>>Scams to look out for

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In response to Rainyday's and others suggestions I'll get the ball rolling on possible scams doing the rounds.

Re: Scams to look out for



- and any other similar pyramid "gifting" as opposed to (illegal) selling schemes...

Nigerian Email Scam

Ignore ALL emails claiming to be from anying claiming to be trying to get a huge some of money out of a foreign country (usually Nigeria).

In return for your help they'll cut you in for a percentage
(usually 30% to 40%, I've seen as much as 70%).

Don't make any contact with the sender, not even to satisfy your curiosity. Amazingly a number of people including some relatively succesful Irish business people have been taken in by this scam.

(I don't have the names of anyone who's been taken in, don't ask).

There are constant variations on this theme, but they are all basically the same, and they don't seem to be letting up. I got one yesterday. Offering me 30% of $40 million.

The Garda Fraud Squad expressed in an interest in having these mails forwarded to them, I don't know if they are still interested.

-Rd

Re: Scams to look out for

Hi,

Just thought I'd throw in an emal I just received:
Am I the luckiest guy ever or what?


WESTROPAL LOTTERY NL.

Postbus 3341

5902 RH Venlon

The Netherlands.

Ref. Number: 22/756/4007
Batch Number: 497001527-AB66

Sir / Madam

We are pleased to inform you of the result of the WESTROPAL LOTTERY NL.
International programs held on 22ND of AUGUST,2003. Your e-mail
address attached to ticket number 9570015948-6410 with serial number
3648042-510 drew lucky numbers 4-14-66-71-07-36 which consequently won
in the 1st category, you have therefore been approved for a lump sum
pay out of US$ 5,000,000.00 (Five Million United States Dollars).

CONGRATULATIONS! CONGRATULATIONS!! CONGRATULATIONS!!!

Due to mix up of some numbers and names, we ask that you keep your
winning information confidential until your claims has been processed
and your money remitted to you. This is part of our security protocol
to avoid double claiming and unwarranted abuse of this program by some
participants.

All participants were selected through a computer ballot system drawn
from over 68,000 companies and 80,000,000 individual email addresses
and names from all over the world. This promotional program takes place
twice in every six years.

This lottery is partly promoted and sponsored by Bill Gates, President
of the World Largest software, we hope with part of your winning you
will take part in our next year (USD$35M) Thirty-five million United
States Dollars international mega lottery. To file for your claim,
please
contact our assigned official agent/claims and duty officer:

Mr. John Van Luke
WESTROPAL LOTTERY NL.
westropalagent@zwallet.com
Direct telephone
0031-630-326-755

Remember, all winnings must be claimed not later than October 27TH
2003.
After this date all unclaimed funds will be included in the next
stake.Please note in order to avoid unnecessary delays and
complications,do remember to quote your reference number and batch
numbers
in all correspondence.

Furthermore, should there be any change of address do inform our agent
as soon as possible. Congratulations once more from our members of
staff and thank you for being successful in our lottery promotional
program.

Note: Anybody under the age of 18 is automatically disqualified.

Sincerely yours,

Ms. Mashal Andrew
Lottery Coordinator.

Re: Scams to look out for

Folks

Anyone of you who has a Paypal account ignore any emails (such as the latest one below) that request you to enter your personal details such as Paypal user name, credit card details etc.

Other variations of this scam can be found for most any other online financial services.

C



Please verify your information today!

Dear Paypal Member.
Your account has been randomly flagged in our system as a part of our routine security measures. This is a must to ensure that only you have access and use of your paypal account and to ensure a safe Paypal experience. We require all flagged accounts to verify their information on file with us. To verify your information, click here and enter the details requested. After you verify your information, your account shall be returned to good standing and you will continue to have full use of your account.

Thank you for using PayPal!



Please do not reply to this e-mail. Mail sent to this address cannot be answered.

Ramada

Got a call from the Ramada Hotel chain this week, doing a survey. Called back to say I'd won a holiday, including accomodation, car hire, sights, etc (excluding flights). Proceeded to tell me two people were free, but we'd have to pay for two people.

Sound's a bit like buy one get one free to me!!!

Things must be bad when they've started telemarketing across the Atlantic.

Anyone else won this amazing holiday ?

Where they hell did they get our info from ?

Ramada

Hi Goat,

Heard quite a lot of people are now getting these phone calls. It seems some of the calls are coming from Canada and they are willing to stay on quite a while so calls must be expensive! They say they get the info from the telephone bk.

The bottom line is that they are after your credit card. no. to pay for the flights and the full trip for the other two people - I understand they are mainly cruises that have been won - supposedly.

Re: Ramada

Hi Goat,

I also received one of these congratulatory phone-calls as I had "won" a trip to Florida etc.etc. The woman on phone stayed on for ages (and insisted on getting the lady of the house to talk to her - did she think my wife would be a softer touch?? obviously doesn't know the missus!) - the code that came up on the phone was 41.....Anyway between the jigs and the reels no holiday unless you forked out the best part of a grand through your credit card. Damn so I won't be visiting Florida next year....

Re: Ramada

And I thought I was special! Yeah, I got one of the Ramada calls, they give you a winning number, call you back to tell you how lucky you are, give you all the details of the wonderful free holiday you've won then mention the small fee, only $399 per person before they can complete the paperwork for your free holiday. When I said nicely that I wouldn't be paying for my free holiday the call was cut off, but I don't think that it was the salesperson who cut it off, I think it was a supervisor or someone who was monitoring the call and realised it was not going to pay off. Got another call from some crowd called Fulfillment Int., waiting for another free holiday!!!!

