Scam Alert!!!

Before I even start the thread, mods: I would personally like to see this become a sticky, however if you feel that it breaks rules, please delete the post, but please don't ban me.

I just wanted to start a post with common scams that are out on the internet to try to protect my fellow AF members. I would prefer if people wouldn't comment on them, rather just add to the list. Here's a couple to start:

1. You have something for sale, say your car, can be anywhere. Suppose you're selling your 2000 Honda Civic for $10000, someone contacts you from another country, says they'll send you an overnight check for $15000, instructing you to keep $10k for the car, pay for the shipping, and wire the rest back to them. Say you find out that it costs $2500 to ship the car, you wire $2500 to them. Your bank will immediately accept the check, since it's a certified check, and it will appear on your balance, but a month later it will turn out it's a fraud, and you will loose the $2500 you wired to them. If someone contacts you with this scam, play along, it will cost them like $50 to mail the check overnight, and this way they'll loose the $50, and eventually get tired of scamming people.

2. Suppose you're selling something on ebay, someone from a different country will contact you saying that they need the item immediately and can't wait for the auction to end, and they'll offer you once again more for it than the item is really worth. This is against Ebay policy. They will send you Paypal, you ship the item, and you lost the item plus the expensive shipping. Paypal doesn't cover you, since you broke Ebay and Paypal policy, by ending the auction early and dealing with someone from not an apporoved country.

Other general protection tips: If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Try not to deal with people from other countries, it's harder to prosecute. Use paypal instead of wire transfers, Western Union, etc. Be familiar with Paypal and Ebay policy.

Anyone have the link where the guy was getting scammed on ebay for his powerbook, so he sent the scammer a laptop that was made out of cardboard? Man that was great

Yea this would be a good stickie, my sister got scammed by this. She lost $9,000 b/c she got a $30k check for her s2000, and wired $9k back to Canada. She now owes the bank $9k. She got so mad she decided to just keep her car.

All right, I'll add some more to the list:

3. Someone in another country is selling a very popular vehicle, say a twin-turbo Supra in perfect condition for $10k, or a Hummer H2 with 2k miles also in perfect condition for $35k. You think wow, that's a good deal, then you contact the buyer, and they'll ask for 10% for escrow purposes. You'll never see that money again. Bottom line: there are plenty of cars in the US, you don't need to import them from another country.

Some more general protection tips: If a scammer gives you a phone number for you to have just in case (to make you feel that it's legit deal0, call it, don't assume it will be

well, something i've found out from personal experience. If you see multiple auctions from multiple users all for a similar item and they use the same pictures don't bid because one or more or all of them may be fake. I learned this from trying to buy my little brothers a playstation for christmas off ebay.... now i'm out 200 for the holiday season.

why wouldnt you just buy them a new playstation for 150..?

More general ways of telling if something is a scam or not

You have received a letter informing you of a large sum of money that could come your way: a business opportunity, a request for assistance in a financial transaction, or perhaps even an inheritance.

Is it a scam?

Did the offer come out of the blue from a total stranger?
Don't take offence at this, but 'Why you?' No-one with a big financial deal in the offing is going to contact a stranger on the internet. I wouldn't. You wouldn't. They wouldn't. If the offer is for lots, possibly millions, of dollars and you don't know the person making the offer...

...then it is a scam.

What if the offer is for an inheritance?
Ask a few questions:
Do you know the person who supposedly left you this money?
Do you know them well?
Do other people in your family know them?
Can you verify their death?
Do you know of a reason for them to leave you this money?
Can you contact another source to confirm death & will?
Was the original approach addressed to you by name, or just "Dear Sir"?
How did they find you?

If the offer is for an inheritance from someone you have never heard of and your mother never told you about...

...then it is a scam.

Did the offer come by email or fax?
More importantly, did it come addressed to the 'contractor', 'beneficiary', 'director' etc? Any legitimate offer would come to your mail address, would come from a legitimate company, would be addressed to you by name. If the offer did not know your name and postal address...

...then it is a scam.

Did the offer come with a contact email address that is from a public email provider?
I don't care what the excuse, the Director of the Reserve Bank of Nigeria will not be using a Hotmail account. Mind you, the scammers are getting more clever and you are likely to get email addresses from @accountant.com or @lawyer.com. If the contact email is from a public email provider...

...then it is a scam.

Did the offer ask you to 'reconfirm' your details?
If they are fishing for information...

...then it is a scam.

Is it going to cost you money up front?
I am not talking phone calls and bus fares here. Normal business procedure is to adjust any financial settlement for costs incurred in the transaction. If it is going to cost you a sizeable chunk of money and it cannot be offset againt the money on offer...

...then it is a scam.

