Date Scam

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.

Another sample letter

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

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

This is the Last reminder to log in to PayPal as soon as possible. Once you log in, you will be provided with steps to restore your account access.

Once you log in, you will be provided with steps to restore your account access. We appreciate your understanding as we work to ensure account safety.

Click here to activate your account




We thank you for your prompt attention to this matter. Please understand that this is a security measure intended to help protect you and your account. We apologise for any inconvenience..

Sincerely,
PayPal Account Review Department

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


Copyright © 1999-2010 PayPal. All rights reserved. PayPal Ltd. PayPal FSA Register Number: 226056.


PayPal Email ID PP059
Protect Your Account Info
Make sure you never provide your password to fraudulent websites.

To safely and securely access the PayPal website or your account, open a new web browser (e.g. Internet Explorer or Netscape) and type in the PayPal login page (http://paypal.com/) to be sure you are on the real PayPal site.

For more information on protecting yourself from fraud, please review our Security Tips at https://www.paypal.com/us/securitytips


Protect Your Password
You should never give your PayPal password to anyone.

More scam emails

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

Another sample letter

STANDARD CHARTERED BANK OF GHANA,
ACCRA GHANA.

Hello Sir/Madam,

My name is Mr Aziz Mostaf I am the regional manager of Standard Chartered Bank of Ghana Tarkwa branch in the western region of Ghana . I came to know you in my Private Search for a reliable and reputable person to handle this confidential transaction. I write you this proposal in good faith.

I have packaged a financial transaction that will benefit you and me, as the regional manager of the Standard Chartered Bank it is my duty to send in a financial report to my head office in the capital city Accra at the end of each business year. On the course of 2009 business report, I discovered that my branch in which I am the manager made Six million eigth hundred and fifty thousand united state dollars ($6,850,000.00)which my head office are not aware of and will never be aware of. I have placed this funds on what we call escrow call account with no beneficiary. As an officer of this bank I cannot be directly connected to this money, so my aim of contacting you is to assist me receive this money in your bank account and get 30% of the total funds as commission.

There are practically no risks involved, it will be a bank-to-bank transfer and all I need from you is to stand and claim as the original depositor of these funds as who made the deposit with my branch so that my head office can order the transfer to your designated bank account. If you accept this offer to work with me, and you find this proposal Suitable for you do furnish me with the following information.

Full
Name.....................................................................................
Contact
Address..................................................................................
Private Telephone
Number...................................................................................

Age......................................................................................
Occupation and
Position.................................................................................
I will appreciate it very much, If this proposal is acceptable by you, do not make undue advantage of the trust I have bestowed on you, and I assure you we can achieve it successfully.

Thank you in advance and May God bless you and your family. you may reach me on my email

I WILL APPRECIATE YOUR URGENT AND KIND RESPONSE ASAP,

Mr Aziz Mostaf

Sample of a scam email

FROM: MR.LEE PING
(Executive Director & Chief financial Officer) Hang Seng Bank Limited
83 Des Voeux Road, Central
Hong Kong SAR

FOR YOUR ATTENTION

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. Lee Ping Executive Director & Chief financial Officer of Hang Seng Bank Ltd.
I have an obscured 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
(leepinng@aim.com) and finally after that I shall furnish you with more information’s about this operation.

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.Lee Ping

I am dying . . .

Here is an email that showed up in my spam folder.

From: jamesbradley08@web.de

To: jamesbradley@web.de

From: James Bradley

Reply to: jamesbradley04@gmail.com

Hi, my name is James Bradley from Sydney, Australia, I am an E.C. patient, and presently hospitalized, my doctor says I have a few months to live, and I desire to stay within the confinement of my hospital room and live out my last days on earth quietly. I asked that my hospital room be equipped with a laptop so that I can take care of some outstanding issues. One of which is my desire to donate a sizable amount of money to cancer research institutes and other deserving charity organizations, so I decided to go online and find some one remotely afar who can receive the funds from where it is presently deposited, and assist me in disbursing the funds to cancer research institutes and other deserving charity organizations. By the way the full meaning of (E.C.) is Esophageal Cancer, and don't mind the time taken from your busy schedule to work with me on this sole act of charity, because you will surely be compensated.

