Consumer Fraud
Reporting
Steps to Take
Reporting on the Latest Frauds, Scams, Fake Lotteries,
Spams and Hoaxes
Consumer Fraud
Reporting
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Act Fast: Steps to Take If You Replied to a ScammerScams of Advance Fee Frauds: Fake lottery winning notifications, Money Transfers, Loans, Counterfeit Cashiers Checks:If you have replied a letter, email or phone call regarding a lottery or sweepstakes winning, a loan, debt consolidation, a dating scam, a money transfer, inheritance from some dead leader in Africa or an unexpected cashiers check, then you may have already lost money or had your identity stolen. Here are the key steps to follow:
Key Points to Know and Remember About Advance Fee Frauds:What do the scammers want?Lottery scam letters are sent out by the thousands and thousands every day. There are only two things the bad guys want: your money and your identity. Your identity is just as important or even more important than any money you send them, and they can get your identity when you open the very first letter if it contains a Trojan horse or spyware; scam letters often do. How do the scammers trick their victims?They will tell you whatever you want to hear. They will tell you whatever they feel you will believe. They will pretend to be lawyers, claims agents, bankers, law enforcement agents, people of high rank in the government, gaming officials, tax collectors, and any other title that will convince you they are good people. Where are the scammers doing this?Scammers (usually in Nigeria or Holland) work in hotel rooms, back rooms (called "boiler" rooms) and Internet Cafes. In their work rooms, cell phones may be piled on tables or on beds. Each cell phone has two different names taped on the back; the name of a scam victim and the name of the character the scammer is pretending to be. This allows the scammer to know what to say when you call him on the phone. The lies are based on the victim's name written on the tape and the phony name attached to that phone number. Each criminal in the fraud cell knows which one of them is corresponding with that particular victim, and knows what part to play. Each criminal may be working as many as 30 different scam names and fake titles. What if they have a website, certificate of authenticity or send me a check?All of these can be forged or faked. Anyone can purchase and register a domain name for about $9. the domain is the name of the web site, like "microsoft.com". Since there are no background checks, even the names used to register the domain and run the website can be fake. Checks can be easily forged these days. Certificates, letters and other documents can all be made on a computer to look as real as any. Lottery winning notifications often link to websites that are supposed to be a bank, security company, courier service, or an online lottery website, all fake. Some scammers create a fake bank website. They tell the victim that their lottery winnings have been deposited in this bank, in the victim's name. They give the victim a user name and password to be able to see that the winnings are actually deposited in their "account". Of course, when the victim looks at the online account, he/she will see a balance equal to the winnings or greater. Of course, the bank is fake and there is no money in an account. However, the victim is now told that they must pay fees or taxes to "release" the money. The scammer has the victim Western Union, MoneyGram or gives the victim the name of a different bank name and account number to send the "fees". Once the victim sends the cash and the cash reaches the fraud criminal's bank account, the money is withdrawn and the account is closed. The criminal then gives the victim many false reasons for why the deposit did not release the money. The victim is told that even more money has to be sent for other (false) reasons. How do these scams usually work?Click here for a step-by-step description of how the scammers work their scams. Examples of scam emailsWould you like to see actual examples of scam emails? And to see some of the names they use or confirm that one you received is a fake, check these pages: Besides email, how to the scammers contact their victims?We're discussing AFF scam emails, but the scammers will use any method to reach their victims, including:
More information:
And if you'd like a good laugh at how some scambaiters like to turn the tables on the scammers, read this article from the BBC.
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