Scambusters, Preventing Internet Scams & Phishing Attempts

This blog is dedicated to help preventing internet fraud and internet scams. Scambusters was a radio show I started in Albany Oregon, but due to defaulted payment by the radio station we took the show offline. Regardless of this issue we still wish to help prevent internet fraud and save people from internet loss. I have been interviewed and featured in various publications such as the Wall Street Journal, New York Times & Daily News, The London Times & AARP Newsletters. Please watch this blog for latest tips and tricks and scams to avoid.

Saturday, November 20, 2010

FROM MRS MAXWELL SCAM annet.maxwell2009@gmail.com

Ah... love this stuff :) 

>>> SUBSTANCIAL<<< love it!

>>> PARYERS <<< even better!

>>> ACTUALISING <<< Not a clue!

Great Stuff, funny scam!


---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: MRS ANNET MAXWELL <mrsannetmaxwell@att.net>
Date: Thu, Nov 18, 2010 at 3:16 AM
Subject: FROM MRS MAXWELL
To:





DEAREST FRIEND,

I AM ANNET MAXWELL FROM GAMBIA. I AM MARRIED TO LATE
KENNEDY MAXWELL OF BLESSED MEMORY WHO IS AN OIL
EXPLORER IN LIBYA AND KUWAIT FOR TWELVE YEARS BEFORE
HE DIED IN THE YEAR 2005. WE WERE MARRIED FOR TWELVE
YEARS WITHOUT A CHILD. HE DIED AFTER A BRIEF ILLNESS
THAT LASTED FOR ONLY FOUR DAYS.SINCE HIS DEATH I TOO
HAVE BEEN BATTLING WITH BOTH CANCER AND FIBROID
PROBLEMS.WHEN MY LATE HUSBAND WAS ALIVE HE DEPOSITED A
SUBSTANCIAL AMOUNT OF MONEY IN MILLIONS OF DOLLARS
WITH A SECURITY COMPANY IN OVERSEA.

RECENTLY, MY DOCTOR TOLD ME THAT I HAVE ONLY SIX
MONTHS TO LIVE DUE TO CANCER PROBLEM. THOUGH WHAT
DISTURBS ME MOST IS MY STROKE SICKNESS.
HAVING KNOWN MY CONDITION I DECIDED TO DONATE THIS
FUND TO EITHER A CHARITY/ORPHANAGE HOME OR DEVOTED GOD
FEARING INDIVIDUAL THAT WILL UTILIZE THIS MONEY THE
WAY I AM GOING TO INSTRUCT HEREIN. I WANT THIS
ORGANIZATION OR INDIVIDUAL TO USE THIS MONEY IN ALL
SINCERITY TO FUND CHARITY HOMES (MOTHERLESS
HOMES),ORPHANAGES, WIDOWS.I TOOK THIS DECISION
BECAUSE I DON'T HAVE ANY CHILD THAT WILL INHERIT THIS
MONEY AND MY HUSBAND RELATIVES ARE INTO RADICAL
ORGANISATION AND I DON'T WANT A SITUATION WHERE THIS
MONEY WILL BE USED IN AN UNHOLY MANNER. HENCE THE
REASONS FOR THIS BOLD DECISION.PLEASE, PRAY FOR ME TO
RECOVER AS YOUR PARYERS WILL GO A LONG WAY IN
UPLIFTING MY SPIRIT.I DON'T NEED ANY TELEPHONE
COMMUNICATION IN THIS REGARD BECAUSE OF MY
HEALTH,BECAUSE OF THE PRESENCE OF MY HUSBAND'S
RELATIVES AROUND ME ALWAYS. I DON'T WANT
THEM TO KNOW ABOUT THIS DEVELOPMENT AS SOON AS I
RECEIVE YOUR REPLY ON (annet.maxwell2009@gmail.com)

I SHALL GIVE YOU FURTHER DIRECTIVES ON WHAT TO DO AND
HOW TO GO ABOUT ACTUALISING THIS PROJECT. I WILL ALSO
ISSUE A LETTER OF AUTHORITY TO THE BANK AUTHORIZING
THEM THAT THE SAID FUND HAVE BEING WILLED TO YOU AND A
COPY OF SUCH AUTHORIZATION WILL BE FORWARDED TO YOU.
I WANT YOU TO ALWAYS PRAY FOR ME.ANY DELAY IN YOUR
REPLY WILL GIVE ROOM IN SOURCING FOR AN ORGANIZATION
OR A DEVOTED INDIVIDUAL FOR THIS SAME PURPOSE. UNTIL
I HEAR FROM YOU BY EMAIL MY DREAMS WILL REST SQUARELY
ON YOUR SHOULDERS

REMAIN BLESSED.