Indicate your wiliness to assist me by sending an email to my private email box (jamesbradley04@gmail.com) by doing so I will be able to send you more details.

Kind Regards,

James Bradley

This is an angle that many scammers use . . . they play on a person's sense of kindness and wanting to do the right thing . . . helping a man fulfill his dying wish by assisting him in donating his money to a charity.  If it were true, it would be a very kind gesture.  Here are some of the tips that it is not real.

1. The use of several different email addresses between the from, reply to and the address within the email.  Scammers use multiple emails addresses because they may be spoofing a real address, because their email accounts get turned off once reported for spam so they need a back up, or because of the way their "ring" works . . . one person could be sending all of the emails while a totally different person works the scams once the victim is hooked in, and that second person is the one on the receiving end of the reply to address.
2. He says that he only has a few days to live, but he is using it to email strangers?  How does he even know you will see this email before he dies?  Some people don't check email daily, like I do.
3. If a person truly wanted to donate all of their money to charity, they could easily contact the charity directly to set up this donation.  They would not need the help of a third party stranger to do this.

Compensation for Scam Victims

Don't get too excited thinking that I am going to share with you the secret to recovering money that you lost to a scam. Nope . . . it is just the title for the scam email that I want to share with you this week.

From: dr.jfisher55@gmail.com;

COMPENSATION AWARD FOR SCAM VICTIMS

Hello,

I'm Dr. John Fisher... ed. T.H.Turner (London, 1855), Coll. No. *VIII, II, 263-272. 10) - Erasmus, Ep., I, 415, I'm 51yrs Old. I'm one of those that took part in the Compensation in awards many years ago and they refused to pay me, I had paid over $18,000 while in the London, trying to get my payment all to no avail.

So I decided to travel down to the Compensation and lottery company with all my compensation documents, And I was directed to meet Mr. Larry Gold, who is the member of COMPENSATION AWARD AUTHORITY and a Human Rights Activist (Lawyer), and I contacted him and he explained everything to me. He said whoever is contacting us through emails are fake.

He took me to the paying bank for the claim of my Compensation payment. Right now I'm the most happiest man on earth because I have received my compensation funds amounteing to $750,000 Moreover, Mr. Larry Gold, showed me the full information of those that are yet to receive their payments and I saw your email as one of the scam victims, that is why I decided to email you to stop dealing with those people, they are not with your fund, they are only making money out of you. I will advise you to contact Mr. Larry Gold

You have to contact him directly on this information below.

COMPENSATION AWARD AUTHORITY

Name : Mr. Larry Gold (Barrister)
Email: barristerlarrygold@lawyer.com
Telephone: +8613925551141

You really have to stop dealing with those people that are contacting you and telling you that your fund is with them, it is not in anyway with them, they are only taking advantage of you and they will dry you up until you have nothing.

The only money I paid after I met Mr. Larry Gold was just $350 USD for the paper works, take note of that.

Thank You and Be Blessed.

Dr. John Fisher... ed. T.H.Turner (London, 1855),
Coll. No. *VIII, II, 263-272. 10) - Erasmus,
Ep. Education: BS, Business Administration


dr.jfisher52@gmail.com

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

So how do we know this is a scam? If there really was a way to recover the money lost in a scam the information would be all over the news and on every government website so that all scam victims could contact the correct people and recover their money.

Second, a Google search of the phone number shows that it is listed on MANY scam fighting sites, and that it is a phone number from China. Strange . . . the person in this email claims to be in London.

He even tries to tell you that you need to stop listening to the scammers because they will only lie to you and drain your funds . . . this is the only truthful thing in this email.

Hiding behind the email

You just got an email and it looks like it is really from a local business or organization that you know. Is it possible that it could be from a scammer? The answer is yes. Scammers use a technique called spoofing to do this.

What is spoofing? Well, if you want to go and read the technical definition of it, you can go here, but for those of you who are like me and some of the technical talk starts to sound like "blah, blah, blah" here are the spoofing basics.

Spoofing is when the person who sent the email makes it appear like the email cam from a different email address. One of the clues would be if the From line in the email has a different address than the Reply To line of the email.

