Scams are every where

Caution. Don't fall for scams.

This morning I received via e-mail:

"Hello Customer,

Due to a pr󠆚󠆚obl󠆚󠆚em with your ca󠆚󠆚r󠆚󠆚d, we were unable to ch󠆚󠆚arg󠆚󠆚e your ac󠆚󠆚cou󠆚󠆚nt $1󠆚󠆚3.9󠆚󠆚9 and applicable ta󠆚󠆚xe󠆚󠆚s for your next 1 month of Am󠆚󠆚azo󠆚󠆚n Pr󠆚󠆚im󠆚󠆚e. Your m󠆚󠆚embe󠆚󠆚rshi󠆚󠆚p ben󠆚󠆚efit󠆚󠆚s are currently on h󠆚󠆚ol󠆚󠆚d. 

You may need to up󠆚󠆚dat󠆚󠆚e your p󠆚󠆚aym󠆚󠆚ent details though – Click the button below and follow the on-screen instructions"

This one was easy. I don't have Amazon Prime. But you might. Many scams are out there imitating real companies--using believable logos--we recently were caught by one pretending to be our cable provider. I get other e-mails and texts supposedly from UPS, or just a simple, "Hi, I haven't heard from you for a while," or "Did I miss your call" without any name. Don't give any recording or "person" (could be AI) any information like your SS or credit card number.

 
It's a mess to clean up, and they move faster than we can to correct it. There are bad people out there, and they aren't all in D.C.

Old fashioned lies or bullshit?

If I refer you to an environmental, medical or nutritional story, I do try to use a responsible source, whether it’s about chocolate, red wine, vaccines or pollution from balloons. There are a lot of scare stories on Facebook and the Internet.  Best not to pass them along.

I wish there were a better word, but this does seem to cover the territory.

https://www.llrx.com/2018/12/the-bullshit-algorithm/
Does the story…
1. …feature a powerless, helpless, or disadvantaged victim?
2. …push a political or identity hot button?
3. …result in the most dramatic outcome possible (death versus injury)?
4. …include irrelevant details (details not directly relevant to the crux of the situation)?
5. …suggest a simplistic next step or action (get rid of X, stop eating Y)?
6. …include a “twist” in the story, a surprise, or a big reveal?
7. …feature “scientism” (little evidence with big conclusions)?
8. …include hard to verify evidence (no links to reputable source, or only links to other non-authoritative sources)?
9. …use anecdotal versus statistical corroborating evidence?
10. …make grammatical or spelling errors, or use clumsy language?
11. …use over the top emotional appeals incongruent with the situation?
12. …use scientific jargon (e.g. “dihydrogen oxide” instead of the more common “water”)?
13. …attempt to be relatable using the experience of people “like you”?
14. …make spurious correlations (seeing patterns of related items that could have other causes)?
15. …dangle dread (chemicals!) without explaining the context of risks?
16. …push for urgent, immediate action?
17. …include charts, graphs, images, or videos that don’t have anything to do with the core features of the story?
18. …hint at a conspiracy, that someone is hiding something (ideally, a “big corporation” or “big government”)?
19. …publish first in a “bullshit attractor” (TED Talk, Facebook, etc.)?
20. …include statistics touting its popularity (e.g. how many people are talking about this)?

Have you heard of this scam?

