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Showing posts with label Scams. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Scams. Show all posts

Introducing the Advance Fee Fraud Loan Scam

I recently have seen a new scam hitting Facebook and my Inbox - the "Loan Scam".

How it works:
Example scam from Facebook

A random person on the Internet offers you a loan, over Facebook or Email. The loan offers extremely low rates, and promises that since it's not a bank, only a few documents are needed, and that they lend to anyone regardless of credit.

Once you express interest, you'll be asked to provide some basic information. They may or may not ask for information which can be used in identity theft, such as Social Security number, or bank account numbers.

Eventually, you'll be asked to pay some sort of "processing fee". In fact, you'll probably find yourself being requested one fee after another, until you finally realize that you're being scammed.

It's very unfortunate that this scam targets those who are already having financial difficulties - because it ends up making their situation even worse.

It's important to make your friends and family aware of these scams, so that they don't fall for one of these scams.

Please do not mistake this as a spam, your winning is real

So, I don't post these as often as I used to, but I thought this was worth a good chuckle.  I'll let you know if I get any response.

ATM MasterCard Department.
Attn: Beneficiary,
I write to you concerning the international email bullock drawn winning which Zenith Bank Plc do every 4years.This year 2014, your email happen to be one of the luckiest email which came out as a winning from the drawn and the Panel Zenith Bank Plc, has approved to send your winning through an International Swift (ATM MasterCard) valid sum of $2,500.000.00. (Two Million, Five hundred Thousand United State Dollars) Which is access able in any ATM Machine location Worldwide.
Your winning payment has today been approved by the federal ministry of finance with authority to remit your payment ATM MasterCard. Please know that your winning ATM MasterCard has been handed over to zenith Bank Admin director, Mr Anthony Morrison. All useful papers with Proof of Ownership Certificate will be attached to you as the possible beneficiary of the said fund before shipment. Also letting you know that a concrete shipping arrangement has been setup with Fedex courier service to receive your ATM MasterCard in the next 48Hrs for pick up.But you will have to secure the shipping papers and insurance permit order to execute an express deliver to you. Honestly It will cost you $280.00 and no further fee attached after that.
If you desire to receive your ATM MasterCard now and start usage to your funds, Than complete the bellow information accordingly and send to  (mr.anthonymorrison101@gmail.com) to start processing your shipment with immediate effect
(1) Your Full Name :
(2) Full Residential Address : (P.O.BOX NOT ALLOWED)
(3) Direct and Current Phone :
(4) Present Country :
Once your details is been submitted to Mr Anthony Morrison as instructed, Then all useful papers and guide lines will be given accordingly to secure your ATM shipment with the courier service and the tracking for pick up. Please do not mistake this as a spam, your winning is real.
Also, do not be difficult with the $280.00 required to obtain the shipping papers with the courier service. It is the only mince since you not located close to Zenith Bank head Quarter here for pick up in person.
congratulation in advance to receive your winning funds.
Thanks for your co-operation.
Tel-Number: +234-704-637-1100


...and now for my response!


Hello!
I am quite surprised by this email, and extremely overjoyed!  I mean, holy crap, you only do this drawing once every 4 years, and I was lucky enough to get picked? WOW! That's amazing!
I'm a little concerned though.  I mean... $2.5 million...on a single ATM card?
What happens if I lose it!?!?!?!?!
Can you split it into several ATM cards? Maybe 5? That way if I lose one I won't lose all of my money.
Also, I don't think I need a Proof of Ownership certificate. I'd also be ok with standard delivery instead of express.  So I've done some rough calculations, and I think that would only cost me about $150, right?  So is that ok? I'll send you $150 and you send me 5 ATM cards, no Proof of Ownership, and not Express? Also, why can't I use my Post Office box? Does the stuff have to be shipped FedEx? The last time I got something from FedEx, they mistook my neighbor's compost bin for a mailbox - and let me tell you that Grateful Dead CD I ordered from Amazon STILL stinks! So, if I could get it delivered to a post office box that would be great.
I tried calling you at 704-637-1100 but I got some law firm in North Carolina who had never heard of you.
Look forward to hearing from you!
Ken

419 Scammers Target Victims of 419 Scammers...

I got this email today.  Really made me chuckle...

Economic And Financial Crimes Commision
No.5, Bill Clinton Crescent, Off Adetokunbo Ademola
Wuse II, Abuja, Nigeria.


