| By
Gary Scott
Below are numerous scams warning
ideas from readers who have added to our recent message about scams. We will have
a special session on how to avoid scams at our upcoming November course. See details
below.
Scams Warning Ideas #1:
"Gary, I have received over a
dozen emails about a foreign national needing a US person to receive funds, winning
lotteries I never entered, etc. I have kept over a dozen and do not know who to
report these to or see if they could be REAL?"
My Scams Warning Ideas Reply
These are not real. I get about
one of these scams a day. These are all variations of the Nigerian scam that have
gone on for decades, first by mail, then fax and now email. Avoid these like the
plague. Delete them!
Scams Warning Ideas #2:
"Gary, There is another e-mail
sent around that is sent with the Citibank logo, that is a scam."
My Scams Warning Ideas:
I received two this morning and
do not have a Citibank account! They are scams, scams, scams!
Scams Warning Ideas #3:
"Gary, I have seen the scam applied
to US Bank as well. It's reasonable to think that they will try to emulate most
other banks before they are done."
My Scams Warning Ideas reply:
I have received them from numerous
banks now. They are all cons!
Scams Warning Ideas #4:
"Gary, Thanks for the alert.
A short time ago I received two such e-mails, one supposedly from Citibank, the
other from Keybank. Since I hold neither card nor account at either, my decision
was easy...hit the delete key. Citibank and Keybank did appreciate being notified
about the scam, however. I notice Citibank has posted a scam alert on its site.
None of these links below work (this is just a copy paste from the Citibank site)
but if others want to check it out they can go to www.citibank.com
or contact Keybank at (1-800-539-2968) in the US or dial the access code of the
country you are calling from and when prompted, dial 1-216-813-7001, collect to
alert them that their site has been duplicated by a scammer. Meanwhile, have a
great day and we hope to see you at the real estate seminar!"
My Scams Warning Ideas reply:
Good thinking and great action.
Scams Warning Ideas #5-#6-#7-#8-#9:
"Gary, I have received the one
from Citibank that your reader mentioned, and there is also one from another bank,
I think it was called Sun Trust Bank."
"I have gotten a couple of notices
purportedly from CitiBank (clue number one: I don't have a CitiBank account),
and B of A sent a notice to customers not to give out confidential information
to anybody asking for it in notices like this. Thanks for the heads-up."
"Gary, Yes, you're right. I,
too, am highly suspicious of these e-mails. In the past month or two, I have received
some very curious ones - one from SunTrust Bank and another from Citizens Bank.
Each asked me to confirm my bank details by following the link that is supplied
in the e-mail."
"Gary, The current issue of Forbes
magazine has this scam as its cover story -- known as "phishing," the
spelling following the "phone phreaks" scams of the '70's where people
stole long distance time. The current phishing scam is what you describe: a very
official-looking email purportedly from a financial industries company asking
you to go to their site and verify your credit card and account numbers, etc.
Clicking on the hot link in the email takes you to an exact replica of the Citibank,
eBay, AOL, etc., site where you are asked to furnish your financial vitals. Once
done, they've got your info. Citibank and eBay are the two I get frequently, but
they arrive under the names of lots of different prominent companies leading the
unwary to think its something official. All such emails should be deleted immediately.
The creativity of criminals never ceases to amaze."
"Gary, I got two from "FDIC"
and one from "Wells Fargo", my mortgage holder. I deleted them all but
don't know if "Wells Fargo" was a coincidence or they may also have
access to some inside information as well.".
My Scams Warning Ideas reply:
They are using any names hoping
to catch the unexpecting who have accounts at that particular bank.
Scams Warning Ideas #10 and #11
"Hi Gary, I've been reporting
and forwarding these types of emails to both PayPal and eBay for the past few
months. A good tip is to NEVER login to any site other than from the home page.
"Gary, I have pinged the sites
these are coming from and your suspicions are correct they are scams. There is
one from CitiBank and PayPal going around too. The pay pal scam says unless you
update your information your account will be locked out. Of course they are all
phishing for user names and passwords.
My Scams Warning Ideas reply;
Good advice. Beware!
More Scams Warning Ideas
Gary, Many things are forwarded
to me by friends who want me to 'pass it on' are checked by me before passing
it on. I keep encouraging people to check it out before sending things on, but
they don't. I find most of it scams, listed in scambusters.com. It is so easy
to check. One friend kept passing on all these great deals, like $50 from Applebee's.
My reply: scambusters.com
is good!
"Gary, I recently traveled to
Romania, and loved it. However I was taken for quite a bit of US dollars by two
people waving badges claiming to be passport police. They demand to see passports,
and then ask to see U.S. dollars as there is American passing bogus dollars in
the area. I after panicky thought took out dollars to show and they took off.
This was in broad daylight with many pedestrians walking by. Pass this on."
My reply: New economies in Eastern
Europe have this problem. When we took groups to Hungary and the Czech Republic
we found the pickpockets and thieves especially strong. But this happens everywhere.
Remember a few years back. Thieves
were killing tourists in Miami!
When visiting any place as a
tourist be extra aware and do not carry very much cash. In the end the only protection
is our own wits and care. In this modern world, with the millions of police and
institutions that purport to protect us, thieves are out there trying to steal
from us every single day. Be careful use common sense and most of all protect
against your fear and greed. These are the tools that con artists use against
you
Until next message, good investing
and business.
Gary
My novel the 65th Octave looks
at scam protection issues. The hero is a scam catching expert who works for big
banks. The book utlines why scams work and why suckers always lose. I recommend
you ead the book. It has some in depth economic information but is also a fast
paced, fun read.
Order the 65th Octave
at GaryScott.com
Sometimes one picture is worth
a thousand words
To avoid scams balance
yourself in nature like this cabin at Gary and Merri Scott's Merrily
Farm where you are welcome to visit and stay Little
Horse Creek. |
