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Archive for April, 2010

With the birth of the internet has also come the birth of the internet scam. There are as many different internet scams as there are internet users, and many of them seem very convincing.

One of the most ubiquitous, and oldest, of internet scams is the Nigerian Get Rich Quick scam.

The Nigerian Get Rich Quick scam takes many forms, but is most often done under the guise of having a Nigerian relative or official who has passed away and has left inheritance. The scammer sends an e-mail (generally poorly worded and in broken English) that names the person who has just died and that he or she is the executor of the estate. The executor of the estate requests that you send an e-mail in reply acknowledging receipt of the e-mail. Once the e-mail is replied to, a second e-mail is sent out requesting personal information from the recipient of the inheritance.

Usually the e-mail requests such things as name, date of birth, address, contact phone number, etc. Up until this point, the scam seems fairly legitimate, except, perhaps, that the recipient is not aware that he or she has a Nigerian relative.

The e-mail following the second e-mail is generally the one that tips off even Internet newcomers that there is a scam. The e-mail requests that the beneficiary send money to Nigeria for the will to be completely processed. Often, the e-mail stipulates that the estate is frozen until money is repaid to debtors. Usually the executor requests that the money be sent via Western Union money transfer, though he may also accept a money order, usually, cheques are not accepted.

Once the supposed beneficiary sends out the money, they are promised they money in a cheque sent to the address provided. Sometimes, a fraudulent cheque is sent, and other times there is no cheque at all. If the ‘beneficiary’ tries to send a subsequent e-mail asking where their money is, more often than not, the e-mail address will have been inactivated, and they will realize that they have been scammed.

This summary is only an example of one form of the Nigerian Get Rich Quick scam. Sometimes, it takes the form of having won the Nigerian Lottery, another version of the scam occurs on dating websites. Sometimes, on dating websites, Nigerians will request money to relocate to the United States, or to maintain an internet connection. There is often a promise to pay you back with money from an inheritance, or lottery winnings etc.

With the advent of better spam filters that come with modern security packages, these scam e-mails will now often not ever reach your inbox. However, spam filters will not always filer every e-mail and there are some rules of thumb to avoid getting scammed.

First, unsolicited e-mails are always suspicious, especially ones written in very broken English.

Second, paying money to get money is almost always indicative of a scam.

Thirdly, always deal locally; avoid sending money, or dealing with people who are from overseas, or ever people from different states. Laws vary from country to country, state to state, and even city to city, the closer you stay to your home, the less likely you are to get scammed. And if you do get scammed, you have more recourse with local scams that foreign ones.

So, with a little forethought, you can avoid getting scammed, and make your money only fall into the right hands.

BTW if anybody wants to enjoy seeing the scammers being scammed then go take a look at 419Eater.

Today's economy is officially sending thousands, possibly even millions, of potential workers to the internet to find a work-at-home job. These job seekers include people recently laid off, people searching for a supplemental income, stay-at-home mothers and fathers who are wanting to contribute to the household.

It is a perfect breeding ground for scams, it would seem. You can't expect ScamBusters or the myriad of other scam registry sites to pick up and get everything, though. There is always a chance that this scam is new and not been recorded yet.

Among my favorite tell-tale signs, however, include those sites that promise you that you can make a thousand dollars in overnight. Actually, I search the internet and look through them just to compare and contrast in the creativity. I am especially fond of the folks who copy-paste the image of the e-check for $2,652.30 and grab stock images probably found on Google, and then copy-paste “reviews,” often starting with the priceless “I'm not usually one to leave a review, but Product X is the greatest thing to ever happen to me!”.

Now, there are several places that these are legitimate (aside from the apparently stock image of the e-check for $2,652.30) and are just trying to pull people in with atypical results, though odds are they are not as autopilot as they want you to believe. Now, I don't know how to break this to you all, but…THIS IS A SCAM IN ITSELF! We call it “false advertising.” To my knowledge, the only person who makes that kind of money is the creator of the system.

If this comes off cynical, this is because I am a member of several email newsletters that have been circulating from the leaders of the Google Money System circuit. Unfortunately, no names will be given, but I assure you that you've run into them once or twice. The best way I can think of to keep yourself from scams would be to avoid the any of the Money System, Google Cash, Money Tree etc, no matter how hilarious the emails they come with are.

I can guarantee you that a vast majority of them are scams and are not worth your money. You may be able to make the cover charge back in…oh, two years, maybe? If the package arrives at all?

Also, have you ever noticed that the pages that you are putting personal information into are not https? Think about that for a minute. That's right, you're not on a secure site. Anyone can find your information. To avoid scams, I would suggest joining a group such as Work At Home Moms. They always keep a sharp eye out for scams and will make sure that their group will not get associated with such a debacle. The customer service there is also top notch. If you have any questions, they will be sure to have them answered shortly. Job searchers, get your resumes ready to post!

You don't need someone to distract you with instant results and bright colors to get your income!

Honest work is the best policy!