How Stupid Do They Think I Am?

I am still going to be pointing out the assorted scams and stuff here, but I am going to revam this site a bit so that it can be a dual blog site.  Both a place for me to help others avoid identity thieves and scammers and a place where I can post “WTF?” stuff that just does not quite fit under any category of sites quite as well as it does a “How Stupid!” site.

So, I’ll be working later tonight or this weekend on some revisions here.  Stay tuned and don’t worry, the scammers are still going to be a major target area for my “how stupid?!?” commentary.

One thing that I really dislike are cold callers that are trying to target senior citizens to scam off their Medicare, to get one that is callous as well as cold just really really — grrrrr!

Access Diabetic Supply is one such service that came to my attention this morning. Read about their cold calling here – Access Diabetic Supply cold call – and I do mean COLD.

Reading the notes at 800Notes.com makes me think they are specifically targeting seniors to get their Medicare information and have been doing so for some time now.

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

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

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.

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.