Why would anyone want to do this? Well, the scammers take on many different profiles, and since they are trying to gain your trust, and your money, they have to make it LOOK like they really are who they say that they are. If they can spoof an email address of a well know business, and in their email they say they are with that business, there are some people who are not as internet savvy that will believe that the scammer is really who they say they are or associated with the company they claim to be with simply because the email address appears to be from that company.

Email spoofing is a common tool used by internet scammers, since it allows them to hide behind the identity of another person or company.

It starts with an email

Here is a typical email that could show up in your inbox and start you down the path of becoming a scam victim if you don't know what to look for.

Subject: You Have A Package

From: Brenda.Kellen@marshall.k12.mn.us

Reply To: info@fedexdelivery.com

You have a bank draft of $580,000.00 USD , which await the outstanding payment of $95.00 Contact our dispatch unit for dispatch immediately. Contact person: Mr. Celin Smith, Email: fdexcourierdeliveryltd01@gmx.com  Tell: +234 807 363 6733

How do I know that this is a scam from just this small amount of information? Let me show you.

First, they tell you that you have a large amount of money just sitting there waiting for you, and all you have to do is just send them some money and they can release these funds to you.  This is used in inheritance and lottery scams on a regular basis.  If you really did have a large amount of money owed to you, and the only thing holding that money from getting to you was some sort of payment, they could take that payment from the amount owed and just send you your money.

Second, there are WAY too many email addresses going on in this email.  There is the one in the From line, which is probably spoofed or this person could have had their email account hacked into.  We will talk about spoofing and hacking later on this week.  Then there is a different email address in the Reply To line, which includes the term FedEx, but is not a legitimate FedEx extension . . . a simple Google search verified this.  Then, within the email there is a third email address, again with terms referring to FedEx, but if you look they are on the front part of the email address, the part after the @ is from gmx.com which is a free email service.  With free email services the person setting up the account has full control over the letter that appear before the @ in the email address.  I could go and create one right now that said WaltDisney@(insert free email service here) but that does not mean that the people who I am emailing are getting emails from Walt Disney.

Third, look at the phone number provided . . . Tell: +234 807 363 6733 . . . that is WAY too many numbers to be a United States phone number.  Another Google search tells me that 234 phone numbers are from Nigeria, and Nigeria is the number one country of these types of scams.

So what have we learned today?  Google is our friend, look at the email address and see if it is a free email service, and check your phone numbers.

Phishing scams

re-posted from The Informant, the blog of the National White Collar Crime Center


In recent years, a large number of computer users have wised up to the cons and come-ons of Internet thieves.  Most recognize the “we’ve found a problem with your bank account” and “you’ve won the lottery” ploys as standard tools of the criminal trade.  The “Danger” sign went up and people knew to stay away.  But a surprising number still haven’t gotten the message.

While it’s impossible to know just how many phishing emails are successful, a published report puts the number at between 1 and 5%.  That may not sound like a lot but when you consider the tens of thousands of spam emails that constitute a typical phishing campaign, the success rate is staggering. 

Phishers have learned to adapt to the ever-changing Internet landscape.  In addition to making their products increasingly more sophisticated, they “personalize” their emails using social engineering techniques.  By adding the recipient's name, professional affiliations and other personal information (most of which is available via open searches), phishers can disarm otherwise savvy consumers and trick them into providing their personally identifiable information (PII). That veil of legitimacy is the scammer’s secret weapon.  Without it, most people would probably just reach for the delete key.

------

This is why we at Scam Victims United  always tell people that if you get an email that says it is from a company that you do business with, call that business through their customer service number, which can be found on a statement or bill that you have from them . . . don't click on the link in the email.

SuspectedScammers.com

I wanted to introduce you to the site http://www.suspectedscammers.com, which was started after the founders had an encounter with a Craigslist scammer. The allow you to enter the email address of the person that scammed you, and then others can come and search that database.

While we all know that the database will never be complete and totally up to date, because scammers change their email addresses faster than some people change their socks, this is another resource that people can tap into.

Remember, just because the email address of the person that you are dealing with is NOT on this site, that does not mean that they are not a scammer . . . it just means no one has reported them yet. If the situation that they want you to enter into involves a cashier's check, money order or traveler's check and wiring money then it is a scam for sure.

