level of the machine (and therefore the more shredded pieces you get from each piece of paper), the fewer sheets can be shredded at one time. An office level Strip Cut machine may be able to handle 30 sheets at once, but an equivalent Cross Cut model may only be able to handle half as many, meaning more time spent standing at the shredder and less time doing something constructive!

Unfortunately the downsides don’t end there. Due to the special nature of their cutting blades, Cross Cut shredders need to be oiled with special lubrication oil on a regular basis to prevent the machine from jamming or shredding even fewer sheets per pass. A busy office would find it necessary to oil at the start of every day, although occasional home users can get away with only doing so once every month. The final downside can be found out by trying to empty a Cross Cut shredder into an outside bin whilst it’s windy outside. Having done this myself I can confirm that the result is a disaster! Waste sacks can also be purchased but this will further increase the cost.

Fortunately there is help with these costs as UK users can visit ShreddingMachines.co.uk where you will find various special offers that give you Free Shredder Oil and Free Waste Sacks (on certain models) so that the cost of switching to a Cross Cut shredder is reduced. They have some of the lowest prices in the UK around and a unique Shredder Wizard will help narrow down the machine that would meet your individual needs.

Non-uk users looking to buy a shredder could check out the wizard to choose your model (as most models are available across the world) then do some research in your home country to find the best price.

Better Business Bureau Tips for Consumers - June addition

2011-06-08T13:46:00.000-05:00

The BBB sends out tips for consumers, and here is their June addition.

BBB Advice on Avoiding Wedding Scams

Love is in the air as many couples prepare for their long-awaited wedding day this summer. When preparing for the big day, the Better Business Bureau of Minnesota and North Dakota (BBB) advises people to proceed with caution when it comes to buying a wedding dress online, choosing a photographer and selecting a wedding planner. Doing so will help you ensure your wedding goes off without a hitch.

Asking for referrals and doing a little research can make a big difference in helping your special day go smoothly. Last year alone, the BBB received more than 970 complaints against wedding-related businesses. Services like wedding planners, bridal shops, car or limousine rentals, DJs, wedding photographers, florists, and jewelers all made the list. Many of the common complaints were centered on the company’s unwillingness to honor cancellation and refund policies after a deposit had been paid.

From choosing a florist to picking out the perfect wedding gown, more and more couples are opting for online retailers. While most venues have the brides’ best interest at heart, it’s important to recognize the danger signs before shelling out hard-earned cash to unreliable businesses.

“With the cost of today’s wedding averaging around $28,000, you want to make sure you get everything you pay for,” said Dana Badgerow, president and CEO of the BBB. “It’s important to do your research before securing your wedding vendors and paying any upfront fees.”

The BBB recommends couples consider the following when planning for their special day:

Research all online vendors. When choosing to go with an online retailer for your wedding services or products, start with a trusted site rather than shopping with a search engine. Search results can often lead you to unscrupulous websites or phishing scams. Also, look for the BBB seal and other widely-recognized “trustmarks” on retail websites. Click on the seals to confirm they’re valid. Confirm that your online purchase is secure by looking for the “s” after “http” in the URL or the lock symbol in the lower right-hand corner of the screen. Be sure to check the company out with the BBB at www.bbb.org before doing business with them.

Review all terms and conditions. Whether you’re dealing with an online firm or a brick and mortar store, review the terms and conditions of the contract carefully. What are the company’s refund and exchange policies? What is their cancellation policy? What happens if the company can’t hold up their end of the bargain? Who will perform the service on your special day? Be sure you understand your rights as a consumer before doing business with the company.

Keep documentation of your order. For online orders, save a copy of the confirmation page or e-mails confirming the order until you receive the item or service and are satisfied. If you’re dealing with a company representative in-person, be sure to get all details in writing, including specific dates, products, prices, cancellation and deposit policies and signatures from both parties.

Pay with a credit card. Credit cards offer consumers the added protection of disputing any charge over $50 within 60 days of the purchase. Most established businesses accept major credit cards, so use them whenever possible, including payment for deposits Shoppers also have dispute rights if there are unauthorized charges on the card, and many card issuers have “zero liability” policies if someone steals your card number and uses it. Never wire money.

Consider purchasing wedding insurance. Wedding insurance can cover a range of prospective problems including vendor no-shows, cancellations, inclement weather, military deployment, medical emergencies, travel delays and more. Many policies start at $200 and can potentially save you thousands of dollars.

For more consumer tips you can trust, visit www.bbb.org/us/bbb-news.

Breaking down what MN HF0343 will really do for you

2011-06-07T16:33:00.000-05:00

I know that a lot of you who read this blog and come to our website do so because you consider yourself the “average consumer” and know you can come to us to get the real information on things, without all of the legal or technical terms that only end up confusing you even more. Recently I told you about Minnesota Bill HF0343, but let's look at it even closer.

Yes, you can do a search for Minnesota Bill HF0343 and find the online information, which allows you to read the bill text as it was introduced. Let me save you the time of searching . . . just click here and here for the State's information on this Bill. Unless you have a background in law, you might read this and say “So what does that really mean, for me?”

In 2007 the MN Department of Alcohol and Gambling started a website called http://www.mnscams.org/ Why is the Department of Alcohol and Gambling even interested in scams and fraud? When Minnesotans were becoming victims of Lottery Scams, they began to reach out to the Minnesota Department of Alcohol and Gambling for assistance. In the video below you can watch an in-depth report on the great lengths that Minnesota law enforcement went to in order to track down these scammers.

This Bill would give the Department of Alcohol and Gambling greater power to subpoena and increase the variety of variations of these scams that the Department would have power to then go after.

This Bill will focus in on money transmitters, like Western Union and Money Gram, would have to have a anti fraud program, including a background check of agents and employees. This will raise the bar for these companies, and force them to look at the way that all of their authorized location are operating, and if one of those location are not upholding the rules and standards set forth, the company can be held accountable. If you have read up on scams and fraud, you have heard the stories of the employees working in a variety of businesses that have “turned a blind eye” to the fact that there are fraudulent transactions filtering through their company only to say “there is nothing we can do about it”. Even worse, there are cases when the employee is actually profiting from the scam.

In 2009 the FTC investigated Money Gram on charges that it allowed their system to be used for fraudulent activity. Money Gram ended up paying $18 million to settle. According to the FTC, Money Gram was aware of the issue and turned a blind eye to the problem. There are many variations of the scams, and while businesses that carry out wire transfers do normally have information about these scams on their websites or on the bottom of their transfer forms, in very small print, these are normally not things that the average customer will see before they become a victim. This Bill will force for more attention to be put on this issue on the defensive side by spotting the warning signs and helping the customer to see them also. Really, it is about good customer service.

The part of this Bill that I am most impressed with is the portion that addresses that the money should go to who you designate on the form, and that they must pick it up where you designate. Now this might sound obvious . . . of course you want the money to go to the person you intended for it to go to, and to where you sent it, but it is not that simple. Right now, if I send money via wire transfer to Joe Schmo in Dallas, Texas and someone else knows the Wire Transfer Number and the Secret Question and Answer, they can pick up that money in any location in the world without having to show valid identification. The Better Business Bureau pointed out this fact in one of their warnings on this type of scam.

How is this possible?!?!?! Well, here is the reasoning behind this “loophole”. What if my friend Joe Schmo had his wallet stolen, so he did not have any valid identification with him that he could show, and he needed that money to pay his bills. Joe would need a way to “prove” that he knew about the wire transfer and that it was intended for him. If I give him the Wire Transfer Number and tell him what the Secret Question and Answer are, he will now have that information, right? Problem solved. Wrong! Now you have just created a NEW problem. What if someone who is not Joe gets a hold of that information? They too can now go and pick up that wire transfer anywhere in the world, and once the money is picked up the transfer cannot be reversed . . . the money is gone.

The scammers understand this, and they use it to their advantage. They can use a pretend name and tell you that they live within the United States. They can tell you that you are sending the money to someone that is their accountant, client or shipping company . . . whatever fits their story that they have used to bait you into this scam. All of the warning signs of a scam alert you to sending money overseas, but you are just sending money to a shipping company in New York, so what do you have to worry about. This Bill would help to close that loophole and require that your money is only being sent to who you designate and that they are where you designate that they are.

It is sad that the scammers know all of this information better than the average American, but this is why these scams work so well. Besides the truth about how the money transfer businesses work, another point that the scammers seem to be better educated on than the average American is how the check clearing process works.

This is why we at Scam Victims United have been working since 2002 to educate people on scams and fraud, and especially the real way that wire transfers and check clearing works. Education is the key to fighting these scams, and you can sign our petition asking for the creation of Scam Education and Awareness Programs.

http://www.change.org/petitions/create-scam-education-and-awareness-programs

Survey

2011-06-06T08:35:00.000-05:00

I put out the request for people to take a survey the other day, and it seems like there was a "glitch" in the system that would not allow some people to complete the survey. I spoke with the person in charge of the survey and it has been fixed. The survey can be accessed here.

http://survey.scamresearch.info//43356/lang-en

Survey on Scams and Fraud

2011-06-04T14:08:00.000-05:00

A post-graduate researcher has asked us to help them with a survey they are doing. I have personally taken this survey and feel it is safe for all of you to take, otherwise I would not even ASK for your help. It does NOT ask for any personal information at all, just some questions on your feelings and thoughts on different real life situations.

Here is a link to the survey
http://survey.scamresearch.info//index.php?sid=43356&lang=en

And here is a link to some more information on the person doing this research if you are interested
http://scamvictimsunited.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?f=19&t=6529

Thank you for your help! Please spread the word to other scam fighting websites that you know.

What's your story?

2011-05-22T19:13:00.000-05:00

I am being contacted by media personal, and I want to have a little info about people that may be willing to speak with them about why the topic of scams and fraud is so important to them. I was thinking of "sorting" them by states, since I usually get a media contact that wants someone in their state.

If you would be willing to speak to a media person about YOUR PERSONAL connection with the topic of scams and fraud here is an example of what I am looking for . . . mine would read like this

Shawn and Jeff Mosch
full mailing address for contact
best phone number for them to contact you at
best email address to contact you at

Summary:
Shawn and Jeff Mosch are scam victims turned Victim’s Advocate who work to educate people about internet scams. After their personal experience with a counterfeit cashier’s check scam in 2002, they found a lack of information and resources available at the time. This was the motivating factor in creating their website, ScamVictimsUnited.com. They continue to be passionate about this issue and work with other agencies to bring more awareness to the topic of scams and push for laws that will help to protect people from these scams.

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It does not need to be long . . . if you were a victim it can just be the type of scam you were a victim of, when it happened and how much you lost.

DO NOT POST YOUR INFO ON A MESSAGE BOARD ON IN A COMMENT TO THIS POST SINCE IT WILL INCLUDE YOUR CONTACT INFO!
Please send it directly to me from my blogger contact info http://www.blogger.com/profile/00668897360179366316
or contacting us through the Feedback page or our site which goes to our main Admin email address.
http://scamvictimsunited.com/feedback.htm

If you could put Summary and your name in the subject line that will help me find them all in my inbox

Thanks!

More on MN Bill HF0343

2011-05-19T14:50:00.000-05:00

Things have been so busy I feel like I have neglected my scam fighting blogger friends. I did want to give you a quick update on a topic that is very dear to my heart . . . laws to protect scam victims. As anyone who has read my story, website, blog or who has any interaction with me personally in the past 8+ years since I have started down this road of scam education and awareness knows that I am passionate about this issue. I have been asking for laws to be changed from day one. In the beginning, people just laughed and said that there was no way to change those kinds of laws or do anything to help scam victims, but that did not make me give up . . . I just kept talking to different people until found someone that DID listen to me.

Then things started to turn around. I was able to speak with someone at Senator Franken’s office and they really listened to what I had to say. We had several phone and email conversations, bouncing ideas off of each other. Then around the same time I was asked by AARP of Minnesota and the BBB of Minnesota to come to a meeting that they were having to look at legislation that could help scam victims, or better yet, protect people from BECOMING scam victims. I could not believe it . . . things were falling into place. At that meeting I shared all of the ideas that my husband Jeff and I had from day one of beginning our site. I told them that I am not a legal expert, but I know what would have saved us, and the people that come to our website for assistance, from becoming scam victims. I showed them the “loopholes” that I saw in the way that things were currently run, with both banking institutions and money transfer companies. I said that if they could close these loopholes, we could dramatically reduce this type of scams.

So I made sure that my contacts at the BBB, AARP and Senator Franken’s office all were connected to each other, and then I waited. There were a few more emails and conversations, but after a while things kind of stopped going and I wondered if the whole idea fell through. Then, at a Fraud Fighter’s Forum organized by the Minnesota AARP I saw it for the first time . . . HF0343. If you would like to read the Bill, you can do so at this link. https://www.revisor.mn.gov/revisor/pages/search_status/status_detail.php?b=House&f=HF0343&ssn=0&y=2011

Many of the items in this Bill are things that I have been talking about for years, so to see it becoming a reality was HUGE for me. There are other scam fighting sites out there that are also backing this bill. I think that is great that we can all join together on one common issue. It does not matter who told you about HF0343, just that you know about it, and that we get it passed. If it passes in Minnesota, we can then all work together to see it get passed in other states.

I was also able to be at a recent hearing about this Bill, and I shared with everyone there why I am so passionate about this issue and that if this Bill would have been law in 2002, I would not have been sitting in front of them speaking to them as a scam victim . . . if this Bill works as it is written, it would have saved my husband and I from becoming victims.

Also, there are some that have recently accused me of “stealing their thunder” and I believe most of it is due to a recent post I made telling all of you about this bill and asking you to send letters in to the authors. This other group was asking people to send in letters, and instead of “re-inventing the wheel” I passed that information on to all of you. I felt that I could do this because

1) I also had been working with the same groups mentioned in the context of the letter

2) I also feel passionately about this topic

3) This group was asking for help in getting the word out

4) Had I know that letters to the authors would “help” I would have put the word out a LONG time ago

To me, scam fighting and changing the laws is not about who “gets credit” for it . . . it is about all of us working together for the best outcome. If I have some good info, and you want to share it, go ahead . . . share away! That is how we get the word to spread and educate more people.

Hearing on bill

2011-05-10T08:36:00.000-05:00

If you are in Minnesota and can attend, there is a hearing on a bill that could help scam and fraud victims
Commerce and Regulatory Reform

WEDNESDAY, May 11, 2011
2:30 PM
Meeting Time Note: The committee will meet until 4:30 p.m.
Room: Basement State Office Building
Chair: Rep. Joe Hoppe

Agenda: HFXXXX (Hoppe) Telecom Access Reform

HF343 (Atkins) Identity theft and related fraudulent activity enforcement capabilities enhanced.

Laws to fight scams

2011-04-20T21:13:00.000-05:00

I have been working with some people here in Minnesota, and we are making some progress on scam fighting. There are currently some laws being proposed and if we get them to pass here in Minnesota we are hoping that other states will follow our lead.

This is where we need your help . . . we are being asked to send the authors of this bill letters or emails telling them why this bill is so important. Some suggested speaking points are

That you have been scammed
That you lost X amount (we want the authors to realize the extent of these crimes)
Thanking them for caring and taking the time to sponsor this bill
Hoping that it will be passed.

Here is a link to the text of the bill for you to read

https://www.revisor.mn.gov/revisor/pages/search_status/status_detail.php?b=House&f=HF0343&ssn=0&y=2011

Here are the names or the people we need to contact, and links to their sites with their contact info

Representative Joe Hoppe
http://www.house.leg.state.mn.us/members/members.asp?id=10766

Representative Joe Atkins
http://www.house.leg.state.mn.us/members/mailto.asp?id=10753

Senator Chris Gerlach
http://www.senate.mn/members/member_bio.php?ls=87&district=37

Senator Linda Scheid
http://www.senate.leg.state.mn.us/members/member_bio.php?leg_id=10589

Could you help me by not only contacting these people and telling them how much we need laws like this to protect people from scams and fraud, but also share this information with ANYONE that you know that might also be willing to contact the above people . . . share it on blogs, message boards, Facebook, Twitter . . . anywhere you can!

Thanks,

Things that are certain

2011-03-13T07:59:00.000-05:00

I am going to guess that most of you have heard the quote from Benjamin Franklin who said, "The only things certain in life are death and taxes." Well Ben, I would like to add one more thing to that list . . . scams. No matter what the season, reason or situation, scams will continue on. The scammers may change the story, but once you peel back the layers of the story, the scam that remains is the same.

Here is an example of what I am talking about. This is an email telling the recipient that they overpaid in their taxes and are entitled to a refund.

