Category: Scams

Your UPS Invoice is Ready – SCAM – Phishing Email – WARNING – Explained

My spam box receives hundreds and hundreds of emails every day – on all my email accounts. Every now and then one slips the net (not that often though, thanks Gmail!) and due to me bein’ around these parts for a while i’m able to spot the warning signs that indicate that it is in fact a scam;

The email address looks legit, there are no formatting errors within the body text like previous scam emails have contained – from first glances this is a pretty convincing fake!

So can you tell if its a fake?

Place your mouse cursor over links but DO NOT CLICK ON THEM!

Note the preview of where that links takes you?

Im pretty sure UPS dont use n-moto.ru for their own website. In fact, the domain could be ups.ru for all i care, the .ru bit in it makes it (imo) stand out like a sore thumb.

It must be horrible for the russian domain name authority – but if i see a .RU domain name extension i run for the hills. I know my personal site has a .im domain name extension but these are very rarely used for spam/dodgy sites – in fact the spam sites seem to keep their domain extension choices to a minimum.

They either use .RU (Russia) or .CN (China) – probably because the chinese and russian governments don’t give a shit about what people do online from their countries.

Anyway, if you are not expecting an email from UPS or any other delivery company/service or if ANYTHING – and if something arouses your suspicions – then google it, ask me, ask someone who knows more about these things – and if all else fails delete it and they will call you if its important!

Thanks to GemmaBeans for sending me the email – she thought it looked dodgy and she was right!

21 June 2013
Skype Payment Scam – Explained

I’ve been around these parts (the Internet) since I was 13, and over those years i’ve noticed lots and lots of cyber scams in various shapes and forms – I find them funny to be honest as they are usually so poor, it amazes me people fall for them..

I received a funny one today – thought i’d screenshot it and explain how its easy to tell its a scam;

From the top down, firstly, the title of the email has a space before the exclamation mark. This is not proper grammar, and a company as large as Microsoft/Skype wouldn’t make such a schoolboy error.

Next, the email address is “support@numberbook.com” which a) isn’t a Skype email and b) is sod all to do with Skype or Microsoft (MS own Skype now innit)

Moving swiftly on, the wording of Skype and the orders@ email address are formatted so that its not picked up as an email address by spam filters, having a question mark instead of a fullstop and then not including the next full stop (before the UK) is again a huge error, and no reputable company would do that.

The next part down is the same, the email addresses formatted so it still looks like an email, but spam filters wouldn’t be triggered.

And finally, the last part of the email is the nail in the coffin IMO – PayPal is one word, not two – no official email from a huge company would make such an error – plus the “Pay Pal” link points to;

hXXp://www.elrinconoculto.com/config.html (link nulled so you cant click)

…Which is obviously not an official PayPal domain 🙂

8 February 2013
Email Scams Evolving

I hadn’t received one of those awesome 419 spammy, scammy emails for AGES – i looked in my scams folder, and the last one is dated 2008! I thought to myself “there must have been some sent in the last two years!” so i visited my Gmail spam box and hey presto – 12 minutes ago this beauty arrived;

Attn:
An Iraqi made a fixed deposit of $18.5m usd in my bank branch and he died with his entire family leaving behind no next of kin, am ready to share 50/50 with you if you choose to stand as my deceased client next of kin. Pls indicate your interest to my below secured private email for further details: jianguozha66@yahoo.com.hk
Waiting for your kind response.
Sincerely,
Jianguo Zhang.
NOTE: Once again to confirm your full interest, kindly respond to this email address for further details; jianguozha66@yahoo.com.hk

Now lets look at this one in comparison to the normal “essays” you get sent.

The first thing that i noticed was obviously the length of the email – like i stated they are normally a massive email with some sob story in them about how the person is ill, or how they are the only person left alive in their family or that they are trying to do the work of God (or some other storybook character) and cant because of dictators or something like the inability to draw the money out because of some made-up bullshit reason.

The second thing I noticed is how the people doing these scams SEEM to be originating from the far east now, as opposed to Nigeria and places like that. I wonder if this is a global thing or if i was just lucky to get one of the ones from Hong Kong?

The third thing i noticed was how they are using more modern facts. They mentioned Iraq which is something that will make many more people pay attention to this, probably aimed at Americans.

The last little things i noticed were the use of text style talk – Pls instead of please – and the fact it was actually sent from the email it tells you to reply to – whereas most of them are sent from one email address, but tell you to respond to another.

I have of course baited the little bastard – lets see if I get a bite! 🙂

————-

Update – 09/08/10

He replied!