Is it legal? Are you being asked to assist in a crime?
Think carefully about the offer presented to you. Are you supposed to pretend to be someone you are not, to collect an inheritance or an unclaimed bank balance? Are you supposed to bill someone for something that you did not do in order to claim money that you never earned? Does it involve someone being over invoiced to create a 'fund'? If it seems to be based on an illegal operation...

...then it is a scam.

I am sorry for being the bearer of such bad news, of squashing your dreams of spending the rest of your days checking your portfolio while cruising the Whitsundays but there seems to be no exception to that old addage: if it sounds too good to be true, it is.

why wouldnt you just buy them a new playstation for 150..?

well it was the new slim one and it came with extra controller and memory etc. i priced it out and even with shipping i was supposedly saving a little bit. haha little did i know. So right now i'm still doing emails etc. with paypal and ebay trying to get refunded or something.

Here's a scam...you get an 'official' looking e-mail from e-bay...saying that they need to confirm your information...anything to do with your personal information DO NOT REPLY. These scammers set up the e-mail to look like e-bay...complete with all the colors, buttons...they are trying to get your credit card information and/or steal your accont long enough to do some damage.

If you are suspicious about these and other types of e-mails, one clue would be to look for typos, wrong language useage...anything that just doesn't look right.

Here's a scam...you get an 'official' looking e-mail from e-bay...saying that they need to confirm your information...anything to do with your personal information DO NOT REPLY. These scammers set up the e-mail to look like e-bay...complete with all the colors, buttons...they are trying to get your credit card information and/or steal your accont long enough to do some damage.

If you are suspicious about these and other types of e-mails, one clue would be to look for typos, wrong language useage...anything that just doesn't look right.


That's called phishing. In case you get one of these suspicious emails, do not click the link that they sent with the email. Instead, just to be sure that your account is safe, open your web browser, go to the merchant, and log in from there. Make sure that everything is still fine with the account.

Here's a scam...you get an 'official' looking e-mail from e-bay...saying that they need to confirm your information...anything to do with your personal information DO NOT REPLY. These scammers set up the e-mail to look like e-bay...complete with all the colors, buttons...they are trying to get your credit card information and/or steal your accont long enough to do some damage.

If you are suspicious about these and other types of e-mails, one clue would be to look for typos, wrong language useage...anything that just doesn't look right.
Thats a good one, I get emails like that all the time that look like both eBay and Paypal emails. However, eBay actually does send emails like that out annually when you have to renew your billing information. The difference between the scam emails and real ones are the scam emails often threaten something like "If you don't update your information within 15 days, your account will be permanently terminated", to try and get suckers to actually do it without thinking. In reality, eBay doesn't terminate your account if you don't update your information, you simply cannot bid until you update.

Also, check the URL of the link. If it doesn't point to "http://cgi.ebay.com/etc etc etc" then its a scammer's website. Often times the scammer's site will point to "http://random string of numbers.com/ebay"

There is a saying, something to the effect that only a greedy man can be scammed. I see a pattern here, and it is that E-Bay is simply not doing their job, but now are full of apologies, excuses, while raking in the cash and giving us the finger. They were set up to be an honest enterprise but have let it go to the dogs. It's like the cell-phone companies saying they'll insure protection from telemarketers, then selling your phone number to the very people you don't want to have it. Fuck E-Bay until they get their shit together.

I ALWAYS pay for stuff on the internet with a credit card. I did the international thing once and wired someone $150 on Western Union. I called my credit card company first and asked them if I was protected if it was fraud. They said it was and they reimbursed me for the money I lost with NO HASSLE. That is the beauty of credit cards.

Wow, great post from clawhammer. Very useful; I read it all.
Here is another little trick it seems all dealers do.
You buy a car, at a given price, or lease a car at a given interest rate.
However, on the contract is a line that says 'Paperwork' or Contract Preparation' or something for $300, or $500 or whatever.
You are told this fee is part of every deal.
But you say, the Fiat Fettuccini you just bought was advertised for $19,995 now, the real price is $20,495. They say, no, the car is $19,995, but in reality, since they call their little price boost by a different name, you actually cannot get the car for $19,995. So, what is the value of having the adveritsed price? It's to get you in the door so they can work their sales routine on you.

Sometimes, on a lease, the fee is charged annually, as 'renewall fee' or whatever. The lease rate is for, say 6.9%, PLUS the renewall fee. Well, if you factor in the manditory renewall fee, the actual interest rate on the lease is higher than advertised.

Stuck.

All right, I shall continue my thread

21 ways to protect yourself from credit card fraud:

1. Keep an eye on your credit card every time you use it, and make sure you get it back as quickly as possible. Try not to let your credit card out of your sight whenever possible.