Overpayment Notification
Date of this Notice: MAR. 06, 2011Taxpayer Identifying Number: xxx-xx-xxxxForm: 1040
Tax Period: DEC. 31, 2010

Subject: Taxpayer Overpayment on Tax Refund
Dear Taxpayer:
Our records show you were overpaid on your Federal Tax Refund under Social Security Number xxx-xx-xxxx, therefore $380.00 of the overpaid Tax Refund must be returned.
This memorandum serves as notification of an overpayment of Tax Refund that you received and the subsequent repayment that is your responsibility.

The overpayment totals $380.00 for 1040/2010 filing period you were overpaid in error because of an incorrect Tax Adjustment causing an incorrect refund.

You are offered the following options of repayment within five (05) business days from today Mar. 11, 2011. Failure to respond timely will result in the immediate recovery of the overpayment, fines, and possible criminal prosecution.

If you disagree with the amount listed below, you have the right to an immediate Pre-decision Meeting with a person who has direct access to the agency appointing authority for this purpose.

A summary of the overpayment is as follows:

Here are your Re-payment Options:   1. Submit payment within five (05) business days of the "date of demand" to the account: Name(s) on Receiving Account: C Street: City:   Zip Code:   State:   Country: United States Bank name: FIFTH THIRD BANK
Bank Account Number:   Electronic ABA Routing Number(ex. Direct Deposit/Automatic Payment): Wire ABA Routing Number:   Bank Address:348 Lincoln Highway, North Versailles, PA, 15137 Bank phone #:1-800-972-3030
   2. Write on transfer reference: "Payment of Erroneous Refund" and your SSN.   3. Failure to comply within the given time frame will result in stiff penalties and interest accruals in excess of what is owed.

Sincerely yours,

WILLIAM C. MALAHAI19-06693Tax Assessment Supervisor

Internet Crime Complaint Center's (IC3) Scam Alerts

2011-03-11T10:47:00.000-06:00

The Internet Crime Complaint Center is the BEST place for people to report Internet Scams to, since it is connected to several other agencies and can channel the information on to the right places. It also allows for the IC3 to gather information on new twists in old scams and then update consumers through their newsletters.

Here are some recent updates from the IC3

ROMANCE SCAMMERS CLAIMING AFFILIATION WITH THE IC3

The IC3 has received several complaints regarding a romance scam originating via a dating website. Generally, in romance scams, the subject claims to be out of the country for a business trip and in need of money. The subject asks potential victims to wire funds for various reasons including paying for a hotel, returning to the states, or paying for a lawyer.
Recently, the scammers have added a layer of supposed law enforcement involvement in an attempt to convince the victim the scam is legitimate. In one such IC3 complaint, the "investigator" says he is using his private e-mail because the IC3 database is under maintenance. To convince the victim to wire the requested funds, he claims to be assigned to the case and assures the victim that the subject has been "interrogated and investigated" and that he is a safe, "legit business man."

Other complainants reported having difficulty canceling their membership to the particular dating site, which reportedly offers a "3-day free membership" for their service. The membership is reportedly "automatically" renewed after the three days unless canceled. Complainants reported that the website renewed their membership and charged their credit card over $59 despite the complainant's attempts to cancel the membership. Some complainants said the company did not answer their calls, e-mails, or voice mail messages, while others claimed the company admitted the "error" and offered them free service, but refused to refund the charges.

PHISHING E-MAIL CLAIMS "YOUR FEDERAL TAX PAYMENT WAS REJECTED"

In October 2010, articles were posted online warning consumers about phishing e-mails purportedly from the Electronic Federal Tax Payment System (EFTPS) claiming the recipient's federal tax payment was rejected. The IC3 has received over 150 complaints reporting this matter. Although different versions of this spam campaign exist, many complainants reported that the e-mails they received were titled "LAST NOTICE: Your Federal Tax Payment has been rejected." E-mails stated, "the problem is that system doesn't process your company ID on holidays and we moved your tax payment batch to a waiting list." Recipients were then directed to click on the link provided to obtain more details about their company's status and tax payment batch file. Some complainants reportedly use the electronic system to pay their estimated quarterly taxes, so the e-mail appeared relevant.

Other related phishing e-mails claimed, "the identification number used in the Company Identification Field is not valid." Recipients were directed to visit hxxp://eftps.gov/r21 and "check the information and refer to Code R21 to get details about your company payment in transaction contacts section."

A recent complaint filed with the IC3 reported the same type of phishing e-mail except this time, the e-mail directed the recipient to open an attachment contained in the e-mail. The e-mail was titled "Your Federal Tax Payment Notice." Like the others, it claimed, "the identification number used in the Company Identification Field is not valid." To entice the recipient to open the attachment, the e-mail stated, "check the attached information and refer to Code R21 to get details about your company payment in transaction contacts section."

TELEPHONE SCAM OFFERING VIRUS REMOVAL SERVICES TO GAIN REMOTE ACCESS TO VICTIMS' COMPUTERS

The IC3 has received several complaints from victims who reported a telephone scam in which the caller purports to be an employee of a major online company, which develops, manufactures, and supports software along with other products and services. Victims reported that a caller with an Indian accent claimed their computers were infected with viruses. The caller advised the victims they were sending the viruses to others via the Internet, and instructed victims to go to websites such as hxxp://www.irssupport.net,hxxp://www.go4support.org, hxxp://www.teche4pc.com, and hxxp://www.ammyy.com. When the victims navigated to one of the websites, they were further instructed to click on live support or live connect for assistance in removing the viruses. Some victims were instructed to download a program once they were on the hxxp://www.ammyy.comwebsite. After the victim clicked on the link or downloaded the program, the caller gained control of the victim's computer. Victims watched as the caller explored personal files, pointing out files that were infected. Some victims reportedly believe the caller copied their files and obtained their personal information. In some cases, the caller tried to sell the victims' software. Many victims reported loud background noise during the call, indicating a possible boiler room-type operation. Some victims reported the scam to the online software company. The company has an alert on their website warning consumers about this matter.

For more information regarding online scams visit the IC3 Press Room page for the most current Public Service Announcements.

http://www.ic3.gov/media/default.aspx

Powerful Words

2011-03-11T02:27:00.000-06:00

"Grandma . . . I need your help."

These are powerful words. Grandparent's will often do ANYTHING for their grandchildren, even if they know that it might not be the best idea . . . letting them stay up late, eat something that Mom and Dad say they can't have, or watch a movie that they shouldn't watch. They do these things because they are Grandparents and they will do anything for their grandchild.

So what happens if this Grandparent gets a call in the middle of the night that their grandchild has been arrested and needs money for bail? Many of these Grandparents will do what they always do with their grandchildren . . . react to fix things and help and then figure out the details later . . . their grandchild is all that matters!

This is what gets so many into trouble with the Grandparent Scams, like the one that hit the elderly couple in this story. When I was reading the story, I noticed that the Grandmother stated that after she wired the money she called her grandson to verify that the got the money . . . she realized she had been scammed when her grandson did not know what she was talking about.

This is why we need to teach everyone, especially our Grandparents, that if they get a call like this the first thing that they need to do is tell the caller they will call them right back, then hang up the phone and call their grandchild. If it was really their grandchild on the phone, they will answer the phone and Grandma and Grandpa can still be there to help them out. If it was not their grandchild, the worst thing that will happen is that they will be waking them up in the middle of the night, but at least that way they can go back to sleep knowing that their grandchild is safe.

MN AARP Event

2011-03-10T08:29:00.000-06:00

Your Family’s Money Matters: Make the Most of Your Finances In Tough Economic Times

Saturday, March 26, 2011
8:30 – 11:30 A.M.
The Wilder Center
451 Lexington Parkway North, Saint Paul

Choose from workshops about:

Financing a small business
Planning for Retirement
Getting the most from your tax return
Creating healthy financial habits
Preventing home foreclosure
Understanding your credit report

Space is limited! To register, send an e-mail to rsvp@franken.senate.gov or call (651) 221-1016. Please indicate which two workshops you would like to attend.

Workshops will be presented by partnering organizations:
AARP, AccountAbility Minnesota, Lutheran Social Service, The Minnesota Home Ownership Center, U.S. Small Business Administration, WomenVenture.

Senator Franken will give opening remarks.

Below is the link to the flyer for this event.
http://www.accountabilitymn.org/sites/default/files/Sen_Franken_FTC_Event.pdf

Let your voice be heard

2011-03-06T07:00:00.027-06:00

Are you one of those people who will stand up and say something about an issue that you think is wrong? How do you go about finding others who also feel the same way that you do? Blogs and social networking sites can be a great way for you connect with like minded people so that you can join together to try and make an impact to change the issues that are important to you.

Since I have a Twitter account I get a notification when I get a new follower, and I always check out that new follower's page to see if they are connected to any resources that might be a good fit to team up with. Here are a few recent ones that I wanted to share with you.

LoanFraudVictim - This Twitter user has a website at http://wellsfargomortgagefraud.com/ detailing the story of her battle to hold Wells Fargo accountable for the damage they did.

NetWatchDog - This Twitter user is from the website http://theinternetwatchdog.com/ which is filled with information on internet scams and fraud.

WFmortmodscam - Working to keep Wells Fargo Home Mortgage or another lender from stealing your home? It's time to fight back! Blogging at wellsfargomortgagemodscam.com/blog/

BanksGoneBad - Florida mortgage pro who has seen banks fraudulently foreclose on homeowners as well as perpetrate fraud on investors and bond holders. I'm helping 2 fight back http://banksgonebad.com/

What would you do?

2011-02-27T18:59:00.000-06:00

I wanted to share the following link with you. The show What Would You Do sets up scenarios and sees if people will jump in to assist. The one that aired last night had a segment on Nigerian Scams. The producers of this show actually had contacted me some time ago because they wanted a scam victim to speak with, but we were not able to find one that was willing to speak with them.

You can watch the video of the episode at

http://abc.go.com/watch/what-would-you- ... you-do-225

or read the transcript at

http://abcnews.go.com/WhatWouldYouDo/woman-falls-online-nigerian-scam/comments?type=story&id=12981644

I would also encourage you to leave your comments on the topic at the link with the transcript.

Scammers use fear to get money

2011-02-27T07:43:00.000-06:00

When a potential victim thinks that they might be on to the scammer, the scammer may use fear to try and get the person to send them the money. Sometimes it is the fear of "I know where you live" and sometimes it is the fear of arrest, as once scammer tried to use in the email below . . . .

From: Charles Boothe ;hondaprelude7188@gmail.com

This is to inform you that due to your illegal action in the process of the Cleaner job offer to you concerning the check issued to you. I was informed by my bank that the check issue has been cleared and yet i haven't got any reply from you,
For your information as you know all your contact details is with me so i have get the FBI informed,i also gave them your contact details for them to locate you. You may have any explanation to tell them and any information you may be holding for them concerning the payment i sent to you.I know they will get you soon,You may think that i have acted so rude by doing this but i am very sorry.You make me act like that because you never let me know what is going on.
I am very sorry for any inconvenience that i might have cause concerning this job offer and the way i act. Get back to me to confirm you get this email.
Best Regard

No matter what the scammer says, do not send them the money. They did not contact the FBI, because the check that you were sent was counterfeit.

Warning for all who sell crafting items!

2011-02-20T09:36:00.000-06:00

Here is one of those times where my two internet lives collide . . . I have my crafting blog and my scam education and awareness blog . . . and this topic will be posted on both of them.

I was made aware by a post on our scam fighting message board that recently several Stampin' Up demonstrators have received emails from people wanting to purchase items and pay with a cashier's check. This is a scam that we have seen variations of for years on our website, and if the scammers are doing it to Stampin' Up consultants, it is only time before they start to target other places that sell crafting items.

The scammer will request to purchase items and send a cashier's check as payment. If the check arrives, and it is for more than the amount of the items, the scammer will apologize for the error and ask you to deposit the check and wait for it to clear, and then wire the extra money back to them. If the check is for the correct amount, once you have received the check and deposited it, the scammer will contact you letting you know that they need to cancel the order and will request that you return the money to them by wire transfer . . . they may even tell you to keep a portion of the money for your time and trouble.

If this situation matches one that you hear of, it is a scam. The cashier's check will come back as counterfeit later on and you will be held liable for the entire amount of the check. Just because the bank has told you that the check is "good", "clear" or "verified" does NOT mean that the money from that check is "real" and that you are safe . . . in most cases, in about a week or two, the bank will contact you and hold you liable for the money. People have lost thousands of dollars due to these scams, and there is no way to recover this money because the scammers are in another country . . . it would have to be the law enforcement and government in that country that would have to do something about these scams.

To learn more about these and other scams, go to my website ScamVictimsUnited.com

Search Warrants Executed - Cyber Investigation

2011-01-27T19:25:00.000-06:00

Search Warrants Executed in the United States as Part of Ongoing Cyber Investigation

Washington, D.C.
January 27, 2011 FBI National Press Office
(202) 324-3691

FBI agents today executed more than 40 search warrants throughout the United States as part of an ongoing investigation into recent coordinated cyber attacks against major companies and organizations. Also today, the United Kingdom’s Metropolitan Police Service executed additional search warrants and arrested five people for their alleged role in the attacks.

These distributed denial of service attacks (DDoS) are facilitated by software tools designed to damage a computer network’s ability to function by flooding it with useless commands and information, thus denying service to legitimate users. A group calling itself “Anonymous” has claimed responsibility for the attacks, saying they conducted them in protest of the companies’ and organizations’ actions. The attacks were facilitated by the software tools the group makes available for free download on the Internet. The victims included major U.S. companies across several industries.

The FBI also is reminding the public that facilitating or conducting a DDoS attack is illegal, punishable by up to 10 years in prison, as well as exposing participants to significant civil liability.

The FBI is working closely with its international law enforcement partners and others to mitigate these threats. Authorities in the Netherlands, Germany, and France have also taken their own investigative and enforcement actions. The National Cyber-Forensics and Training Alliance (NCFTA) also is providing assistance. The NCFTA is a public-private partnership that works to identify, mitigate, and neutralize cyber crime. The NCFTA has advised that software from any untrustworthy source represents a potential threat and should be removed. Major Internet security (anti-virus) software providers have instituted updates so they will detect the so-called “Low Orbit Ion Canon” tools used in these attacks.

PayPal scam

2011-01-22T19:31:00.000-06:00

I wanted to share a PayPal scam email that I found in my inbox, and how you can tell that it is a scam.

Dear PayPal customer,

Our company has intended a new feature that will improve the Online Banking security. Upgrading our systems will help protect our customers accounts from 3rd-party access and reduce fraud. This process has started on 14th January, 2011 and will be closed on 19th January, 2011.

All our members are required to update their account profile for the new databases. Filling our online form will take about 3-5 minutes from your time.

To access our profile update form click on the following link to login to your account:

Click here to go to the online form

Please note that failure in updating your profile will result in account suspension.

Alison Grudzinski,
IT Assistant Manager,
PayPal Inc.

____________

Now . . . how to tell that this is a scam email

First, companies like PayPal or credit cards will NEVER send you and email asking you to update your information.

Second, if there was a new PayPal feature upgrade, there would be information on it when you logged into your account. No need for an email if you just tell people about it when they log in.

Third, the window of when it started to when it ends is VERY small. They do this to make you want to rush and go and update your account right away, instead of keeping the email in your account for months.

Fourth, the click here to go to the online form. Again, if there really was an upgrade, they would ask you to log into your account, and you would already know how to do that and where to go, so no need for a link.

And last, the link itself. I have removed the link from the "Click here" wording so that no one will go there, but when it was active you could hover your cursor over it, and you would be able to see where it REALLY points to, and it is NOT a PayPal site.

Here is an image of what the site would look like if you would have clicked on the link.

They make it look like it really is PayPal, but the URL address is not PayPal.

These types of scams are called Phishing scams (pronounced Fishing)

What would you do?

2011-01-11T20:11:00.001-06:00

Every day we make choices . . . grab some fast food for breakfast, or have some fresh fruit . . . walk up the stairs or take the elevator . . . you can follow the crowd or stand alone. What would you do?

This is the basis of the television segment What Would You Do on ABC. They set up scenarios that are supposed to make you stop and think, and then they let the hidden camera roll to catch on tape what people really do in these situations.

Now, you might ask what this show has to do with this scam blog. It turns out that they are looking to do a segment where one of the scenarios will be a person that is entering into a situation that is clearly a scam. Will people warn them or just let them go on believing that this is all real?

They would also like to partner this with an interview with real life scam victims who would be willing to share their story. If you are a scam victim who is willing to share your story please contact me. They would prefer someone in the New York Tri-State Area, since that is where their production studios are located.

The Sophistication of Scams

2011-01-03T14:06:00.001-06:00

I just got done reading the article Scams achieve a new level of sophistication which does a good job at pointing out that anyone can become the victim of a scam. Here are my two cents that I added as a comment to the article . . .

