Worst E-mail Scams Right Now
You've heard about them, you've seen them, perhaps you've been had by one: e-mail scams. Millions of people are cheated over e-mail every year. In 2005 alone, consumers lost nearly $14 million dollars to Internet scams. Sadly, that number is on the rise as crooks come up with new methods to get at your money and information. We capture ten of the worst on the following pages.
Usually, scammers attempt to trick you into filling out forms on rogue sites. Rogue sites usually look legitimate (some are even replicas of legitimate sites you trust), but they are set up to spread a virus, collect names for spammers or grab your personal information. Other scams try to get you to reply to e-mails requesting your personal data like passwords and bank account numbers. Once you've given up the info, criminals can siphon your cash, make purchases and get out before you even have a chance to track them down.
We talked to Carol McKay of the National Consumers League to get some advice, which we've included here, on handling some of the bigger scams. She offers up some tips you literally can't afford to miss, and we've come up with a few of our own that should keep you safe from persistent online scammers. Read on, and stay safe....
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Monty Python 1975 @ Jul 16th 2008 9:18AM
You don't have to check your email for SCAMS, just watch TV.
Ron Humphreys @ Jul 16th 2008 9:34AM
You can also fight back. Many ligitimate businesses (Paypal is one) want to see the phishing e-mails so they can investigate and shut the bogus sites down. You need only contact the real business via internet, or phone and they will give you their investigative division that looks into and tracks down these thieves. Example: if you get a phishing e-mail claiming to be Paypal you forward the e-mail to spoof@paypal.com. They investigate all such e-mails. If you get one impersonating the IRS, you can forward it to phishing@irs.gov, and that will get the feds on them. Fight back, and help get these thieves. One more tip that I got from Paypal: if you put your mouse cursor over the link in an e-mail, WITHOUT clicking on it, a web address pops up at the bottom of the screen. If that address is different than the one in the link, then it is a phishing e-mail and you should NOT click on the link.
Nichole @ Jul 16th 2008 10:13AM
Don't get fooled by internet dating scams. Even though you may believe that the person you are interested in is in one country, they are probably in another. Look for discriptions of people who have vague discriptions and look for hints in spelling and in what they like. Example, we call the United State, "The States", in Africa they call their states "the State". Most internet dating scams are coming out of Africa and Australia. They usually have some poor sob story that they lost their family and they are the only ones left. They usually are in some kind of construction and own the business. In the beginning they are doing well in their business, towards the end they are losing money. They are very quick to profess their love for you and then start asking favors and maybe even money. Beware.
Dewarren Smith @ Jul 16th 2008 10:31AM
Whats sad is that some companies profit off these scams. Western Union for example they make millions of people falling for these scams. I'm surprised that the government doesn't regulate them more to at least seriously warn their customers. I knew an old lady that got ripped off for over a 100 grand. Now thats sad :(
Debbie @ Jul 16th 2008 11:23AM
I get these emails all the time, what i started doing is forwarding the one email scam to the other persons emal scam..the email showing on the "from" line isn't the actual email it came from, you can get it by clicking on "show details" and then i use that. when i started doing that, i've been getting less and less scam mail.
deb
mitchell hirsch @ Jul 16th 2008 11:46AM
one more. a credit card co. , maybe from a credit card you own, invites you to pay off your bill with a balanse transfer with a "low introductory rate of 0% for 6 months.
however, the transaction fee is usually 3%, and recently no max. so you end up paying 6% anuual for the "free" transfer.
David @ Jul 16th 2008 12:24PM
I have find out the hard way as to the scams posted on the dating sites , somehow they know that you are new and soon after you start getting mail from this very young people wanting your email add. and also giving you theirs ,to exchange photos so that you can see how pretty they are , and hook you with lust . and yes they are not from this country .. so for you lonely guys beware ..
PEGGY SCOTT @ Jul 16th 2008 12:27PM
I GET AT LEAST ONE OF THE NIGERIAN LETTERS A MONTH. I FORWARD THEM ON TO THE F.B.I. PEGGY
joe @ Jul 16th 2008 12:55PM
It must make the president of Nigeria proud to know what his country is now famous for. When Nigeria is mentioned most people immediately think of cheaters, scammers and internet thieves.
dawn @ Jul 16th 2008 1:03PM
HA! Now they are sending scams for renting apts! I replied to rent an apt. that was listed on Craigslist. The man who replied had to move back to AFRICA. Sent me all kinds of info on the house, then wanted me to fed ex him a deposit of 500.00, so I could get the keys and the PAPER HOUsE DOCUMENTS. I am not an idiot. I wonder how many ppl fall for this nonsense, and how come they can't see that it is a scam? Also, they use gmail as their addresses. Unfortunately, I gave my cell number thinking it was a real post. The man called me from two different numbers. So beware!
linda @ Jul 16th 2008 1:17PM
SOMETHING ELSE TO WATCH OUT FOR........RELAY CALLS......THEY GET YOUR NAME OFF THE ADVERTIZING YOU DO IN THE NEWSPAPER WHERE YOU R AD IS POSTED ON LINE, THEY CALL YOU AND TELL YOU THEY WILL SEND YOU THIS AMOUNT OF MONEY, THEY WILL SEND IT AS A MONEY ORDER SO IT IS MORE THAN YOU GET FOR YOUR SALE ITEM. THEY TELL YOU TO DEPOSIT IT AND THEN SEND THE REST TO THIS OTHER PERSON, WHO IS IN THIS COUNTRY. SO THEN THE CATCH IS YOUR CHECKING ACCOUNT IS SCREWED. THE MONEY ORDER IS FAKE,IT IS SENT IN THE MAIL, LOOKS LIKE PRINTED ONES FROM AN ORIGINAL, NO I DID NOT GET CROOKED. IT WAS JUST NOT COMMON SENSE FOR WHAT THEY WERE ASKING ME TO DO. SO WATCH OUT ABOUT RELAY CALLS......AND IT IS A SHAME, BECAUSE HANDICAPPED PEOPLE USE THIS SERVICE. NO WAY TO TRACE THE CALL. TALKED IT OVER WITH THE POLICE TO KNOW THIS. ALSO SEND MINE TO ATTORNEY GENERALS OFFICE.
wako @ Jul 16th 2008 11:25PM
i think you have caps lock on
Lynne @ Jul 16th 2008 2:01PM
I get at least 20 of these scams a day, now I forward them to the F.B.I. for their own investigation. I suggest for all internet users who get them to do that...after all, that is their job!
ScamVictimsUnited.com @ Jul 16th 2008 8:20PM
Education about these, and other scams, is the key to fighting them.
Sam @ Jul 19th 2008 5:47AM
when I get a email scam i click reply, change the subject line to Hey I had sex with your mother, she wasnt that great. or some other line like that.
Kent @ Jul 21st 2008 10:23AM
The "Nigerian Scam" has operated for at least the past 13 years under successive governments of Nigeria. The scam is commonly referred to as the "Advance Fee Fraud," "Four-One-Nine Fraud," after the relevant section of the Criminal Code of Nigeria, and "The Fax Scam."
The U.S. Secret Service is the investigative authority for the Nigerian Scam.
If you have been victimized by one of these schemes, the Secret Service asks that you forward appropriate written documentation to
The United States Secret Service
Financial Crimes Division
950 H Street, NW
Washington, D.C. 20223.
http://www.secretservice.gov
To find the closest field office:
http://www.secretservice.gov/field_offices.shtml
Kent @ Jul 21st 2008 10:25AM
Also: Report Phishing to: phishing-report@us-cert.gov