This warning about a delivery scam came in my e-mail. It did not happen to me. And I have no idea who the "victim" writing in first person is. But we receive odd phone calls everyday about changing our utilities carrier, packages about to be delivered, asking about our pain, telling us our computer has a problem and that we have college debt to settle. So this one just sounds like a new wrinkle. If these scams didn't work (maybe one out of thousands), they would go away. I only removed the part about passing it along to friends and family. “This is a new scam! This is very clever.  I would probably fall for it if not warned. Give this wide distribution.  This scam is actually very clever.  Just when you thought you'd heard it all.  Be very careful out there!  Beware of people bearing gifts. The following is a recounting of the incident from the victim: Wednesday a week ago, I had a phone call from someone saying that he was from some outfit called: "Express Couriers," ( The name could be any courier company).  He asked if I was going to be home because there was a package for me that required a signature. The caller said that the delivery would arrive at my home in roughly an hour. Sure enough, about an hour later, a uniformed delivery man turned up with a beautiful basket of flowers and a bottle of wine. I was very surprised since there was no special occasion or holiday, and I certainly didn't expect anything like it. Intrigued, I inquired as to who the sender was. The courier replied, "I don't know, I'm only delivering the package." Apparently, a greeting card was being sent separately. (The card has never arrived!) There was also a consignment note with the gift. He then went on to explain that because the gift contained alcohol, there was a $3.50 "delivery/ verification charge," providing proof that he had actually delivered the package to an adult (of legal drinking age), and not just left it on the doorstep where it could be stolen or taken by anyone, especially a minor. This sounded logical and I offered to pay him cash. He then said that the delivery company required payment to be by credit or debit card only, so that everything is properly accounted for, and this would help in keeping a legal record of the transaction. He added, "Couriers don't carry cash to avoid loss or likely targets for robbery." My husband, who by this time was standing beside me, pulled out his credit card, and the "delivery man," asked him to swipe the card on a small mobile card machine with a small screen and keypad. Frank, my husband, was asked to enter his PIN number and a receipt was printed out. He was given a copy of the transaction. The guy said everything was in order, and wished us good day. To our horrible surprise, between Thursday and the following Monday, $4,000 had been charged/withdrawn from our credit/debit account at various ATM machines. Apparently the "mobile credit card machine," which the deliveryman carried now had all the info necessary to create a "dummy" card with all our card details including the PIN number. Upon finding out about the illegal transactions on our card, we immediately notified the bank which issued us a new card, and our credit/debit account was closed. We also personally went to the police, where it was confirmed that it is definitely a scam because several households had been similarly hit. WARNING: Be wary of accepting any "surprise gift or package," which you neither expected nor personally ordered, especially if it involves any kind of payment as a condition of receiving the gift or package. Also, never accept anything If you do not personally know or there is no proper identification of who the sender is. Above all, the only time you should give out any personal credit/debit card information is when you yourself initiated the purchase or transaction!”

Is Snopes reliable?

Snopes, the fact checking source on the Internet, doesn’t always get it “right,” but they seem left to many conservatives because the right leaning people don’t check out stories they see on the internet and pass them along. The right makes it a cottage industry for them and keeps them in business. Facts are facts. Today I corrected a Mother Teresa quote on FB—the “Do it anyway” saying that you see everywhere on posters--for about the 10th time. It was written by Kent M. Keith in 1968. They (Snopes) cite their sources, and those can be biased—every source has some bias just by what it chooses to report or leave out. Also, keep in mind some responses called “Snopes” come from its “Forum” which is a discussion group, and not sourced. Snopes does editorialize, but so do I. There’s no reason for them not to have an opinion on the sources they find if it's positive about Trump or negative about Clinton.  There are other fact finding web sites, so you can always check more than one source (I often do), but 9 out of 10 times, Snopes is best.

Bye, bye internet freedoms

In a commentary, “Neutralize Obama’s Hijacking of the Internet”, Judi McLeod, the editor of CanadaFreePress.com, said “Forget NSA, the FBI, the CIA, and all warnings sent by Edward Snowden. They’ve got nothing on how Net Neutrality will silence you.”

“Someday in the near future when you type in the words “Islamic terrorists” in an Internet post, you will be knocked off the Net and find it all but impossible to climb back on again.”

Both ObamaCare and “Obamanet” submit huge industries to complex regulations. Their supporters say the new rules had to be passed before anyone could read them. But at least ObamaCare claimed it would solve long-standing problems. Obamanet promises to fix an Internet that isn’t broken.

http://www.wsj.com/articles/l-gordon-crovitz-from-internet-to-obamanet-1424644324

Can't always trust what you read on the internet

Don't send me money

Today I received an e-mail from a Facebook friend asking for money--she was stranded in England. Of course, it was a scam, and I had heard of this one, so I notified the group of which we are members. She wasn't even aware of it, but is taking steps to correct it.

So, if you get an e-mail from me asking you to send money, don't do it. I would never ask, plus after getting deathly ill on my last two transatlantic flights, I don't plan any trips across the pond.

E-mail scams--Oh the creativity!

Yesterday I got one with great graphics--was supposed to be from the FBI although I don't remember exactly what I was being offered. Here are excerpts from the 3 or 4 a day I get. I only get them through my OSU mail account. Road Runner, being a business seems a bit better at catching them and dumping.

