| When it comes to online fraud, I take it personal | | | | Hello, |
| because I was almost a victim. Looking back, I | | | | My name THOMAS BACON i`m interested in |
| was very susceptible because I did not have the | | | | purchasing your advertised car and the price $500 |
| knowledge that I do now. It is not necessarily | | | | is okay with me,And i will like you not to worry |
| "knowledge", but more along the lines of | | | | about the shipping, I contact a friend in the states |
| "cautionary measures"; however, if I never took | | | | so he said he can organize an agent in the Europe |
| these, I would have been scammed again. It is | | | | who would be on ground to pick up the car as |
| not that I fall for anything, it is that scams are | | | | soon as we seal this transaction and i will like you |
| getting better and much harder to identify. This | | | | to know that my mode of payment is by |
| article is intended to prevent you from becoming | | | | cashier's cheque drawn from a US bank . It is |
| scammed. | | | | avery good car.I Iook forward to hear from you |
| The story is very similar to many others who | | | | soon. Respond asap if this is ok by you. |
| have gotten scammed. I had a car to sell, so | | | | Thanks |
| posted on many classified ad sites (mostly all | | | | Thomas |
| free) and put the asking price, with some room | | | | Good day, I am Paul woodward,the sales |
| to negotiate. Within the next two days or so, I | | | | purchase manager for OASIS AUTOMOBILE |
| received an email from a guy named Prince | | | | CORPORATION.We are specialised in the sales |
| Muhammad in United Arab Emirates who wanted | | | | purhcase of vehicles.A client of ours came |
| to buy my car for his son. After sending a few | | | | accross your vehicle & informed us of his |
| pictures of the car, he emailed back with | | | | interest in your vehicle we will like to know if it is |
| intenseinterest. He wanted to get it for his son's | | | | still available.Please contact us,the price of the |
| birthday and was willing to pay $500 more than | | | | vehicle&send the pictures of the vehicle along |
| my asking price of $5,000. During those couple | | | | with the reply to indicate your willingness. |
| days of corresponding with Prince Muhammad, I | | | | Paul Woodward |
| received another four or five emails from others | | | | Phishing Scams |
| in outside countries very "interested" in buying the | | | | The latest scam threat is something known as |
| car. Each person hada different story, mostly | | | | Phishing. Phishing is a real problem because the |
| "auto dealers" or "agents" who had clients | | | | emails appear authentic to those who receive |
| interested in the car and willing to pay the asking | | | | them. Phishing emails are usually from bank |
| price, sometimes a little more. In the end I | | | | companies, eBay, Paypal, and other institutions |
| decided to sell to Prince Muhammad because he | | | | that have personal information. A phishing email is |
| was the first to contact me and it would be nice | | | | not very obvious because they will be addressed |
| to help him get his son a birthday gift likethis. | | | | to your full name and the email will look like emails |
| Prince Muhammad was currently working on an oil | | | | you have received from these companies. |
| field and was unable to travel to the US to get | | | | Although many say it is hard to spot a phishing |
| the car, so he proposed something else. He had a | | | | email, itreally isn't if you know how to do a few |
| client in the US who owed him $11,615, so just | | | | things. Below are some strategies to prevent |
| have that client send me a cashier's check with | | | | yourself from being scammed. |
| the full amount and I would send the remainder | | | | NEVER Click on a link or log in to something |
| via Western Union,after deducting the price of the | | | | through your email |
| car. Prince Muhammad even called me two times | | | | A good example would be an email from eBay |
| to set this up, although I could not really him very | | | | asking you to update your account. The email will |
| well over the phone. | | | | have your full name and have the logos, etc.. It |
| After three days, I received a BankOne check | | | | will look legit. Think about it this way: How long |
| sent from somewhere in New York for the | | | | have you been a member of eBay or your bank, |
| amount of $11,615 endorsedto me. The check | | | | and how often have you received emails from |
| looked very real. Wow, I thought, this is really | | | | them? I have never received an email from my |
| going to happen. So I deposited the check and | | | | bank and only one from eBay after using it. |
| waited for it to clear before I would send the | | | | These companies know of these scams and will |
| money via Western Union. My bank usually clears | | | | purposely avoid sending emails to you like this. |
| a check in three days max. A day after | | | | What is the real need to update anything? Most |