2. Be very careful to whom you give your credit card. Don't give out your account number over the phone unless you initiate the call and you know the company is reputable. Never give your credit card info out when you receive a phone call. (For example, if you're told there has been a 'computer problem' and the caller needs you to verify information.) Legitimate companies don't call you to ask for a credit card number over the phone.

3. Never respond to emails that request you provide your credit card info via email -- and don't ever respond to emails that ask you to go to a website to verify personal (and credit card) information. These are called 'phishing' scams.

4. Never provide your credit card information on a website that is not a secure site.

5. Sign your credit cards as soon as you receive them.

6. Shred all credit card applications you receive.

7. Don't write your PIN number on your credit card -- or have it anywhere near your credit card (in the event that your wallet gets stolen).

8. Never leave your credit cards or receipts lying around.

9. Shield your credit card number so that others around you can't copy it or capture it on a cell phone or other camera.

10. Keep a list in a secure place with all of your account numbers and expiration dates, as well as the phone number and address of each bank that has issued you a credit card. Keep this list updated each time you get a new credit card.

11. Only carry around credit cards that you absolutely need. Don't carry around extra credit cards that you rarely use.

12. Open credit card bills promptly and make sure there are no bogus charges. Treat your credit card bill like your checking account -- reconcile it monthly. Save your receipts so you can compare them with your monthly bills.

13. If you find any charges that you don't have a receipt for -- or that you don't recognize -- report these charges promptly (and in writing) to the credit card issuer.

14. Always void and destroy incorrect receipts.

15. Shred anything with your credit card number written on it.

16. Never sign a blank credit card receipt. Carefully draw a line through blank portions of the receipt where additional charges could be fraudulently added.

17. Carbon paper is rarely used these days, but if there is a carbon that is used in a credit card transaction, destroy it immediately.

18. Never write your credit card account number in a public place (such as on a postcard or so that it shows through the envelope payment window).

19. Ideally, it's a good idea to carry your credit cards separately from your wallet -- perhaps in a zippered compartment or a small pouch.

20. Never lend a credit card to anyone else.

21. If you move, notify your credit card issuers in advance of your change of address.
If you suspect credit card fraud:

If your credit cards are lost or stolen, contact the issuer(s) immediately.

Most credit card companies have toll-free numbers and 24-hour service to deal with these emergencies -- they are eager to avoid credit card fraud.

According to US law, once you have reported the loss or theft of your credit card, you have no more responsibility for unauthorized charges. Further, your maximum liability under federal US law is $50 per credit card -- and many credit card issuers will even waive that fee for good customers.

If you follow all these tips, it will go a long way in protecting you from credit card fraud.

In this scam, fraudsters maneuver innocent drivers into auto accidents. The accident may be small or large -- but the claims for auto damage and fake injuries are always large.

These accidents are often staged by organized crime rings and they are now rampant.

Unfortunately, these scams can impact you in at least three ways:

1. Victims have been injured, terrorized, and even killed. A 71-year-old grandmother was killed in Bayside, NY, and an entire family (including a baby) was killed when one of these staged accidents went wrong.

2. Victims' insurance rates often rise -- often by hundreds of dollars -- because of a costly claim on your record. Sometimes, an auto policy may not even be renewed.

3. Victims waste a lot of time dealing with police reports, car repairs, claim settlements, and sometimes lawsuits.

These staged auto accidents have reached epidemic proportions in Florida, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New York, and other states.

How this scam works

There are at least four variants of this scam:

1. "Swoop and Squat." The scammer swoops in front of you, jams on the brakes, and you hit them from the rear. Inside the scammer's car are passengers who then pretend to have severe and painful injuries, even if the collision was at a very low speed.

2. "Drive Down." As you are merging into traffic, the scammer slows down and waves you forward. He then rams into your car and denies waving you into traffic, and of course, blames the accident entirely on you.

3. "Sideswipe." At a busy intersection with a dual left-turn lane, the scammer deliberately sideswipes you if you accidentally drift into the outer lane while completing the turn.

4. "Shady Helpers." Whether you've had a legitimate or staged accident, a stranger approaches you to convince you to use a specific auto-body shop, doctor or chiropractor, or lawyer. It may be a setup: you could easily get poor and overpriced work done, shoddy or no treatment, or bad legal advice.

What to do

Here are six suggestions for how to protect yourself and fight back:

1. Don't tailgate, which helps reduce the chance of "swoop and squat."

2. Always keep a pen and paper and inexpensive camera in your glove compartment so you can be prepared if you're ever in an accident. Write down all the important info immediately if you're in an accident: license plate number, insurance info, etc. Take pictures of the damage done to both cars and the passengers.

3. If you're in a collision, count the number of passengers in the other car and get their names, phone numbers, and driver's license numbers. That way, people not in the car cannot make claims against you.