I am delighted to inform you that the Guarantee Trust Bank Plc (GTB) Management through the office of Mr. President have decided to call back all approved fund payment through offshore payment center following directives from UNITED NATIONS & WORLD BANK and have concluded arrangements to pay your beneficiary/contractual fund by cash through Diplomatic Agent. The Agent will be delivering the cash in a Machine sealed consignment to your door step as my bank have temporarily stopped further payment via wire transfer this quarter.

----------------

Since his death, I decided not to remarry or get a child outside my matrimonial home which the holly Quaran is against. When my late husband was alive he deposited the sum of (£ 2.3 Million Pounds) with the a security company here in London, Presently, the fund is still with the security company. Recently, my Doctor told me that I have serious sickness which is cancer problem. The one that disturbs me most is my stroke sickness having known my condition I decided to donate this fund to an Organisation,Company or individual that will utilize this money the way I am going to instruct here-in.

-------------

For some time now,i have not be able to make any long distance travel because of my health, so i wanted my investment liquidated and transferred to my account by Swift, but the Investors insist, they can not transfer the funds to any bank account outside United State due to their new company policy trigered by the prevailing economic meltdown.

Meanwhile, i wanted to travel to the US to get the funds myself but my doctor advice against it ,that due to my present state of health i can not make such a long distance trip. So i was told to provide someone in the United State to receive the funds on my behalf.

Please let me know if you can handle the funds on my behalf and forward to me. You shall be entitle to 10% of the money you receive and forward me the balance 90% WITHOUT YOU SPENDING A SINGLE CENT FROM YOUR END.

--------------

I am Assistant Manager in banking institution, For your kind attention, I will be very glad if you do assist me to relocate the sum Million of Dollars to your personal bank account for the benefit of both of us as a foreign partner. The fund belong to a late Spanish contractor here, he died in an accident on his way going back to construction site four years ago.

------------------------------

To be precise; I am Dr. Huck Laman Senior manager of ABSA BANK Limited
Johannesburg South Africa. In my department, we discovered an abandoned sum of US$ 43 Million(Forty Three Million United State Dollars) in an account that belongs to one of our customers who died along with his entire family in 1988 Lockerbie Pan American Airline plane crash. Since we got information about his death, we have been expecting his next of kin to come over and claim his money because we cannot release it unless somebody applied for it as next of kin or relation to the deceased as indicated in our banking procedures, but unfortunately to no avail and nobody has come forward to claim the money.

-----------------------

My condition is serious and according to my doctor, he said it is obvious that I will not survive it. I have some funds that my late husband WILLED to me in cash, the sum of $3,700,000.00 million United States of American Dollars, which is deposited in my bank. After my prayers, I searched the internet were i found your email address and I decided to contact you for the usage of the funds for the less privilege or the poor.

--------------------------

I know that it will sound so strange when receive this Email. Hope you will treat it kind I want use this medium to ask for your assistance. My father died in bomb explosion, which occurred on Jan. 2008 in Republic of Togo. When he was alive he was an oil marchant and also the chairman of Republic of Togo Oil producing Development Area he lodge a ver huge amount of money into my account whats of $ 16million US dollars. My problem now is that my stepmother who want me died because of this money. She is after my life now also doing her possible best to get this money from me. Please I want you to assist to secure a foreign account where I will lodge this fund into without any delay.

--------------------------

Because of the elaborate global scam, we decided to contact you for confirmation. If after two working days, no responce is received from you, it will be assumed that you are dead and as such authorisation and approval will be granted on behalf of Messers Jacobs enterprises to claim/receive your fund.

------------------------

I was told by the doctor that I was poisoned and has got my liver damaged and can only live for some months. When my let husband was alive he deposited the sum of us$7.3 Million Dollars with one of the Bank here in Abidjan Cote D'Ivoire. and I cannot think of anybody trying to kill me apart from my late husband business associate in order to inherit the money, because my son is only eight years old. I will issue you the vital document that will prove to you the present beneficiary of the fund.

The poisoned liver one just came today. Nice touch. Occasionally I glance through them and wonder. . . Do people really fall for this? If they do, they deserve what they get--a scam and a hoax based on greed.

Oddies and endies in e-mail

I'm always surprised that so many people in other countries have died and left me, little ol' me, bunches and baskets of money! Here's today's catch. Did you get one?