ANNET MAXWELL


Wednesday, November 17, 2010

HM Treasury's Correspondence and Enquiry (sic) Unit / Scam

If they can't get it right in the title, I am a bit worried.

Reply email address was cute though (hmtreasury.gov@britain.com)

Overall, a nice job, well thought out, sounds professional and very "Royal"

Gotta run, tea with the Queen you know!

Also a scam!


_____________

From: HM Treasury [mailto:hmtreasury.gov@britain.com]
Sent: Saturday, October 30, 2010 1:52 PM
To: undisclosed recipients:
Subject: International Compensation On Foreign Payment (FILE CODE - HM/IMF/7890/121)

 

 

HM Treasury's Correspondence and Enquiry Unit

From The Office of Rt Hon George Osborne MP

Chancellor of the Exchequer

HM Treasury

Horse Guards Road

London SW1A 2HQ

Tel: +44-077 0003 6878

Fax: +44-020 7270 4861

 

Friday, October 29, 2010

 

Our Ref: UK/TREAS/898ATCP

Your ref: HM/IMF/7890/121

 

 

                                       INTERNATIONAL COMPENSATION ON FOREIGN PAYMENT (FILE CODE - HM/IMF/7890/121).

 

HM Treasury, in full Her Majesty's Treasury, informally The Treasury, is the United Kingdom government department responsible for developing and executing the British government's public finance policy and economic policy. The Treasury maintains the Combined Online Information System (COINS) containing a detailed analysis of departmental spending under thousands of category headings.

We have taken time to review your online email communication messages on your unsuccessful transactions with most international lottery/contract award winning organizations, and other foreign banks. We wish to let you know that we have communicated with most of these foreign banking institutions that withheld most international payments to individual accounts so as to find out why these funds were withheld, the source of the funds and a final solution to this problem. Although you are reading from us for the first time, we have been working very hard to resolve this issue and making progress on our research on why international banks has failed to completely credit funds to international owners/beneficiaries account even after the funds are approved for payment.

 

Conclusively, we discovered that most withheld and/or unpaid funds which originated from lottery organizations, international trading company's awarded contract funds and deceased personals where not properly filed for international fund payment to its beneficiary account by the fund beneficiary approved to receive such funds.

 

Such transfer suspension was placed on these funds because majority of these international fund remittance/transfer of over the total sum of $500,000 and above to private European/Non European residence accounts abroad, usually carried out by foreign Banks, Private or Commercial Courier Companies were never properly recorded by the paying institution for future file reference/assessment by the International Monetary Fund and the Financial Services Authority.

 

In joint alliance with the European Financial Service Commission & the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to resolve this issue, we wish to let you know that we have been approved to release only the total sum of Three Million Great British Pounds Sterling (3,000,000.00 GBP =  4,704,406.46 USD) to enable you start up your own business.

 

In response to this decision, we got the International Finance Auditors to apply backward in time so that you can use the violation of the existing law to get your approved funds on time. We were able to gain an approval authorization letter from the Court Service which stated that these funds will be released to its beneficiary's account on proper confirmation of its claim.

 

You need to properly apply for your awarded fund payment by sending us your personal information below along with a scanned copy of your international passport or drivers license so that we will forward it for verification and payment.

 

PERSONAL DETAILS;

ANSWERS;

1. Your Full Name, Nationality & Current Location.


2. Your Age & Current Occupation.


3. Your Phone & Fax Number.


4.  Your ID Number (or Attach Identification Documents).


 

By the virtue of the provision of the law which confer on us powers to advocate, adjudicate suspend and authorize an immediate transfer of your funds internationally, we hereby state emphatically and without prejudice that should there be any information that may succeed your application for unclaimed awarded fund release that are currently deposited in most foreign banks in Europe, Asia and in Africa, please do not hesitate to provide us the information so that we will know how to help you receive your funds.

 

Important Notice: Your inability to make this clarification for fund transfer will continue to suspend your chances of receiving any international fund payment directed to your local bank account from any existing foreign bank until this clarification is made.

 

Failure to properly apply for the fund release within 20 days of this message notification will nullify your chances of receiving your unpaid international funds, and these funds will be confiscated and made to be forfeited under the Money Laundering and Other Financial Crime Prohibition Act of 2003.