4. Call the police immediately even if there is just minor damage. Get a police report, including the officer's name. Make sure it accurately describes the degree of damage.

5. Watch how the people in the other car behave. If they stand around joking until the police come -- and then all of a sudden complain loudly about pain -- you know something isn't right.

6. Only use medical, car repair and legal professionals you trust.

International Lottery Scam

[TOP]


How Lottery Scams Work

You receive an unsolicited email, which states that you have won a major prize in an international lottery. Supposedly, your email address was collected online and attached to a random number that was subsequently entered in a draw for the lottery. In order to claim your prize, you are instructed to contact the official "agent" in charge of your case. You are also advised to keep the win confidential for "security reasons". This part of the scam is basically a random phishing expedition. If you respond in any way to the email, the scammers will send further messages or even contact you by phone in an attempt to draw you deeper into the scam.

You may be asked to provide banking details, a large amount of personal information, and copies of your driver's licence and passport. Ostensibly, these requests are to prove your identity and facilitate the transfer of your winnings. However, if you comply with these requests, the scammers will have enough information to steal your identity.

Sooner or later, the scammers will request some sort of advance fee supposedly to cover administration, legal or delivery costs. At its core, this scam is just a reworking of the Nigerian loan fraud, in which scammers also eventually ask for upfront fees to facilitate the "deal". Like Nigerian scams, victims who do actually pay the requested fees will probably find that they receive continuing payment demands to cover "unexpected expenses". The requests for money will go on until the victim realizes what is happening or has no further money to send.

In some cases, the scammers give victims the option of opening an account at a particular bank as an alternative to paying upfront fees. However, this "bank" which is completely bogus, will insist on an initial deposit of $3000 as a requirement for opening the account. The fake bank will have a legitimate looking website to reinforce the scam. In other cases, the victim is given the option of travelling to an overseas destination and paying a cash fee to facilitate the release of the funds. However, any "winnings" released to the victim will be counterfeit and therefore worthless.

The details of the lottery scams vary regularly with regard to the name of the lottery itself, the country of origin, the sponsoring organization, the amount of the "prize" and other particulars. The scammers try to add a patina of legitimacy to their claims by mentioning real financial institutions, government departments or well-known companies. They may also provide links to slick looking, but fraudulent websites that are designed to back up information included in the scam emails. If the scammers are successful in establishing a dialogue with a potential victim, they may provide "proof" such as a scanned image of a supposed government official's ID and even photographs of the "winnings" in cash.

That's called phishing. In case you get one of these suspicious emails, do not click the link that they sent with the email. Instead, just to be sure that your account is safe, open your web browser, go to the merchant, and log in from there. Make sure that everything is still fine with the account.
I would also go the extra step and forward that suspicious email from eBay to ; [email protected] suspicious email from paypal; [email protected] They have programs set up to look into these scams, and deal with the perpatrators.

There is a saying, something to the effect that only a greedy man can be scammed. I see a pattern here, and it is that E-Bay is simply not doing their job, but now are full of apologies, excuses, while raking in the cash and giving us the finger. They were set up to be an honest enterprise but have let it go to the dogs. It's like the cell-phone companies saying they'll insure protection from telemarketers, then selling your phone number to the very people you don't want to have it. Fuck E-Bay until they get their shit together.
I wouldn't go as far as saying that eBay is not doing their job. They are committed to fighting these scams as it not only affects their business, but others as well online. They are targets because they are so popular and one of the biggest online sites. Technology changes so fast that what works today against these scammers and phishers may be obsolete tomorrow. You constantly have to be on your toes upgrading your equipment and knowledge to try to stay one step ahead of these people. I do a lot of business online and receive my share of these phishes or scams from the likes of eBay, Citibank, Chase, WalMart, Target, and other retail sites. I even have received these types of emails from companies i have never done business with, or even heard of! I subscribe to emails from PCMagazine, and they have one that goes out every few days with the latest scams and phishes, and lists the latest security risks online. You wouldn't believe some of the ones they list, and how crafty these people have become in trying to steal your info.

I shall continue my thread:

Here are 8 ways to protect yourself from ever needing to look up your state's lemon law:

1. Do your research. If a particular make or year of vehicle appeals to you, find out everything you can about that vehicle. There may even be current claims made according to the lemon laws. There are lots of consumer report sites online, books you can buy, and magazines you can read that have documented 'the good, the bad, and the ugly' on almost every make and model of vehicle sold in North America.

2. If you are buying a used vehicle, take it for a test drive. If you are not familiar with mechanics, try to bring someone along with you who is -- and make sure he or she has a good look at the engine, the body, the front end and the rear end of the vehicle. Better that than having to look up your state's lemon law!