| depositing the check, Prince Muhammad wanted | | | | sites do that for you automatically. If you have |
| me to send the remaining money. I told him not | | | | not used eBay in 2 years, what are you going to |
| until the check clears, which he reinforced to send | | | | update? |
| the money as soon as it does. | | | | NEVER Click a link without knowing where it really |
| After four days, I called my bank to see why the | | | | goes |
| checkhad not cleared yet and they informed me | | | | This is a little example to show you how easy it is |
| that it was possibly fraudulent. So I contacted | | | | to scam someone who never looks at this. When |
| Muhammad to let him know about the check but | | | | you put your mouseover a link, the path will be |
| he was nowhere to be found. I received the | | | | displayed on the bottom left corner of your |
| check back in the mail with a big fraudulent stamp | | | | browser (above Start button). This is for internet |
| on itand a $50 fee from my bank. Thankfully I did | | | | explorer/Outlook, etc.., but other browsers might |
| not have to pay the $50 fee, but even more | | | | show it elsewhere. I want you to try it. Put your |
| thankfully, I did not have to pay back $6,115. | | | | mouse over this link (don't click it): EBAY. |
| When reading this story, most people will probably | | | | Now you should see show up on the bottom left |
| be thinking, how could anyone fall for this? Well it | | | | of your browser. |
| is quite easy, especially if you had never heard of | | | | I am now going to do the same thing again, and |
| this scam before. This happened back in 2003, | | | | this time I am going to show you what a phishing |
| when people started to report that they lost | | | | link will look like: |
| thousands of dollars after selling cars and items | | | | EBAY [ When you highlight over that, you should |
| overseas. I might have read a small blurb in a local | | | | have seen [ I just made this link up so it will not |
| paper before this happened, but never really saw | | | | go to the login page, but a real phishinglink would. |
| any real media coverage on the issue. It was not | | | | When you log in to a phishing link, you have just |
| until I did more extensive research by reading | | | | sent your personal information to the scam artist. |
| forum posts and listservs from others who | | | | They can then do what they want with it, like |
| experienced this. There is now a little more | | | | draining your bank account. |
| awarenessof this scam; yet, it is still happening on | | | | WHERE is the person sending you an email really |
| a daily basis. To this day, I still receive emails | | | | from? |
| from scam artists trying to buy my car. | | | | You can find out where someone is from by |
| In order to prevent being scammed yourself, you | | | | looking up their IP address. When you get an |
| must be able to identify a scam on the spot. | | | | email, you can view something known as headers |
| Things to watch outfor: | | | | and footers. I use Outlook Express, but |
| 1. Proper grammar, English, and sentence | | | | otherprograms will have this information. I am |
| structure | | | | going to just explain this for Outlook users, but |
| 2. Proper name stuctures (i.e., Pierce Edward vs | | | | the principles are the same. |
| Edward Pierce; Woodward Stuartvs Stuart | | | | In Outlook, right click on a received email and |
| Woodward) | | | | select Properties at the Bottom. Next click Details. |
| 3. Obvious copy and paste | | | | You should have a Return Path, with an email |
| 4. Outside buyers that are clients, agents, car | | | | address in it, and below a Received from with an |
| companies that have ties to the | | | | IP address [numbers]. You may have a couple |
| US | | | | Return paths because of exchange servers, but |
| 5. Emails from yahoo.com, excite.com, and other | | | | you can get the gist of where they are from by |
| free services | | | | checkingboth. To check go to WHOIS and copy |
| 6. The word cashier's check | | | | and paste the IP into the box and hit enter. The |
| 7. Willingness to send more than the car is worth | | | | server should come up. Now, this is not the exact |
| for you to return theremainder. If you think about | | | | address, but you can get the country pretty |
| it, who would be so trusting? | | | | accurately. When it comesto free email systems |
| 8. NEVER send something until you have the | | | | like yahoo and hotmail, tracing is virtually |
| money in your possession. ALWAYS waitfor | | | | impossible, but you can still get some sort of |
| funds to clear. | | | | information. That is why scammers like themso |
| 9. Are these people really from where they say | | | | much. |
| they are? In order to find thisout, please continue | | | | In the end, I hope you learned something and can |
| reading for how to determine that. | | | | become a more cautious web user. Please send |
| Below are two real emails that I received within | | | | this article to all you know so that we can stop |
| the past month: | | | | supporting terrorists and scam artists. |