| Unfortunately, because of the relative anonymity | | | | purposes. They are there to raise money or they are |
| afforded by the internet and due to the relative ease | | | | there to provide publicity in order to draw-in customers. |
| and cheapness with which internet communication can | | | | If you have not seen an ad campaign for a lottery and |
| be achieved it has become an increasingly fertile | | | | you have never entered then any email you will have |
| ground for fraudsters. There is even an evolutionary | | | | been sent is a fraud. |
| competition going on between email filtering | | | | - Overpayment Scam -- This scam targets people |
| applications and fraudsters' attempts at conning their | | | | selling high-value items on internet auction sites or on |
| unsuspecting victims. | | | | internet classified sites. Here the scammer finds your |
| Below I am going to list some of the most prevalent | | | | ad (through on-line or paper small ads usually though |
| scams and I will tell you a little of how to recognize the | | | | this scam is also seen on auction sites such as eBay). |
| scam and protect yourself from it: | | | | You are sent an email offering to pay much more than |
| - Advance fee fraud (419 fraud) -- This is also | | | | your asking price. The excuse given is supposedly |
| sometimes known as the 'Nigerian Scam' which is a | | | | related to the various international fees to ship the item |
| confidence trick in which the target is persuaded to | | | | overseas. In return you are requested to send the |
| advance relatively small sums of money in the hope of | | | | scammer the item and cash for the balance. This |
| realizing a much larger gain. This is most often | | | | looks legitimate and you agree to the transaction. Your |
| perpetrated by email and begins when the 'investor' is | | | | are sent a money order or cashier's cheque or |
| contacted; typically with an offer such as: 'A A rich | | | | banker's draft which looks genuine and you deposit it. |
| person from the needy country needs to discreetly | | | | The claimant is at your door so you hand over the |
| move money abroad, would it be possible to use your | | | | balance and the item you were selling. Later you the |
| account?' and sums in the millions of dollars are named. | | | | bank calls you to say that the payment method was |
| The investor is promised a large share of this money | | | | forged and you are out of pocket. Once you know |
| (generally 30-40% of the total). The proposed deal is | | | | about this scam it's east to avoid. Never agree to any |
| often presented as a 'harmless' white-collar crime with | | | | overpayments and always wait for funds to clear in |
| no risk to the 'investor'. The operation is professionally | | | | your bank. |
| organized in Nigeria, with offices, working fax numbers, | | | | - The Phishing Scam -- Phishing is a term used for the |
| and often contacts at government offices. But the | | | | criminal practice of attempting to fraudulently acquire |
| mark is then asked for money to bribe officials etc. | | | | sensitive information, such as usernames, passwords |
| Money is sent and the mark is never contacted again. | | | | and credit card details, by masquerading as a |
| Just delete any message where you're offered | | | | trustworthy entity in an electronic communication. The |
| money out of the blue, especially if the message | | | | majority of phishing methods use some form of |
| originates in Africa. | | | | technical deception designed to make a link in an email |
| - The Charity Request Scam -- The Charity Request | | | | (and the spoofed website it leads to) appear to belong |
| Disaster Relief scam is becoming far more prevalent | | | | to the spoofed organization. The easiest way to |
| these days. Scammers prey on the natural and | | | | combat phishing attacks is to modify users' behaviour |
| admirable human desire to aid disaster victims by | | | | by education. The truth is that nearly all legitimate email |
| sending fake emails desiring donations or they set-up | | | | messages from companies to their customers will |
| fake charity websites and steal the money donated to | | | | contain an item of information that is not readily |
| the victims of disasters. Often the approach will come | | | | available to phishers. Always check for this information. |
| in the form of what looks like a forwarded email. | | | | But if you see this kind of email purporting to be from |
| Essentially, if the request for donations came via email | | | | a bank or other organization always contact the |
| then not only is it a scam but there's a good chance | | | | organization directly to check if what the email you |
| that it's also a Phishing attempt (see below) especially | | | | received says is true. |
| if it directs you to a website. Never respond to these | | | | - The Pyramid Scam -- In this type of scam you will |