3. Look up the 'Blue Book' value of the particular vehicle. The Blue Book has a listing for every vehicle's value according to some national standards. Avoid paying more for a vehicle than the 'Blue Book' price.

4. The old adage, "If it seems too good to be true, it probably is," has never been more true than when applied to buying a used vehicle.

Use common sense when you are thinking of purchasing one. Is there a reason the car's been sitting for a year? Why do you suppose the rear door looks 'different' than the rest of the car?

Have your 'fraud antenna' up really high, and ask lots of questions -- an honest seller won't be offended by your extra caution -- and most sellers are aware of the state lemon laws.

5. Be sure to ask for a car fax report, which will detail if the vehicle has ever been in an accident.

6. Ask to see any historical documentation on the vehicle -- copies of repair or purchase orders, oil change logs, etc.

7. Check the VIN (Vehicle Identification Number) of the vehicle to find out if it has ever been classified as a lemon according to the lemon law of your state. Visit:

==> http://www.cardetective.com/lemon-help.html

8. Ask if there are any Technical Service Bulletins (TSBs), which are manufacturer's instructions to alert dealerships of problems in any particular models.
More ways to protect yourself:

If you have already bought a vehicle or are in the process of buying one, make sure you take the following steps to protect yourself even further:

1. Keep a notebook about every conversation you have with the person selling you the vehicle, including phone calls. Include the date and time, and enough information about what was discussed so it will jog your memory later if it's needed.

2. Ask to keep any documentation you looked at when you purchased the car (repair orders, etc.), including the warranty book and owner's manual. Then continue to keep copies of any further documentation regarding your vehicle from the moment it's yours.

If you have bought a vehicle that you think might 'qualify' as a lemon based on the definitions in the State lemon laws -- in other words, it has a long history of repairs -- sit down and create a 'timeline' organizing each shop visit by date, the number of repairs that have been done, and the amount of total time your vehicle has spent in repair shops and out of service.

If you think you might have a case, check out the state lemon law for where you live, and contact an attorney in the state where you purchased your vehicle.

==> http://www.state-lemon-law.org

Nice long posts? Great info!

Be aware of a company called Sport Compact Pro. They offer "sponsorships", but ask for an $80 processing fee. Read this thread about them:

http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=279688

hey this is important noone is supposed to know your info not even ebay only paypal and/or bank
if they send you an email saying you won a free ipod or something else by random and emailing you the "legal" contract of the company then its a scam because No company/website/salesperson gives out legal stuff to strangers!

also, if they email oh say a guy from paypal or another company to confirm your info and stuff first scan the email then you contact the company if it is true they sent you the email and if its not true then do not I repeat DO NOT click on the link they give on the email!
it is very easy to make an email look like a company mail by paying money oh say yahoo for a @yourcompanygoes here!

1. My father recieved a E-mail from his bank, and it was a fraud, it asked for his card # & all his other info. He called the bank & told them about it, They bank had already lost 25K of money from this scam.

2. Someone e-mails you saying they need money & they are from a different country, They can't even spell it right

3. Someone sells a 05 Carrara GT for 10 K, You buy it, it gets there, Your surrounded by 500,000 cops & your locked up for life.
( you bought a stolen car )

I'd like to take this thread in a new direction and discuss email scams based on "charity cases" or "please forward to as many as you can", or chian type emails.
I just got another email from a well intentioned friend. It was forwarded many times and the subject was about George Arlington and his 10 month old daughter who has leukemia. The email said to pass it along to as many people as you can as AOL would pay 32 cents for each 3 emails fwd. I was suspicious so I Googled "George Arlington-email leukemia scam" and a host of websites came up about this matter.Apparently, this scam has been online since 1998, and varies the age of the daughter from 10 mos-10 years. There are a lot of these type of scams going on out there and they are being perpetuated by well meaning but uninformed individuals. Some of the scams I have recently received are the Applebees gift certificate scam, the Microsoft forwarded email for pay scam, tsunami relief, and various health related scams like the one I posted in this post. To me these are time wasters, and take up valuable space in out inboxes and clutter up the internet. If you should get one of these emails and want to check the authenticity of it, just go to Google and type the subject matter with the words "email scam?" and see what comes up. There are various sites on the web dedicated to listing and chronicling hoaxes and scams like this, and it's a good idea to check them out before deciding to participate in it.

