Computer newbies: Watch For The Nigerian Inheritance Scam...
Scam-Proof yourself.
by buud - 2/24/06 1:58 AM In reply to: Where you ever a newbee Jayfin?.. by raddmanThis will give any 'newbie' all they need to avoid being taken in by 'get rich' scams.
http://www.scamorama.com/
Bud
Re: scamorama.com
by rivrsong33 - 2/25/06 2:35 AM In reply to: Scam-Proof yourself. by buudThank you, buud. I love this site and its philosophy of: why should the scammers have all the fun?!
My favorite bit was the conclusion:
"THE END
Even if the letter apparently came from the head of your local PTA, or the Red Cross, or the BBC, would it matter? It's a scam. But you knew that. Don't make us come over there and slap you around."
You go Radman!
by rdw43 - 2/24/06 10:38 AM In reply to: Where you ever a newbee Jayfin?.. by raddmanHey whether you are a newbie or an old hand! It never hurts to have some queues and clues to help you out!!! Anyone else wanting to bash for this help! Quit being "stupid" and just help out your neighbor if possible!! Pay it forward!
Get smart
by Stez - 2/24/06 7:09 AM In reply to: Gullible by jayfinI know a lady in my building that thinks computers are way too complex for her to learn. She thinks you have to be some kind of computer techie nerd in order to really use one. She knows how to turn one on, and go to the internet, and play a CD - but that's it.
I asked her one day if she knew how to drive a car. She said yes. I asked her if the notion of driving a car had ever been overwhelming to her. She said yes. I asked her if she has insurance, and protects her car, and is careful of what she does in traffic. She said yes. I asked her if she knew how to put gas, oil, anti-freeze in her car. She said yes. I asked her if she knew how to drive on highways, execute blind turns, parallel park, back up, and defensively drive. She, of course, said yes. I then asked her how she learned all those things. She said she just learned as a matter of habit, because it was important as a driver on the road to be cautious and think about safety and yet still be able to move with the flow so as not to cause accidents. She learned to keep her doors locked, to not leave the keys in the car, and to not blink her headlights at passing cars. She took it upon herself to learn all of these things, because she felt she had to in order to be on the road and not be a liability to herself, her family, or other drivers.
I then asked her what was the difference between operating that complex machine and this one (a computer). Her reply was a laugh, and "I don't know!"
Nigerian or any other Inheritance Scam
by Rich Reim - 2/24/06 3:20 AM In reply to: Watch For The Nigerian Inheritance Scam... by raddmanI've received these off and on for a number of years now. When I've received these, I've always stated that I have a world wide business and I have an agent already in the area. I've told them that my agent or lawyer will be in touch with them. I've ask for their address and a time for my "agent" to contact them for a meeting where the agent will receive my funds from them. My agent has all the needed information to act as my proxy to receive these "funds".
After sending this message to the Nigerian or any other country holding funds for me, I never hear from them again.
By "Southern Gentleman"
Nigerian Scan & Lotteries
by betteguadalupe - 2/24/06 6:33 AM In reply to: Nigerian or any other Inheritance Scam by Rich ReimI usually reply to them in big letters DO NOT CONTACT ME AGAIN and REPORTING YOU AS SPAM. guess what! I never hear from them again..I also print out the email so I can send it to Att General of my State.
How can I stop these emails?
by firefly45 - 2/24/06 6:39 AM In reply to: Nigerian or any other Inheritance Scam by Rich ReimI must get on average about 5 of these scam letters a day. Some from England,and about every other country you can think of. It really scares me to think that some people may be really taken in by these jerks!What I really want to know, is how do they get my email address?
firefly45
It's easy to get your e-mail address...
by rossfl - 2/24/06 9:16 AM In reply to: How can I stop these emails? by firefly45but that doesn't matter.
I use yahoo free email because it has a "Bulk" folder into which nearly ALL SPAM goes. It is designed to "dump" without letting the sender know that you got it or opened it. UNLESS you open it. Opening un-solicited emails that promise to enlarge a body part, make you more attractive to the opposite (or same) sex, make you richer, or tell you something cute or inspirational, is a good way to give away your e-mail address to spammers.
I do not open anything from anyone I do not recognize and I do not open anything that is forwarded to me. Forwarded mail is marked with upper-case FW, in case you do not know, and usually has dozens or even scores of web-addresses from the idiots who are continuing to forward this crap.
No matter how many times you tell people this, they still say things like "But I know someone named Jennifer and the title said it was important!"
Why do you think the spammers used the name and why would you open it if they said it was SPAM?
Think.
And if you are worried about the government (of any country) reading your Yahoo mail, do you think they cannot read your email from other services?
Good luck.
Depends on your browsing habit...
by lateball - 2/24/06 10:10 AM In reply to: How can I stop these emails? by firefly45If you have used your e-mail address everywhere in the Internet, the chances are huge that your e-mail address will be known to spammers. If you join a lot of sites, subscribe to a lot of newsletters etc then beware, not every site that says "we do not sell your address to third parties" do what they say.