 

For inquiries;
Post: HM Treasury. Horse Guards Road London SW1A 2HQ.
Call:  +44-(77) 0003 6878

Email:(removed) 

My Profile:(removed)

 

 

Regards,

Chancellor of the Exchequer

Rt Hon George Osborne MP (Conservative)

HM Treasury's Correspondence and Enquiry Unit.

============================================

Questions about this information should be directed to

Chancellor of the Exchequer. Telephone: +44-77 0003 6878


Shell International Lottery Scam / Spain

More like a Shell Game, then a prize from Shell... Who is this supposed to be anyway? Shell Gas?  Why would someone with millions to give away need a Yahoo return email address anyhow?

But at least I am Esteemed! 

ps... I deleted the attachment, too scared to see what was inside.

Hmmmm...

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

GOOD DAY ESTEEMED AWARD WINNER,
 
SHELL INTERNATIONAL LOTTERY PROMOTIONS/PRIZE AWARD DEPARTMENT SPAIN has just concluded final draws from it's periodical promotional program An exclusive list of thousands of individual and corporate bodies were picked by automated random computer search from the internet No tickets were sold. You emerged as one of the lucky winners and you are therefore entitled to a sum of €350.000.00 Euros Only .

See attachment for more details and procedures.
 
For the security purpose,a password is required to enable you view the
attachment.
 
Password: (boy).
 
Yours Faithfully,
 
Dr Ellen R.Gomez,
Online Coordinator for .
Shell Petroleum Company Spain.
No 72 Avenida Parque Grande,
Madrid Spain.
Email:shellpetroleumcompany@europe.com
     :lotteryshell24@yahoo.com


 

Thursday, November 04, 2010

SCAM > Charity Proposal!!! Mrs. Clarissa Ann Turner.

Dear Beloved, she does not know me, but I am beloved.. how sweet.  Sent from an MSN LIVE account, with a reply to an AOL account, makes me worried this scam is coming out of the USA and not Nigeria or other country known for internet scams like Malaysia or Romania


-----Original Message-----
From: Mrs. Clarissa Ann Turner [mailto:mrsturnerc@live.com]
Sent: Monday, November 01, 2010 12:30 PM
Subject: Please Acknowledge The Receipt of My Charity Proposal!!!

 

Dear Beloved,

 I apologize writing you this mail but I want you to consider me with much

full heartily. I am writing this mail to you with heavy tears in my eyes

and great sorrow in my heart because my Doctor told me that I will die in

three months time or less than. Base on this development I want to Will my

money which is deposited in a security company to a God fearing person, so

I am in search of a reliable person who will use the Money to build

charity organization for the less privilege and help people living with

HIV.

The person will take 20% of the total sum. While 80% of the money will go

to charity organization and helping the orphanage because I equally grew

up as an Orphan and I don't have any child and my late husband family

member are not reliable to take care of my wealth because the fund I kept

under their care to be distributed to charity organization was shared

among their self. I will provide you with other information's once you

indicate your willingness. Please do contact me through this email address

if you are willing to assist me:turnerclarisaa@aol.com

Yours Faithfully

Mrs. Clarissa Ann Turner.

 

PROMOTIONAL COMPETITIONS < Lottery Winning Scam

No different than the one I posed before, just a change in wording and title, same email and everything, totally a scam.

------------------

-----Original Message-----
From: Morrison, Carlos [mailto:cmorrison@alasu.edu]
Sent: Sunday, October 31, 2010 1:57 PM
Subject: PROMOTIONAL COMPETITIONS

 

Dear Winner,

You are hereby inform that you have been selected for a cash prize of

500,000.00? (Five Hundred Thousand Euro) and brand new Porsche Cayenne

SUV Car in this year promotional competition. The online draws was conducted by a

Random selection of email addresses from an exclusive list of 8729,031 E-mail

Addresses of individuals and corporate bodies picked by an advanced

Automated random computer search from the internet. Each email address

Was attached to a Coupon number and your email address with coupon

Number: Cayenne/OOOO/10/EA1209KL and Pin Code Number: 8710032921 was

Randomly selected as the star prize winner amongst other consolation

Prizes, below is your winning information

WINNING COUPON NO: Cayenne/OOOO/10/EA1209KL

PIN CODE: 8710032921

This is not a Lotto or Gambling of any sort as you know it in your

Country, It is actually a promotional competition run by the European Lottery

Operator Camelot in Conjunction with the Porsche Automobile Company to promote

Cash and car lottery in Europe, just as it is in other continent for example

http://www.cashandcarslottery.ca/ ,http://www.materprizehome.com.au/about-mater-foundation/win-a-car/ ,

http://news.sunrisecarlottery.com/ .  Your Payment/delivery of your car has fall

Into category M, this is in ESPANA. You are to Contact our accredited

Representative/fudiciary agent/Chamber with the under listed

Information as soon as possible: with your Full Name, Address, Country,

Age, Sex, Occupation, Phone number and Fax number.

