Identity thieves are out there, waiting to use your own computer to steal your identity from you. Fight back against cyber crime and don't let them take advantage of you. It's time to take your online security into your own hands. It is my hope that by sharing my own experiences with identity thieves and other online predators trying to get my information I will help someone else learn to spot such underhanded tactics before they are taken advantage of.






Barrister Mark Duke needs help repatriating funds



Oh goody, I get to help  “Mr. Duke” handle his investment portfolio… how much you wanna bet I’d lose my life savings if I did?

The following is an e-mail I got today from a “Mark Duke Esq.” wanting me to help him with “repatriating the funds and property left behind by my late client”.  What does he need for this?

My name, phone, fax, address, occupation and age…

Hmmm… isn’t that the kind of things that are needed for identity theft?  Why does he need that information anyway?  If he is having me help with a legitimate “repatriating” then he should know who I am and everything – right?

It don’t help his case that he sent it through a e-mail I know for a fact adult XXX e-mailers have got in their directories.  Not exactly the most trusted contact means.

This one’s another scam.  If you’re lucky all you’ll lose is your life savings, but I’m thinking they are more interested in taking your identity with this one.  Delete it, and any like it, and don’t let them sucker ya.

Greetings,

I am Barrister Mark Duke.I am reaching out to you as regards the handling of an investment portfolio.

I am soliciting your assistance in repatriating the funds and property left behind by my late client before it is confiscated by the government
and declared unserviceble by the bank where the huge deposit is lodged.

My Client died intestate and every attempt to trace any member of his family has proved unsuccessful and abortive. Do note that your identity or
country of origin does not matter.

I will give you more information upon your response. You should respond by
sending the following:

1. Your full names

2. Tel & fax numbers

3. Complete Address

4.Your occupation and your Age

If Interested Please Reply me Via my
PrivateEmail:markdukeesq2008@yahoo.com.hk

I humbly look forward to your soonest response.

Yours Faithfully,
Mark Duke Esq.
London, U.K









Western Union scam



Oh boy! This is too good to be true!… no, really, it is. This is a scam. I’ve seen a lot of trouble with Western Union, and these guys will end up with your money, not giving you more. And let’s face it, since when have you seen $1.5 million written as “$1.5,000.000.00 thousand dollars” ???

I love that he wants to be sure I know his new e-mail.  ::snort::  I didn’t even know the old one.

The e-mail follows:

Subject: Your Payment Has been Release today through Western union.
To: 001@_____________.___  (Domain name removed by CyberCat)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I have a new email address!You can now email me at: edwin_ken22@yahoo.com

- ttn, Dear, We have concluded to effect your payment $1.5,000.000.00 thousand dollars through western union today, but the maximium amount you will be receiving each day starting from tomorrow is $4,000.00 daily until the funds is completely transfered. Western union Agent: bar rogers TEL: E-mail: ( bar_rogers1@live.fr ) Though, Ms.Susan Banny $4,000.00 made in your name today so contact bar rogers and tell him to give you the mtcn, sender name and question/answer to pick the $4,000.00. Pls let me know as soon as you received all your funds $1.5,000.000.00 thousand dollars.Best Regards Mr.edwin ken



Posted in Alert, Western Union, scam.
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Return of the Domain Renewal Group



I got another letter from the Domain Renewal Group. Those of you who have been here before have probably seen me complain about this scam in an older post about them (posted here). They are one group I would not mind seeing go belly up, or shut down by the BBB or someone. They target people that own their own domain and send them letters that … well, I wish my camera was working, because this letter should be seen. I’ll try to replicate the header information… Oh… let me see if I can get my scanner to work…

Here we go, took a few, but I have scanned the latest letter I got from them and blacked out any personally identifiable information. Click on the thumbnail to see the 800×1023 pixel image so you can (I hope) read what they send people.

Domain Renewal Group

For those of you who can’t view the image, or just don’t want to, it opens by saying:

As a courtesy to domain name holders, we are sending you this notification of the domain name registrations that are due to expire in the next few months.