These scams have been evolving for years now, and the WORST part about any of the counterfeit cashier's check scams is the fact that when someone wants to find out if the check is legitimate and they take it to the bank for them to look at . . . because of course the average person would assume the bank can spot a counterfeit check . . . the banking customer is told that it is "good", "clear", "verified" and that "funds are available". Look up good, clear and verified in the dictionary and by definition the average person would then assume that there is no problem in cashing and using the money from a check that is "good", "clear" and "verified". But this is where we as banking customers make a mistake . . . we trust our banks are giving us accurate information.

These checks can come back weeks and even months later as counterfeit, and the bank CUSTOMER is held liable for the entire amount, the the bank, who verbally told us it was "good", "clear" and "verified".

How about the banks start telling people the truth? That it could take 10 business days or more for the check to be "good", "clear" and "verified". Is that too much to ask?

Consumers who help AG's office could get up to $3K

2010-12-29T11:00:00.000-06:00

I was just sent a link to this article from my good friend and fellow advocate, Denise Richardson (GiveMeBackMyCredit.com) and I just had to share it with all of you.

http://www.news-sentinel.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20101229/NEWS/12290334

To summarize the article, The Indiana AG office wants victims of financial scams to be able to recoup legal costs through a program funded by violators of the state's consumer protection laws. Personally, I think this is a GREAT idea. I know that so many scam victims don't report the scams and just pay the money to make it go away instead of getting a lawyer to try to fight these cases . . . mostly because they cannot afford to get a lawyer. This would allow them to get justice without it being an added financial burden on them.

Looks like there are a couple of lawmakers already backing this . . . Senator Richard Bray and State Representative Woody Burton.

Santa and ID Theft

2010-12-23T08:27:00.000-06:00

I just got done reading a blog post called Is Santa A Victim of Identity Theft, and I had to share it with you. The author makes a good point.

This time of year you see people dressed as Santa every where . . . one person's identity replicated over and over and then put out into the masses. In some cases it is easy to see that it is an impostor, but in some cases you cannot really tell from first glance. And then to add to it there are places that are selling all of the "supplies" so that even more people can assume this identity. So how do you stop it? Do you go after the person who it using the false identity? Do you go after the people selling the identity?

The same thing holds true with actual cases of identity theft, and that is part of the reason that it is a growing problem.

Advice from the BBB

2010-12-21T07:18:00.000-06:00

Here is a little clip from a recent BBB newsletter.

The BBB Absolute 'No' for December

Every month, the BBB informs the public of an absolute ‘no,’ a fraudulent scheme or offer they should never consider or take part in under any circumstance. The absolute no for December involves online deals that seem too good to be true. In late November, the BBB began receiving complaints against OnSaleFurnitureDepot, an online furniture company which claimed to be operating out of an apartment in Fargo, North Dakota. Consumers reported that the company was offering furniture and swing-sets at heavily discounted prices, but then failed to deliver once payment was received. Also, customers were told they needed to pay for their merchandise Green Dot MoneyPak cards (essentially a money transfer service). Unfortunately, this left customers without any recourse to get their money back. For more information on this situation and BBB tips for shopping safely online, click here.

Moments Like This

This last June, the BBB began receiving complaints against Moments Like This, a bridal service company in Minneapolis. Complaints were from disappointed wedding parties who reported that on their wedding day they either hadn’t received linens or chair covers they had paid for or only received parts of their order. The BBB immediately began forwarding the complaints to the business owner, and by late June had updated the company’s report to indicate there was a pattern of a problem and customers considering doing business with the company should be aware of that. As of December 16th, the BBB had processed 22 complaints against the company. Eleven of those complaints were closed unresolved and another seven were closed with no response received from the company.

5 Rules to Keep Your Identity and Credit Safe during the Holiday Shopping Season

2010-12-18T08:35:00.026-06:00

Today we have a guest blog from Jon Ryan of ProtectIdentity.com

Your own shopping compulsions versus a limited budget isn’t the only threat during the holiday shopping season. Use of your credit cards can really increase during this time of year. Without thinking you could be falling into habits that put your entire financial persona in jeopardy.

1. Be assertive. Don’t be afraid to disagree, say no, or ask questions. If you are in a shop and the clerk want to take your plastic into the back room, speak up. You shouldn’t let that little piece of plastic out of your sight. If you have to keep other people waiting do so. They also know you are in a rush too. Fraudsters use crowds to mask their efforts and human emotions to force their efforts.

2. Watch where you swipe. ATMs are extreme risky during the holidays. Fraudsters use a device called a skimmer to grab account numbers and PINs from a single card swipe. The skimmer can be placed on top of or within the original reader, thereby intercepting the digits or it can be placed in a separate location on the ATM in hopes a customer accidentally swipes there instead. If you need cash, the best practice is to avoid mall ATMs and go inside your bank to get the funds.

3. Avoid giving. At lease right then and there. Any charity that wants your info and donation right then and there should be avoided. Don’t listen to the pleas. Any time you are going to give money away, there should be some research on the organization and where your money is going to actually go. The last thing you want to do is get surprised because you claimed a “fake” charitable donation on your taxes.

4. Delve down when buying online. Think like a criminal here. Lines of encryption and a few bounces around to different IP addresses and then they are home free. There’s no face to attribute to the crime. Many people will avoid the crowds this year by taking their shopping lists to the web. If you choose to do so, don’t ever shop with your debit card. That is a direct line to your bank account. Under the federal laws, the credit card company can only hold you liable for $50 of any fraudulent transactions. The debit card could put you into overdraft fees and pose much more hassle and threat, so shop with your credit card or an alternative payment method like a prepaid check card or PayPal. Only buy on sites that have a secure server and a privacy policy and/or show the padlock icon in your browser’s bottom right hand corner. You can know your info is encrypted if the url goes from “http:\\” to “https:\\”. No email or search engine “shot-in-the dark” shopping. This will give you merchant’s with no researchable reputation.

5. Beware of your surroundings & destroy everything. The two go hand in hand. Shoulder surfing and dumpster diving are still threats. People around you at the mall can probably heard you opening that new line of credit to cover your holiday expenses. Protect vital information from wandering eyes and ears. Write it down instead of verbally exchanging it. Afterwards take the slip with you and destroy it. Dumpster diving is still the easiest way for a low tech criminal to get hands on your personal info and steal your identity. Destroy/shred all these documents, especially those pre-approved lines of credit apps that come in the mail.

Follow these rules, and hopefully you will not become one of the 10 million who fall victim to identity theft every year. Also, remember less is more. Don’t leave the house with more cards or information than you absolutely need. It’s very important to watch your statements year-round, but this time of year you will be doing more spending than usual. So it stands to reason that more attention should be paid.

By Jon Ryan of ProtectIdentity.com, a blog hoping to spread awareness and provide identity theft protection tips.

Dating Scam, from the Military Angle

2010-12-16T08:57:00.018-06:00

I have talked about dating and romance scams in the past, but I recently came across an article dealing directly with Military Dating Scams that I wanted to share with you.

Since I am not a military person, and no one in my family has been an active military person since before I was born, I would not have known some of this information.

None of them use .mil email addresses that ALL military personnel have. These are just some of the tipoffs you should be aware of.

This is good to know. Just like when the scammer contacts a person pretending to be with a federal agency, but they are using a gmail account . . . this is a red flag.

Some of the other red flags are when the scammer asks you to help them to cash checks. The author of this article points out that military personal do not need assistance from civilians to get their checks. Another line the scammers will feed you . . . they are injured and need help getting home because they are stuck in Dubai. The military will always pay for any flight home, and injured soldiers would not be transported to Dubai and just left there.

Sample Secret Shopper Scam Email

2010-12-14T09:29:00.001-06:00

Here is another sample of a Secret Shopper Scam email. I do have to say, at least the grammar is better in this one than in the usual letters.

-----------------------

Subject: Earn $200 Bonus For Each Assignment As A Secret Shopper This Christmas
From: noreply@aol.com

Reply To:

enjoytoshopp@aol.com

Hello,

We are a company that conduct surveys and evaluate other companies. We get hired to go to other peoples companies and act like customers in order to know how the staffs are handling their services in relation to their customers.

We all shop, and many of us enjoy shopping. But very rarely does opportunity present itself to do what we enjoy doing and getting paid for doing it. Imagine earning extra income just for going shopping and filling out a questionnaire!

Mystery shopping is basically a form of market research. You are asked to gather information, from a customer's perspective. Often times, this is done without the knowledge of the personnel where the shop is taking place. As a mystery shopper, you may therefore be asked to do some acting. This is not to deceive anyone but rather to assure that the information being gathered is representative.

The first thing to remember is that we are on the side of the client. You are not hired to catch anyone "in the act" or trap the employee. Rather, it is your job to answer specific questions in an unbiased and constructive way.

Confidentiality is also very important. In most cases, the establishment is not to know that a mystery shop is taking place. Additionally, the questionnaires may be protected by copyrights. Often, the employee evaluated will be informed of the results of your evaluation later and may even be allowed to read your comments. But this is for management to determine.

The information most often requested by management concerns employee to customer relations, employee performance, product quality or presentation of the establishment including cleanliness and convenience. This information helps management to identify areas of strength and weakness so they can take steps to correct the problem or potential problems before business is lost. The information can also allow management to monitor the success of a program designed to improve certain areas of concern. This can be a very advantageous tool to management in the extremely competitive business environment of today. Some companies will even inform employees that mystery shoppers will be visiting them but the employees will not know who or when the shop will take place. It may be considered a kind of report card and, as you can imagine, this can be a very effective motivational tool.

As a mystery shopper, you may receive assignments in a variety of establishments in your area. Most of them will be customer oriented retail establishments, which include chain stores, specialty stores and restaurants. Normally, it is the larger companies with many outlets and a central management office that use mystery shoppers. Statistics show that by far, the most important factor in competitiveness is customer service. Therefore, most of the information you will be asked to gather will concern customer service.

Obviously, mystery shoppers should appear to be a typical customer to the establishment. The mystery shoppers that consistently get new assignments, however, are those who are punctual and reliable. Mystery shopping companies want shoppers who also pay attention to detail and work well with others and have an appreciation of good service. You will be given specific questions to ask and perhaps specific products to shop for and/or purchase. You will be expected to promptly complete the questionnaire, neatly and concisely, and return it based on the instructions provided to you. Your job is not to be a problem shopper for the establishment but to gather specific and representative information.

Most of the time, the compensation for the assignment is established in advance and paid after the questionnaire is returned. As a mystery shopper, you are not an employee of the company that provides you an assignment--but rather an independent contractor. As such, there is no employee benefits and no taxes will be withheld from your pay. You are responsible for reporting your own income. However, you may want to consult your tax advisor as some tax breaks may apply.

EARNINGS
Pay can range from $200 to $300 per job assignment, with an average of $100 per assignment. Additionally there is a stipend for purchases. The number of assignments per day vary but if you are assertive in seeking work-and work for several mystery shopping companies-you could garner up to 20 assignments per month. While most mystery shoppers consider this a part time or "hobby" job, if you approach the work as a full-time job, you can earn $4,000 to $5,000 per month.

Your job will be to evaluate and comment on customer service in a wide variety of shops, stores, restaurant and services in your area.
No commitment is made on this job, and you would have flexible hours as it suits you. If you are interested do send in these information:

FULL NAME:........................
CONTACT ADDRESS..(PLS NO PO BOX ADDRESS)...................
CITY...............
STATE.............
ZIP CODE ................
TELEPHONE NUMBER:...................
MOBILE NUMBER:......................
OCCUPATION:........................
EMAIL:...........................

So we can look at your distance from the locations which you have to put your service into, and your address would also be need for your payments.
Great Pay** Fun Work** Flexible Schedules**No experience required.If you can shop-you are qualified!
No start off fees is required
Must be above 18years old
Must be computer literate
Must be very honest and committed
pls note that this is a part time job

David Scott
Thanks
Recruitment officer
Mystery Shoppers World

Payday Loan Scams

2010-12-11T08:43:00.000-06:00

This information was posted on the FBI website.

The Internet Crime Complaint Center has received many complaints from victims of payday loan telephone collection scams. Callers claim the victim is delinquent in a payday loan and must repay the loan to avoid legal consequences. The callers purport to be representatives of the FBI, Federal Legislative Department, various law firms, or other legitimate-sounding agencies. They claim to be collecting debts for companies such as United Cash Advance, U.S. Cash Advance, U.S. Cash Net, and other Internet check-cashing services.

According to complaints received from the public, the callers have accurate data about victims, including Social Security numbers, dates of birth, addresses, employer information, bank account numbers, and the names and telephone numbers of relatives and friends. How the fraudsters obtained the personal information varies, but in some cases victims have reported they completed online applications for other loans or credit cards before the calls started.

The fraudsters relentlessly call the victim’s home, cell phone, and place of employment. They refuse to provide any details about the alleged payday loans and become abusive when questioned. The callers have threatened victims with legal actions, arrests, and, in some cases, physical violence if they do not pay. In many cases, the callers harass victims’ relatives, friends, and employers.
Some fraudsters have instructed victims to fax a statement agreeing to pay a certain amount, on a specific date, via a pre-paid Visa card. The statement further declares the victim will never dispute the debt.
If you receive these calls, do not follow the caller’s instructions. Rather, you should:

Notify your banking institutions.
Contact the three major credit bureaus and request an alert be put on your file.
Contact your local law enforcement agencies if you feel you are in immediate danger.
File a complaint at www.IC3.gov.

Tips to avoid becoming a victim of this scam:

Never give your Social Security number—or personal information of any kind—over the telephone or online unless you initiate the contact.
Be suspicious of any e-mail with urgent requests for personal financial information. The e-mail may include upsetting or exciting but false statements to get you to react immediately.
Avoid filling out forms in e-mail messages that request personal information.
Ensure that your browser is up-to-date and security patches have been applied.
Check your bank, credit, and debit card statements regularly to make sure that there are no unauthorized transactions. If anything looks suspicious, contact your bank and all card issuers.
When you contact companies, use numbers provided on the back of cards or statements

Secret Shopper Scams

2010-12-10T07:27:00.000-06:00

With how hard it is to find jobs in today's economy, and the holiday's coming up, Secret Shopper Scams and other work at home offers seem to lure in more people. They seem like a way that people can provide some extra income, and who does not need that right now. Here is an example of a Secret Shopper Scam email.

Subject: Mystery Shopping (Shoppers Needed).. From: beeguy1@aol.com

Reply To: evaluationteam50@rogers.com

We have a mystery shopping assignment.

Date:8th December,2010

Email:(evaluationteam50@rogers.com)

"We have a mystery shopping assignment in your area and we would like you to participate"

Secret Shopper(R) is accepting applications for qualified individuals to become mystery shoppers. It's fun and rewarding, and you choose when and where you want to shop. You are never obligated to accept an assignment.

There is no charge to become a shopper and you do not need previous

experience. After you sign up, you will have access to training materials via e-mail, fax or postal mail.

ABOUT US

Secret Shopper(R) is the premier mystery shopping company, serving clients across America with over 500,000 shoppers available and ready to help businesses better serve their customers. Continual investment in the latest internet and communication technologies coupled with over 16 years of know-how means working with Secret Shopper(R) is a satisfying and rewarding experience.

Secret shopping as seen on ABC NEWS, NBC NEWS, L.A.TIMES.

Stores and organizations such as The Gap, Walmart, Pizza Hut, and Bank. One amongst many others pay for Secret Shoppers to shop in their establishments and report their experiences. On top of being paid for shopping you are also allowed to keep purchases for free. Secret Shopper(R) NEVER charge fees to the shopper. Training, tips for improvement, and shopping opportunities are provided free to registered shoppers. Mystery shoppers are either paid a pre-arranged fee for a particular shop, a reimbursement for a purchase or a combination of both.

You will be required to interact with the shop clerk.

You may conduct the shop alone or as a couple.

The assignment will pay $200.00/ Assignment

Kindly Fill Out the application form below and we will get back to you

shortly with the assignment to this email (evaluationteam50@rogers.com):

PERSONAL INFORMATION:

First Name:

Last Name:

Street Address:

City, State, Zip Code:

Cell Phone Number:

Home Phone Number:

AVAILABILITY:

Days/Hours Available

Monday .............................................

Tuesday .............................................

Wednesday .............................................

Thursday .............................................

Friday .............................................

Saturday .............................................

Sunday .............................................

Hours Available: from _______ to ______

We await your urgent response.

Thank you for your help.

We look forward to working with you.

Sincerely,

Frank James

Secret Shopper(R)

Investment Fraud

2010-12-09T08:37:00.002-06:00

There was some news from the FBI this week about Investment Fraud.