The common theme in all your "scenerios" is that a person from another country. However that is absolutely bull $&!7. A person in your own city, can forge anything now, certified cheques, money orders etc. If anyone phoned me up from out of country, I would be immediatly suspecious. I tell them I want CASH, nothing less. Whenever you buy anything at a dealer they alway try to "up sell" you. Remember you are the customer, you are in control. I personally do my shopping else-where, classifieds, used lots, dealerships, auto-traders. I walk in there nowing exactly what the cost is on the vehicle. Normally you take the MSRP and take off 0.89% and that is the "cost" that was awhile ago now. So things might have changed. I know that the vehicle manufacturers got cramps between their legs when us canucks were exporting cheap vehicles down south. They tried every trick in the book. Making warranty's void if they found out. But you also got to remember there are always loop-holes in everything. Even tax code. So you just tell them short, fat, bald Ford, Chev, Dodge, GM reps that you just moved from cold north. Or that up there was the only place you could find a stock Duramax Diesel with 4.56 gears ;o) with that ever so select paint job ;o) you catch my drift. Those sneaky chubbies want to restrict eveything. Naw man, when you buy my wheels, cash. No nigerian that has millions in a bank in South Africa will ever get me. I tell you in the time I have been on this earth. I have gotten ripped off so few times. Money and me are like best pals, no one seperates us.

here is one i just got in my inbox as i was reading this post:

Dear Friend,

May the good tides of the lord be with you
My name is David Richard, I Worked in a bank
Here in the United Kingdom. (UK)
I am contacting you for a business transaction,
Of a huge sum of money from a deceased client of mine.
Though I know that a transaction of this magnitude
Will make any one apprehensive and worried,
But I am assuring you that everything has been
Taken care of, and all will be well at the
End of the day. I decided to contact you due to
The urgency of this transaction.

FACT:
I was the account officer of a foreigner named
Gerald Welsh who died in an air crash along
With his wife on The 31st October 1999 in an
Egyptian airline 990 with other passengers on
Board. You can confirm this from the website
Below which was published by CNN.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/world/americas/502503.stm

Since his death, none of his can lay claims
To his estate as his heir, since none of
Them are alive, because they all died in
The same accident Himself and is wife
(May their soul rest in peace) We could not
Release the funds from his account unless
Someone applied for claim as the next-of-kin/beneficiary
To the deceased: After five years the fund
Was called back to the bank treasury as
Unclaimed bill and the money shared amongst
The directors of the bank, which has already
Been done by the Directors mid last year
At that period he had $14,210,045m (Fourteen
Million two hundred and ten thousand dollars)
In his Account.

PROPOSITION:
Due to the relationship between me and the deceased
(Gerald Welsh) he told me of a diamond business
Which he had to do and left me in care of
The? CERTIFICATE OF DEPOSIT" which he
Used to lodge some funds in a Security
Firm this is to the tune of $8.4m
(Eight million four Hundred thousand dollars).

Note: that I decided to seek for whom his/her
Name shall be used as the Next of kin/beneficiary
To claim the funds at the security firm rather
Than allow the funds to lay unclaimed.
It may interest you to know that I have secured
From the probate a WRIT OF MANDAMUS to Locate
Any of the deceased beneficiaries again; no
One was found. Please acknowledge the receipt
Of this message in acceptance of our mutual
Business endeavor by furnishing me with the
Following information if you are interested.
1. Full name in order for me to prepare the
Document in your name.

2. Direct Telephone and fax numbers for our
Personal Contact and mutual Trust in each other.

I shall be compensating you with 20% percent
Of the Whole funds on Final conclusion of this
Project for your assistance, while the balance
Shall be for me for investment purposes.
Because I just retired. If this Proposal is
Acceptable by you, please endeavor to contact me
Immediately. Do not take undue advantage of
The trust I have bestowed on you.
I await your urgent mail.

Stay blessed,
Regards,

David Richard.

i always get stuff like this

There certainly are a lot. I received a scam email, see this link for details:

http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=422463

Scam: Con artists gather marks' banking information by promising $200 Wal-Mart shopping sprees in return for $3.49 processing charges.

Status: Real fraud which costs its victims between $200 and $500.

Example: [Collected on the Internet, 2005]


I just received a call from a man with a foreign accent (sounded Indian) saying that he was calling on behalf of WalMart, telling me that Wall Mart is having a 50th year celebration and are selecting 40 families in California to honor with a $200 shopping spree. I was one of those lucky families. That sounded good. They would be sending me a package of vouchers in the mail that I could then take to WalMart and redeem for $200. That sounded good also. Then came the catch!

All I would need to do is pay for the packet of vouchers - $3.49. But, I couldn't do it by a check when they come, nor could I do it by credit card. They wanted me to pay by giving them my checking account number over the phone and they would take it out of my account. That is when the red flag went up and I said, "I am sorry, but I don't give out my checking account number to anyone. And I am now going to call Wall Mart and find out if this is really true."

I hung up and did call WalMart. The store manager had never heard of this. He called the corporate headquarters who told him that this is a hoax. They have no such program going on.