ECONOMIC & FINANCIAL CRIMES COMMISSION (EFCC).in collaboration with United Nation, (UN) and United State GOVERNMENT.


Attention: Beneficiary

SCAMMED VICTIM/ $2.5million COMPENSATION FUND-REF/PAYMENTS CODE: 06654.

We were delegated by Economic and Financial Crimes Commission [EFCC] Nigeria in conjunction with the United Nations to pay 200 Americans, Asia, Europe countries etc, In view of this recommendations, I want you to know that during the last UN and EFCC meetings held in Abuja Nigeria, it was alarmed so much by the rest of the world in the meetings on the loose of funds by various foreigners to the scams artists operating in syndicates all over the world today.

In other to retain the good image of this great country, the president (Goodluck Jonathan) has instructed the immediate compensation payment of $2.5million each, to each scam victim through Guarantee Trust Bank, which is the approved Bank that will be responsible for your compensation fund transfer and issuance of International certified bank draft via under funding assistance by the Central Bank of Nigeria.

85 scam victims who were scammed by scam artists/perpetrators has been paid sum $2.5million each so far, and you are listed and approved for this payments as one of the scammed victims.
Kindly contact EFCC foreign operating assistant commissioner Mr. Mike Johnson for your compensation fund release.

Email: edujlgs@ig.com.br
Phone: +2348037165537

Option 1: Fund through Bank Transfer,

1 Your bank name:
2. Bank address:
3. Your account number:
4. Routing number:
5. Swift code/IBAN:
6. Beneficiary name:
7. Phone/Mobile no:
8. Address:
9. Nationality
10. Gender
11. Occupation
12. Age
OPTION 2: to receive fund through International Certified Bank delivery, fill in the listed details below:

(1) Full name:
(2) Delivery address:
(3) Direct mobile/ phone /fax:
(4) Occupation
(5)Gender
(6) Nationality
(7) Age

You are hereby warned not to communicate or duplicate this message to anybody in email exchange for any reason or whatsoever, EFCC in support of the US secret service is already tracing tracking the criminals for your own good make sure you stop dealing with scammer and imposter, and also make sure you forward the daily scams letter you received to us be warned.

Yours faithfully,
Danson Bowell, DE-factor Chief Compensation Officer

Beware of Paul Walker Malware Emails

With the death of Paul Walker, be on the lookout for emails containing malware exploiting the news of the celbrity's death.

Often these emails will claim to have "leaked photos" etc.

Be vigilant.

A Look at Fax Phishing

I recently setup a new honeypot which appears to be an IT security related company.

In addition to a few other hidden gems, this honeypot is complete with fake contact information for the company, including email, phone, and fax.

Today I received my first hit from the honeypot - and I was very surprised when it was a phishing attempt over fax!

The Phishing Attempt sent over Fax
This fax claims to be from the company's HR department, and is addressed to all employees, and advertises a 6 day all inclusive vacation at an exotic out-of-the-country location for only $129 per person.

The old adage holds true here - if something sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

A quick search shows that the number is very commonly used in scams, as seen here and here.

Of course the dead giveaway that this is a scam is that my honeypot doesn't have an HR department, and no one actually exists in the company to send such an offer out to the honeypot's nonexistent employees.

I have a feeling this new honeypot will provide for some great entertainment. Stay tuned for more!

Tech Support SCAM! The MUST SEE Video about iYogi!

Having personally seen the fear mongering iYogi used against a family member to get you to pay for their services (and having to clean up her computer after their software was installed), this video does not shock me in the least.  Share this video with all your friends and family and warn them about the scam which is iYogi tech support.


Entropia - The Online Sweatshop Scam

It isn't often that I talk about video games on my blog.  However...I recently had an encounter with a pyramid scheme/scam so disappointing that I had to write about it.

At the suggestion of several online friends I recently started playing Entropia Universe.  For those who don't know this is a "Free to Play" MMORPG.  I use the term "Free to Play" rather loosely...as I believe the game should actually be termed "Free or Play".

The currency in the game "PED" has a direct conversion ratio to real US dollars: $1 = 10 PED.  You can earn PED in game by hunting animals or mining resources.  You can deposit real money to get started...or earn money in-game.

Sounds good right?  Too good to be true? A game that pays you to play?