WASHINGTON—Attorney General Eric Holder announced today the results of Operation Broken Trust, a nationwide operation organized by the Financial Fraud Enforcement Task Force to target investment fraud. To date, the operation has involved enforcement actions against 343 criminal defendants and 189 civil defendants for fraud schemes that harmed more than 120,000 victims throughout the country. The operation’s criminal cases involved more than $8.3 billion in estimated losses and the civil cases involved estimated losses of more than $2.1 billion. Operation Broken Trust is the first national operation of its kind to target a broad array of investment fraud schemes that directly prey upon the investing public.

In announcing the results of Operation Broken Trust, Attorney General Holder was joined by FBI Executive Assistant Director Shawn Henry, U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Director of Enforcement Robert Khuzami, U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) Chief Postal Inspector Guy Cottrell, Deputy Chief Rick Raven of the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), Acting Director of Enforcement Vince McGonagle of the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), and other members of the Financial Fraud Enforcement Task Force.

The interagency Financial Fraud Enforcement Task Force was established by President Obama to lead an aggressive, coordinated, and proactive effort to investigate and prosecute financial crimes. Starting on Aug. 16, 2010, within a three-and-a-half month period, Operation Broken Trust involved 231 criminal cases and 60 civil enforcement actions. Eighty-seven defendants have been sentenced to prison, including several sentences of more than 20 years in prison.

“With this operation, the Financial Fraud Enforcement Task Force is sending a strong message,” said Attorney General Holder. To the public: be alert for these frauds, take appropriate measures to protect yourself, and report such schemes to proper authorities when they occur. And to anyone operating or attempting to operate an investment scam: cheating investors out of their earnings and savings is no longer a safe business plan—we will use every tool at our disposal to find you, to stop you, and to bring you to justice.”

“This operation highlights the scope of this problem, and its impact on individuals from all walks of life,” said FBI Executive Assistant Director Henry. “This one sweep alone involves fraud schemes that harmed more than 120,000 victims. The schemes may change, but the underlying greed does not. Working with our partners, we in the FBI will use all the investigative techniques in our arsenal, including undercover operations, to bring those responsible to justice.”

“Fraud by well-known companies or high-profile executives gets the biggest headlines, but other scams are equally devastating to hard working families and retirees,” said Robert Khuzami, Director of the SEC’s Division of Enforcement. “Victims want justice and don’t much care who the fraudster is or how unique the fraud. Today’s actions underscore that law enforcement agrees and will pursue fraud in whatever form.”
Enforcement actions taken as a result of Operation Broken Trust involve a range of different investment fraud schemes, all of which prey directly on the investing public. The operators of these schemes often promise high returns to investors, but engage in little to no legitimate investment activity. Such schemes include Ponzi schemes, affinity fraud, prime bank/high-yield investment scams, foreign exchange (FOREX) frauds, business opportunity fraud, and other similar schemes. In some instances, operators of these schemes filed for bankruptcy in an attempt to avoid claims by victim-investors.

“The U.S. Postal Inspection Service has a long tradition of protecting postal customers from these types of investment and Ponzi scams and bringing those responsible to justice,” said USPIS Chief Postal Inspector Cottrell. “The Postal Inspection Service constantly strives to protect our customers and the general public from falling victim to these scams that claim millions of dollars every year.”

“The results announced today demonstrate the effectiveness of federal civil and criminal law enforcement in bringing to justice those who have engaged in financial fraud schemes,” said Acting Director McGonagle of the Division of Enforcement for CFTC. “The CFTC continues to devote substantial enforcement resources to combat financial fraud. We appreciate the partnership with the other members of the President’s Financial Fraud Enforcement Task Force to protect the public from financial fraudsters.”

“Securities and investment frauds are serious offenses which have brought financial ruin to many citizens. Promoters of Ponzi schemes prey upon trusting investors and then steal their hard earned money,” said Rick Raven, Deputy Chief, IRS Criminal Investigation. “IRS Criminal Investigation is proud to bring our forensic accounting skills to this joint venture with our law enforcement partners to put a stop to this and other types of white collar fraud.”

Operation Broken Trust was conducted in conjunction with various Department of Justice components—including the U.S. Attorney Offices, the FBI, the Criminal and Civil Divisions and the U.S. Trustee Program—as well as the SEC, USPIS, the CFTC, IRS-CI, the Federal Trade Commission, the U.S. Secret Service, and the National Association of Attorneys General.

As a part of Operation Broken Trust, the task force is making the public aware of resources available to protect against these types of fraud and how to report fraud when it occurs. To learn more about investment scams, how to take steps to protect yourself from scams, or how to report investment fraud if you believe you have been victimized, go to StopFraud.gov. The website includes links to a wide array of task force member resources.

The President’s Financial Fraud Enforcement Task Force includes representatives from a broad range of federal agencies, regulatory authorities, inspectors general, and state and local law enforcement who, working together, bring to bear a powerful array of criminal and civil enforcement resources. The task force is working to improve efforts across the federal executive branch, and with state and local partners, to investigate and prosecute significant financial crimes, ensure just and effective punishment for those who perpetrate financial crimes, combat discrimination in the lending and financial markets, and recover proceeds for victims of financial crimes. For more information on the task force, visit StopFraud.gov.

Pot Calling the Kettle Black

2010-12-08T07:25:00.000-06:00

As I opened my email this morning, the news items opened up and I had to take a second look at the title of this article . . . Nigeria Charges Dick Cheney in Corruption Case Stemming From Halliburton Bid. My first thought was this is like the pot calling the kettle black!

In the article it states

An anti-corruption unit in Nigeria has charged former Vice President Dick Cheney in an alleged bribery scheme dating back to his days as CEO of Halliburton, the huge oil services company.

Halliburton and other firms are accused of paying as much as $180 million in bribes to win a contract to build a $6 billion liquefied natural gas plant in the African country's southern delta, the Associated Press reported Tuesday.

Okay . . . $6 billion is a LOT of money, but depending on which agency or report you look at, that is just a drop in the bucket to the amount lost by people to the scams and fraud coming out of Nigeria. There are some reports that would show that $6 billion is not even one full year's work for Nigerian scammers. Add to that the fact that many people do not report scams out of shame, and the true dollar amount just keeps getting higher and higher.

Back to the article . . . it goes on to say

Nigeria's Economic and Financial Crimes Commission pointed specifically at a former Halliburton subsidiary, Houston-based KBR, which pleaded guilty last year in U.S. federal court to authorizing and paying bribes in Nigeria for plant contracts between 1995 and 2004.

If you go to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission's website you will see on the About EFCC page this information . . .

The preponderance of economic and financial crimes like Advance Fee Fraud (419), Money Laundering, etc has had severe negative consequences on Nigeria, including decreased Foreign Direct Investments in the country and tainting of Nigeria's national image. The menace of these crimes and the recognition of the magnitude and gravity of the situation led to the establishment of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). The legal instrument backing the Commission is the attached EFCC (Establishment) Act 2002 and the Commission has high-Ievel support from the Presidency, the Legislature and key security and law enforcement agencies in Nigeria.

My words to the EFCC . . . how about you go and clean up the crime, corruption and fraud in your own backyard before you start pointing fingers at others. You have an office in Lagos, Nigeria which is the scam and fraud capital of the world. How about making a REAL difference by shutting down the scam and fraud rings, and locking up the people running them so that they cannot just go out and open up a new location.

Sample scam email

2010-12-07T16:58:00.000-06:00

Here is an email that showed up in my inbox. I am posting this as an example of a scam email.

---------------

Subject: CONTACT SKYE BANK NIG., PLC WITH YOUR NEW PAYMENT CODE.(SBN/0098). From: internetwatch@monitoringunit.org

Reply To:

internetwatch@fedinfodept.org

Attn:

The Skye Bank Nigeria Plc informed us the FBI, that they are through withthe first (1st) quarter transfer to beneficiaries, and that they are ready to start with the (2nd) quarter transfer to beneficiaries where your payment file belongs to now.

And since they are in the second quarter of fund released to beneficiaries, the bank states that the old payment code: to your inheritance contract funds has been changed and that the new payment code: to your contract funds will be (SBN/0098), take note of the new payment code: (SBN/0098), any e-mail you receive henceforth that does not have your payment code: (SBN/0098). Should be disregarded immediately and forwarded to us for immediate investigation. Warning: Note that you are advised not to disclose the said inheritance contract funds with anyone until your said contract funds has been fully released to you, and ensure that you contact the bank (skyeban-knigplc09@live.com) with your payment code: (SBN/0098).

Immediately you receive this e-mail from us. Any e-mail that you receive stating that your inheritance contract fund is ready without the new payment code, should be disregarded immediately. CONTACT THE BANK AT THIS E-MAIL ADDRESS: (skyeban-knigplc09@live.comn) IMMEDIATELY.

Thank You And Have A Nice Day.

In God We Trust.

Robert S. Mueller III
Federal Bureau of Investigation
J. Edgar Hoover Building
935 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Washington, D.C. 20535-0001, USA.

Fraudulent Notifications

2010-11-30T08:43:00.000-06:00

From the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3)

The IC3 continues to receive reports of letters and emails being distributed pursuant to prize sweepstakes or lottery schemes. These schemes use counterfeit checks that bear legitimate-looking logos of various financial institutions to fool victims into sending money to the fraudsters.

Fraudsters tell victims they won a sweepstakes or lottery, but to receive a lump sum payout, they must pay the taxes and processing fees upfront. Fraudsters direct individuals to call a telephone number to initiate a letter of instructions. The letter alleges that the victim may elect to take an advance on the winnings to make the required upfront payment. The letter includes a check in the amount of the alleged taxes and fees, along with processing instructions. Ultimately, victims believe they are using the advance to make the required upfront payment, but in reality they are falling prey to the scheme.

The victim deposits the check into their own bank, which credits the account for the amount of the check before the check clears. The victim immediately withdraws the money and wires it to the fraudsters. Afterwards, the check proves to be counterfeit and the bank pulls the respective funds from the victim's account, leaving the victim liable for the amount of the counterfeit check plus any additional fees the bank may charge.

Persons may fall victim to this scheme due to the allure of easy money and the apparent legitimacy of the check the fraudsters include in the letter of instruction. The alleged cash prizes and locations of the financial institutions vary.

Tips to avoid being scammed:

A federal statute prohibits mailing lottery tickets, advertisements, or payments to purchase tickets in a foreign lottery.
Be leery if you do not remember entering a lottery or sweepstakes.
Beware of lotteries or sweepstakes that charge a fee prior to delivering your prize.
Be wary of demands to send additional money as a requirement to be eligible for future winnings.

If you have been a victim of this type of scam or any other cyber crime, you can report it to the IC3 at: www.IC3.gov. The IC3 complaint database links complaints for potential referral to law enforcement for case consideration. Complaint information is also used to identify emerging trends and patterns to alert the public to new criminal schemes.

Holiday Tips

2010-11-29T08:40:00.010-06:00

Here are some tips from the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) you can use to avoid becoming a victim of cyber fraud:

Do not respond to unsolicited (spam) email.
Do not click on links contained within an unsolicited email.
Be cautious of email claiming to contain pictures in attached files, as the files may contain viruses. Only open attachments from known senders. Scan the attachments for viruses if possible.
Avoid filling out forms contained in email messages that ask for personal information.
Always compare the link in the email with the link to which you are directed and determine if they match and will lead you to a legitimate site.
Log directly onto the official web site for the business identified in the email, instead of "linking" to it from an unsolicited email. If the email appears to be from your bank, credit card issuer, or other company you deal with frequently, your statements or official correspondence from the business will provide the proper contact information.
Contact the actual business that supposedly sent the email to verify if the email is genuine.
If you are asked to act quickly, or there is an emergency, it may be a scam. Fraudsters create a sense of urgency to get you to act quickly.
Verify any requests for personal information from any business or financial institution by contacting them using the main contact information.
Remember if it looks too good to be true, it probably is.

Secret Santa Fundraiser

2010-11-28T08:20:00.000-06:00

Make Christmas special for a young child this year . . . be a Secret Santa!

Secret Santa Fundraiser

We were hit with our Counterfeit Cashier's Check Scam just before the holidays in 2002, and for a while we did not know where we were going to find the money to provide a magical Christmas for our then 2 and 9 year old children. Because of that, we created the Secret Santa Program, which allows you to donate money or gifts for a family who has recently been impacted by scams, and have young children.

We have made it easy for you to help out with this. There are several ways you can donate
On Facebook, we have a Cause Page
Or go to our Donations Page to donate by PayPal
Or use our new GiveMN Fundraiser Page

Take a minute to remember others

2010-11-26T09:24:00.000-06:00

With Thanksgiving over, and the Christmas shopping season in full swing we at Scam Victims United are asking you to remember others this year. You can do this by sponsoring a family who has recently been hit with a counterfeit cashier's check scam, and make sure that the young children in that family still wake up with gifts under the tree. We call this our Secret Santa Program, and if you are interested in being a part of it please contact Shawn.

You can also help out by supporting Scam Victims United with a donation as small as the cost of a cup of coffee.

Holidays ~ Fraudulent Classified Ads and Auction Sales

2010-11-23T08:22:00.000-06:00

It seems like every year at the holidays the amount of crime goes up, and that is the same in the world of internet crime. The Internet Crime Complaint Center put out a warning about some things to be on the look out for, and I am going to share one with you each day.

Fraudulent Classified Ads and Auction Sales

If you are one of those people who cannot stand the crouds at the malls and want to do all of your holiday shopping online, you need to watch out for fraudulent classifed ads and auction sales.

Here is the advice that the IC3 offers

Internet criminals post classified ads and auctions for products they do not have, and make the scam work by using stolen credit cards. Fraudsters receive an order from a victim, charge the victim's credit card for the amount of the order, then use a separate, stolen credit card for the actual purchase. They pocket the purchase price obtained from the victim's credit card and have the merchant ship the item directly to the victim. Consequently, an item purchased from an online auction but received directly from the merchant is a strong indication of fraud. Victims of such a scam not only lose the money paid to the fraudster, but may be liable for receiving stolen goods.

Shoppers may help avoid these scams by using caution and not providing financial information directly to the seller, as fraudulent sellers will use this information to purchase items for their schemes. Always use a legitimate payment service to ensure a safe, legitimate purchase.

As for product delivery, fraudsters posing as legitimate delivery services offer reduced or free shipping to customers through auction sites. They perpetuate this scam by providing fake shipping labels to the victim. The fraudsters do not pay for delivery of the packages; therefore, delivery service providers intercept the packages for nonpayment and the victim loses the money paid for the purchase of the product.

Diligently check each seller's rating and feedback along with their number of sales and the dates on which feedback was posted. Be wary of a seller with 100% positive feedback, with a low total number of feedback postings, or with all feedback posted around the same date and time.

Congratulations IC3!

2010-11-18T08:53:00.001-06:00

On November 9th, 2010 the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) logged it's 2 millionth customer! This is an amazing number, especially when you consider that not all scams and fraud are even reported.

This is a good thing, since it means that people are reporting the scams, which will give the FBI, National While Collar Crime Center and the Bureau of Justice Assistance (the agencies that partnered together to form the IC3) more information to try and go after these people and help warn people about these scams.

The IC3 receives, develops, and refers cyber crime complaints to local, state, federal, and international law enforcement agencies. The IC3 gives cyber crime victims a convenient and easy-to-use reporting mechanism that alerts authorities of suspected criminal or civil violations.

Since its inception, the IC3 has referred 757,016 criminal complaints to law enforcement around the globe. The majority of referrals involved fraud in which the complainant incurred a financial loss. The total reported loss from these referrals is approximately $1.7 billion, with a median reported loss of more than $500 per complaint.*

Frustration, confusion, anger . . . the feelings of a scam victim

2010-11-16T09:01:00.000-06:00

I just finished answering an email to a scam victim, and we were talking about the different feelings and emotions that come over a person who is a scam victim. I wanted to share my email to that victim with you. I don't really need to know the background on their story to understand my response to them.

I can relate to your frustration . . . I have been there! Eight years ago at this time we were fighting our battle, and every time that I read the story of another person becoming a victim I am taken right back to the place I was when I found out that we lost thousands of dollars to this scam. It puts you on an emotional roller coaster that you did not ask to get on . . . you were just thrown onto it.

At the time, I did not want to hear anyone tell me that our case would not be investigated and that the criminal would not be caught. That is part of the reason that I started our website . . . I needed to shout our story out to the world. I needed to feel like someone heard me. Then, as the years passed I started to learn how things work . . . the big picture . . . and it really disgusted me that so many saw this as the victim's problem. WHY!?!?! If someone would have broken into my house with a gun, would it still have been my problem and not a legal problem? If I went to the bank and was told that a loan would have a certain interest rate, and I later found out that it actually had another would that be my problem? So why is it that the bank can tell me one thing (the check is good) but when it comes back that it is counterfeit THAT is my problem and not an error that THEY need to resolve?