Shawn Mosch
Co-Founder of ScamVictimsUnited.com
There is strength in numbers!

Find us on Twitter, Facebook and more through
http://www.retaggr.com/page/ShawnMosch

Support Scam Victims United by shopping at
http://shopittous.blogspot.com/

Make money FAST!

Now that I have your attention, if you ever see a commercial that tells you that you can make money fast, easy or with no work, please only continue to watch that commercial to laugh at it.

This morning my husband and I turned on the television, and the channel it was on just happened to be in the middle of one of these types of commercials. It was for Jeff Paul's Shortcuts to Internet Millions. In the commercial there are two women who are interviewing people who have used the program and are making tons of money. Some are making thousands of dollars a week, and one man even showed a check for thousands of dollars that was supposed to be for one day pay.

And how much does it cost you to get the information to do this yourself? Normally it would cost over $40, but if you call now it will only cost $19.95.

They claim that they will set you up with one of their ready to go websites in just a few clicks of a mouse, and you will be ready to start making money. I said to my husband, if this guy has all of these "ready to go websites" for people to pick from and they just have to put them out on the internet to start making money, why doesn't THIS GUY just launch the sites and make the money himself? According to him, you can make thousands of dollars a week of the websites, but he is only making $20 a person for selling the websites off so it just does not make sense.

If you do a google search on Jeff Paul or Jeff Paul's Shortcuts to Internet Millions you can find TONS of comments from people who have tried the program, and none of them are making any money with it. Also, from what I have found, it sounds like getting your money back or canceling the program is difficult to do. There are posts that say that people were charged monthly fees, which is something that is not mentioned on the commercial, and some people even had to cancel their credit card to get the monthly payments to stop.

Some people might say, "Okay . . . so the first $20 gets me the CDs that tell me a little about the program, but the membership gets me into the websites that make the money . . . I am fine with that." Well, from what I have read the websites are the sites that sell all of those e-books that tell you how to make money. Without joining it myself and really trying the system, it sounds a lot like the old pyramid schemes where they sell you the program to teach you to make money online and you make your money by selling it to others.

If you have to spend money on a program to make money, don't do it.

There are ways to make money online, without paying into the program. Yes, they will not make you the millions of dollars over night like these commercials claim, but they do bring in real checks and do not cost you anything. If you set up a website, or blog like this one, and use the Google AdSense program. This really is simple to use, and can be set up in just a few clicks of a mouse. In fact, Blogger sites like this one have a tab called Monetize that is tied into the Google AdSense program so it makes it even EASIER to put the ads on your blog, and then you can also check your earnings. And if you have multiple blogs, you can have multiple streams of income, like we do with our other blogs http://shopittous.blogspot.com/ and http://craftychicsblog.blogspot.com/ Since we use this program I can tell you that you really do get checks and you can make money off of these . . . not enough to quit your full time job, but every little bit of extra income helps.

Another thing that you can do to make money online with your website or blog, that does not cost anything to "join" is Affiliate Marketing. This is when you sign up to be an affiliate of another company, and they allow you to place their ads on your site, and then when people click on these ads and make purchases from YOUR link, you make money. Again, it is not the thousands of dollars that the "make money fast" commercials claim you can make, but again, every little bit helps. I even made money off of my online Christmas Shopping this year because I did some of my online shopping through sites that we are affiliates with like Restaurants.com, Calendars.com, Best Buy, and Amazon.

So how do you join these affiliate programs? Well, you could go to each and every business and find the affiliate program link, usually at the bottom of the webpage with all of the legal information, or you could do what we did an sign up at a site like Commission Junction, LinkShare.com or shareasale.com Once you register with one of these sites (no fee . . . just filling out your name, email and mailing address type information) you can then look at the huge list of companies that you can be affiliated with. Once you join the individual company's program (again, no fees) you can begin to post their ads. There are links to all the different types of ads, so you can filter things and make it how you want . . . just text ads, all banner ads, small buttons . . . it is up to you. Then you just have to get people coming to your site and clicking on the ads and making their purchases with companies they probably already shop with. You can see some of the sites we are affiliated with at http://shopittous.blogspot.com/

Shawn Mosch
Co-Founder of ScamVictimsUnited.com
There is strength in numbers!

