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Beware this SCAM

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by cactus pete

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Today I received an email claiming that I won an Xbox system. I thought, cool, I'll check it out. Sure enough, I was a 'winner'. I started to fill out the form but then...

They stated they need to charge for shipping. Well, OK, I can see that. Credit card verification.. Sure, if it's a scam, I'll just deal with the credit card company.

A little farther into the form, and hey, they can't accept credit cards right now, sorry for the inconvenience. "We can only accept debit cards." Um...

AND they require your PIN.

OK, this was plenty fishy, so I looked about. Snopes has the exact same phrasing listed as a scam, but to a different website. That got me thinking...

So I googled for a phrase in the intro paragraph of the scam and found that it has just been bouncing between domain names until caught, then they change again.

This was a very well thought out scam. The graphics are nice, the reasoning why you won [they explain that someone else may have entered for you], the reason why they exist, the forms lookups - it's all pretty professional.

If you receive an email from these scammers, please report it to http://www.ifccfbi.gov/cf1.asp or any other appropriate enforcement agency.

Also, beware your kids looking for your debit card...

9 replies

by oz_media

The oldest saying I remember from my parents, too good to be true.

I do suppose SOME people get taken by such scams and I'm sure it isn't rare. Personally ANYTHING I'm offered as a prize on the Internet I just ignore. I may have missed a few million in prize winnings and my 'member' is the same size as always (massive of course). I have NEVER been scammed and feel very sorry for those who are, you never know wen it is YOUR turn.

One thing I have noticed, most legitimate companies will offer a phone call, even if it is a web contest, they also send you snail mail for confirmation of prizes. If they don't I lose it I guess.

I filter over 300 messages in about 2 inutes each morning, less lately since I have new SPAM protection but it only takes a REALLY fast browse of my mail to determine what I'm expecting, and what is garbage. Offers, all of them garbage. YOU WIN, all of them garbage. Free anything, garbage. Don't recognize your email address at first glance, garbage (next time tell me your sending email at least until I'm familiar with your addy.

YOu see I do get a ton of mail form startup bands who want me to review MP3's, offer written reviews etc. TOO many of them to care anymore. they simply get deleted without a listen unless solicited properly. (You can just imagine how effective sending your material to Capitol Records is)

Bottom line, If I don't know you, if I didn't personally enter your contest I won't read it.

There are contests I enter, by HP, Canon etc. but these are massive companies with a lot of integrity, I'll enter by mail or via the website but never third party.

Like I said, I may have deleted a new car or a million bucks, but then again, I've never been scammed. (Yes, I'm knocking on wood)

by cactus pete

That is all very good, yes. I agree about losing out on freebies being better than being scammed.

Even with spam filtering, though, I believe this would have gotten through most. As we become more reliant on the filter, we will become more trusting of what manages to get through.

The youth who receive this scam, especially, who do not yet have the experience to recognize scams so readily, are likely to be had.

My worst fear is that little Billy, who just last month go his very own bank account and PIN, who just had his first nice deposit from a generous family on his birthday... That he falls for it and loses everything.

Do that a few thousand times and lots of kids are making this con artist wealthy.

I hope he gets nailed.

by oz_media

Unfortunately these guys get away with this DAILY thousands of times over. There are many sites for researching such scams but they pop up every day. THis was always done by phone or mail before but operational costs make it ideal in email form.
Your point is made and I apologize for sounding like I was chastizing you in my last post, I was just stunned a bit (as always:-P).

One way to look at this hitting a kids bank acccount, if it originally said credit card approval needed, they'd be done before finding out about debit cards. If that's what you meant.

I agree that more people should be aware of these scams. It would almost warrant a newspaper available all over the country that lists all the lastest scams. It would be kinda cool to get the FREE SCAM REPORT each week.

Hmmmm.

by jimhm

Did you see the report on ATM's and Dateline - where anyone can purchase an ATM machine. Install it somewhere - hook it up to the ATM network, then proceed to steal your ATM information without any problem.

They also installed a machine beside a Bank ATM machine - and Put on it "Clean your Card" - The people swipped their card - and entered their pin's - thinking oh my can is now cleaned... They got thousands of ATM numbers and pins in one day in New York ...

In short this shows that - A majority of people are scam'ed because they don't think. Oh wild I won a free X-Box - Oh boy... Then they whine to the government that someone has to protect them from their own stupidity....

The shows recommendation were to use only - a "Bank" ATM - never use those private ATM machines... Gee go figure that - common sense... wins all the time... Shred papers with personal information on it - theres another common sense idea... How stupid are people out there...

by oz_media

Hey here's a new one, "Hey Jim, stupid's a little HARSH, go easy now" (I get to play good cop, HAH!).

Perhaps people are simply too trusting or naive, but stoopid's a bit narly.

(You do know you just called dpetrak stoopid right?) tsk, tsk!

by cactus pete

Whereas Jim did seem a little harsh, I didn't think he was referring to me as stupid.

I didn't fall for it - I was gaurded while looking at it. But I was intrigued enough to think that just maybe this one was legit. That's what pisses you off, you know? ..knowing it shouldn't be right, but that they managed to drag you on a little before you were sufficiently sure that they were the scam you expected all along.

And then I got even more pissed off that if they could drag me as far as they did, this has GOT to work on a lot of other people.

Oh, and Jim... I DID see that report. But I have to admit I only glimpsed at it a few times. The news magazines spend way too much time hyping the report they keep promising to get to. Then, when they finally get there, they're sensationalizing it far too much.

Basically, they act all aghast that people are so stupid as to fall for such things, then say, gee, anyone could have fallen prey to it... then report if to people that must be even dumber to fall for the hyped words they spew anyway.

Ah, media.

by oz_media

Yah I know, it's just that rereading MY post I thought I sounded like one of those reports you mentioned "Basically, they act all aghast that people are so stupid as to fall for such things" and felt bad for doing so. Jim pretty much did the same thing so I fugured I'd razz him too.

I'm sure it is all taken as MBSFO anyhow.

And hey, watch what you say about 'MEDIA'!

OzMedia

by oz_media

The OzMedia, I haven't given up. I just changed my Alias on THIS site, OzMedia is still a common trade name (almost a DBA)for my company.

I only changed it because the joke was to play on my alias in an attempt to belittle me or make me feel embarassed. I couldn't care less what someone thinks of me, that's not my quest, therefore I adopted the alias because I DON'T CARE and it's no fun poking fun of someone who can poke fun of himself.

It wasn't until you reminded me that I remembered that I'd changed it OzMentalcase on TR. I still see it as OzMedia. I actually coined a phrase to express my view about it...."what's in a name?" Ok maybe I didn't come up with it myself but I was asked what I thought of it, well not really but I still think it's a good quote. :-P

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