I have been in the place where I feel like I am going crazy over this topic too. Maybe that is why I felt like our website needed to have a message board also, so that people can share their stories and we can all help each other heal. Yes, we have to move on, but I feel that being a scam victim changes us so that we move on but it is always a part of us, and those of us that feel the need to help others have to share our story in order to warn others.

It is the emails from people like you that remind me why we did what we did . . . creating the website, telling our story, trying to bring awareness and attention to these scams. I think that we have made some progress over the years, but there is still so much that needs to be done.

If you agree with us that more needs to be done to raise awareness about scams and fraud, I encourage you to contact your law makers and ask them to create laws that will protect people from these scams. Make the banks liable when they tell the banking customer that the checks are good, clear or verified. Not only can you write your own letter, you can sign our petition . . . make YOUR voice heard!

Massive Make-a-Wish Phone Scam Stealing Millions From American Elderly

2010-11-14T09:19:00.000-06:00

From our friends at ScamNot.org

(This is from the Federal Citizen Information Center and is an article done by 20/20)

A massive phone scam exploiting the good name of the Make-A-Wish Foundation has siphoned more than $20 million from unsuspecting Americans and has been escalating in recent months. Authorities say it is fast becoming one of the ugliest telemarketing schemes to target the elderly in years.

Swindlers pretending to be calling from such government agencies as the Internal Revenue Service and the Federal Trade Commission have put a new twist on an old con. They are hiding offshore, thousands of miles away, but they're using internet phone technology to disguise their location. Victims see a 202 area code on their phones when the calls come in, and dial seemingly authentic U.S. phone numbers to call the scammers back. "Unlike the standard telemarketing frauds . these weren't people hiding behind a phone number you couldn't call -- a voice you couldn't recreate. These were people who left telephone numbers and would talk to you," said the Make-A-Wish Foundation, who became alarmed when they started hearing from multiple victims a week about the fraudulent calls.

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

"She said, we've been trying to reach you.' Very, very warm. Very kind. 'There is money here for you . it is sitting here on my desk. And I am just determined this money is yours. And I just want to help you get it,'" victim recalled.

During a six-month investigation, ABC News obtained never-before published recordings of the phone calls and tracked down two fugitives who have been hiding in Costa Rica. The two men have been indicted in the scheme but avoided extradition because they also held Costa Rican citizenship.

The scammers allegedly set up dozens of boiler rooms so scammers could call into U.S. homes claiming to be awarding sweepstakes winnings from the Make-A-Wish Foundation. The scammers made their money by convincing the victims to pay "luxury taxes" or "insurance" in advance on winnings they will never receive.

Boiler Room Raid

Federal prosecutors have alleged that the scammers reaped millions installing internet phone lines in the illegal call centers.

Federal officials thought they had extinguished the scam in 2006 when they conducted a dramatic raid on 16 boiler rooms in the Costa Rican capital of San Jose.

But U.S. authorities have marveled at the scale of the scam that has regenerated - believed to be the product of the Costa Rican citizens who remained free after the 2006 raid. And they say the potency of the swindle remains breathtaking. One early victim in Florida wired more than $800,000 to Costa Rica on the promise of a million-dollar sweepstakes check that would never arrive.

But among those most alarmed have been the officials who lead the Make-A-Wish Foundation, which relies on the trust of the public for its funding. Earlier this year, the non profit organization posted a fraud alert on its website.

"These people around hiding offshore -- willingly destroying people's lives by taking every nickel they can suck out of them. And they're using the good name of the Make-A-Wish Foundation to do it.

The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement have set up a hotline for victims to call to report having been ripped off. It is 1-866-DHS-2ICE. The Federal Trade Commission has posted information about the scams and advice for victims on two special web pages here and here and has also been compiling a list of complaints for law enforcement agencies to pursue.

To read the complete story and hear the taped recordings click here

Scam Targeted Holocaust Survivors’ Fund

2010-11-12T09:01:00.000-06:00

The title of this story sucked me in . . . Scam Targeted Holocaust Survivors’ Fund
I found this on the FBI site. Here is the story in full.

For nearly six decades, a not-for-profit corporation known as The Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany—or the Claims Conference—has been overseeing German government funds that assist Holocaust survivors.
So you can imagine our surprise and concern when we uncovered evidence that it had been the victim of fraud.
This afternoon at a New York City press conference, we announced that six corrupt Claims Conference employees in its Manhattan office—along with 11 other conspirators—have been charged in a decade-long scheme to defraud the organization and legitimate Holocaust victims out of more than $42 million.
The Claims Conference supervises several funds and processes thousands of applications a year. The two funds allegedly targeted for fraud were:

The Article 2 Fund, which makes monthly payments of $411 to survivors of Nazi persecution who make less than $16,000 a year and who either lived in hiding or a Jewish ghetto for 18 months or were incarcerated for at least six months in a concentration or forced labor camp; and
The Hardship Fund, which makes a one-time payment of approximately $3,600 to survivors forced to evacuate their hometowns and become refugees.

Applications by persons living in the U.S. are made to the Claims Conference’s office in Manhattan, usually by mail. The applicants provide identification documents, along with information about their family and experiences escaping Nazi persecution. Caseworkers with the Claims Conference verify an applicant’s history, often by checking external databases and archives, and sometimes through a personal interview. If approved for payment, a check is mailed to the applicant or electronically deposited into a bank account.


	Processing fingerprints during this morning’s arrests.

Claims Conference officials became suspicious of possible fraudulent activity within their organization in December 2009 and immediately contacted law enforcement. Our New York office began an investigation, with the full cooperation of the Claims Conference.
According to the criminal complaint filed in federal court in the Southern District of New York, here’s how the scheme generally worked:

Driven by crooked Claims Conference employees, former employees and other conspirators would recruit people—some unwitting—who weren’t eligible for the program (mostly individuals of the Jewish faith in the Russian immigrant community) to take part in the fraud.
To make it appear that applicants were eligible, identification documents were often altered (for example, a birth date was changed to make it appear that applicants were born during or before World War II) and fake Nazi persecution stories were often made up.
Fraudulent applications were reviewed and approved by corrupt Claims Conference employees.
Once the applicants received their money, they kept a portion but were instructed to pay certain “fees” using the rest—which of course ended up in the pockets of the conspirators. These “fees” were usually paid in the form of cash or money order.

Among those charged in the scheme are the former director of the Article 2 and Hardship Funds, other past and present Claims Conference employees, two law firm employees, a notary/document forger, and several other middlemen.
New York Assistant Director in Charge Janice Fedarcyk said that the victims of this scheme were “those who had already suffered at the hands of Nazi persecution only to have their experiences exploited again—this brazen miscarriage of the compensation program is, in its own way, a kind of crime against humanity.”

LoveFraud ~ Raising Awareness

2010-11-10T08:10:00.000-06:00

I wanted to share something from the Love Fraud blog with all of you . . .

I believe that raising awareness of sociopaths is one of the best things we can do to improve our world. Sociopaths are probably responsible for most of the ills in our society: crime, violence, neglect, abuse. Sociopaths with political power start wars. Sociopaths with economic power exploit workers, defile the environment, ruin companies and defraud customers and shareholders. Sociopathic parents cause untold pain for their children. Sociopaths who portray themselves as religious leaders cause incredible spiritual damage. The ways in which they wreak havoc appear to be limitless.

I agree with Donna, of LoveFraud.com

She is asking for people to take things to the next level, and she outlines her ideas and goals in a recent blog post. Just like her, we at ScamVictimsUnited.com are looking to make a change. We have a petition where we are asking law makers to do the right thing and change the laws to protect consumers.

Internet Dating

2010-11-07T07:41:00.000-06:00

Dating is hard . . . now add the internet to that and you can really complicate things. It is much easier for people to not be totally honest about who they are when they are just contacting you over the internet.

This is why you need to be very careful as to who you give your heart to, especially when it comes to the internet.

Here are a couple of sites that talk more about Internet Dating and Romance Scams.
http://alanprince.wordpress.com/
http://datescam.co.uk/frauduk/

Take this quiz!

2010-11-05T09:27:00.000-05:00

Check out your scam IQ with this quiz from the United States Postal Inspectors site at http://www.deliveringtrust.com/index.php

You can also learn more about common scams, and look at the top 10 ways to prevent fraud.

BP oil spill scam email

2010-11-03T09:16:00.000-05:00

With every disaster, there is a new scam email to go along with it. I was surprised when I did not see one just after the big BP oil spill, but I finally had the email show up in my inbox. Here it is.

RE: BP Oil Spill Compensational Fund Promotions

British Petrochemical (BP) p.l.c.
International Headquarters
1 St James's Square
London, SW1Y 4PD
UK

Reference Number: 25512560/30

BP is a global group of energy and petrochemical companies. With 104,000 employees in more than 110 countries, we play a key role in helping to meet the world’s growing demand for energy in economically, environmentally and socially responsible ways. You must have seen and read in the media about the devastating oil spill that occurred in the Gulf of Mexico, we like to state emphatically, that BP is doing everything we can to make things right. We feel a great burden and responsibility for the oil spill that occurred in the Gulf of Mexico, Our core values of honesty, integrity and respect for people have formed the basis of our General Business Principles for 30 years and remain as important as ever. We are convinced that our short- and long-term business success depends on finding environmentally and socially responsible ways to help meet the world’s future energy needs.

To show our love and regard for the inhabitants of this beautiful word that gives us the mineral resources in which our organization derives its great financial capital base, the Department of International Awareness/Promotions of BP is giving away £450,000.00 GBP as a commiserative compensational fund to the lucky winner in or promotional exercise. In line with that, we in the Department of International Awareness/Promotions wish to congratulate you on the selection of your email id from our computerized balloting system as the lucky winner in our Oil Spill Compensational Fund Promotions.

This makes you the proud winner of cash prize of £450,000.00 GBPs (Four Hundred and Fifty Thousand Great British Pounds). In order to redeem your prize, send the below listed details to the given email address: bp_p.l.c@w.cn

1.) Full Name:
2.) Current Address:
3.) Country:
4.) Age:
5.) Sex:
6.) Occupation:
7.) Phone Number:
8.) Reference Number: 25512560/30

Your email will be attended to by Mr. David Anderson, who is Head of International Awareness/Promotions Department in our London Head Office. Once again you are reminded to send the requested details to us for acknowledgment, through the given email address: bp_p.l.c@w.cn or just simply click reply to and proceed in the sending of the above requested details.

Once Again Congratulations!!

London Head Office
British Petrochemical (BP) p.l.c.
Summed up by two words 'beyond petroleum'

Foreclosure Rap

2010-11-01T08:26:00.000-05:00

I found this on another blog and had to share it with all of you.

Sample scam emails

2010-10-30T16:57:00.000-05:00

They never stop coming into our inbox, so as long as we get them, we will continue to share them so that others will know how to spot a scam email. Here is one that was in my inbox today.

Hello my friend.

It is understandable that you might be a bit apprehensive because you do not know, but I have a lucrative business proposal of mutual interest to share with you. I got your reference in my search for someone who suits my proposed business relationship.

I am Mr P. Lee of South Korea, happily married with children, and I am Director of Hang Seng Bank Ltd., in charge of the International Remittance Department. I have a confidential business proposal for you. I need you to assist me in implementing a business project from Hong Kong to your country. It is the transfer of large sums of money. Everything about this transaction shall be legally done without hitch. Please try to observe utmost discretion in all matters concerning this issue.

After funds have been successfully transferred into your account, we will share in proportion to both of us agreed. I prefer you to me on my private e-mail address (peterleejp@aol.com) and then after that I will give you more information about this operation. If you're interested, send me the following urgently:

1st Names and surnames
2nd Occupation
3rd Private phone number
4th Current contact address

Please, if you do not want to delete this e-mail and do not hunt, because I am putting my career and life of my family at stake with this venture. Although nothing ventured nothing gained.

Your earliest response to this letter will be appreciated.

Sincerely,

Mr.Pt. Lee
Hang Seng Bank Limited
Hong Kong. () Asian
E-mail: - peterleejp@aol.com

Mr Pavarotti

2010-10-27T12:31:00.000-05:00

I was contacted by the someone who operates another scam fighting site that they have gotten several reports of victims who have lost money to an inheritance scam from someone using the name Mr. Pavarotti.

Here are the two emails addresses connected with these emails

billkennedy.judy@yahoo.co.uk

michaelharryx@gmail.com

Remember, the name and email addresses alone cannot fully warn you if the person YOU are dealing with is a scammer or not. The scammers change their names and email addresses often. If their offer involves sending a cashier's check to you, you cashing or depositing it, and then wire any portion of that money back to them or on to someone else then it is a scam.

Back from my "happy place"

2010-10-25T12:39:00.002-05:00

I just got back last night from the happiest place in the world . . . Walt Disney World! My entire family had a wonderful time, and some of us did not want to leave, but we know that we will see Mickey and the gang again some day.

Thank you to all of my guest bloggers for providing great items while I was gone.

So now it is time to get back into the groove, and start dreaming of the next vacation.

RFID ~ protect your data

2010-10-22T08:08:00.000-05:00

I have the pleasure of calling fellow scam fighter Denise Richardson my friend, and she introduced me to a product that can help protect everyone, and I had to share it with you.

First off, do you know what a Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tag is? A RFID tag holds your name, credit card number and anything else that your bank or credit card company decides to embed on it.

Now this is where I say "Why don't these people use their minds for good instead of evil" . . . I say this because there are also Radio Frequency Readers and Remote Frequency Readers that allow you to read, or skim, the information off of someone else's RFID tags without ever touching the card that those tags are embedded on! Yes, someone actually went out and created a hand held device that you can use to collect the credit card information of other people . . . people sitting next to you on the bus, or walking down the street.

So, how do the REST of us protect ourselves from those that are using their minds for evil instead of good, or those that have purchased the products that these evil thinkers have created? There are companies like Kena Kai and Magellan's that have wallets that actually block RFID reading products. See . . . now THAT is someone using their minds for GOOD and not evil!

How did I find out about these wallets? From Denise Richardson of GiveMeBackMyCredit.com If you would like to read what Denise has to say about these products you can read her blog on the topic.

Lottery Scams on TLC

2010-10-20T08:42:00.000-05:00

Tomorrow night, October 21st, TLC will be airing a special episode of The Lottery Changed My Life, which will be talking about lottery scams.

Thank you TLC for bringing attention to this issue.

Wire Transers

2010-10-18T07:45:00.014-05:00

A recent article about scams and wire transfers caught my eye the other day. Here are time facts from the article . . .

Rules governing wire transfers place a larger burden on account holders than laws on credit cards or debit card . . . . {the} bank says {the victim} may not have met required security requirements on his computer system — even though he has secured wireless, firewalls, anti-virus software and other protection — and so, the bank may not be liable to pay him back.

I get really frustrated when I see things like this. Why is it that the banks can sit back and do nothing, and put all of the blame on the customer!?!?! When do the banks have to stand up and say "There are things we could have done to stop this, so we are liable also."

Eight years . . .

2010-10-16T07:26:00.006-05:00

Eight years ago this month my husband and I became victims of a counterfeit cashier's check scam when our bank told us that a cashier's check we received was good, clear, verified and that we would have no problems with it. Off of that information, we went forward with a transaction. One week later the bank contacted us to let us know that the check was counterfeit, and that WE were 100% liable for the money . . . even though they had told us it was good, clear and verified.

It was this situation that brought us to create the website ScamVictimsUnited.com, where we warn people about scams, offer resources and advice, and allow people to talk with other victims on our message board. In the first two years of our site being operational we helped stop over $2 million dollars from going into scams.

Now, you would think that eight years later things would have changed. Some things have, but even today we see victims coming to our site who brought these checks to the bank and were told that they were good, clear or verified . . . sometimes by more than one bank employee . . . so the exact same situation that happened to us eight years ago is still happening to people today.

Until laws can be changed to hold the banks accountable for telling the customers that these checks are good, clear and verified and then later hold the bank customer liable when it comes back that they are NOT a true check, education is the best way we have to fight these scams.

What can you do?

Write to your law makers and tell them that you want to see banks held liable for releasing funds on checks that they have told customers are good, clear or verified, and then later reversed those words to hold the customer liable.

Sign our petition to ask for stronger consumer protection laws. If the banks are liable for the money lost, and not the customer, then they will change their practices and make SURE that every penny is accounted for before they release the money to the customer.

Contact your bank and ask them if you brought in a cashier's check for $4000, how long would it take to know you could use the money, with no worries about the check. If their answer included terms like "clear", "good" or "verified' you may want to read the information we have on what these terms really mean, and then armed with that information you may want to speak to the bank manager about better education on counterfeit checks for his staff, or go and find a bank that already does understand these items and can therefore better protect you and your money.

LoveFraud ~ Should I warn the next victim?