Dear Friend,
First I wish to thank you for your kind response.
I sincerely appreciate your interest in this transaction, however I would like to be sure of your willingness, trustworthiness and commitment to execute this project with me, I cannot afford to compromise these virtues and none of your personal information will be shared with anybody whatsoever, this is the opportunity i have been waiting for in my Bank,hence the time has come for me to strike to move out the said funds out immediately, and you have to be very serious with me because this not a hoax, I have my principles.
About me and the said funds: I am Zhang Jianguo (President) of China Construction Bank Corporation Hong Kong Branch (“CCBHK”). A customer of our bank who is a national {citizen} of Iraq named Eng. Adil A. Nasir a business Merchant, who unfortunately died in the December 2005 in Iraq, he made a fixed deposit with a value of $18.5M USD with my bank. Upon maturity several notices was sent to him but we did not hear from him or any of his relatives. It was later discovered that he and his family were killed in Iraqi war with NO living witness to this fund. Now, what I want to do is to place you as the legal next of kin to my late client since he had none and have the funds released to you for the both of us to share in the ratio 50/50.
In my search, I got hold of your email through the web directories and I had decided to contact you since I needed a reliable foreigner that can help me pull the funds out of my bank as I cannot do it myself because of my position in my bank and I do not want anyone around me (family, friends and my bank) to be aware that the action is from me.
You should not have anything to worry about, as I want you to know that I have had everything planned out so that we shall come out successful. I have contacted an attorney that will prepare the necessary document that will back you up as the legal next of kin to Eng. Adil A. Nasir, and all that is required from you at this stage is to build up trust and understand between us, If you feel comfortable to work out this transaction with me, hence to enable my lawyer start up the paper work that would place you as the legal beneficiary to my deceased client funds, then it will be necessary you send me the following information;
1.YOUR NAME 2.YOUR RESIDENT ADDRESS 3.YOUR OCCUPATION 4.YOUR PHONE NUMBER/FAX 5.DATE OF BIRTH
*) Furthermore, I would appreciate if you could tell me more about your self diligently and to enable me be sure of your capability to handle the said transaction with me, because I wouldn’t want to jeopardize this opportunity to attain the said funds rather than allowing the funds to be reverted to the hands of our corrupt Hong Kong Government. We are in a corrupt world, if you are in the system you have to do the best you can do to have your way in life.
As soon as confirm the above information from you, hence my attorney will commence his job in perfecting the documents that would place you as the legal beneficiary to the said. The attorney will prepare the Affidavits which shall legally put you in place as next of kin; he will obtain the necessary clearances which will cover all the aspects involved in this transaction from the Hong Kong authorities including the Justice department. This transaction will be 100% risk free and our safety is guarantee.
What you need to understand about this transaction is that I will make sure that it passes through all international banking laws regards to this I will take care of the cost of retaining the service of the Attorney to give the transaction the proper documentation that is required to perfect the finishing of this transaction which is going to cost me alot of funds, all that’s required from your side is to set up an account with my principal Finance firm ABROAD that has same TELEX TYPE with my bank (China Construction Bank Corporation) and the transaction will be seen as an IN-HOUSE transaction which guaranteed the transaction safe and 100% risk free. Please you have to take this transaction seriously because this a great opportunity I have been waiting for to have this funds diverted before it will be turn over the hands of Hong Kong Government that would be shared within the top officials.
What I expect from you is trust and commitment;I want this huge sum of money (Eighteen Million Five Hundred Thousand United State Dollars) transferred with your full coperation. Hence, I want us to act fast and get this funds transferred in our favor and with my position, I know that if we follow up this transaction diligently it would be completed within 12 working days.
I want you to assure me that you will follow up this business seriously and as soon as I hear from you with your confirmation message to move ahead to execute this transaction with me, I shall give the Attorney a go-ahead to start the preparation of the documents in your name. I shall be waiting for your response and assurance in this regards.
I await your response, and I would appreciate your genuine interest with full co-operation to carry out this transaction with me to attain success in this transaction. Kindly keep this transaction strictly confidential to your self for the sake of our safety and i assure you 100% risk free in this transaction.
Sincerely,
Zhang Jianguo

-Once ive managed to read it all – im gonna reply and wind him up abit more 🙂

4 August 2010
World Cup 2010 Claiming Online Promotions SCAM!
This email came to me in a totally different format to most scam emails that grace my inbox. It was actually sent with formatting (different coloured text etc) ad came with a JPG attachment that had today’s date on it – and looked much more professional than most.

Its blatantly obvious its a scam – here’s some reason why.
1. Its claiming i have won a Football orientated prize – i hate football and am in no way associated with any football sites, clubs or organisations, so there is no way they could of got my works email account to add to a draw.
2. Its claiming ive won $2,754,000.00! – Err… In my DREAMS!
3. The email account it has been sent from is: claimsprize_20@hotmail.com – umm… a company giving out $2.7 million as a prize aint gonna be using hotmail now, are they?
4. The reply-to address is claimsprocessingdept01@gala.net – gala.net is some Russian bullshit portal.
It isn’t hard to identify them as scams – just look at some of the points ive covered above and you’ll always be one step ahead.

Here’s the content of the email they sent to me.

This is FIFA World Cup Claiming Online Promotions Award Notification, Do Open Attachment File For Details.

Yours Truly,

Mrs. Carolyn A. Taylor
Promotions Manager
FIFA World Cup Claiming Online Promotions
Eastern Cape, South Africa
Copy Right (C) 2010
(Reg No: 2000/003778/09)

And here is the attachment I received with it;

I have of course replied making out to be some kind of retard – lets see what fun we can have with this one.

I will of course, keep you posted.
6 January 2010