So please pass this on to others. There may be some sweet, gullible, innocent people who might fall for this and give out their bank numbers and later find their account cleaned out.

Origins: In the spring of 2005 we began hearing a new version of the "voucher" or "coupon" scam, one that held out the promise of $200 Wal-Mart shopping sprees to those willing to permit modest $3.95 handling fees to be processed through their bank accounts. As in an earlier version of this rip-off that used as bait vouchers said to be good for $200 worth of gasoline redeemable at any of the major gas stations, the ballyhooed prize wasn't real — there were no $200 Wal-Mart gift vouchers being handed out.

Like so many other con games, "voucher" or "coupon" frauds work by mesmerizing intended pigeons with visions of the rich plums about to drop into their laps for next to nothing so that they don't pick up on the grab being made for their money. In this case, that "grab" is effected by conning victims into authorizing the withdrawal from their bank accounts of small (under $5) charges for shipping the vouchers to them. The so-called shipping charge isn't the fraud's objective (the thieves are after far bigger game than the $3.95 the dupes authorize); it's the patsys' banking information. Armed with that, the con artists put through one unauthorized charge after another until someone catches wise to their activities and moves to put a stop to them. By that point, the targets' bank accounts have been depleted by a series of what their banks regarded as legitimate charges authorized by them.

The crime is real, as is the warning about it. According to Marty Heires, a spokesperson at Wal-Mart's head office, this fraud has been reported from nearly every region of the country since May. "Some ask for a credit card, others ask for a check, including the person's account number and routing number," Heires said. "It's a scam and has nothing to do with Wal-Mart."

Heires said the company never uses phone solicitation of any kind and has posted warnings about the scams in its stores.

Do not expect the swindlers to stick strictly to one unvarying script. The value of the purported shopping spree fluctuates (both $200 and $500 are common), as does the supposed reason for the giveaway (25th or 50th anniversary promotions being run on behalf of Wal-Mart).

Consumer Rewards Network, a sales entity located in Canoga Park, CA, and its affiliates Mega Movie Club, Health Net, and Net Forever, have been implicated in this fraud. The experience of Brenda Nicholas of Oklahoma was typical. One day she received a phone call from someone claiming to be running a promotion for Wal-Mart in which those lucky enough to be called would receive $500 in that store's gift certificates. Nicholas gave the caller her banking information in the expectation that she would be charged a $4.95 fee for conveying her $500 worth of shopping certificates to her. Instead, she saw two charges for $4.95 go through her accounts plus a $119.80 charge from Net Forever, a movie club she had not joined. When she tried to get these charges reversed, she was given the runaround, including being told she would have to fill out certain forms to apply for the refund she sought.

In North Dakota, Consumer Rewards Network is under a Cease and Desist Order preventing it from conducting business in that state because it was deemed to be engaging in deceptive telephone solicitations.

If this story has a moral, it is that there is often a dark side to "something for nothing" schemes. Our need to believe in the freebie is deeply ingrained and devoutly cherished, yet it is our very faith in this fiction that can work to set us up as pigeons, in that con artists need only wriggle this appealing morsel just a little to snare us in their webs.

Barbara "people are like compliments: easily taken" Mikkelson

How To Avoid Falling Victim To Unauthorized Charges Scams:

* Do not give out bank account or credit card numbers over the phone if you didn't initiate the call to a reputable, known company. Be very reluctant to do business with any outfit that calls you (e.g., a telemarketing firm) rather than the other way around.


* When tempted by a great deal proffered out of the blue by a business entity you have no direct knowledge of, remind yourself that offers which sound too good to be true generally are. Keep in mind that what is presented as a fabulous value for an amazing low price (e.g. coupons for $200 worth of gasoline in return for $1.95 mailing fee) might be no more than a set-up for the real purpose of persuading you to give up your financial information.


* Be wary of any "free trial offer" that requires bank account or credit card numbers to cover shipping and handling charges. If the business is so interested in having you as a customer that it is willing to provide its product or service at no charge, why would it not also be willing to cover the cost of shipping?


* Examine your credit card and bank account statements every month, keeping an eye peeled for unauthorized charges. Immediately challenge items you did not okay.


* Stop believing in the chimera of "something for nothing."

My husband just bought a 2001 Sebring from a dealer, and they kept trying to sneak in all the extras, like disability, etc. My husband was VERY firm on the payment being NO MORE than X amount.

The thing is, and it helped here, you have to act like you don't care if you get that car or not. I notcied the salesman was asking *my* opinion a lot, and I kept telling them, ask my husband, he's the one looking to get another car. I've heard that they'll do that--try to work on one spouse so they'll subtly pressure the other spouse.

hey guys, i guess this is where i should post this:

There's a wierd virus going around for AIM users. i just got one. Somehow, a buddy sends you a message that says "Hey, should i post these pictures of us on myspace or facebook? ::link::"

don't click it. i did, it spazzes out your computer, and luckiliy, Norton was able to catch the virus and quarentine it.

