Scams on the Rise

[Admin]

Tired of those junk emails trying to scam you out of your hard-earned money? I am. Here are the more popular ones:

• the Nigerian emails - there are hundreds of different variations; these guys should write a novel.
• the emails where the scammers use "God" and "Jesus" to help their ill-cause.
• the old "You've won the International Lottery!" scam.
• the Paypal/Ebay Phishing game.
• the guaranteed money-return investment scam.

You'll be surprised to find out that many Americans do actually fall prey to these scammers. Here are some startling numbers from the year 2005 as reported by the FTC:

• $682 million was what victims reported lost to fraud (this is only reported incidents; there may be more).
• 431,118 was the number of fraud complaints reported to the FTC.
• $2,412 was the average loss reported by scam victims.

I believe the best defense against scams is research. Do some homework on the company or person you plan on doing business with. Also, don't always assume you can trust anyone. Scams are sometimes perpetrated by friends and family.

[tony]

The common scam that I get is whenever trying to sell a vehicle (especially on the internet) Usually the scammer is overseas and they want to send you a check for more than what you are selling the item for. It takes about 3 weeks the bank comes back to tell you that the check was no good and the thieves are long gone with the merchandise, beware of these scams and the #1 sign is the buyer wants to write a check for more than the amount you are selling the item for.

[justcallmebroke]

Okay...call me green around the ears, but why are emails from Nigerians scams? I've heard about this before, but don't understand the background here.

[Admin]

I wouldn't say all emails from Nigeria are scams, but most are. These emails are originated by a group of scammers in Nigeria who try to prey upon unsuspecting foreigners; usually Americans. Their emails often depict a man offering you large sums of money in exchange for your help.

This site explains it better: Urban Legends Reference Pages: Nigerian Scam

[Jenita]

Cyber criminals are increasingly flooding the email inboxes of Internet users in the U.K. with spam. A number of gangs that send malware through tempting emails are active in the country, according to a report by Internet security firm Postini.
As per the report, junk emails now constitute 90 percent of all email traffic. The report also says the number of spam messages in Blighty has increased three times since June.

As the holiday season approaches, it will become more and more time-consuming and hassling for users to check their inboxes that are choked with bogus mails pitching sex, drugs.