Find us on Twitter, Facebook and more through
http://www.retaggr.com/page/ShawnMosch

Support Scam Victims United by shopping at
http://shopittous.blogspot.com/

Phishing scams hitting hard

From http://www.annarbor.com/news/community-driven-credit-union-says-customers-falling-victim-to-phishing-scam/

The Community Driven Credit Union in Pittsfield Township has frozen the bank accounts of 20 to 30 of its customers in recent days after they provided sensitive information to suspected scam artists.

The phishing scam - involving e-mails and text messages - appears to be hitting Washtenaw County hard since last week.

Many people have reported receiving the messages, which warn them their accounts have been frozen. They're directed to call a number and are then prompted to provide bank and debit card information.

The majority of the messages appear to reference the Community Driven Credit Union. Kevin Finneran, president and CEO of the credit union, said even his wife and daughter received the text messages.

The scam also appears to be impacting the Chelsea State Bank. Michigan State Police Sgt. Tony Cuevas said today at least 3 people have reported similar scams involving the Chelsea bank.

One man said he received an automated message that his bank account was frozen, and when he called, he was directed to enter his 16-digit debit card number, Cuevas said.

On Tuesday, the president of the Ypsilanti Area Federal Credit Union said the credit union has heard from at least 50 customers who received suspicious messages.

Finneran said his credit union has talked to 50 to 60 customers, and 20 to 30 of them provided their banking information by computer or phone to the scam artists. Their accounts were frozen, and new cards are being issued.

Finneran said the bulk of those who received the text messages appear to be Sprint customers. He said the credit union has spoken to the Pittsfield Township Police Department and state Attorney General's office, and also is spreading the word about the scam to help customers avoid being victimized.

"It probably started last Thursday or Friday," Finneran said of the calls. "If people provided information, we're immediately taking steps to secure their accounts. We're also doing everything we can to make people aware."

Barrie Kiser, marketing manager for the credit union, said the e-mail can appear convincing because it has a screen shot of the credit union's home banking system. But the address is wrong, and the information it requests to log in also is different.

Officials at the banks stressed this week that they never gather information from ttheir customers via text or e-mail, so customers should never respond to such messages.

Anyone who received the messages and provided information should immediately contact their bank or credit union and local police department.

The Anti-Phishing Working Group also offers some advice on what to do if you've been scammed and how to report it.

Another story of a scam victim arrested

A while back I told you about a scam victim who was arrested. Stories like these always frustrate me because as a former scam victim I know the hurt and pain that you go through when you find out that you have been scammed, but these victims have that feeling plus more because they now have been arrested. They do not just face the financial recovery process that people like myself went through, but they also have to hire a lawyer to prove that they are the victim in the case and not the criminal. What happened to innocent until proven guilty?

This victim was also responding to a Secret Shopper ad.

Here is the story of this latest scam victim in her own words . . .

I responded with all the requested information the next day. Shortly after I responded to this email I was asked by a local company to come into their office for an interview. I did and became very hopeful that I would get the job. I totally forgot about even responding to the Mystery Shopper email and wasn't really expecting to hear anything from them. I few days later I received 2 Money Gram money orders @ $998.00 each sent to me via Fed Ex overnight mail. No other documents were inside. I couldn't figure out where these came from and was not even thinking about that one email response I sent for the Mystery Shopper position. I had read an email in my AOL inbox a week or two before that I was a part of a class action lawsuit against AOL for some "footer" issue. I assumed these checks may have been a result of the class action suit since I had 2 screen names with AOL. I attempted to call Money Gram and went online and could not get any information regarding the tracking numbers on them. NO ONE EVER EVEN MENTIONED POSSIBLE FRAUD. When I went to the Money Gram station at the local Lucky store (in the town I have lived for 34 years and am now raising my 13 year old son) to cash these money orders I was arrested immediately. I was frisked, my car searched my purse emptied all in front of the Lucky store here in the quaint little community where most people know everyone. The 3 responding officers were absolutely sure that I was some check fraud "ring leader!" They would ask me where the money orders came from, I would answer telling them that they were sent via UPS next day air but I was unsure by who. Then I was told to shut up and stop lying. One officer told me "you and I both know no one sent these to you. You made these yourself" I was then "escorted" to Alameda County Jail where I remained for the next 10 hours until my $10,000.00 bail bond (for check fraud) was processed.