2010-10-15T06:42:00.022-05:00

The website LoveFraud is a site dedicated to helping those that have fallen in love with a con-man. The owner of the site, Donna Andersen, knows this situation because she lived it.

When asked about warning the con-man's next victim, Donna gives some great advice. Make sure to be safe, think about your emotional state, and how the victim's reaction may affect you. She talks about all of these items in more depth on her site.

I’ve heard of cases where the victim was grateful for the warning and got out. I’ve heard of cases where the next victim has refused to listen and stayed with the sociopath. And I’ve heard of cases where the victim stayed for awhile, then started to see the bad behavior, remembered the warning, and got out.

I know that since I’ve posted the information about my ex-husband, James Montgomery, online, at least seven women have contacted me to thank me for the warning. They Googled his name, found Lovefraud, and dumped him. I don’t know how many may have dumped him without telling me. This makes me feel good. ~ Donna Anderson

National Center for Victims Of Crime

2010-10-13T08:51:00.000-05:00

The National Center for Victims Of Crime ((NCVC) will hold it's annual conference from June 20-22, 2011 in Washington, DC

They are currently looking for presenters for the conference. I presented at a workshop at the 2007 conference. If you are interested n submitting a proposal it must be in by December 6, 2010. Go to the NCVC's website to download the application.

Conferences like these are a wonderful way to let others know about the work you are doing, and network with other groups so that you can reach even more people.

Publishers Clearing House Scam

2010-10-10T09:07:00.002-05:00

Who doesn't want to win the lottery or a sweepstakes? I think we have all had that "dream" at one time or another. What would we do? How would we spend the money? This is why so many people want to believe that there is a chance that they really DID win when they are contacted by scammers pretending to be with The Publisher Clearing House or other sweepstakes.

The scammers do not just send emails any more. Some are calling their intended victims directly. This is why it is important to protect information like your address and phone number. Do not post this information on blogs or open message boards.

Things that are still the same with this scam is that they will ask you to wire money to them, for legal fees or other reasons. Remember, if the lottery or sweepstakes is legitimate, they could deduct those fees from your winnings without you having to wire them anything.

Doing a Google search on any information that you have on the "sweepstakes representative" that contacts you is one way to try and check things out. Often the phone number that the call came from will be from another country, which is a dead giveaway that this is a scam.

Date Scam

2010-10-09T08:15:00.000-05:00

I would like to introduce you to another scam fighting site, DateScam.co.uk, and probably the best way to do so is to share the story from their About Us page.

As an "almost" victim of an online dating scam, TWICE, I came across so many difficulties trying to find the information and resources to deal with this. There is a lot of information out there that gives advice on how to prevent yourself from becoming a victim of a scam and how to spot a potential scam etc etc.

There is information about what to do in the event that you have been scammed. But dating scams are a VERY PERSONAL ISSUE, and one that many people may feel too embarrassed to talk about, even to their family and friends.
Many of the "scam/fraud information sites" are American and you only find out when you have spent ages reading through the "blurb" that they are of no use to you.

Many sites charge ASTRONOMICAL FEES to do background checks on people. You can do this yourself to a point, if you HAVE THE TIME and know where to look! But how can you check on someone using a false name, or address, or phone number?

The process is such a long winded one , and unless you are committed to spending the time researching, the chances are that you will give up!

I tried a variety of tactics using google and Bing etc. I typed in dating scam, Internet dating scam, online dating scams, how do I know if I've been scammed? and combinations of all of those. I got really confused and spent hours trawling online scam sites. With all of these difficulties there wasn't really on particular site that could give me the answers I needed.

So this website has been created to give support and help to those who have found themselves at the hands of a dating scammer, and to remove endless hours hitting your head against a brick wall.

There are currently 4 researchers who work at DateScam.co.uk, and they have ALL been victims of online dating scams at one time or another and they want to help to stamp out the online dating scam, or at least make a dent in it.

Email scams

2010-10-08T08:26:00.000-05:00

You might ask, why do I post so many emails that I get that I know are scams? Because I think that they are a great example of scam emails and that the best way to teach people how to spot them is to show them the emails.

Subject: PLEASE DO REPLY..
From: williamlwcheung@fastwebmail.it
Reply To: jpwilliamcheung@yahoo.cn

Good Day To You My Friend.

It is understandable that you might be a little bit apprehensive because you do not know me but I have a lucrative business proposal of mutual interest to share with you. I got your reference in my search for someone who suits my proposed business relationship.

I am Mr. William Leung Wing Cheung a South Korean, happily married with children; i work as an Executive Director of Hang Seng Bank Ltd, Head of Personal Banking. I have a confidential business suggestion for you. I will need you to assist me in executing a business project from Hong Kong to your country. It involves the transfer of a large sum of money. Everything concerning this transaction shall be legally done without hitch. Please endeavour to observe utmost discretion in all matters concerning this issue.

Once the funds have been successfully transferred into your account, we shall share in the ratio to be agreed by both of us. I will prefer you reach me on my private email address below (jpwilliamcheung@yahoo.cn) and finally after that I shall furnish you with more information's about this operation. Should you be interested, please forward the following to me urgently:

1. Full names
2. Occupation
3. Private phone number
4. Current contact address

Please if you are not interested delete this email and do not hunt me because I am putting my career and the life of my family at stake with this venture. Although nothing ventured is nothing gained.

Your earliest response to this letter will be appreciated.

Kind Regards,

Mr William Leung Wing Cheung.JP
Hang Seng Bank Limited
Hong Kong. {Asia}
Email: - jpwilliamcheung@yahoo.cn

Scammers pretending to be US Soldiers

2010-10-07T08:01:00.000-05:00

I just got done reading an article about the increase of scams in which the scammers are pretending to be a US Soldier. Why do these scams continue to work so well? These scams play on the victims emotions.

As far as we look back at history, we can find stories of letters being sent from soldiers going to fight for their country or a cause back to someone that they care for. With the age of the internet, these letters are sent via email instead of traditional methods. Through these letters people feel connected and share stories, and the start to build trust and sometimes even deeper feelings for the other person. Now, add to this that many people want to do the right thing to help out a soldier who is fighting for our country and you add even more emotion to this stories and THAT is why they work so well.

This article does state that

The Army has received complaints from the United States, Canada, Australia, Japan, Great Britain and elsewhere, with victims reporting losses from a few thousand dollars to $28,000 in one case, Grey said. The stolen identities have primarily come from soldiers and Marines, who have been deployed in the greatest numbers.

In response, the U.S. government has issued warnings, with its embassy in London going so far as to post online examples of fraudulent military papers used in scams.

The US Army released a warning about these internet scams which includes some red flags and warning signs to look for. At Scam Victims United, we would recommend that you do not send money to anyone that you do not know personally. If the first time that you came in contact with this person is via the internet, even if you have been speaking for months, remember that you do not really KNOW this person . . . you have no way of knowing who is really on the other end of the computer screen.

Another sample letter

2010-10-06T08:40:00.000-05:00

Subject: Attention
From: FredAex@mail.com

Here is another sample of a scam email.

--------------------------------

Attention Sir/Madam,

Are you tired of seeking loans and mortgages from banks? Have you been turned
down constantly by your banks and other financial institutions due to bad credit? Are you about loosing your home due to financial constraints?Do you want to purchase a house of your choice but no finance?

The good news here is that we are now offering private loans, both secured and unsecured
loans of any amount.We offer all kinds of loans, We are certified, trust worthy, reliable,
efficient and dynamic. Unlike other investment companies, we offer our well deserved services for the least possible interest rate (3%) Our rates can be charged per annum and commences after an agreed fixed period which will be calculated as Such.
We seek interested individuals, corporations and companies who intend to utilize our service to signify their interest, kindly get back at us via email (FredAex@mail.com)

Fill this loan application form bellow if interested

1. Full Names:.........................
2. Full Contact Address:...............
3. Country of Residence:...............
4. Telephone/Mobile:...................
5. Age and Sex:........................
6. Occupation:.........................
7. Annual Income:......................
8. Amount needed as loan:..............
9. Loan Duration:......................
10. Purpose of Loan:...................

Yours Sincerely,
Mr.Fred Alex(Director)
Fred Alex Finance company.

PayPal scam

2010-10-05T08:43:00.000-05:00

I just got this email today . . . I love how they even include "warning" and safety information in the email to make it sound more real.

Companies like PayPal will never send you and email about your account like this.

Subject: Attention! Your PayPal account has been limited!
Date: 9/29/2010 5:53:41 P.M. Central Daylight Time
From: noreply@paypal.fr

Information Regarding Your account:
Dear PayPal Member:

Attention! Your PayPal account has been limited!

As part of our security measures, we regularly screen activity in the PayPal system.We recently contacted you after noticing an issue on your account.We requested information from you for the following reason:

Our system detected unusual charges to a credit card linked to your PayPal account.

Reference Number: PP-259-187-991

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THE VERDICT: HANG UP

2010-10-04T08:26:00.000-05:00

Here is a great reminder from our friends at ScamNot.org

THE VERDICT: HANG UP
Don't Fall for Jury Duty Scam

The phone rings, you pick it up, and the caller identifies himself as an officer of the court. He says you failed to report for jury duty and that a warrant is out for your arrest. You say you never received a notice. To clear it up, the caller says he'll need some information for "verification purposes"-your birth date, social security number, maybe even a credit card number.

This is when you should hang up the phone. It's a scam.

Jury scams have been around for years, but have seen a resurgence in recent months. Communities in more than a dozen states have issued public warnings about cold calls from people claiming to be court officials seeking personal information. As a rule, court officers never ask for confidential information over the phone; they generally correspond with prospective jurors via mail.

The scam's bold simplicity may be what makes it so effective. Facing the unexpected threat of arrest, victims are caught off guard and may be quick to part with some information to defuse the situation.

"They get you scared first," says a special agent in the Minneapolis field office who has heard the complaints. "They get people saying, 'Oh my gosh! I'm not a criminal. What's going on?'" That's when the scammer dangles a solution-a fine, payable by credit card that will clear up the problem.
With enough information, scammers can assume your identity and empty your bank accounts.

"It seems like a very simple scam," the agent adds. The trick is putting people on the defensive, then reeling them back in with the promise of a clean slate. "It's kind of ingenious. It's social engineering."

In recent months, communities in Florida, New York, Minnesota, Illinois, Colorado, Oregon, California, Virginia, Oklahoma, Arizona, and New Hampshire reported scams or posted warnings or press releases on their local websites. In August, the federal court system issued a warning on the scam and urged people to call their local District Court office if they receive suspicious calls. In September, the FBI issued a press release about jury scams and suggested victims also contact their local FBI field office.

In March, USA.gov, the federal government's information website, posted details about jury scams in their Frequently Asked Questions area. The site reported scores of queries on the subject from website visitors and callers seeking information.

The jury scam is a simple variation of the identity-theft ploys that have proliferated in recent years as personal information and good credit have become thieves' preferred prey, particularly on the Internet. Scammers might tap your information to make a purchase on your credit card, but could just as easily sell your information to the highest bidder on the Internet's black market.

Protecting yourself is the key: Never give out personal information when you receive an unsolicited phone call.

REMEMBER SCAMNOT.

Nigerian Cheque Fraudsters - Continued

2010-10-03T08:33:00.000-05:00

Here is a continuation of the guest blog from our friends at Cyber Crime Ops
By James Bigglesworth

INTERVIEW WITH THE VICTIM - (PART ONE)

I interviewed the potential victim over a number of days during the compilation of this article. Below is part one of our interview, which covers the initial part of the scam.

Quote:
CyberCrimeOps.COM: Hello Pat, thanks for coming to talk to us.

Pat: Hi James, glad to be here and thanks for allowing this story to to be told via your forum. I hope that many people will read and learn from it.

CyberCrimeOps.COM: You are quite welcome. Let's start with some basics; Who are you and what do you d for a living?

Pat: Sure, I'm Pat [censored], forty something guy from the Manchester area of our fair land of England. I'm a Vetinary Surgeon and have a small animals practice in [censored] that has been around since my grandfathers days.

CyberCrimeOps.COM: Great, thanks for that Pat. Tell us how you came into contact with the Nigerian fraudster.

Pat: Well, our surgery isn't doing so great, so I was in need of a quick way of earning some extra cash. I know I should not have done it, but I actually responded to a spam email in my account. It was the only one I have ever answered, and by heck the only one I ever will. I didn't actually expect to get a reply, but I did.

CyberCrimeOps.COM: What was the original email all about?

Pat: To be honest it was a bit vague, which I suppose piqued my interest. The subject was "Program employment for all", but the email address that it came from was curious "employment_deaf_govemployment_d@yahoo.co.jp". The email was very short but said it was for helping unemployed people in their free time. I guess it was cheeky of me to reply, since I have a full-time job, but I was curious. That's when this "Samuel Morcas" responded to me.

Readers may be interested to learn that the same email solicitation was received by ourselves and is posted in our Hall Of Shame forum.

CyberCrimeOps.COM: What did you find out from the reply?

Pat: Sam got back to me on the 8th June 2009, day after I first replied to him. He said that he was from New Jersey, but now in Nigeria, and that he was looking for someone to help him distribute his payroll cheques.

CyberCrimeOps.COM: Did he say how you were to do that?

Pat: Eventually, though his initial reply asked me if I have a good printer. I replied again saying I did, and basically asked him to tell me what he wanted.

CyberCrimeOps.COM: Did you get any further details when he got back to you?

Pat: Yes I sure did. Basically he wanted me to purchase some computer software which he called "verser check", and to buy paper and ink for printing of the cheques. Then he would send me a list of people to send cheques to. I would print out the cheques at home, using the special software, and send them out to the people he gave me.

CyberCrimeOps.COM: So, why do you think he couldn't do that himself?

Pat: Actually I never did ask him that, I just assumed that because he was in Nigeria it would take too long for the postal mail to get to the UK. If he was paying payroll, he wouldn't want to keep people waiting for their pay too long. He did also say that he would set up a FedEx or DHL account for me to get the cheques delivered, which I guess would be very expensive to use from Africa.

CyberCrimeOps.COM: Did you start to suspect anything was wrong with the offer?

Pat: Well yes and no really. I knew that I was talking to a spammer, but I really didn't think much about it. Looking back I was an idiot, and actually gave him my full name and postal address.

CyberCrimeOps.COM: Hindsight is a wonderful thing Pat. What happened next?

Pat: I was curious about the software he talked about so went on Google to see what I could find out. I managed to locate software called "VersaCheck" and the Ink he talked about called "VersaInk". It was American, so I wrote back and told him that it wasn't available for the UK.

The Ink is designated as Magnetic Ink Character Recognition which is used on cheques for compliance with US Federal and Canada Bank regulations.

CyberCrimeOps.COM: What did he say to that?

Pat: He seemed to accept it, and said he would send me the cheques in the postal mail. The last communication I had with him was on June 18th, 2009, about a week and a half after his original spam email.

CyberCrimeOps.COM: When did the cheques arrive?

Pat: Actually they didn't arrive, and I began to forget about it.
PRINTING AND DISTRIBUTING CHEQUES

If some unknown individual offers you some form of employment and asks you to print cheques for distribution, there is only one thing to do.

WALK AWAY!

It is accepted that a business will print their own cheques for the purpose of payroll. This seems to be what these scammers are hooking into for their illegal activities. If you are recruited online to participate in such a scheme you can guarantee that it is 100% illegal.

The abuse of payroll cheque printing appears to be centered around the USA. It is also quite common for US based cheque fraud to involve charities, or at least a stolen version of their cheques. This abuse is simply down to the Federal Laws written so badly in the USA that the Banks are protected. This protection makes the Banks act like gods, and the attitudes mean that victims of crime get the blame for what is in reality failure by the banks to protect their own customers.

I find that banks in the USA always blame the customer, and never accept any responsibility for a bad system. They won't fix it, because they are protected by Federal law, so why should they. Changing the law is the only way to change the lax and hugely arrogant banking attitudes, and we all know how quickly that is going to happen.

References and Further Reading
Hall Of Shame - Program employment for all
Wikipedia - Curiosity Killed The Cat
Wikipedia - Magnetic Ink Character Recognition

Related CyberCrimeOps.COM Articles
Cheque Fraud - The Unseen Victims
Overpayment Scams
Payment Cashing - A Mule Of A Fraud
Secret and Mystery Shopping With A Twist
Seller Beware - Are You Really Getting Paid?
You Have Won A Lottery/Sweepstake - Or Have You?

My two internet lives ~ Be SAFE!

2010-10-02T08:14:00.001-05:00

The readers of this blog know that I have my scam fighting internet life, but you might not know about my "other" internet life.

I also operate a crafting blog and, along with my husband, created the website CricutSearch.com

Now, this is where my two internet lives will collide . . .

