Ridiculous scams revealed: How to protect yourself
5:01 p.m. Friday, September 28, 2007
Scam safety links
Avoid, detect and defend yourself from scammers on the Federal Trade Commission's Identity Theft Site
File a complaint online at the Internet Crime Complaint Center's Web site and it will be added to a clearinghouse.
You, yes you, can bid online for this brand new car and possibly get it for only $2,000! Sound too good to be true?
It is.
You'll send the money and they'll send you nothing. It's a scam called Auction Fraud.
FBI records show it as the most common internet crime in Kansas.
In 2006, the median loss for Kansans who reported auction fraud to the Internet Crime Complaint Center was about $750.
Some other Web users have received an email from their "bank" letting them know their account has been accessed by identity thieves. All you have to do is click on a link and verify your account information so they can clean up the mess.
Actually, all it really does is let thieves make a messy situation of your account. Banks never ask for your information in an email. They already have it. It's a scam.
International scams are not only dangerous to your wallet, they also could hurt you physically.
Certain emails that ask people to travel overseas and help them have resulted in missing person cases.
Sometimes there is a "deposed prime-minister" who needs help getting money out of his country. He'll give you a cut of the money if you transfer the funds into his account.
Don't believe it.
The only money changing hands is what you're giving to the thieves. It's a scam and your money will disappear.
Top five online scams
1. Auction Fraud The setup: Online auction fraud accounts for three-quarters of all complaints registered with the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center (formerly the Internet Fraud Complaint Center). There are many types of eBay chicanery, but the most common one is where you send in your money and get nothing but grief in return.
2. Phishing Scams The setup: You receive an e-mail that looks like it came from your bank, warning you about identity theft and asking that you log in and verify your account information. The message says that if you don't take action immediately, your account will be terminated.
3. Nigerian 419 Letter The setup: You receive an e-mail, usually written in screaming capital letters, that starts out like this: "DEAR SIR/MADAM: I REPRESENT THE RECENTLY DEPOSED MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE FOR NODAMBIZIA, WHO HAS EMBEZZLED 30 MILLION DOLLARS FROM HIS STARVING COUNTRYMEN AND NOW NEEDS TO GET IT OUT OF THE COUNTRY..." The letter says the scammers are seeking an accomplice who will transfer the funds into their account for a cut of the total--usually around 30 percent. You'll be asked to travel overseas to meet with the scammers and complete the necessary paperwork.
Postal Forwarding/Reshipping Scam The setup: You answer an online ad looking for a "correspondence manager." An offshore corporation that lacks a U.S. address or bank account needs someone to take goods sent to their address and reship them overseas. You may also be asked to accept wire transfers into your bank account, then transfer the money to your new boss's account. In each case, you collect a percentage of the goods or amount transferred.
Congratulations, You've Won an Xbox (IPod, plasma TV, etc.) The setup: You get an e-mail telling you that you've won something cool--usually the hot gadget du jour, such as an Xbox or an IPod. All you need to do is visit a Web site and provide your debit card number and PIN to cover "shipping and handling" costs.
Source: PCWorld.com.
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