Also do not forgot that most online communities, even some major ones, have not used e-mail masking methods in their forums. If you can mouse over on that "E-Mail" button and get their exact e-mail address without a mask (in case you don't know, a mask is something that makes your e-mail go like real_addiexxx@yahooxxx.com or real_addie at yahoo dot com) then chances are high that the spammers can steal your e-mail address from that website.
Choose carefully what websites you visit and join, plus do not give away your e-mail address too easily on forms. It's better that you give a second look at the website before you put it in.
have some fun!
by rmjboog - 2/24/06 7:50 AM In reply to: Nigerian or any other Inheritance Scam by Rich ReimA like-minded soul! I will often play a game that I call "Scam the Scammers" myself. It can be quite fun. Depending on the content of the original scam message, I will compose (concoct? fabricate?) a fairly detailed scenario that could fit with the original scam. Typically a scammer will send a message about lost or unclaimed funds that are just sitting there ready for transfer, but which they personally can't touch for any number of bureaucratic reasons. If only... So I have at various times responded with an equally fictitious tale about operating a clandestine 'for hire' network, ready to spring into surreptitious action as soon as I receive an advance payment of some ridiculously small percentage (usually 1 tenth to 1 quarter of one percent of the total amount they suggest is available). At other times I have played up to the tale as a willing but unbelieving target. It's a bit like playing a fish on the end of a long line; it's a bit of fun, and you never really know if one day you get to land the fish!
Important note: I never, ever provide any actual information that could be used to gain access to my (usually empty) bank account. I have provided my mailing address as a delivery point for advance payment or security deposits, but I figure the worst that happens with that is that I one day get a letter in my post office box (and maybe there's an actual bank draft in it!)
The whole idea of 'Scam the Scammers' is to have some fun, and the depth and extent of the tales that this can generate is absolutely amazing. In one instance, I was contacted by a middle-eastern gentleman claiming to have only a short time to live and wanting to identify someone who would set up and manage a non-profit to oversee disbursement of his last US$20 million for the relief of tsunami victims in southeast Asia. Noble cause! As time, and messages, passed it was fascinating to watch as the nobility changed from a somewhat grandiose mechanism for a US$25,000 deposit to carry out this wish through well-known British banks to a plea to send $100 to establish an account with a European credit union in order to have somewhere to transfer the title funds.
Let the games continue!
Watch your step.. you could be playing with fire..
by nutmuffin - 2/26/06 7:46 PM In reply to: have some fun! by rmjboogYou are playing in dangerous territory .who do you think the scammers are anyway ? some college kids just waiting around to have fun back with you ?
Think again. they are mostly organized crime and independent criminals ..
You think that by playing back with them that you are showing them how smart you are, but actually,you are giving them more rope to hang you with ;
what if you encouter one who gets annoyed enough to send a virus back to you... ?
But, now your email address is confirmed ...
by nutmuffin - 2/26/06 7:48 PM In reply to: Nigerian or any other Inheritance Scam by Rich Reimand added permanently to their list. congrats !
Don't forget about the lotteries
by kgilbert - 2/24/06 4:56 AM In reply to: Watch For The Nigerian Inheritance Scam... by raddmanI must have won 50 different European lotteries over the past few years. I'm now a virtual multi-millionaire! And to think my name keeps getting chosen by random over and over. What are the odds?
Once I actually responded with a message saying "You know who I am and where I live, so just post me the cheque". I got a response with an "official" claim form to complete, including spaces for all my banking information. I forwarded all this info to PhoneBusters (works with the RCMP in Canada, where I live).
Always remember the age-old saying: If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
Ken
Me too...
by rmjboog - 2/24/06 7:54 AM In reply to: Don't forget about the lotteries by kgilbertI've only one this lottery twice. Not bad for never having entered. Both times were from the Netherlands (Holland, if you will), and most recently it was US$18 million provided by Microsoft to promote the use of their products! Whoo-ee!!!
They're actually getting better at what they do; so much so that if the dollar amounts or the financial sources weren't so stupidly outrageous, you could actually believe many of the scams that come out once in a while.
My lottery counter-proposal (ignored)
by cnye - 2/25/06 10:54 AM In reply to: Don't forget about the lotteries by kgilbertI received an email from a lottery agent saying I had won one million US dollars in an international lottery based on email addresses. All I had to do was provide all my personal information short of a DNA sample and agree to pay a hefty sum to "transfer" the winnings from the lottery bank to my bank. Of course, since the winnings were "insured", the transfer fee could not be taken from the winnings (no surprise). I emailed the agent and made him this offer: He should do all the work of getting the winnings transferred from the lottery bank to his own bank. After all, he had all the winning numbers and release codes. When that was done, he should contact me, and I would tell him where he could send me his own personal check for just $100,000 and he could keep the other $900,000 for himself. Needless to say, I never received a reply.
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