With many of the crafting blogs that do contests and give aways they will ask people to post a comment on the blog to "enter" and to leave their email address so that they have a way to get a hold of these people to let them know that they have won. I totally understand that the blog owners/operators need a way to contact these people, but I am hoping that I can help to share a SAFER way than posting email addresses.

First, posting email addresses on the internet in response to a blog post or on an open message board is one of the things that we warn people NOT to do at ScamVictimsUnited.com. Why is that? The people that create the spam and scam "mailing lists" have programs that basically surf the net looking for email addresses. When you post your email address in a comment, on a blog or a message board you are opening the door for your name to be added to these mailing lists. This will increase the amount of spam that you get, and some of the people who operate scams and send out the spam will attach a virus to the email, so you are opening yourself up for the potential of a virus on your computer.

I know that the people running these contests need the email address to contact people, but can I suggest a SAFER way for people to do so? If in your post when you ask for email addresses, you warn people about posting email addresses and encourage them to write it like I will write mine below

admin at cricutsearch dot com
and
admin at scamvictimsunited dot com

Since these are all separate words they will NOT get picked up by the computer programs that troll sites for addresses. This allows the person to have the information that you need but also keeps them safe. And on message boards, if you are registered to the message board you should NEVER have to post your email address. All of the good message boards have a Private Message button or an Email button at the bottom of your profile which shows up on every message you post. If someone needs to get a hold of you, they can click on this button and do so, and your email address is safe from scams and spam.

If you operate a website or blog, I encourage you to review your site and make sure that you are not posting your email address in a way that can be picked up by these programs. Another way to post your email address on your own blog is to simply say "Email Me" and then make those words "clickable", just like you would if you were inserting a link, but instead of a link you are inserting an email address. I know that blogger makes it easy for you . . . when you go to insert a link there is a second check box for inserting an email address.

Also, as a blog or website operator, you can post this information to help to educate your followers and keep them safe. Ironically, October is National Cybersecurity Awareness Month, so it is the perfect time to share this message with all of your readers.

Nigerian Cheque Fraudsters

2010-10-01T08:29:00.000-05:00

I would like to share a guest blog post from my friend at Cyber Crime Ops

Nigerian Cheque Fraudsters - Truth From The Horses Mouth
By James Bigglesworth
July 9, 2009

INTRODUCTION

Some people reading this article may have heard about "The Nigerian Cheque Scam", where someone from Nigeria sends a cheque for more than the value of something that is being offered by a seller. Likewise, cheques to be "processed" as part of some employment scheme are also included in this bracket. The premise is to get the victim to cash the cheque, and send part of the proceeds somewhere else. Later the cheque bounces, leaving the victim with a large debt to pay, and possible prosecution.

The cheques are not always sent from Nigeria though. They may actually be sent from somewhere within your own country, maybe even your own state, province or county. It could be confusing to be dealing with someone who says they are an American in Nigeria, but you are in Britain, and you get a cheque post-marked London.

Ever wondered how this is done? What goes on beneath the surface? Read on to find out more.

DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME

The compilation of exchanges below have been provided to us by a potential victim of a fraud. The communications, though not totally complete, have taken place between an innocent and a Nigerian criminal. Readers are reminded that communications with criminals is hazardous to your status as a living member of society. Giving personal details to a fraudster places you, your family and your friends, in the firing line if a scammer wants retribution against you.

Whilst it is not always easy to know that person x is a fraudster before you start to communicate, anything that follows that indicates that they are a criminal should be enough to cease any further communication.

There is a saying that "Curiosity Killed The Cat" [link], and this is a warning for everyone to take heed. Our potential victim was so curious that he could very easily have been mistaken for a willing participant of an international bank fraud.

In short, DO NOT attempt to "find out what it is all about", simply walk away and do not look back.

NOVA Conference - summary

2010-09-30T08:41:00.001-05:00

I found a video the other day that shows a summary of the NOVA Conference that I attended in August. It was a wonderful event, and I want to thank NOVA for putting this on.

Non-Profits, Grants and Grant Writing

2010-09-29T08:05:00.000-05:00

In August I attended the 36th Annual NOVA Conference and one of the workshops that I attended was on Grant Writing. It was a great workshop, but I left feeling overwhelmed. While Scam Victims United is an Non-Profit, our staff is very small . . . myself, my husband and a dedicated moderator basically sums things up. I guess when we started the process to become a non-profit I thought that it would open the doors to more opportunities, and we would easily be able to find grants to support our work, but finding and getting those grants is a lot of work. Add to that the fact that all of that legal talk sounds like "blah, blah, blah" or the adults from the Charlie Brown cartoons I watched as a kid, it is an uphill battle.

For those that know me, you know that does not mean I am not going to try . . . I just needed my day to vent about how hard it sometimes feels. Thanks for listening.

More scam emails

2010-09-28T09:10:00.000-05:00

Here is another sample of a scam email

Subject: Greetings From London & Business Proposal
From: work102@virgilio.it
Reply To: archiek73@yahoo.com
To: work102@virgilio.it

Greetings,

Following the announcement by the Chancellor of the Exchequer,that all accounts that have been dormant for over 15years be transferred to the Treasury i send this mail.
I discovered a dormant account in my office, as officer in charge. It will be in my interest to transfer this fund worth 20,000,000 million British pounds in an account outside UK. If you are willing to be a collaborator/partner to this please indicate interest immediately.

Remember this is absolutely a non public affair,as i am seeking your assistance as the beneficiary of this unclaimed account, since we are not allowed to operate a foreign account,Your contact phone numbers and name will be necessary for this effect,I have reposed my confidence in you and hope that you will not disappoint me.

My Regards,
Archie Kane

What's in a name . . .

2010-09-27T09:19:00.000-05:00

I just read this interesting post by Paul Levy on the Consumer Law & Policy Blog about a company that is saturating the internet with information about protecting people from scams so that when the average person like you and I go to our search engine and run a search for that name of that company and the word scam, to see if there are any reports by others of issues with them, what is coming up is this new show that they are a part of that exposes and warns people about scams.

Here is the post by Paul Levy . . .

I reported a couple of weeks ago that Vision Media TV Group, whose scam directed at unsophisticated non-profit groups thirsting for free publicity on public TV had apparently resurfaced under a new name, World Progress Report. Since then, a few others have taken up the report (for example, Techdirt and Consumerist). More remarkable is the response from World Progress Report, which has been churning out press release after press release about series that it is supposedly preparing to show on public television (put a big asterisk after both “show” and “public television), teaching consumers how to recognize “ponzi scams,” “mortgage scams,”and “foreclosure scams.”

At first, my reaction was to think about how ironic it was that the crowd behind World Progress / Vision Media was taking credit for showing up scams. And wasn’t that cute?

But there is a more sinister explanation for this scam spam. By this new strategy, World Progress Report is loading up the search results both for its own name, and for its name combined with the word “scam,” with reports about its supposed public television programming. As a result, the information that impartial critics are calling it a scam are being buried in a welter of search results for its own self-promotion.

Con men

2010-09-26T10:56:00.000-05:00

Today on Discovery Investigation Channel you can want the true life stories of women who became involved with con-men and how they found out the truth about these men.

http://investigation.discovery.com/tv/who-the-bleep/

Women Against Con Men

2010-09-25T09:36:00.029-05:00

Today I would like to share a poem written by my friend Casey Jones, who is the founder of WAC'M, Women Against Con Men.

As a teenager, I dreamt of boys to kiss….My mother stomped her feet and said "I'll have none of this!

In my 20s, I dreamt of love and a marriage that succeeded…..What I got was a man that I was attracted to, but not what I needed.

In my 30s, I dreamt of children in my arms hugging me….What I got was lots of jet lag and lonely celibacy.

In my 40s, I dreamt of a successful career and stability….But reality set-in and I got lots of expensive therapy.

For my mother was evil and my brother a psychopath….To kill a pet or torture me, would only make them laugh.

To spend long years in counseling was in itself very hard and cruel….But I survived and promised God that I would live by the Golden Rule.

It has never quite made sense to me….If they were the sick ones----why was I in therapy?

In my 50s, I dreamt of early retirement and a home that was paid for…what I got was a con artist who came knocking at my door.

But I'm not attracted to him, to my friends, I would plead….Oh, but Casey, he's exactly what you need.

He attends church and prays at every meal…He's a doctor and will love you with such zeal.

As soon as the "I dos" were said and done…He turned from kind and loving, into a barbaric hun.

And I quickly found to my dismay…..that I was the only one with money to pay.

Congressmen, Hollywood Producers and little old me, ALL HIS VICTIMS…..He's lie and steal, then walk away completely free.

I was not aware that he'd been stealing for over 30 years….Destroying people financially and leaving them in tears.

So I kicked him out, but little did he care….. For thousands more, he thought would end up in his snare.

I searched and searched ‘til Active Warrants, I did find…..Newly determined to place the "Doctor that wasn't" in a real bind.

With the Oklahoma police, I lured him into a trap….Two detectives grabbed him in Santa Fe, his capture was a snap.

And now I'm approaching 60 and wondering how it will be. ….That I have found a new career of victim advocacy.

It pleases me, to no end on my refrigerator to see….His VERY ANGRY mug shot, sharing back at little old ME.

Employment scams

2010-09-24T09:53:00.000-05:00

With the economy the way it it, and everyone looking for a way to make some extra money, employment scams are on the rise. Here is an example of an employment scam email.

--------------------------

Attention: Please Read

I am Derick Swain, I'm a Credit/Collection Agent and I have worked with various Industries, but I work presently with some Construction and Manufacturing Company in the USA ( United State of America )and I have got 10yrs working experience.I want to employ you as my P.A (Personal Assistant) to execute my job till I return from a business trip in Spain . You don't need any Fund Collection or accounting experience to execute this job.

BELOW IS THE DUTY YOU HAVE TO TAKE UP TILL I RETURN:

1. Make some minor calls and sometime attend some short meetings and also Receive funds from my clients either by Bank
Transfer , Cashier Check, Business Check, E-Check ,Money Orders and Western Union .

2. Disburse fund to my numerous clients either by Bank Transfer Cashier Check,Business Check, Money Orders and Western Union .

I WILL PAY YOU $1,000 WEEKLY.

Benefit:10% on every funds collected and disbursed

Get back to me as soon as possible.
With Regards,
Derick Swain.
derickswain009@gala.net

emails

2010-09-23T09:42:00.000-05:00

Here is an example of a scam email that showed up in my email box

I am Mrs Sloan Letman, a devoted Christian. I am in the process of setting up a charity foundation but due to my health condition I would need somebody to help me finish it. Everything is available including finance. So please reply to my email address for more details: idara11@hosanna.net

The way life should be!

2010-09-22T09:12:00.000-05:00

This video has been passed around the internet, but I feel that it is a wonderful reminder of how life SHOULD be.

Now, some people would say that is great, but it is just a story that was made up by someone cause a stir on the internet. No . . . that is not true . . . here is the HOME VIDEO of the actual game that this happened at

Again, this is how life should be . . . people doing what is right, just because it is RIGHT and not because there is some loophole that can benefit them.

Scams and Trying to Educate People

2010-09-21T07:31:00.000-05:00

I had a former co-worker email me the other day and she told me she was reading her Homemade Simple Magazine, and saw my name in it.

While I was VERY happy to see this article about scams, since this helps to educate people to what is going on, I was disappointed to see that some of the facts were not accurate. Here is a portion of the article that is speaking about how to verify the status of a cashier's check . . .

To find out a check’s status, call your bank twice (talk to two different workers in case one doesn't understand the process) to verify that the check has been fully processed. Otherwise you lose the money if the check is a fake.

This would not be accurate. In the case of our story, I spoke with two different bank employees BEFORE I withdrew the money from the account, and both of them told me that the check was "good", "clear", "verified", "funds were available" and that I "had nothing to worry about". Once we found out the check was counterfeit and were dealing with the bank's loss prevention department we asked them the same question, and we had two different people from THAT department tell us that "a cashier's check is verified as good within 24 hours". These people in the loss prevention department knew what had happened to us, yet they were still giving us the same inaccurate information.

The ONLY real way to find out if the check is counterfeit or not is to call the bank that is listed on the check as the issuing bank. Also, you cannot trust the phone number listed on the check. The scammers have gotten smart and have started altering those also so that they go to one of the people within their group who will tell you that the check is good. You need to do a Google search to find the official website of the issuing bank, or the Yellow Pages listing for that bank, and then call that phone number.

The advice from this article in regards to counterfeit cashier's checks would not save anyone from becoming a victim of these types of scams. It is sad, because the point of the article was to show real world situations that the everyday person could become involved in, and how they can be aware and protect themselves from these scams.

It looks like we still have a LOT of education to do, especially to the people that are trying to help educate the average American.

College Shortcuts - Know When To Take The Long Way

2010-09-19T09:22:00.001-05:00

Today we have a guest blog from Stephen with http://www.economiccrisisblog.com/

When it comes to college, everyone is looking for the shortcuts. Everyone wants a degree as fast as they can. While there are certainly plans and programs in place that will help you get the degree you want, and quickly, that doesn’t mean you should be looking for the quick way through everything. Here are six things about college you should take your time with.

1. Pick a School – You can get a good education anywhere, but there are schools that are better suited for you than others. You have to factor in decisions like where you will live and work. Does the school have the program you want? Can you afford it? Is it a legitimate institute of higher learning? These days, potential students have to keep an eye out for scams such as Diploma Mills, which will just take your money and offer no accredited education. On the other hand, some students go to a school where a friend attends, and wind up wasting money and time. Think and make the right choice.

2. Picking a Major – Getting through school is tough enough when you know what you want to do. But getting through college when you don’t know why you are there is downright impossible. Don’t rush to pick a major. You will only end up wasting credit hours on something you don’t want in the first place and it’s only going to increase the time you spend in school. Be smart and pick the major that is right for you and make the rest of your college life easy.

3. Financial Aid – This seems cut and dry, but financial aid and student loans are anything but simple. Make sure you are reading over everything and know exactly what you are getting into. Don’t sign for a loan and then later find out the interest rate will put you in the poor house. Be careful what you sign up for because it will follow you and make college very unpleasant.

4. Picking Classes – It’s easy enough to go online and pick four classes, but are those classes the right four classes for your major? This is where it’s essential that you take your time and look over your requirements to make sure that every class you want to take is going to help you get your major.

5. Take Majors In Class – Distance learning is great to accommodate a busy lifestyle. But when it comes to your major classes, it’s best that your classes are taken in the class room. These courses have to do with the rest of your life. Don’t miss the valuable hands-on time and lecture time with the teacher.

6. Picking A Roommate – This may not be possible in your freshman year, as most college freshman are paired up with someone, but if you have the option to pick a roommate at anytime give it a lot of thought. Just because you are good friends with someone doesn’t mean you would make a good roommate for that person. If you end up with a terrible roommate you may just end up having the worst year of your college life.

Keep these six ideas in mind during your college career for the most enjoyable experience. Take your time and enjoy this time in your life!

Be sure to check out http://www.economiccrisisblog.com/

The little guy

2010-09-17T09:46:00.000-05:00

If you know me, you know I am all for the little guy being able to stand up and tell big corporations "That's not right!" I get very frustrated when I see companies doing things that are morally wrong, and only doing them because they know they have so many lawyers that the little guy will not be able to afford to fight them in court for with is right.

My good friend Denise Richardson recently wrote this article about the fact that the Supreme Court with be making a ruling in November that could change class-action lawsuits. Here is a portion of her article . . .

Sometimes a class-action lawsuit is the only way to force a corporation to assume its corporate responsibility. Access to the justice system and a fair shake under the law are the little guys’ safety nets. Without the threat of a lawsuit, corporations can engage in negligence or recklessness, and the consumer will have little to say in his own defense. Which is why AT&T Mobility v. Concepcion, the case coming up in the Supreme Court this November, has got my attention and should have yours.

In this case, the Court will decide whether the Federal Arbitration Act preempts state-law rulings that class-action bans are unconscionable. They will decide “whether corporations can ban class actions in the fine print of their contracts with consumers and employees.

There is a petition you can sign letting them know that you are against forced arbitration and feel the consumer should continue to have the right to class-action lawsuits at http://www.fairarbitrationnow.org/

Minnesota Victims

2010-09-16T09:08:00.000-05:00

I am looking for victims of internet crimes in Minnesota who would be willing to share their story with City Pages. If you do not want your name printed, they are willing to respect that.

If you are a victim of any type of internet crime, I encourage you to come forward and share your story. I know it is not easy . . . I am a scam victim also . . . but I do know how rewarding it is to know that you have helped save others from being a scam victim because your story gave them the information to protect themselves.