It then goes on to talk about how when you switch to the Domain Renewal Group you get “our best savings”, this is important, because this is *THEIR* best savings, not *THE* best savings. For example, my favorite domain name registrar Plato Host at www.PlatonicSolid.Info (which is, yes, my brother – transparency in plugging the guy here) he charges $12 for domain name registration, less than half of what this Domain Renewal Group has as their “best price”. And when you talk to him on the phone or in e-mail, you get a very knowledgeable guy that can answer questions in clear easy to understand and hear English – not some outsourced to another country working on a commission English as their third language person who does not know anything other than how to collect your credit card information. You might recall the Confusing Phone Call I got back in June, which lead to another one that made me point out that Domain Name Theft is a Serious Issue and ended out with my conclusion that They Are Persistent, I’ll Give Them That.

Renewal of a domain name for $30 is highway robbery and these guys get away with it because they are sending their letters to people they find on Who Is (I assume that’s how they find people) and catching ones that read the first line, tear off the bottom of the letter and send it in to renew the website. Websites that in the cases I have got were not even due for 6 months or more.

Don’t let them catch you in a scam and sucker you into paying twice what you should have to pay for your website.  If they are not really less than your normal hosting company put that letter in the paper shredder or your fireplace.  And if they are cheaper than your hosting company shred or burn their letter and look for someone like Plato Host to work with instead.



Posted in Internet Scams, scam.
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Politics, God, and sick baby sisters



I got the following to a Forum private message area – this guy tosses out all of the keypoints for catching attention.  Politics, Religion, and a sick little sister who needs to get out of the country with her older brother so they can continue their education.  Yeah, sure.  I particularly love the “Please for your good information this transaction Is 100% risk free and in no way connected with any illegal transaction” part.  ::shaking head::  They’re not asking you to do anything illegal, they just want you to let them clean out your bank account – you won’t get in any legal trouble… unless you can’t pay your bills after helping them to your life savings.

_________________________________________
From Susan and Williams Alfarouk / Appeal for Assistance.
Dearest,

Greetings in the name of God. We are Williams and Susan Alfarouk Appeal for Assistance. from Sierra Leone .

I am writing you from Rep of Cote ‘Ivoire where we Have been taking refuge after the brutal war and Murder of our parents by the rebels during the renewed Fighting in our country Sierra Leone . Because of the war our late Father sold his shipping company and took us to a nearby country Cote d’Ivoire where he deposited US$18, 300,000.00 Million(Eighteen Million Three Hundred Thousand United States Dollars) in his foreign account with one of the bank here in Cote ‘Ivoire.Please, We have prayed before contacting you with the trust in God that you will be of help to me and my Sister is seriously sick now coupled with the current political situation in Ivory Coast now,We are seeking for your assistance to transfer this Money to your account for a good investment Project in your country and also relocate to your country with my younger sister susan to further our study.We are willing to offer you 15% of the total sum for Your assistance.Please for your good information this transaction Is 100% risk free and in no way connected with any illegal transaction, Please Help us to get out of this terrible situation and our Almighty God will bless you Please kindly call us +22547734565 for more discussion.or email (sussan.willi02@yahoo.com)

Best Regards
Williams and Susan Alfarouk



Posted in Internet Scams, scam.
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The FBI is persistent, and say “You are adviced to comply urgently”



Okay, first off, if the FBI is going to tell me that I am “adviced to comply urgently…” there is something seriously wrong with the educational system in the United States.  I got yet another letter that is supposed to be from the FBI warning me that I am going to be in sooooooo much trouble if I don’t send them what they want me to send them.  Well come on guys! You haven’t sent me Martin Fitzgerald and Danny Taylor yet, so why should I send you my personal information to a leo.gov e-mail address?

yup, it is from the FBI (crimesmornitoringunit@leo.gov) give me a break dudes, that is not the FBI’s e-mail address and they certainly would not be sending this to “undisclosed recipients” if they wanted to talk to me, they would know who I am and send Martin and Danny to  talk to me.  Right?   Right.