"On behalf of the Trustees and Executor of the estate of Late Engineer Reinhard Hermann, I once again try to notify you as my earlier letter to you returned undelivered. I hereby attempt to reach you again by this same email address on the WILL. I wish to notify you that Late Engr. R. Hermann made you a Beneficiary to his WILL. He left the sum of Seventeen Million Five Hundred Thousand United States Dollars ($17,500.000.00 USD) to you in the codicil and last testament to his WILL. This may sound strange and unbelievable to you, but it is real and true. Being a widely traveled man, he must have been in contact with you in the past or simply you were recommended to him by one of his numerous Friends abroad who wished you good."

The spelling and sentence structure is improving however, (must have out of work college students employed in these schemes) and this guy was UK not Nigeria, and an engineer, member of the Helicopter Society, and a philanthropist, not just a scumbag prince or potentate. Still, the capitalization of nouns doesn't look right. But maybe that's the UK way.

When Fed Ex called for our address yesterday I was hesitant. That's another scam going around, although that one usually comes via e-mail--a "delivery problem." But in that case, the insurance company had left out part of our street name, and since there are 15 or so streets around here with a similar name, and ours doesn't appaear on some maps because we are private, they couldn't find us.

One of the Christian groups to which I subscribe has apparently sold their mailing list--or maybe an organization went belly up and some other company got possession, because I've been receiving a really odd collection of end-times, money appeals, and book announcements in the past week or two. Groups I've never heard of and haven't visited their web sites. Although data mining is very sophisticated these days. I just hate to visit Amazon and then have the site tell me where I've been and what I looked at. It's just creepy. Like each click has a little RFID embedded. Since I visit Christian bloggers and many of them have ads, and you have to leave an e-mail address to comment, it's possible these companies found me that way.

But Helicopter Society? The UK philanthropist? Who falls for this?

My millionaire foreign relatives are dropping like flies

I get some version of this several times a week.

I am a Diplomat, named WXYZ Scummbag, mandated to deliver your inheritance to you in your country of residence The funds total US$7.5 Million and you were made the beneficiary of these funds by a benefactor whose details will be revealed to you after handing over the funds to you in accordance with the Agreement I signed with the benefactor when he enlisted my assistance in delivering the funds to you. I am presently at JFK Airport in the United States of America and before I can deliver the funds to you, you have to reconfirm the following information so as to ensure that I am dealing with the right person 1.Full Name..............2.ResidentialAddress..........3..Age........4.Occupation...........5.Direct Telephone Numbers....................6.A Copy Of Your Identification.............After verification of the information with what I have on file,I shall contact you so that we can make arrangements on the exact time I will be bringing your package to your residential address.Send the requested information so that we can proceed.

Regards, WXYZ Scummbag

Increasingly, the names are not African, but European. Someone is getting a bit smarter, but not by much.

Don't go phishing

If anyone claiming to be your ISP or bank or credit card company or church or bookclub or any organization/club asks you to confirm your e-mail and other identifying information, don't do it. We at the osu dot edu domain have been phished lately. They are trying to steal our identity, so don't reply. The one I got looked "phishy" simply because the sentence construction and capitalization was so odd--I hoped we weren't employing such poorly trained staff at our OIT. But another librarian got a better one and checked; this is what she was told:

A large number of Ohio State e-mail addresses have recently been recipients of phishing scam e-mails, asking for their password in order to prevent the account from being removed.

These messages are a scam, and were NOT sent by the Office of Information Technology or anyone else within The Ohio State University. **Do NOT reply to this message**.

Once again, these messages are a scam, and were NOT sent by the Office of Information Technology or anyone else within The Ohio State University. Do not reply. If you have already replied, go to our Account Management web site (https://acctmgt.service.ohio-state.edu) and change your password immediately.

Our network security team is aware of this issue, and since it was sent they have been working with the other Internet Service Providers involved to ensure the situation gets dealt with as quickly as possible.

For more information on Phishing, see:
http://buckeyesecure.osu.edu/SafeComputing/IDTPhish

Our network security team has already taken steps to disable this account and contact the user for further investigation. We apologize for any inconvenience this has caused.

If you have any more questions or concerns, please feel free to contact us
at 8help@osu.edu or by phone at (614) 688-Help (4357).

Now this is low

Seen at the home page of the Order of Discalced Carmelites

Information pirates have recently robbed e-mail addresses, especially those who use the server gmail.com. They either create new addresses in the name of a friar or sister and, pretending to be in difficulty, ask for financial help. NEVER BELIEVE IN these messages, and never send the money they asked for or give your own bank account details.