Re: Scams to look out for

Not sure if I have seen this one elsewhere on the site but best to post twice rather than anyone getting caught out:-

If you receive a text message on your mobile from the number 15477 indicating that you have won a 2 night stay in a hotel and that you must reply with the text #90 or #09 you should delete this text immediately and not reply.

This is seemingly a fraud company using a device that once you press #90 or #09 and reply text they can access your SIM card and make calls at your expense.

Re: Scams to look out for

Thanks Sue I got one today telling me I had won a W/end
holiday in Paris . I had intended to deal with it tonight and now I have ...... I have deleted it . I owe you one.!!!

Is this a scam from Time Warner Publishing?

My elderly father (who suscribed to Time Magazine) recieved a letter from Time Warner which included what looks like a cheque for $440,000 and an official looking letter which goes as follows:

Dear Mr,

In the selection process by the sweepstakes computer your name came through both the preliminary round and the random allocation of Sweepstakes numbers....etc ..etc. (you get the dirft)


Im surprised at a company with the stature of Time Warner engaging in activities such as this.

Is it a scam or some warped marketing promotion?

ajapale

Re: Is this a scam from Time Warner Publishing?

Some warped marketing promotion. I get what is probably the same thing as your Da every few months telling me that I've been lucky enough to be selected unlike 95% of my neighbours etc etc. I think when they refer to 'neighbours' they mean only five percent of people living in the European/Middle East/Africa region have received the letter this week. A few days later you get more bumpf.
The real question is does anyone every actually buy on foot of this stuff?

Here's what you do

When you get junk like this keep it.
They usuall have a prepaid and sometimes not prepaid envelope to send back your details in.
What you do is open then all up and tear as many up as will fit in one envelope. Stuff the envelope and put it in the post box with a please fuc off message.
Eventually if everyone did this this type of marketing would not be worthwhile.
They haqve to pay the postage employ people to open the envelopes and sift through the This post will be deleted if not edited to remove bad language.
This will become uneconomical to them in time and they will give up.
If you just throw the stuff in the bin they have to do no more work.
Send it back and have a laugh.

Re: Here's what you do

On the point above, Clubman had the same idea but wait for about six weeks before you post the return letter as they usually have a time limit which if exceeded the company will be liable for an extra charge from their friendly postman.

excalibur

I got an unaddressed letter through my front door last night from excalibur promotions telling me that their computer had awarded me one of the "super items listed below". Apparently my "name and Lucky Number are already registered on our Computer". (My cash award is "waiting to be claimed" as I type
All I need to do is call their 24 hour prize hotline (at € 1.90min - call duration approx 4 mins) answer a question, get my personal claim number and return the letter they have sent me INCLUDING my mobile/house telephone number (including a cheque for P&P of course).
They also mailshot me with a seperate leaflet telling me that my mobile number could win me € 500 - calling a predesignated number (@ 1.90 min - call duration approx 4 mins!) You return the leaflet, while subtly being asked about receiving further info for various services over your phone - yet again where you will be bombarded with more similar promos.
For anyone who has never seen or heard of this before KEEP AWAY from this type of thing. The letters subtly imply that you are going to win their "5000 EUROS JACKPOT or one of the FIFTY 500 EUROS CASH WINS" but if you read the small print you realise also see they say that there is "no predetermined limit to the number of minor prizes" which is what you are far more likely to come away with.
I am still flabergasted at how Excalibur promotions are getting away with this.

Add on front of Indo.

Tuesdays independent had a front page add on the bottom right hand corner.

Text XXXX to YYYYYY number to win a weekend to a certain hotel. (50c a text).
Service Provider 02.
Terms and conditions apply.



There were no other contact details for this company and for the untrained eye, they had obviously set out to indicate that O2 were the owners, as opposed to the providers of their software and sharers of revenue.

Suits the paper though................

£5BN LOTTERY SCAM

From SkyNews today....

Criminal gangs are targeting the elderly in a lottery scam which has already netted more than £5bn worldwide.

The crooks dupe their victims into believing they have won a fortune but first make them hand over money in order, they claim, to release the "prize".


The Canada-based scam emerged eight years ago but cases have recently been on the rise in the UK where authorities believe more than 80% of victims are aged over 65.

The Office of Fair Trading (OFT), which has launched an awareness campaign, has received more than 300 complaints about the scam since August.

It estimates UK victims have been conned out of between £10m and £15m with individuals losing up to £67,000 each.

"We know this is the tip of the iceberg because some people are embarrassed to say they have fallen for something like this," said Penny Boys, executive director at the OFT.

Those behind the scam are known to include members of the Mafia, Yardies and Hell's Angels.

They usually target householders who respond to bogus prize draw mailing.

Staff in Canadian call centres ring, claiming the person has won the jackpot but asking for money up front to cover tax and administration costs.

According to the OFT, there are at least 15 such centres solely aimed at defrauding UK consumers.

MBARARA COMMUNITY

I arrived home the other day and thrown on to my front driveway was a plastic bag with a note asking for "unwanted clothing collection for Mbarara Community". They would collect on Wednesday etc

My neighbours also had a plastic bag also thrown in their driveway. It must be to much trouble to put these things in peoples letterboxes.

I rang the mobile phone number on the leaflet and got an answering machine. I politely asked for more info on the community and to ring me. I am still waiting.

Anyone heard of them.