Hurricane Sandy Fake Webcam - A Social Engineering Experiment

Yesterday I decided to perform a bit of a social engineering experiment on USTREAM.

I provided "live" coverage of Hurricane Sandy from space.


London 2012 Olympics Malware and Scam Alert

It's important to note that with the London 2012 Olympics rapidly approaching, computer users should be on the lookout for spam message as well as malicious web search results featuring the London 2012 Olympics.

TrendMicro has already found some scams in the wild advertising supposed "free tickets" to the London 2012 Olympics.

An Olympics-themed trojan has already been spreading through social networks.

AVG has a preview of additional malware threats which may be associated with the London 2012 Olympics, as well as some important tips for avoiding an Olympic-themed malware infection.

It is very important to make sure your friends and family know how to look for suspicious links, messages, or emails regarding the Olympics.

Remember the old saying "If it's too good to be true, it probably isn't true."




The scammers just keep getting dumber...

Got this email today:
Good Day Dearest One Dear !! I am Madam.Sonia Zuru I am a widow being that I lost my husband,my husband was a serving director of the Cocoa exporting board until his death.He was assassinated by the rebels following the political uprising, before his death he made a deposit of Six Million Five Hundred Dollars ($ 6,500,000.00) here in Ouagadougou Burkina Faso in one of the Security Company,he intended to buy a Cocoa processing Machine with the fund.I want you to help me for us to retrieve this fund and transfer it to your account in your country or any safer place as you will be the beneficiary and recipient of the fund which we will use for joint investment in your country.I have plans to do investment in your country, like real estate and industrial production.This is my reason for writing to you. Please if you are willing to assist me and my only Daughter Linda Zuru, Telephone REMOVED Thanks and best regards . Madam Sonia Zuru
I've never priced a cocoa processing machine, but something tells me over $6 million is a little excessive. I'm also kinda disappointed. $6.5 million is pocket change compared to the scams I used to receive. I know the economy is tough right now, but it's not like these scammers are actually offering real money. Add a few more zeros to that and you might perk my interest.

Surely this is a legit lottery email and not a scam...

This email just showed up in my inbox...

Subject: .YOUR EM,AIL HAS WON,N
Date: Wed, 18 Apr 2012 20:55:19 +0200
It has finally come to our notice that you have not claimed your winning price. We want to verify if truly you are the owner of the email address that has won the 2012 Microsoft Email lottery draw. Because we have sent the winning notification to your address but you did not write back.

If you are the owner of the email address that has won the Email lottery, we advice you claim your winning price as quick as possible to avoid losing it, as the lottery program might come to an end within the next seven days or next week.

Best Regards.

Dr. Clinton W. E. Bateman (Coordinator M.S. Lotto)
Tel: +44-703-184-1863 +441212880874
EMAIL: infomsloto@mslot-agent.info.ms

Surely this is a legitimate email, right?

Warning: Potentially Malicious "Unfollow" Twitter App

Twitter users have recently begun receiving spam claiming to be an "unfollow app" capable of telling you who has stopped following you on Twitter.

Since this "app" is being advertised via spam, it should of course be treated as suspect.

The spam uses multiple redirects to fool scanners:

First Redirect Destination Analysis:  (Clean)
https://www.virustotal.com/url/7ad5fc516c4a9a4689de1e5de82c90681bb95f998c2ff1a0bfce180324d44fbb/analysis/1334255656/

Second Redirect Destination Analysis: (Potentially damaging content per Websense Threatseeker)
https://www.virustotal.com/url/dbfafb76973527e77be5e8e15f30ea7734b4a6cffed2d403c32fff16c69adf34/analysis/


At the very least, this is most likely a scam to get social networking impressions.  Chances are fairly high, however, that this could be malicious software.

If you receive any spam advertising this (or any other app), report the account to Twitter and they will deal with it accordingly.

Flash Farce: The Dangers of Social Media Influencing Real World Actions

We're lucky it hasn't happened yet.  Or maybe it has and we don't know it.

We've all heard how "flash mobs", protests such as "Occupy Wall Street", and even revolutions such as Arab Spring can be organized through social media such as Twitter or Facebook.

Viral videos, trending Twitter hash tags, Change.org petitions, Facebook pages...all of these are "tools" used to help bring about social change.

But how many people actually check the origins of a social change campaign or movement? And would it even do them any good?  How would anyone know the true origins, or motivations, behind an online campaign?