The scammy scummy e-mail this time is on perusal about the same as the last one, a poor effort to scare me into thinking the FBI is out to get me for being involved in a money transfer they fear might be connected to terrorism… oh, and they are screaming this at me of course.  I feel like I am sitting in a little room with Mulder and Scully playing good fed / bad fed while I have a bright light shining in my eyes.

“DON’T YOU KNOW THIS IS ILLEGAL?!?!”
“Maybe it’s not her fault.”
“THAT MONEY IS ON HOLD UNTIL YOU COOPERATE!”
“Just cooperate and we’ll leave you alone, and you can have the money.”

:::shaking head::::
I’m telling you guys, send in Martin and Danny – or at least have them be the ones to e-mail me, not “Faithfully Yours, FBI Director  Robert S. Mueller, III“.

The e-mail follows…

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
From: “FBI” <crimesmornitoringunit@leo.gov>
Reply-To: fbicrimesmornitoringunit@live.com

To: undisclosed-recipients: ;

Subject: FEDERAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION/URGENT REPLY NEEDED

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

ANTI-TERRORIST AND MONITORING CRIMES DIVISION
FBI HEADQUARTERS, WASHINGTON D.C.
FEDERAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION
J. EDGAR HOOVER BUILDING
935 PENNSYLVANIA AVENUE, NW WASHINGTON, D.C. 20535-0001

Date: 12/15/2008

ANTI-TERRORIST AND MONITORING CRIMES DIVISION

THIS IS AN OFFICIAL ADVICE FROM THE FBI FOREIGN REMITTANCE/TELEGRAPHIC DEPT. IT HAS COME TO OUR NOTICE THAT THE C.B.N BANK, NIGERIA DISTRICT, HAS RELEASED TO THE TUNE OF $10,500,000.00 U.S DOLLARS INTO THE BANK OF AMERICA IN YOUR NAME AS THE BENEFICIARY, COURTESY OF INHERITTANCE.

THE C.B.N BANK NIGERIA, KNOWING FULLY WELL THAT THEY DO NOT HAVE ENOUGH FACILITIES TO EFFECT THIS PAYMENT FROM THE UNITED KINGDOM TO YOUR ACCOUNT, USED WHAT WE KNOW AS A SECRET DIPLOMATIC TRANSIT PAYMENT (S.T.D.P) TO PAY THIS FUND THROUGH WIRE TRANSFER.

THEY ARE STILL, WAITING FOR CONFIRMATION FROM YOU ON THE ALREADY TRANSFERRED FUNDS, WHICH WAS MADE IN DIRECT TRANSFER SO THAT THEY CAN FINALLY CREDIT IT INTO YOUR ACCOUNT.

HOWEVER,SECRET DIPLOMATIC PAYMENTS ARE NOT MADE, UNLESS THE FUNDS ARE RELATED TO TERRORIST ACTIVITIES. WHY MUST YOUR PAYMENT BE MADE IN SECRET TRANSFER? IF YOUR TRANSACTION IS LEGITIMATE, IF YOU ARE NOT A TERRORIST, WHY DID YOU NOT RECEIVE THE MONEY DIRECTLY INTO YOUR ACCOUNT? THIS IS ACTUALLY AN ILLEGAL MODE OF PAYMENT?

RECORDS WHICH WE HAVE HAD WITH THIS METHOD OF PAYMENT IN THE PAST, HAS ALWAYS BEEN RELATED TO TERRORIST ACTIVITIES, WE DO NOT WANT YOU TO GET INTO TROUBLE AS SOON AS THESE FUNDS REFLECT IN YOUR ACCOUNT IN THE U.S. SO IT IS OUR DUTY AS A WORLD WIDE COMMISSION TO CORRECT THIS PROBLEM BEFORE THIS FUND WILL BE CREDITED INTO YOUR PERSONAL ACCOUNT.