I talked to my friend, she said it just came on her computer, she clicked it, and everything went nuts, and that message was sent to all the people on her buddy list.

haven't read anything on this, and don't know if this will be affecting a lot of pple. just a heads up.

[friend's sn]: btw guess what
Vin roxmysox 86: ??
[friend's sn]: that virus i got yesterday, got my credit card #
Vin roxmysox 86: woah...
[friend's sn]: i got a call from my bank
[friend's sn]: i had to cancel the two unauthorized transactions, and cancel my card.

Dealers have certain lenders that pay them a kickback for every deal financed. So they will try to use those even at a higher rate. It's really simple, if you buy from a dealer, decide what you will pay and stick to your guns. Remember when you trade in, they are not paying your loan off, you still pay for the previous loan and they get your car. No matter what the paperwork says you get, they get your car for free and you still pay for it(if you still owe on it) They just add it to the price of the new car. Its really bad with brand new cars because they can price it pretty much where they want and the finance company cannot get a book value on it because new cars arent in the book. My dad was a finance manager for a new car lot and it is unbelievable the crap they pull, that is why he quit the business. It is not the manufacturer, its each individual dealership. If you find one pulling something shady, contact the Manufacturer corporate and report, it helps. We had a local Chevy dealer that got caught by GM saying they were replacing parts on Hummers under warranty that they didn't actually replace. It didn't hurt the customer at first, but in the long run it will show alot of repairs on a car report. The dealership lost it's right to service any Hummer after that. Just remember, they are in business to make money, which is fine, just don't let them make it all from you.

Ill just throw this out there, i dont buy from out of country people unless there confirmed on paypal, then i will ship the item. Otherwise ill tell them to send the money first

I recently got a summons for Jury Duty, and this morning, my mom sent me this email (Sorry for all the weird font and colors):

Jury Duty Scam DO NOT DELETE WITHOUT READING ! Pass this on to your grown children.
This has been verified by the FBI (their link is also included below). Please pass this on to everyone in your email address book. It is spreading fast so be prepared should you get this call. Most of us take those summonses for jury duty seriously, but enough people skip out on their civic duty, that a new and ominous kind of fraud has surfaced.

The caller claims to be a jury coordinator. If you protest that you never received a summons for jury duty, the scammer asks you for your Social Security number and date of birth so he or she can verify the information and cancel the arrest warrant. Give out any of this information and bingo; your identity was just stolen.

The fraud has been reported so far in 11 states, including Oklahoma , Illinois , and Colorado .. This (swindle) is particularly insidious because they use intimidation over the phone to try to bully people into giving information by pretending they are with the court system. The FBI and the federal court system have issued nationwide alerts on their web sites, warning consumers about the fraud.
Check it out here: http://www.fbi.gov/page2/june06/jury_scams060206.htm (http://www.fbi.gov/page2/june06/jury_scams060206.htm)

And here: http://www.snopes.com/crime/fraud/juryduty.asp (http://www.snopes.com/crime/fraud/juryduty.asp)

Yep! It's true

Please make sure and pass this on!

Solution is not to use paypal at all & request you pay by cheque for everything. I've been done loads of times now by people buying through Paypal, sending goods out & then the charges getting reversed by paypal two days later because con man says goods are faulty or not received. It becomes a real headache chasing these problems up & in the end not worth the hassle

If someone comes to your house and tells you that they are doing a routine inspection for parasites, and asks to to strip down naked and dance around in circles while they document the exam on video..... DON"T DO IT!! It is a trick, and they will put the video online as a joke. The bastards got me TWICE! :mad:

If someone comes to your house and tells you that they are doing a routine inspection for parasites, and asks to to strip down naked and dance around in circles while they document the exam on video..... DON"T DO IT!! It is a trick, and they will put the video online as a joke. The bastards got me TWICE! :mad:

:lol:

If someone comes to your house and tells you that they are doing a routine inspection for parasites, and asks to to strip down naked and dance around in circles while they document the exam on video..... DON"T DO IT!! It is a trick, and they will put the video online as a joke. The bastards got me TWICE! :mad:

I hope that at least you danced like Rick Astley....after all it'd only be fair. :lol2:

Beware of this company "getyourdealerslicense.com" this is a front company for insidedeal.com. I sent payment via paypal of $99.99 to this outfit and got exactly nothing for my money , it's been nearly a month and still no product and they refuse to give a refund. getyourdealerslicense.com is a total scam, please beware of this guy and save your money, you'd be better off going to the casino!
Cheers,
JT