Mario 2012 - Help Raise Awareness!

Mario 2012 is a film and campaign by Caffeine Security that aims to make Mario the plumber famous, not to celebrate him, but to raise support for his arrest.

Please watch the video, and support this awareness campaign!

Woman Gives Birth to Three Plates

Just saw this email in the "funsec" mailing list:

Hello,

My name is Mrs Yetunde Owolabi from Republic of Benin, I gave birth to three plates, 3 children at a time after the death my husband on 18th of June 2011 by auto car
accident. Already we have received 5 children from God, right now I can't take care of them so I have decided to give them out for adoption, if you are interested let me know, I am not selling them but you will only pay for adoption fees to the ministry in concern and the Lawyer will legalized all the relevant documents and the baby will become legally yours.

Thanks,

Mrs. Yetunde Owolabi
You read that right.  She gave birth to 3 plates.

I really wish I had her email address, as I would be very impressed if she could provide some pictures of these plates.

Misuse of Your Personal Information and Google Alerts

It's always a good idea to keep tabs on your online presence.  This can help prevent embarrassing situations, such as an ex girlfriend posting all your dirty laundry for the world to see, or keep someone from stealing your identity, or using your name or address for fraudulent activities, resulting in the police knocking on YOUR door instead of theirs.

Here is an excellent example...

One of my former co-workers had a rather interesting event happen to him after moving in to his new house... Someone was running a "women's retreat" business from his home address!

He found this out through randomly searching for his own home address using Google.

Apparently someone had setup an entire website for this fake business using the real estate information from his home before purchase.

Luckily, this site did not remain online for long, but things could have become really interesting if someone showed up with suitcases in hand expecting to spend a weekend at the "retreat" they already paid for in full...

A few other situations which could happen...
  • Someone decides to try to rent or sell your house without your knowledge
  • Someone posts your address for a "everything for free" event on Craigslist as a cover for looting your house
  • A former co-worker or client posts your personal information on an online bulletin board accusing you of something "bad", resulting in harassing phone calls from thousands of complete strangers
  • An online group such as Anonymous posts your name and address on bulletin boards to coordinate a "prank SWAT raid"
  • Your college or university accidentally publishes a list of student names and social security numbers
The above are very real situations which have occurred, and could possibly have been avoided (or at least provided some warning) if only the victim would have regularly checked the internet for their personal information.

So how can you protect yourself from these situations?


See who's trying to hack your Facebook profile!

Many links claim to let you see who's "stalking" you on Facebook.  This link claims to let you see who's trying to HACK your Facebook profile!

http://bit.ly/vXjiBw

Were you brought to this blog post by a shortened link on Facebook? Why did you click that?

Haven't we learned yet not to click on strange links?

After all these years, users are STILL being infected with malware and helping to propagate it by clicking on links they shouldn't. (And yes, that link is safe)


URL shorteners such as bit.ly can be very conveniently used to hide malicious links.

Here's a little trick to help keep you safer.

There are actually URL "unshorteners" such as UnFwd4Me and Unshorten.com which will reveal the true address of a shotened URL.

So, now that your security awareness has been raised, please, share this link with others by copying the text below, and help them raise their security awareness as well!  To be more effective, please turn the URL preview OFF.


See who's trying to hack your Facebook profile! http://bit.ly/vXjiBw


Related Reading:

The Lottery Scam - Jeani's Story

Advance Fee Fraud scams don't always come through email.  This is a true story from a friend.

During the holiday season in 2008, Jeani received notification that she had won a lottery in Russia.  This notification was through postal mail, and included a $6,000 check.

The scam offered Jeani $25,000 in exchange for her cashing the $6,000 check and returning the money via Western Union within 24 hours.

Luckily Jeani suspected this was a scam.  Continue on to read the rest of her story...

A look at the various advance fee fraud methods...

As part of my continuing "To Catch a Scammer" project, I've decided to begin analyzing various advance fee frauds.

Covered in this post:
Lottery/Contest Scam
Money Laundering Scam
Inheritance Donation Scam


Introducing the Scam Fund!

I have decided to begin tracking how much scammers are offering to "give" to me, and how much money in transaction fees are requested to obtain said funds.

Currently, I have been promised over 20 million US Dollars.

Please check out the Scam Fund page, which will be updated regularly.

Scam Fund