Blog archive.

[Wayne]

See if you can spot the logic fail with how this scam works.


“I have no money and need a loan.”

“I can give you a loan. How much do you need?”

“How about a thousand dollars.”

“Sure. Now, before you can get this loan you need to give us 87 dollars in fees. What do you mean you don’t have the money for the fees? Can’t you get a loan for it or something?”

Loan scams always ask for up front fees. That’s not how a real loan works. They loan you the cash and then you pay any fees as part of the paying back process. If you’re asked for fees up front then it’s an advance fee scam.

[Wayne]

Work form home scams. Here’s a perfect example.


See if you can spot how the scam works.



Good day,

H Seal Ltd, is a specialist narrow fabric manufacturer of high quality woven and knitted, elastic and rigid webbing for the orthopedic, equestrian, footwear, body amour and automotive markets. We are recognized as a UK fabric market leader. In regards to the orders we receive from customers/clients from USA/CANADA/EUROPE AND ASIA, we are seeking for agents who will work part-time as fund receiving agents.

Your tasks are:

1. Receive payment from our Customers through mail: (DHL, FEDEX, UPS OR OTHER FORM OF DELEIEVERY)
2. Cash it at your Bank
3. Deduct 10% which will be your percentage/pay on Payment processed
4. Forward balance after deduction of percentage/pay to any of the offices
you will be contacted to send payment to.
Payment is to be forwarded either by Money Gram or Western Union Money
Transfer. A local Money transfer takes barely hours, so it will give us a possibility to get customer payment almost immediately.

You will also get paid $500 as a monthly salary. This job is very simple and will not require much of your time. This employment offer is available and awaits you.

Kindly provide us with the requested details below if you are interested.

Full Name
Full Address
Bank Name
City:
State:

Zip Code:

Country:
Phone:
Age:
present or prev job:
Can you Check email at least twice Daily?
========================

You are to respond to this offer by clicking reply to this message and filling the required information where necessary.

We await your urgent response.

We look forward to working with you.
June Denny
H. Seal & Company Ltd
Church Lane, Whitwick Coalville
Leicestershire LE67 5DH – UK

[Wayne]

Who wouldn’t love 10.5 million dollars, right?


This is one of those weird things we see when it comes to scam emails. A large percentage of them offer the same amount, namely 10.5 million dollars. Why that figure? I have no idea. It’s not as if the money actually exists, so they could throw out any amount. Yet for some strange reason, that number keeps on popping up.

[Wayne]

No, no, no and no!


We had a request today from a company with an offer to put ads on our site. The issue is that the ads would be for adult sites. We keep our site as work safe as we possibly can. Photos are cropped to remove any nudity, bad words are filtered and we do not in any way tolerate any form of abuse. So the answer is a resounding no. We will not be placing these ads on our site, no matter what the monetary gains would have been. Yes, we mention a lot of adult model names, but only because their photos are abused by the scammers.

[Wayne]

It’s all about balance.


This is related to several conversations I’ve had with people recently about what we do on the site. Helping people is a good thing. It’s undeniably a good thing. When you know you’ve stopped someone from sending money to a scammer, it warms the heart. However, it’s also incredibly hard to do. We speak to people on a daily basis who are scared, confused, even suicidal. None of us have training for that, and even if we did it would still take a toll on a person. Now add in the writing to scammers, reporting scammers, checking all the posts and forms. It’s hard. It can seriously leave a person burned out. So what do we do? For many of us, this is our life. We spend every spare moment we have doing this. We have to find a balance. A balance between serious and funny, between the online world and real life, between helping people and helping ourselves. Sometimes we need to remember that we matter as much as the people we help on our site. Sometimes we need to stop, take a breath and enjoy life. It’s short enough as it is. We need to make the most of it. If that means speaking to less scammers, spending less time on the forum or simply taking some time out to enjoy a movie, then that’s what we need to do. Most of us find that balance. For some it takes longer than others, but we all find it eventually.

[Wayne]

Flip it!


What are we referring to here? Photos. Some scammers will flip the stolen photos they use so they’re not found by image search sites. If you’re doing an image search, try flipping it around and doing a second search. It may just show you the true identity of the person in it.

[Wayne]

So, is the correct term “sextortion”?


We talk a lot about blackmail scams/sextortion, webcam blackmail and sextortion, and most people assume it’s the same thing. But is it? I’m really not sure if I’m honest. Sextortion can be for money or other things, and that’s the issue. It’s not just about the money. Some do it for the thrill, some do it to get more from the victim, some do it for control. The media likes the term. Myself, I think that “webcam blackmail” better explains what it is. What to others think?

[Wayne]

African scammers are starting to use sextortion scams.


This is a worrying trend. The numbers are still very small, but they are rising. We know from experience that scammers in West Africa are much more tenacious with their victims. The advice we’re currently giving of deactivating social media accounts for 2 weeks may soon need to be revised. This works for the scammers from Morocco or the Philippines where over 95% of these scams are based, but won’t be enough for the West African scammers. We are constantly monitoring the situation and changing our advice when new trends start to appear. Those who are being blackmail scammed (or “sextorted” as the media refers to it) can get help and advice by visiting www.blackmailscams.com or www.sextortionscams.com which both lead to the page on www.scamsurvivors.com dealing with these scams.

[Wayne]

Phishing emails are impersonal.


This is a good way to spot a phishing scam email. I mentioned in an earlier blog about hovering over links to see the true location, but this one is even simpler. Beware any emails that start with a generic greeting rather than one that gives your name. Scammers send these emails to hundreds, even thousands of people at once, so start them with “dear customer” or something similar. Always check any emails that start this way, and don’t click on any links until you’re 100% certain it’s genuine.

[Wayne]

The difference between catfishing and romance scams.


The media tends to use either phrase to describe a romance scam, but they are in fact very different beasts. A catfish is usually done as a way to have control over the other person. It’s not about money, but about making a person act in ways they want them to or to control their emotional state. Some do this as a “game” and even see it as fun. Romance scams on the other hand ARE all about money. The primary goal of the romance scammer is to get money from their victim. Anything else is incidental to that. Break their heart, ruin their life, doesn’t matter so long as they send the cash.