Yesterday I got a text message telling me I’d won $360000. Now don’t go getting excited for me. It’s a scam. Con artists were attempting to get my personal details and money. I started to think about all the times someone had attempted to scan me. For the average woman that I am it’s quite a lot of attempts. Fortunately, I’m the type of person that likes to dot my i’s and cross my t’s and see everything in writing before I take the plunge. But other people are more vulnerable souls. These are the attempted scams I can recall:
- Pyramid letters requesting me to send money to people on a list, including the sender, and to disseminate the letter to friends and family requesting they do the same. The letter is always accompanied by statistical data showing me how I’m going to become a millionaire. These letters are illegal in Australia and don’t result in instant riches.
- A letter from Nigeria saying I had a dead relative that had left me an inheritance and all I had to do was pay an administration fee and I would be rich
- An email through Facebook saying a friend travelling overseas was in trouble and needed my financial help. Fortunately I had heard of this scam.
- Emails supposedly from my bank saying they needed to update my personal details. Luckily the logo was from a bank I had never held an account with. Subsequent emails came from other banking institutions which was quite amusing.
- When I was a teenager, in the pre- Internet days, I had a pen pal in Ghana. Not long after we started sending letters to each other he told me he collected coins and asked me to send money for his collection. This was disappointing to me as I knew instantly this person wasn’t interested in a friendship but rather in what he could get out of me.
- A telephone call from someone claiming to be a Council representative asked me questions about my home security. I hung up very quickly.
Scamming is so prevalent in Australia that our federal government has published a booklet called The Little Black Book of Scams warning the community of these dangers and have set up a website, www.scamwatch.gov.au, to alert people to the most recent scams.
The booklet lists the top ten scams
- Advanced fee scams, such as the fake inheritance scam and the rewards for transferring money scam. If you’ve never heard of a relative it’s not your relative and “transferring money” is actually illegal laundering.
- Lottery, sweepstakes and competition scams. Remember, you can only win a competition if you have actually entered it. These scammers request a fee or personal details.
- Dating and romance scams. Someone may befriend you online and then pull at your heart strings, telling you they need help because they’re sick or have problems, and request money. Never disclose to anyone your financial situation and be sceptical of people that don’t want to meet in person and send overly romantic emails when they haven’t even met you. Beware of anyone that offers to take you on a holiday as you may be used as a drug mule.
- Computer hacking. Don’t click on online links in emails from unverified senders as you may be giving hackers access to your computer files and information stored on your computer such as your bank details. Keep firewalls and antivirus software up to date. Beware of phone calls from people claiming to represent Microsoft telling you your computer is infected. They are trying to gain access to your computer. Use secure payment sites and don’t put banking and other personal details on your computer.
- Online shopping, classifieds and auctions scams. A colleague was recently scammed through eBay. Fortunately, they had paid via PayPal and got their money back. I have heard of people that have bought something online only to be sent a picture of the product or a very small version of it.
- Small business scams. Many years ago a business tried to charge my business for advertising we didn’t approve. What they actual did was photocopy my business partner’s business card which they had somehow obtained and published it in their newsletter. False invoicing is common and all businesses should audit any bills. Domain name scams are also common.
- Golden opportunity and gambling scam. Beware of investments that offer exceptionally high returns. They may be using other people’s money to pay your return initially and charging you exorbitant fees. Eventually this will come unstuck as new investors demand a return. Prediction software is a scam. Why would someone share their secret with you? They make money from conventions, not the product they are selling.
- Charity and medical scams. Miracle cures, easy weight loss plans and fake charities: I’m sure we’ve all heard of these. They prey on the vulnerable who are desperate for treatment or on those with kind hearts.
- Banking, credit card and online account scams. Phishing scams, card skimming, and strangers using your credit card details online. Always check credit card statements, ring your bank if your receive requests for details online and be careful using ATMs.
- Job and employment scams. Work-from-home scams offering big bucks may offer big disappointments.
Of course it is embarrassing to admit you’ve been scammed but this is what the scammer counts on. If you don’t report the scam to crime authorities other will be scammed too. If you publicise the scam you are protecting others. No one is safe from scammers or immune to falling prey. We all have to take steps to reduce our risk even if that requires us to be less trusting. Remember if it sounds too good to be true it probably is.
Image Credit
“The scam truck” by jepoirrier. Creative Commons Flickr. Some rights reserved.
A scam I’m seeing rather frequently is the online job application that is serving as a vehicle for collecting personal details that are then used to con the would-be applicant. Sometimes the entire scheme is fraudulent – nonexistent job with a “company” that is merely serving as a front collecting social security numbers, credit card information, etc. for illegal activity. At other times the job and company are legitimate but the information from the applicant pool is being mined, for profit, for purposes far removed from the apparent application process. I rent a room to an unemployed man who is being deluged by high pressure sales pitches from for-profit “career colleges” like the University of Phoenix, because national retailers to which he applied online sold his name and information to the career college industry. It doesn’t have to “sound too good to be true” to be a scam.