Once released from jail I made it my mission to catch this dirty rotten scum bag who was responsible for what I had been through. So.....I responded to an email that he had sent to me (which I didn't even open until about 2 days after I was released from jail) indicating that he sent the package and instructions and he needs me to follow through with this task immediately (of sending his payment via Western Union) I played along with this guy to try to obtain as much information as I could. I advised him that the money orders were cashed and to please call me as I was a bit confused about something regarding his instructions. He called, about every other minute from that moment through the next 4 days. Once even forgetting to *67 therefore I was able to obtain his NIGERIAN telephone number. He even went so far as to send me text messages!!! He thought I had his money and he wanted it. I recorded our phone conversation on my MAC I MOVIE. I tracked down the gentleman whose email address they had hacked and were using to send the initial correspondence. He lived in S. Africa and was the administrator of a fishing forum. I explained to him my situation and advised him to contact the FBI before they contacted him as I had already given them his email information on my FBI report of this incident. He was grateful that I had taken so much of my time to track him down and explain this situation to him so that he could cancel his email address they were using before they had sent any further damaging money orders out to innocent people. I thought that since the local police didn't really care about catching these losers that I would!!

I have since retained a very good lawyer. We have met with the DA who still is unsure whether he plans to file charges against me or not. I appeared in court last week and at that time there were no charges filed yet BUT THE CASE WAS NOT DROPPED EITHER!!! I go back to court November 5th.

Ever since this happened I cannot STOP talking about it. It helps for me to get past the anger. Initially, I was consumed by researching scammers, trying to catch this guy and others like him. Then I realized that law enforcement officials are inexperienced and unequipped to handle situations like mine. They are not interested in catching the people responsible and therefore I needed to direct my ager somewhere else and for that reason, I would love to tell my story in hopes to make people aware of these scammers.

Halloween addition of Scam Victims United

Here are some scary facts about fraud and scams . . .

From the Internet Crime Complaint Center's annual report
http://www.ic3.gov/media/annualreport/2008_IC3Report.pdf

The total dollar loss from all referred cases of fraud was $264.6 million with a median dollar loss of $931.00 per complaint. This is up from $239.1 million in total reported losses in 2007.

Of those complaints reporting a dollar loss, the highest median losses were found among check fraud ($3,000), confidence fraud ($2,000), Nigerian (west African, 419, Advance Fee) letter fraud ($1,650).

The Consumer Federation of America released the results of a survey in May 2009 which relates directly to information we at Scam Victims United work to educate people about. They found that fifty-nine percent of the respondents incorrectly believe that when you deposit a check or money order, your bank confirms that it is good before allowing you to withdraw the money. The number goes up to 70 percent among young adults age 18-24, and 71 percent of people with incomes under $25,000 and who did not complete high school. More than 40 percent of those surveyed do not know that they are liable if the checks or money orders they deposit or cash are counterfeit. Fifty-two percent age 18-24 and half of Hispanics incorrectly said the person who gave you the check must pay the bank back. This is precisely the type of information that we at Scam Victims United work to educate people about.

Shawn Mosch
Co-Founder of ScamVictimsUnited.com
There is strength in numbers!

Find us on Twitter, Facebook and more through
http://www.retaggr.com/page/ShawnMosch

Support Scam Victims United by shopping at
http://shopittous.blogspot.com/

Know your codes

Here is one way to know if a person is trying to pull a fast one on your . . . check and see if their area code matches up with where they say they live. If they are calling from a landline, and they tell you that they are in a certain state, just check here to see if their phone number matches up with where they say they are.

If you go to http://www.whitepages.com/area-codes they make it really easy for you. There is search box where you can enter an area code, and they will tell you what city and time zone that area code is connected to. That would be another good way to check on someone . . . if you have their phone number, ask them what time zone they are in, and then check their answer with that search.


