Scams and Schemes - Break Dreams!

How do you spot an email scam?

Why are they so prevalent?

These days there are billions of emails sent on a daily basis. If you try to send scam messages through social media, there is a very high chance that, with the Social Media platforms and their sophisticated algortithms, you will be caught and blocked, possibly completely banned from using that platform.

But with email, many, if not most of the Email Service Providers try very hard with Spam or Junk filters to filter out possible scam traffic but it is a very hard task, as they do not want to overly tax you by putting every possible dodgy email into your Junk Mail folder and a lot of Spam is fairly harmless, so you can't block everything

I set my Junk mail settings pretty high and go in there pretty regularly, and I still find a fair bit of mail that I am happy to have in my Inbox. There is also a lot of nuisance mail and probably some Spam mail, but guess what, the Scam Mail still manages to get through into my Inbox on a regular basis.

HOT TIPS

So, what to do?

1. NEVER, EVER click a link in an email if you are not certain it is totally safe. That is the quickest way to let viruses, trojans, and other nasties onto your hard drive, and worse still, any network that you are hooked into, and to give scammers your personal details.

2. Check the email address of the SENDER - I get emails all the time with a Bank Logo on it or a PAYPAL logo, and these look real, and authentic. So much so, that many people click away with blind trust, only to find that they have, again opened themselves up to a scammer. Always take a second to check where it came from.

3. At the moment, in my country, there are emails and fake phone calls circulating purporting to be from the Australia Federal Police, telling you that you are about to be prosecuted for tax evasion, and probably many more like them.

What do you do?

1. Always check the sender email address, because most of the time they don't even bother to disguise them.

2. For example, If you get a dodgy email from the Australian Tax Office and the sender is something like" iytc#@booboomail.com" - you can be fairly certain it's not coming from any government department. It is a simple shift of your eyes to the "From" field and will cost you nothing, but a second of your time.

3. HANG UP THE PHONE - a real government department is  not going to ring you. You would most likely  receive formal mail from them, probably followed by a proper Court summons.

4. If in doubt take their number and tell them that you will call them back.

5. Ask them what department they work for and the name of their supervisor and ask for their switch number - they will almost certainly hang up on you at that point.

6. Google the phone number - there are a lot of sites out there now where you can report scam calls and the chances are they have already been reported. The comforting thing is reading the comments to see that the people reporting the calls have had the same experience that you have had. Just type the number with the area code into your address bar and you will be amazed more often than you think.

7. Watch Out for Nigerian Scams - these are getting through less frequently, these days, but the classic is where some "poor" African lady tells you that she has found a secret stash of $20 million from her late husband's will, or a public servant has uncovered a stash of bribe money and needs your help to move it out of the country, in return for which you will earn 5% commission - I am not kidding, in years gone by many people have been ripped off for millions on this one and worse, been killed or injured - if you don't believe me just google it or go to Wikipedia.

WHAT IS RULE NUMBER ONE?

.. in fact, rules 2 and beyond?

"IF IT APPEARS TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE, IT PROBABLY IS.."

• Don't be fooled by official looking logos in emails
• always check the Sender address
• you can always write down the URL and enter it manually into your web browser
• if in doubt DELETE!
• Google and Wikipedia, Answers.com, Quora and lots of forums are always great places to look, if in doubt
• Many government departments have webpages that warn about Scams - a good example is the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) - Scams Targetting Australian Investors
• Also the Australian Consumer and Competition Commission (ACCC) - Scamwatch 
• There are many more and you should check them out now and then.

Forewarned is forearmed - there is no excuse for getting caught if you just observe these few simple rules, and you will keep yourself, your family, and your work colleagues safe from the misery of having to rebuild a computer or lose all your data and have to start over... or worse, be a victim of identity theft or physical bodily harm.

Here is some more courtesy of ScamWatch.....