If you are interested, you can contact me through http://www.retaggr.com/page/ShawnMosch

Emails from your email provider . . . or are they

2010-09-15T09:25:00.000-05:00

Have you ever been without your email, and felt totally unconnected to the world. You could be missing some important information, and it is all because you cannot get into your account.

A popular scam right now preys on that fear people have of not being able to get at their email accounts, and to make these scams work the scammers make it look like the emails are coming from your email provider. The emails will tell you that you have exceeded your mailbox quota or that someone has attempted to access your email account. Either way, the email then asks for you to update your information within a set amount of time or your email account with be closed permanently.

If there ever was a real problem with your email account, your provider would not send you an email about it, and they would not set a time limit on when you have to respond by. Not everyone checks their email daily, or even weekly, so if they are telling you to complete the task by a set date they are doing it to scare you into moving fast, without looking into things first.

If you do get an email like this, and you are worried that there really COULD be a problem with your email account, call the customer service number for your email provider . . . but do not call any customer service numbers listed in the email . . . those will be fake also. Use a search engine to look up the customer service number so that you know for sure that you are contacting the right people to check on your account.

Just need to vent

2010-09-10T17:50:00.000-05:00

I just read the press release at http://www.fbi.gov/page2/september10/creativity_091010.html and while it is great that there is so much attention to crack down on hackers and people sending out viruses to computers, what about scam victims!

The last paragraph of the press release reads

As the Internet and advances in traditional distribution methods allow
American businesses, inventors, and artists to market their “products”
worldwide, the threat from criminals and criminal organizations who want to
profit illegally from their hard work grows. But so does the commitment of law
enforcement and governments around the world to find new and effective ways to
combat the threat…together.

So how about finding new and effective ways to combat counterfeit cashier's check scams! We at Scam Victims United have been trying to bring attention to that battle since 2002 . . . actually, in a few weeks it will be the 8 year anniversary of the start of our battle to bring attention to this issue. I wish someone would pay attention to our battle.

FTC Halts Cross Border Domain Name Registration Scam

2010-09-08T19:50:00.000-05:00

I was glad to see this press release from the FTC, because as the Co-Founder of a non-profit I have seen the letters that companies like this send out, and how real some of them look, so I can see how some people would believe that they must really pay the fees that these people are asking for.

Read the press release to understand what I am talking about . . .

Thousands of Small Businesses and Non-profits Billed for Bogus Renewal Fees

The Federal Trade Commission has permanently halted the operations of Canadian con artists who allegedly posed as domain name registrars and convinced thousands of U.S. consumers, small businesses and non-profit organizations to pay bogus bills by leading them to believe they would lose their Web site addresses unless they paid. Settlement and default judgment orders signed by the court will bar the deceptive practices in the future.

In June 2008, the FTC charged Toronto-based Internet Listing Service with sending fake invoices to small businesses and others, listing the existing domain name of the consumer’s Web site or a slight variation on the domain name, such as substituting “.org” for “.com.” The invoices appeared to come from the businesses’ existing domain name registrar and instructed them to pay for an annual “WEBSITE ADDRESS LISTING.” The invoices also claimed to include a search engine optimization service. Most consumers who received the “invoices” were led to believe that they had to pay them to maintain their registrations of domain names. Other consumers were induced to pay based on Internet Listing Service’s claims that its “Search Optimization” service would “direct mass traffic” to their sites and that their “proven search engine listing service” would result in “a substantial increase in traffic.”

The FTC’s complaint charged that most consumers who paid the defendants’ invoices did not receive any domain name registration services and that the “search optimization” service did not result in increased traffic to the consumers’ Web sites.

A federal district court judge in Chicago, Robert M. Dow, Jr., ordered a temporary halt to the deceptive claims and froze the defendants’ assets, pending trial. The settlement and default judgment orders announced today end that litigation.

The orders bar the defendants from misrepresenting: that they have a preexisting business relationship with consumers; that consumers owe them money; that they will provide domain name registration; and that they will provide “search optimization services” that will substantially increase traffic to consumers’ Web sites. The defendants are also required to disclose any material restrictions or aspects of any goods or services they provide.

The settlement order, entered against defendants Isaac Benlolo, Kirk Mulveney, Pearl Keslassy, and 1646153 Ontario Inc., includes a suspended judgment of $4,261,876, the total amount of consumer injury caused by the illegal activities. Based on the inability of the settling defendants to pay, they will turn over $10,000 to satisfy the judgment. The default judgment order was entered against defendant Steven E. Dale and includes a judgment in the amount of $4,261,876.

Charges against Ari Balabanian and Data Business Solutions were dismissed by the court at the FTC’s request.

NOTE: Stipulated orders are for settlement purposes only and do not necessarily constitute an admission by the defendants of a law violation. Stipulated orders have the full force of law when signed by the judge.
The Federal Trade Commission works for the consumer to prevent fraudulent, deceptive, and unfair business practices and to provide information to help spot, stop, and avoid them. To file a complaint in English or Spanish, click http://www.ftccomplaintassistant.gov or call 1-877-382-4357. The FTC enters Internet, telemarketing, identity theft, and other fraud-related complaints into Consumer Sentinel, a secure, online database available to more than 1,800 civil and criminal law enforcement agencies in the U.S. and abroad. For free information on a variety of consumer topics, click http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/consumer.shtm.

Insurance Fraud

2010-09-06T18:42:00.000-05:00

It is sad that stories like this one even exist. Recently, several people were conviced scam involving phony life insurance policy claims. Some of these people had experinece with funerals, death certificates and filing insurance claims. When they joined forces, they were able to use all of this knowledge to defraud companies out of $1.2 million.

To read the entire article, go to
http://www.fbi.gov/page2/september10/fraud_090310.html

For more information on insurance fraud, visit http://www.insurancefraud.org/

NOVA - National Organization for Victims Assistance

2010-09-02T13:11:00.000-05:00

I wanted to thank NOVA for the wonderful conference that they put on in Salt Lake City, Utah August 22nd through August 25th, and for having me as a presentor for one of the workshops. My co-presentor was Denise Richardson of GiveMeBackMyCredit.com

Not only did Denise and I get the chance to share our personal stories of how we went from victim to Victims Advocate, we attended several other presentations and were able to meet some amazing people, and I will be sharing that information with you in the upcoming days.

Work at home scams

2010-08-30T08:43:00.000-05:00

Work at home scams

The ads are everywhere, on the Internet, in the mail, posted on trees or at the local grocery store, telling you that you can work at home making money typing on your computer, or stuffing envelopes. All you have to do is send in a start up fee and they will send you all of the supplies.

When the supplies arrive they are not forms to type up, or envelopes to stuff. It is a packet of information that tells you how to place ads to recruit others to do the same thing. Some people just lose the initial start up fee, and those who try and make it work will most likely end up losing more than they make.

How to Protect Yourself

If the company is legitimate, they will ask you to come in for an interview and hire you.
If you have any doubts, check with the National Fraud Information Center, the Federal Trade Commission, and the BBB.

Victims - Tell your story!

2010-08-26T20:13:00.001-05:00

I will OFTEN get requests from media people for victims to share their story (on radio, tv or in print). If you are a victim who would be willing to share your story, please contact me via email with your name, state you live in, and the type of scam you were a victim of (counterfeit check, romance, roommate, credit card fraud, 419, ID theft, etc.)

This can be a wonderful way for you to share your story and help to warn and educate other people about scams!

You can also find me at http://www.retaggr.com/page/ShawnMosch

LifeLock Receives Top 10 Ranking on Inc. Magazine’s Inc. 500 List

2010-08-24T18:48:00.000-05:00

I think that it is wonderful to see a company that is doing something to help protect people get awarded and recognized for the things they are doing. That is why I was happy to see this press release.

Identity Theft Protection Leader Ranks 8^th As One of Nation’s Fastest-Growing Private Companies

TEMPE, Ariz.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Inc. magazine today ranked LifeLock (www.lifelock.com), an industry leader in proactive identity theft protection, eighth on its 29^th Annual Inc. 500 List, an exclusive ranking of the nation’s fastest-growing private companies. In addition, LifeLock is recognized as No. 1 in the Inc. 500’s Security category. The list represents the most comprehensive look at the most important segment of the economy—America’s independent-minded entrepreneurs. Companies such as Microsoft, Visa, Zappos, Go Daddy, Under Armour, Jamba Juice, American Apparel, Oracle and hundreds of other powerhouses gained early exposure as members of the Inc. 500.

“This is an enormous milestone in the history of our organization”

“This is an enormous milestone in the history of our organization,” said Todd Davis, LifeLock Chairman and CEO. “I truly see this recognition as a testament to our employees’ never ending commitment to provide consumers with the means necessary to help fight the fast growing crime of identity theft. Despite a down economy, the pressure of creating an industry and unwanted distractions, we have been able to stay focused on our overall mission and deliver the most innovative products and world-class customer service.”

The 2010 Inc. 500 measures revenue growth from 2006 through 2009; LifeLock’s growth was more than 11,474 percent. To qualify, companies must have been founded and generating revenue by the first week of 2006, and therefore able to show four full calendar years of sales. Additionally, they had to be U.S. based, privately held, for profit and independent—not subsidiaries or divisions of other companies—as of December 31, 2009. The minimum revenue required for 2006 was $100,000; the minimum for 2009 was $2 million. Of the top 10 ranked companies, LifeLock’s 2009 revenue ranked third with $131.4 million.

In the 29-year history of the Inc. 500 list, there have been only two other Arizona companies ranked higher than LifeLock. In 1992, Insight Direct was ranked fifth, and in 1983, Forever Living Products was ranked sixth. The Go Daddy Group also had a ranking of eighth in 2004.

According to a study released August 12, 2010, by ID Analytics, a leader in consumer risk management, more than 20 million Americans have multiple Social Security numbers (SSNs) associated with their name in commercial records. The research shows that SSNs may not uniquely identify an individual, and organizations can expose themselves and their customers to risk if they solely rely on the SSN to verify an individual. Proactive identity theft protection can help combat the crime and protect the good name of consumers whose personal information could already be readily available to criminals. LifeLock works relentlessly to help protect its members from identity theft before it happens.

Lottery Scam

2010-08-24T08:41:00.001-05:00

A typical Lottery or Sweepstakes Scam begins with an email telling you that you have won a large amount of money, and giving you the name of a contact person or agent that you are supposed to work with in order to claim your money. The “lottery winner” will be told that they need to pay a processing fee in order to claim their winnings. For some, these scams become an addiction much like gambling. There is the promise of a large amount of money, and it feels like it is so close, that they continue to send the “agent” more and more money to cover all of the fictional fees and transfer charges.

In other variations, the “winner” will receive a check from the fake lottery agent. They will be told that the check is a partial payment on their winnings, and that to receive the remainder of the winnings they must cash the check and wire a portion of that check, for fees or charges, to the agent. From here, this variation follows the path of a typical Counterfeit Cashier’s Check Scam. The scam victim takes the check to the bank, deposits it and waits for the bank to tell them that the check is clear. Once they believe that the check is clear and has been verified as legitimate, the scam victim then wires the “fees” on to the agent. In about a week, the scam victim is contacted by their bank and told that the check is counterfeit and that they must return the money and are fully liable for the entire amount of the check.

The website http://www.thinkjessica.com/stories/jessica.htm tells the story of a victim of one of these scams.

ATM Scams

2010-08-21T08:39:00.000-05:00

The FBI and police across the country are seeing cases of people having their entire bank accounts drained in ATM scams. The criminals will attach a face plate onto an existing ATM machine over the slot that you would swipe your card through. The face plate will record your account and pin number, and the scammers will just have to retrieve that information later.

In another version, the face plate covers the entire screen of the ATM. They will sometimes even create a sign that says that "We are testing out a new system, so your screen options may have changed" so that you are not quite as alarmed when the machine does not work like it should. When you enter your PIN number, the ATM will appear to reject and "eat" your card. The scammers will later come and retrieve both your card, and the PIN number you entered on their fake touch screen

How to Protect Yourself

If you notice that the ATM machine looks different than the last time you were at it, do not use it.
Run your finger along the card slot before you swipe the card. If you feel little prongs. which is how the scammers get the card back out, then do not use that ATM.
Use the ATM machines in bank lobbies. These are less likely to be targeted by scammers.

Facebook "Dislike Button" Scam

2010-08-19T09:46:00.014-05:00

If you are on Facebook you have seen the "Like" button underneath users's post, which is a cute way to let people know that you agree with or "like" what they said, without having to post a comment. For years, people have been saying that they should also have a "Dislike" button, so many Facebook users eagerly download a recent program that said it loaded the new "Dislike" button to your profile.

This program will ask you to download an application, which then brings up several surveys asking for personal information, and in the end you do get a "Dislike" button but you are also automatically signed up for a $5 per month cell phone charge.

Old-School Scams We Still Fall For

2010-08-18T08:39:00.000-05:00

Why do people still fall for the same old scams? This article touches on that topic.
Old-School Scams We Still Fall For | Credit/Debt | Money/Investing | Mainstreet

Here is the thing, the scams are "the same old thing" to those of us who KNOW about them . . . to everyone else they are new and that is part of the reason that people believe the stories that they hear. Why do scammers re-use the same old scams? The same reason that some television channels play re-runs of old television shows . . . there is someone out there that has not seen/heard it before, so it is new to them . . . and THOSE are the people that they can suck into their scam.

Ponzi Schemes

2010-08-15T14:31:00.000-05:00

Are you interested in knowing

- What a Ponzi scheme is
- What you should look for to detect possible Ponzi activity
- Why some banks have been charged with "aiding and abetting" the accused Ponzi perpetrators
- What should I do when a Ponzi scheme is suspected

Then you should join Bank Law Stuff for their webinar on Ponzi Schemes on September 21st.

Top 10 Passwords You Should Never Use

2010-08-09T08:44:00.000-05:00

We all know that we should not use our name, birthdate, pet's name or other information that can easily be found out by others as our password. So, what are some of the most common usernames and passwords used? You would be surprised.

A recent article Top 10 Passwords You Should Never Use talks about this topic.

The top 10 most common passwords:
1. Your user name
2. Your user name followed by 123
3. 123456
4. password
5. 1234
6. 12345
7. passwd
8. 123
9. test
10. 1

Closing the door on Child Identity Theft

2010-08-05T07:02:00.000-05:00

Just the other day I did a blog about how children are becoming the victims of Identity Theft, and now today I find another email on this topic in my email box from the Identity Theft Resource Center.

Years ago, the Identity Theft Resource Center envisioned a simple solution to this problem. It is called the Minors 17-10 Database and ITRC has been talking with various government entities and legislators about this concept since July 2005. With the growing popularity of so-called “credit protection numbers”, “credit privacy numbers (CPN)”, and now “secondary credit numbers” being sold online, this issue has become more urgent. These dormant Social Security numbers, being sold as CPNs, frequently were issued to children. The crime, identity theft, most likely will not be discovered until the teen reaches adulthood.

I am sure that we will here more on this topic.

Could your child become a victim of Identity Theft?

2010-08-03T21:03:00.000-05:00

One of the golden rules of the world we live in today is to protect your Social Security number in order to protect yourself from becoming a victim of Identity Theft. But what about your children's social security numbers? I know that I have them in a safe spot, and have not really even thought about them until reading this article.

Hundreds of online businesses are using computers to find dormant Social Security numbers — usually those assigned to children who don't use them — then selling those numbers under another name to help people establish phony credit and run up huge debts they will never pay off.

Experts say the fraud will be difficult to stop because it's so easily concealed and targets such vulnerable people. Other than checking with the credit bureaus to see if there is a credit file associated with your child's Social Security number, spokesmen at FICO, the Social Security Administration and the FTC said there are no specific tools for safeguarding the number.

"This is an invisible crime, with invisible victims who don't have enough support out there to help them," said Linda Foley of the ID Theft Resource Center in San Diego.

Scams - Helping the Rich Get Richer

2010-07-31T06:47:00.000-05:00

Stories like the one about Billionaire brothers Samuel and Charles Wyly are becoming more common place, and to me that is a sad reflection of the world we live in. If you have not read the story on these two, let me summarize . . . they are already billionaire business men from being a part of large and recognizable companies such as Bonanza Steakhouse, Michaels craft stores and Green Mountain Energy . . . you would think that they have enough money, right? I guess not. They are being charged with orchestrating a fraud scheme that brought in $550 million!

The cloak of secrecy has been lifted from the complex web of foreign structures used by the Wylys to evade the securities laws," said Lorin L. Reisner, Deputy Director of the SEC's Division of Enforcement. "They used these structures to conceal hundreds of millions of dollars of gains in violation of the disclosure requirements for corporate insiders.

Another note, Samuel Wyly has a book called 1,000 Dollars and an Idea: Entrepreneur to Billionaire in which he talks about his rise from a country boy to a billionaire. I wonder what chapter he covers how to run a million dollar fraud scheme?