| emails. If it's a legitimate charity then find the phone | | | | receive an email with a list of people in it. The email will |
| number of the registered offices and donate over the | | | | say something like 'you have received an incredible |
| phone. | | | | opportunity to make CASH FAST!'. To gain anything |
| - The Employment Scam -- In the Employment Scam | | | | you have to send $5 to the people on the list and |
| unscrupulous persons posing as recruiters and/or | | | | forward the email to six other people. Basically this is |
| employers offer attractive employment opportunities | | | | just a pyramid scam and it is completely illegal. Do not |
| which require the job seeker to pay them money in | | | | reply, do not forward as to do so means that you are |
| advance, usually under the guise of work visas, travel | | | | participating in a fraud. |
| expenses, and out-of-pocket expenses. The scams | | | | - The Re-shipping Scam -- The re-shipping scam is |
| can also involve lucrative offers of employment in | | | | designed to trick individuals or small businesses into |
| Europe, the Middle East, West Africa, or South Africa | | | | shipping goods to countries (generally West African or |
| with money demanded to be paid to an agency or | | | | Asian) with weak legal systems. The goods |
| travel agent for visas or travel costs. This type of | | | | themselves are most often paid for with stolen or |
| scam has become more and more frequent recently | | | | fake credit cards and the re-shippers (unbeknownst to |
| and it often targets people submitting their CVs to | | | | them) assume the brunt of the legal risks. Often the |
| employment sites and bulletin boards. Often you will be | | | | fraudster pauses as a representative of a growing |
| addressed by name in the contact email. If you are | | | | company trying to establish a presence in the UK/US |
| contacted by one of these emails and the deal is | | | | (or wherever). Lucrative offers of employment are |
| abroad and seems too god to be true then give it a | | | | made if the victim only accepts parcels and forwards |
| wide berth. | | | | them. Stolen credit cards are used to purchase the |
| - The Holiday Scam -- These started as unsolicited | | | | goods and they are sent to the address of the victim. |
| emails announcing that you had won a 'Cruise of a | | | | Soon after a package delivery company package |
| Lifetime' or a 'Free Holiday to Florida' or the like. These | | | | with pre-printed labels arrives and the next day the |
| scams are generally more active during the summer | | | | delivery company arrives to pick-up the packages. |
| months (May to July) as this is when most people take | | | | More often than not the cost of the package delivery |
| their holidays. Generally you will receive an email either | | | | company will be billed to the victim's address. |
| announcing that 'you, or someone you know' has | | | | - The Romance Scam -- The romance scam is |
| entered you in a contest, and that you have won a | | | | generally perpetrated on internet chat rooms and most |
| free cruise or vacation package alternatively your are | | | | especially on online dating services. Essentially it's a |
| offered a cheap (or even free) travel deal -- all at a | | | | variant on the Advance Fee fraud but uses a money |
| price that's too good to refuse. If you do call to take up | | | | for romance angle to reel-in the victim. The victim is |
| the deal you will find that there are hidden costs or you | | | | often groomed for many months to make them |
| have to pay over the odds for the hotel or you will | | | | believe that the person they are communicating with is |
| have to sit through a sales pitch when you arrive. As | | | | really in love with them. Eventually however demands |
| with all similar scams, if you did not enter for something | | | | for money start coming in and because the victim is in |
| and an email comes out of the blue it's probably a | | | | love with the person on the other side they pay. Often |
| scam. | | | | the victim may give everything they have. This scam is |
| - The Lottery Scam -- In this scam you get an email | | | | most often perpetrated from West African countries |
| saying that you've won the email sweepstakes for a | | | | but the scam is also now perpetrated from Russia. |
| lottery that no-one's ever heard of. Or you've been | | | | This is very insidious as it relies on feelings of love. |
| told that you've won the email sweepstakes for a | | | | Anyone can be targeted and niche dating sites are as |
| well-known lottery but the contact address is not the | | | | likely to be used as mainstream ones. |
| contact address of the lottery organizers. This is a | | | | Above are what are considered to be the 'Top 10' |
| very common form of spam email and it's east to | | | | scams. These are not the only ones, but the other |
| avoid. Basically, lotteries only serve one of two | | | | scams all tend to be variants of the scams above. |