• Be alert to the fact that scams exist. 
• Know who you're dealing with. 
• Do not open suspicious texts, pop-up windows or click on links or attachments in emails – delete them: If unsure, verify the identity of the contact through an independent source such as a phone book or online search. Don't use the contact details provided in the message sent to you.
• Don't respond to phone calls about your computer asking for remote access – hang up – even if they mention a well-known company such as Telstra. Scammers will often ask you to turn on your computer to fix a problem or install a free upgrade, which is actually a virus which will give them your passwords and personal details.
• Keep your personal details secure. 
• Put a lock on your mailbox and shred your bills and other important documents before throwing them out. 
• Keep your passwords and pin numbers in a safe place. Be very careful about how much personal information you share on social media sites. Scammers can use your information and pictures to create a fake identity or to target you with a scam.
• Keep your mobile devices and computers secure. 
• Always use password protection, don’t share access with others (including remotely), update security software and back up content. 
• Protect your WiFi network with a password and avoid using public computers or WiFi hotspots to access online banking or provide personal information.
• Choose your passwords carefully. Choose passwords that would be difficult for others to guess and update them regularly. A strong password should include a mix of upper and lower case letters, numbers and symbols. Don’t use the same password for every account/profile, and don’t share your passwords with anyone.
• Beware of any requests for your details or money. Never send money or give credit card details, online account details or copies of personal documents to anyone you don’t know or trust. Don't agree to transfer money or goods for someone else: money laundering is a criminal offence.
• Be wary of unusual payment requests. Scammers will often ask you to use an unusual payment method, including preloaded debit cards, gift cards, iTunes cards or virtual currency such as Bitcoin.
• Be careful when shopping online. Beware of offers that seem too good to be true, and always use an online shopping service that you know and trust. Think twice before using virtual currencies (like Bitcoin) - they do not have the same protections as other transaction methods, which means you can’t get your money back once you send it. Learn more about online shopping scams.
• If you think your credit or debit cards have been compromised report it immediately to your bank's fraud department and cancel your card. You will have a replacement delivered in a few days, with a new number and you can always pop into your bank, in the meantime and withdraw good, old fashioned cash!

How to spot a fake

Documents are easily faked. Some will look just like the real thing but others might have warning signs, such as:

• generic rather than personal greeting
• names of organisations that don't exist
• poorer quality presentation
• poorer quality grammar and spelling
• overly official or forced language.
• Documents such as flight itineraries and bank statements have simple, uncomplicated layouts even when they are legitimate because such businesses allow their customers to print online statements. This means that scammers can easily create fake documents by using information available online such as company logos and graphics from websites.

Clues for spotting a fake email

• Scammers can easily fake an official-looking email, using the same logo and design as the real company.
• Often your guard is down when you receive an email from a company you've dealt with before, such as Australia Post or an online shopping site you use. If you're not expecting an email, always be alert to a fake before clicking on any links or opening any attachments.
• Clues for spotting a fake dating profile
• When looking at a new dating profile, note anything unusual about their choice of:
• Clues for spotting fake profiles icon
• Clues for spotting fake profiles
• Scammers often use fake photos they’ve found online.
• Tip: Do an image search of your admirer to help determine if they really are who they say they are. You can use image search services such as Google or TinEye.

Follow up scams

Scammers will often try to take advantage when you’re feeling vulnerable and try to extract more money from you through a follow up scam.

​Some common follow up scams include:

• offers from a law enforcement agency to investigate your scam and retrieve your money for a fee. Law enforcement agencies do not charge for their services
• a doctor calling you to alert you that the scammer urgently needs medical bills to be paid or they might die.
• a woman contacting you to explain she is the scammer’s wife and wants to escape him but needs money to do so.
• These are only a few of the follow up approaches scammers may use try to get more money from you. New approaches could be quite different from the original scam and could come quickly or some time later. Scammers may have passed your details to other scammers who use entirely different methods and the new approach may seem totally unrelated to the original scam.

Have you had a bad experience with a scam or a virus?

Let us have your comments below with any other tips or experiences.

---