ACCREDITED REPRESENTATIVE AGENT/FIDUCIARY AGENT

CHAMBERS NAME: FERNANDEZ ADVOCATES

CONTACT AGENT: Mr. Carlos HERNANDEZ

Email: wuesa@w.cn

Direct tel: +34-602-120-034.

 

You are hereby assured of the utmost standards of confidentiality, and

Press anonymity until the end of proceedings, and beyond where you so

Desire; be further advised to maintain the strictest level of

Confidentiality until the end of proceedings to circumvent problems

Associated with fraudulent claims. This is part of our precautionary

Measure to avoid double claiming and unwarranted abuse of this program.

Congratulations from me, members and staffs of this promotional

Program.

Your winnings must be claimed not later than two (2) weeks of this

Notification and remember to quote your winning coupon number and pin

Code in all Correspondence with the representative agent in Espana

Best Regards,

Engr. Iona Adalbert

Director of Promotions

N.B, Please do not respond to this email, you are to contact your

Representative agent with information above.=


Lottery Scam - Subject: CAMELOT PROMOTIONAL COMPETITION

Please..... Lottery Scams, still, can't come up with something new?   Also being sent through a alasu.edu address, asking to reply to a hotmail address.  The verbage is just garbage.  Everyone now knows how these scams work.  You don't get your money until you wire money to them for a fee, for taxes, for processing, for something and then they disappear. 

-----------------

-----Original Message-----
From: Morrison, Carlos [mailto:cmorrison@alasu.edu]
Sent: Tuesday, November 02, 2010 4:03 AM
Subject: CAMELOT PROMOTIONAL COMPETITION.

 

 

Dear Winner,

You are hereby inform that you have been selected for a cash prize of

500,000.00? (Five Hundred Thousand Euro) and brand new Porsche Cayenne

SUV Car in this year promotional competition. The online draws was conducted by a

Random selection of email addresses from an exclusive list of 8729,031 E-mail

Addresses of individuals and corporate bodies picked by an advanced

Automated random computer search from the internet. Each email address

Was attached to a Coupon number and your email address with coupon

Number: Cayenne/OOOO/10/EA1209KL and Pin Code Number: 8710032921 was

Randomly selected as the star prize winner amongst other consolation

Prizes, below is your winning information

WINNING COUPON NO: Cayenne/OOOO/10/EA1209KL

PIN CODE: 8710032921

This is not a Lotto or Gambling of any sort as you know it in your

Country, It is actually a promotional competition run by the European Lottery

Operator Camelot in Conjunction with the Porsche Automobile Company to promote

Cash and car lottery in Europe, just as it is in other continent for example

http://www.cashandcarslottery.ca/ ,http://www.materprizehome.com.au/about-mater-foundation/win-a-car/ ,

http://news.sunrisecarlottery.com/ .  Your Payment/delivery of your car has fall

Into category M, this is in ESPANA. You are to Contact our accredited

Representative/fudiciary agent/Chamber with the under listed

Information as soon as possible: with your Full Name, Address, Country,

Age, Sex, Occupation, Phone number and Fax number.

ACCREDITED REPRESENTATIVE AGENT/FIDUCIARY AGENT

CHAMBERS NAME: FERNANDEZ ADVOCATES

CONTACT AGENT: Mr. Barlos FERNANDEZ

Email: bdferez@hotmail.com

Direct tel: +34-602-120-034.

 

You are hereby assured of the utmost standards of confidentiality, and

Press anonymity until the end of proceedings, and beyond where you so

Desire; be further advised to maintain the strictest level of

Confidentiality until the end of proceedings to circumvent problems

Associated with fraudulent claims. This is part of our precautionary

Measure to avoid double claiming and unwarranted abuse of this program.

Congratulations from me, members and staffs of this promotional

Program.

Your winnings must be claimed not later than two (2) weeks of this

Notification and remember to quote your winning coupon number and pin

Code in all Correspondence with the representative agent in Espana

Best Regards,

Engr. Iona Adalbert

Director of Promotions

N.B, Please do not respond to this email, you are to contact your

Representative agent with information above.=


SCAM > Mr. Walter Suarez; I work with the Federal Ministry in Spain


Wow, what a crock..  I am always amazed when someone falls for this scam.  How can someone contact you "To: undisclosed recipients:" and offer to transfer millions of dollars to you, and you don't know them personally.  The logic is totally baffling, yet people do fall for these scams.


