Scam – Close but no Cigar!

[Chris CrewParticipant @chriscrew66644]

Received this email as a result of an ad. placed on the HWS site a couple of weeks ago.

Hi,     Good day.I Am interested and would like to know if it is available for sale with the last offering price with pics. Mind You, I will be responsible for the pick-up at your location okay.

I await your response with your direct mobile phone number. 

Regards.. 
Alli

Given that my phone number forms a prominent part of the advert and I am willing to knock a tenner off the price if anyone wanted to collect the item, saving the postage, I think the scammer rather gave himself away. These people must think we all came down with the last shower!

[Martin KyteParticipant @martinkyte99762]

That’s very much the point. Effective scammers ensure that sensible and aware people are filtered out so that just those stupid enough to go the whole way will respond.

[Tony Pratt 1Participant @tonypratt1]

Unfortunately there are enough stupid people around to make scammers efforts worthwhile.

Tony

[Nicholas FarrParticipant @nicholasfarr14254]

Hi Tony Pratt 1, it’s a bit unfair to call people stupid when they get caught out by scammers, as many older people are targeted by these people, and are convinced they are talking to genuine people, you want to hope that you don’t fall for such things when you get to an age where you are no longer up to speed with technology and scammers become more difficult to be noticed. Don’t forget that the mighty have often fallen.

Regards Nick.

[Tony Pratt 1]

On Tony Pratt 1 Said:

Unfortunately there are enough stupid people around to make scammers efforts worthwhile.

Tony

I would not say Stupid. More like uninformed or vulnerable.

[Martin KyteParticipant @martinkyte99762]

The the methodology I was talking about purposely puts spelling mistakes and other clues into the contact info to specifically eliminate people who are more on the ball as we could say. Filtering out these people increases the success rate of a scam going the distance. So when the OP asked if the scammers thought that he came down in the last rainfalls that’s exactly the people they were aiming at.

[bernard towersParticipant @bernardtowers37738]

Maybe Im cynic but if I didnt call them why are they cal;ling me?

[BazyleParticipant @bazyle]

New item – not sure if this is a scam but odd so what do you think.
I bought some electrical components off ebay about 6 weeks ago, no problems and actually very fast delivery. Just had an email from them asking if I would like to review such items provided free.
However why would an ebay supplier need such reviews and then they asked that I should have a Paypal account (I had paid by card on my purchase). That bit seems odd. Why would they need me to have a paypal account? I’m wondering if it is a ruse to ask for said account details for some scam.
Here is the text of their email

“We are looking for new product tester and experiencer,
I would like to know if you are willing to receive our new product and provide your feedback on user experience?
Our products line includes latest electronic products, household products and so on.
You don’t need to pay for the product or the postage of course.
If you are interested in our program,
and if you have a Paypal account or are willing to open and register a Paypal account.
please contact my colleague on Facebook:
search ID: 100064555823648, on the bottom of the search result page, there’s a Related searches, find “Kim Ann” and send her a message to tell her that you are invited product tester from eBay( including your eBay user ID:xxxxxxx”

[Nigel Graham 2Participant @nigelgraham2]

Oh how easy it is for so many to assume only the elderly are ever caught….

It is not age but reactions or observation that count, and some attacks can be very subtle. I was almost caught this afternoon by a simple e-post from a fellow member of a club (apparently). I had actually typed a reply when something brought me up short. Three things actually. Notice them?

With names changed of course it read

..

{From} fred Bloggs<fredbloggs@bt….com>

 

I hope all is well with you. Sorry to bother you, do you order using AMAZ0N?

Kind regards
Fred

Sent via BT Email App

..

A separate e-post rather than direct reply, and phone call, confirmed the sender (‘Fred’) had had his genuine e-address used by the crooks. Luckily, he told me, he discovered what was happening and contacted BT, who were very helpful and sorted it out, though he said it took over half an hour. I was one of many who had contacted ‘Fred’ so the attack was wide-ranging and I dare say some had indeed replied unaware their message was being diverted.

Having ascertained this was a trick I reported it as “phishing”.

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

That’s a long-established scam, Nigel

The big Question is …

Is it Fred’s contact-list or yours that has been sold to the bad guys ?

MichaelG.

[Oldiron]

On Oldiron Said:

On Tony Pratt 1 Said:

Unfortunately there are enough stupid people around to make scammers efforts worthwhile.

Tony

I would not say Stupid. More like uninformed or vulnerable.

Agree, never blame the victim!

Scams don’t rely on stupidity. If only it was that simple!  Rather they exploit vulnerabilities of any sort: naivety, greed, ignorance, panic, wishful thinking, laziness, dogma, being out of date, negligence, illness, conflations, life being complicated, and many of us don’t understand logic!  A long list and I’m not sure stupidity is in the top 5.   In the right circumstances everyone is vulnerable!

Good news is that most scams fail if the victim takes his time.   What seems reasonable in the excitement is less convincing an hour later!     So don’t knee-jerk, make a cup of tea, and have a think.  First item on the agenda: is this a scam, and how can I make sure it isn’t?   Never assume it won’t happen to me cos I is smart.  We ain’t!

Dave

 

[Nigel Graham 2Participant @nigelgraham2]

Michael –

No, it was Fred (as I called him) who was compromised. Though that may not mean the criminals had helped themselves to every name and address on his list, including mine, before he discovered what was happening.

This morning a message appeared from the club secretary warning us of it, but saying Fred had dealt with it.

I have seen similar attacks but not quite in that form.

What made me stop were Fred’s Christian name spelled with a small ‘f’ (I discovered later he did that anyway), no salutation, the unexpectedness of the message and its rather odd contents.

I did not consider anything significant in the name Amazon despite criminals so often exploiting that company. I wonder if Amazon is doing anything to help stamp that out?

Testing the message with the’View Source’ tool showed nothing untoward, no secondary routing address, the scam-test verdict “Clean”.

[Howard LewisParticipant @howardlewis46836]

Recently, I had a message looking like it was from my internet supplier, asking me to settle my bill.

1) The sum requested was more than double than my usual bill.

2) The idiot showed his E mail address, rather than that of my supplier!

Reported to my supplier, so that he can be blocked from their system

A none too good attempt at phishing, at least.

For any unusual message, even from known contacts, it pays to check the E mail address of the sender.

Supposedly. some of my UK friends, sending pictures, have addresses ending in “de” or “ru”?

Not B Likely!

Howard

 

[Author]

Posts