WE ADVICE YOU TO CONTACT US IMMEDIATELY AS THE FUNDS HAVE BEEN STOPPED AND ARE BEING HELD IN OUR CUSTODY, UNTIL YOU CAN BE ABLE TO PROVIDE US WITH A DIPLOMATIC IMMUNITY SEAL OF TRANSFER (DIST) WITHIN 3 DAYS FROM THE WORLD LOCAL BANK FROM WHERE THE FUNDS WERE TRANSFERED FROM, TO CERTIFY THAT THE FUNDS THAT YOU ARE ABOUT TO RECEIVE FROM NIGERIA ARE ANTI -TERRORIST/DRUG FREE. OR ELSE WE SHALL HAVE COURSE TO CROSS AND IMPOUND THE PAYMENT.WE SHALL ONLY RELEASE THE FUNDS IMMEDIATELY WE RECEIVE THIS LEGAL DOCUMENTS
—————————————————————————–

We have decided to contact you directly to acquire the proper verifications and proof from you to show that you are the rightful person to receive this fund, because of the amount involved. we want to make sure that the money your about to receive is clean and legal. Be informed that the fund is now in the United States in your name, but right now, we have given an authourisation to The Bank of America not to release the funds untill we ask them to do so.This is because we have to carry out our investigations first before releasing the funds to you.

So to this regards, you are to re-assure and prove to us that what you are about to receive is clean money by sending to us, FBI Identification Record and also The Diplomatic Immunity Seal Of Transfer (DIST) to satify that the money you are about to receive is legitimate. You are to forward the documents to us immediately if you have it in your possession, if you don’t have it, let us know, so that you will be directed on how and where to obtain the document and send to us, so that in turn,we will re-authourize the Bank of America to credit your funds.

However,An FBI Identification Record and Diplomatic Immunity Seal Of Transfer (DIST) often referred to as a Criminal History Record or Rap Sheet, is a listing of Certain information taken from fingerprint submissions retained by the FBI in Connection with arrests and, in some instances, federal employment, naturalization, or military service.

THESE CONDITION IS VALID UNTIL
THE 18TH OF DECEMBER 2008, AFTER WHICH WE SHALL TAKE ACTIONS ON CANCELLING THE PAYMENT AND THEN CHARGE YOU FOR ILLEGALLY MOVING OF FUNDS OUT OF NIGERIA.

GUARANTEE: FUNDS WILL BE RELEASED ON CONFIRMATION OF THESE DOCUMENTS.
——————————————————————————–

FINAL INSTRUCTION:

1, CREDIT PAYMENT INSTRUCTION: IRREVOCABLE CREDIT GUARANTEE

2,BENEFICIARY HAS FULL POWER WHEN VALIDATION IS
CLEARED.

3,BENEFICIARIES BANK IN U.S.A, CAN ONLY RELEASE FUNDS
UPON CONFIRMATION FROM THE WORLD BANK/IMF OR UNITED NATIONS.

4,BEARER MUST CLEAR BANK PROTOCOL AND VALIDATION REQUEST
——————————————————————————–

NOTE: We have asked for the above documents to make available the most complete and up-to date records possible for the enhancement of public safety, welfare and security of the Society, while recognizing the importance of individual privacy rights. If you fail to provide the Documents to us, we will charge you for money laundering and take appriopriate actions against you for not prooving to this commission, the legitimacy of the funds you are about to receive.

The United States Department of Justice Order (556-73) establishes rules and regulations for the subject of an FBI Identification Record to obtain a copy of his or her own Record for review.

The FBI Criminal Justice Information Services (CJIS) Division processes these requests to check illegal activities in the U.S.
An individual may request a copy of his or her own FBI Identification Record for personal review or to challenge information on the Record. Other reasons an individual may request a copy of his or her own Identification Record may include international adoption or to satisfy a requirement to live or work in a foreign country or receive funds from another country (i.e., Diplomatic Immunity Seal Of Transfer, letter of good conduct, criminal history back ground).
You are adviced to comply urgently.

Faithfully Yours,

FBI Director
Robert S. Mueller, III