-------------------------------


From: Mr.Walter Suare [mailto:mr.waltersuare1@gmail.com]
Sent: Wednesday, November 03, 2010 8:50 PM
To: undisclosed recipients:
Subject: Re: Attention: E-mail Owner,

 

Dear,

 

 My name is Mr. Walter Suarez; I work with the Federal Ministry of works and housing here in Spain. I am under political Appointment with the present government in power

 

My aim of contacting you is to collaborate with me to transfer the sum of (9.5 Million Euros) Nine Million Five hundred thousand Euros into your personal bank account in your country of origin for investment purposes.

 

 I am going to invest this money in your country through your assistance and help, whereby you are going to be my Invest Manager. Please when replying I want you to tell me the type of investment that will be encourage for us to invest so that we can talk about the conditions.

 

Please send your phone number and I will call you OR, Please email me back to this email address: waltersuarez@in.com   

 

1) Your age............

2) Your full name and address........

3) Your marital status.........

4) Your occupation/Profession.......

5) Your direct telephone.......

6) Your Fax numbers........

 

Thanks and yours sincerely,

Mr. Walter Suarez

 


Tuesday, November 02, 2010

Woman charged in international online scam

Ahh, those Nigerian Scams always cause trouble!

=================================


Fayetteville police charged a woman for her participation in an international fraud scheme involving more than $7 million.

Police say 48-year-old Marie Elizabeth Register of Fayetteville printed and mailed 235 counterfeit checks valued at more than $500,000. Investigators say the scam targeted people selling items on eBay and Craigslist.

"When it came time to pay the sellers what she would do is, like say she owed them $100 she might would send them a check for say $500 or $600 whatever the amounts were, ask them to cash the checks to go ahead and take their money out and return the cash to her," police spokesman Dan Grubb said.

Police say Register ran her operation out of her home in a mobile home park on Caskey Drive off McArther Road.

"What she should do is there were several printed checks that either they mailed her or that she helped create fake bank accounts," Grubb said.

Register required sellers to cash checks valued at more than what she owed, keep payment for the items purchased and send the balance back to her via Western Union or Moneygram. She would then mail the cash to Nigeria. A total of 2,630 checks have been identified as printed with a total value of $7.1 million.

Register is charged with two counts of obtaining property by false pretenses, two counts of obtaining property greater than $100,000 by false pretenses, four counts of forgery of instrument and possession of more than five counterfeit checks.

ABC11 Eyewitness News learned that Register met her Nigerian contact in an online chat room.

Now, police are trying to determine if that contact has terrorist ties.

"We're not 100 percent certain that the people that she was sending the money to have ties to terrorism, but most certainly it's on our radar now," said Dan Grubb, Fayetteville police spokesperson. "And of course we'll be sharing information with other agencies as well regarding this case."

Register remains in the Cumberland County Jail on a $77,000 bond


Monday, November 01, 2010

Subject: Legal Noticia - Internet Money Scam

Wow, not even slightly believable. I feel bad now, I discussed my "secret reference number".

Scam!

-----Original Message-----
From: Legal Información [mailto:"=?ISO-8859-1?Q?informaci=F3n?="@notificacion.es]
Sent: Monday, November 01, 2010 5:55 AM
To: undisclosed-recipients:
Subject: Legal Noticia

 

This mail is to officially notify you that your email address was selected

randomly from the 888 casino advertising automatic system generated email

online promotions, and your email address emerged as one of the online

winner in Category B+. This attracts a prize of (Eur 350,000.00). You are

obliged to come to our office for prize presentation also for your claim

notarization and legalization processing eventually payment of your prize.

 

For more information's, do contact our authorized bank legal claim

processing office via email including your Secret Reference Number:

MKQ/822/PDF

 

Contact: Mr. Pablo Gameg Ycaiar

Email: contact@mail2online.com

Email: infonline@mail2online.com 

Tel:+34698552384 Fax:+34917692897    

Address: Calle/ latón 310, Moaña.Galicia-SPAIN

 

Note: Please do not disclose your Secret Reference Number to any

individual/organization claiming to represent you or representing

http://es.888casino.com/ If you receive any e-mail of such or phone call

from anyone requesting you to provide your Reference Number, please report

or forward any email received to us immediately. Our Member Support

Department is available 24/7 to assist you via e-mail at:

info-casino888.com@ozu.es / casino888.com.promotion.info@ozu.es

 --

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