YET ANOTHER SCAM!!!

[sophie]

This seems to be the day for them. I've just received an Email from an Anne Mosley who says she is stuck in Ukraine, can't get back home and would I send her 1,800 Euro or thereabouts via Western Union to get back home. Yeh right!!!!

[cyprusishome]

Been around a few years in different guises, Phillipines, Mexico, you name it always a good friend who is stuck. Thing is, like the Nigerian 419 scam there is always one who will send the money!!!

[Marions]

Ann has had her e mail address stolen. She has now changerd her password I am sure, but all the Kuskor gorup0 and others got it.l

As someone has said these particular scam has been around for ages. Wonder if anyone falls for it.

Someone I know who had her yahoo account hacked into has just lost £28,000 in a bank scam/fraud. So it is always advisable to change the password at once. The damage that can be done if there is a delay can be ruinous.

[cyprusishome]

Marion people fall for these scams every day. I heard a radio interview several years ago where a bank official in a southern African country handed over equivalent of £100 million!!!! All it needs is one or two people from each e-mail mail shot to hand over money and it becomes very lucrative.

The biggest source of revenue is from the 419 scam named after the Nigerian law introduced to try to counteract an increasing level of fraud initiating in that country. There are several web sites dedicated to fighting the scammers and some of the innovative methods some have used to get there own back on the scammers. Some of the stories are quite scary because the criminals involved made strong efforts to deal with those fighting back.

If you want to learn more start here - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Advance-fee_fraud

[barrysnakes]

Perhaps the people who try such terrible scams should watch UK TV and the endless pleas for us to help starving children in Africa from polluted water supplies and lack of food, which I have done in past years ! I wonder if any of their illegal scam profits go to helping these children ? Somehow I doubt it, as most of the scammers could be on benefits in the UK (Allegedly) Sorry, just my opinion and await the crossfire. regards Barry

[cyprusishome]

Case of biting the hand that feeds you Barry!!

Unfortunately the poor are still starving and dying, as in the rest of life the minority spoil it for the majority.

[sophie]

Marion, are you saying in this case there really is a person called Anne Mosley and that you know her? I thought that usually they were completely ficticious names that were used.

[cyprusishome]

Sophie I can answer your question. This particular scam involves the use of the name and e-mail address of a person you may know. So your first reaction on receiving the msg is that it is real because the details are real.

There are two methods for the scammer, one is hacking an individuals e-mail account and subsequently sending their scam msg to all in the address book. The second is by harvesting addresses from forwarded e-mails. Think of that last e-mail you forwarded, did you delete all the addresses already on the msg and did you forward using bcc? If you do neither somewhere down the line there is a rich list of addresses for unscrupulous person to utilise.

Unfortunately too many people still do not secure their e-mail accounts and hence make it oh so easy for crooks to access them for scams like the one above claiming that a friend is in distress or one of the many 419 style scams. Despite the fact that many of us grew up watching Esther Rantzen we are still so easily conned.

[barrysnakes]

Cyprusishome, Esther WHO ???

[erol]

Despite the fact that many of us grew up watching Esther Rantzen we are still so easily conned.

How does seeing a dog that says 'sausages' on TV as a child help me not get conned today as an adult I wonder ?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ajsCY8SjJ1Y

[stellasstar1]

Erol, that is so funny, as long as it required speaking, I think that dog could could tell someone how to hack into a computer!.