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