You can also enter a city or a state, and it will search and tell you all of the area codes that would be found in that area.

For international calls, you can go to http://www.countrycallingcodes.com/ and enter the country that you want to call and it will tell you the numbers you would need to dial.

Since many of the internet scams today come out of Nigeria, look for a phone number with a Country Code of +234 http://www.countrycallingcodes.com/country.php?country=Nigeria

Shawn Mosch
Co-Founder of ScamVictimsUnited.com
There is strength in numbers!

Find us on Twitter, Facebook and more through
http://www.retaggr.com/page/ShawnMosch

Support Scam Victims United by shopping at
http://shopittous.blogspot.com/

Spammers Misusing Name of U.S. Attorney General Holder

This press release can be found at http://www.fbi.gov/cyberinvest/escams.htm

SPAMMERS CONTINUE TO ABUSE THE NAMES OF TOP GOVERNMENT EXECUTIVES BY MISUSING THE NAME OF THE UNITED STATES ATTORNEY GENERAL

10/27/09—As with previous spam attacks, which have included the names of high-ranking FBI executives and names of various government agencies, a new version misuses the name of the United States Attorney General, Eric Holder.

The current spam alleges that the Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Bureau of Investigation were informed the e-mail recipient is allegedly involved in money laundering and terrorist-related activities. To avoid legal prosecution, the recipient must obtain a certificate from the Economic Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) Chairman at a cost of $370. The spam provides the name of the EFCC Chairman and an e-mail address from which the recipient can obtain the required certificate.

DO NOT RESPOND. THESE E-MAILS ARE A HOAX.

Government agencies do not send unsolicited e-mails of this nature. The FBI, Department of Justice, and other United States government executives are briefed on numerous investigations, but do not personally contact consumers regarding such matters. In addition, United States government agencies use the legal process to contact individuals. These agencies do not send threatening letters/e-mails to consumers demanding payments for Internet crimes.

Consumers should not respond to any unsolicited e-mails or click on any embedded links associated with such e-mails, as they may contain viruses or malware.

It is imperative consumers guard their Personally Identifiable Information (PII). Providing your PII will compromise your identity!

If you have been a victim of Internet crime, please file a complaint at www.IC3.gov.

Is this a scam?

If you can answer yes to any of the following questions, then the situation that you are involved in is a scam!

Did you receive the check from selling an item online, such as a car, boat, jewelry, etc.?

Is the amount of the check more that the item's selling price?

Did you receive the check via an overnight delivery service (not the US postal system)?

Is the check drawn on a business or individual account that is different from the person buying your item or product?

Have you been informed that you have won a lottery in another country?

Have you been instructed to wire, send or ship money as soon as possible?

Have you been asked to pay money to receive a deposit from another country?

Are you receiving pay or commission for facititating money transfers through your account?

Did you respond to an email requesting you to confirm, update or provide bank or credit card account information?

Are you sending/wiring money to someone that you met on the internet, never in person, who needs your help to get through hard times (relative died, someone is in the hospital, etc.) and they promise to pay you back as soon as they can?


Shawn Mosch
Co-Founder of http://ScamVictimsUnited.com
There is strength in numbers!

Check out our blog at
http://scamvictimsunited.blogspot.com/
Find us on Twitter, Facebook and more through
http://www.retaggr.com/page/ShawnMosch
________________________________________________
Has this site helped you?
Then help us to continue to fight scams by donating at
http://www.scamvictimsunited.com/donations.htm

Phishing Scam Email

Here is a Phishing Scam email that got into my inbox. This is a classic example of how a scammer will try to get your account information, by saying that it is an urgent matter and providing a link for you.

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Dear Member,
Your Yahoo Marketing account has expired. You must renew it immediately or your account will be closed. If you intend to use this service in the future, you must take action at once!

To continue click here, login to your Yahoo Marketing account and follow the steps.Thank you for using Yahoo Marketing!
Yahoo Marketing Services DEP.

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

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Not only are their spelling errors, but if you were to hover over the link they provided (which I removed) you would find that it does not go to yahoo, but to a site that they created which has yahoo in it

marketingservicesweb.yahoo.duebymatteo