“Is that you talking or the wine?” This line comes from a joke but could well be true. A husband and wife […]
According to my research, about 700 people search online for a list of internet scammers every day. They must have heard of online scams and hence they want to make sure they do not fall victim to these online charlatans. If they go online they will find such a list but it will not be very useful.
One site I check listed about 1,804 scammers’ sites to avoid. It’s obvious how tedious it is to check against this list even though it is listed in alphabetical order. There are many more lists.
And remember, scammers, are like a chameleon when their true color has been exposed they change to another color! For example, when someone exposed XXX as a scam site they can easily create a new site, YYY.
Hence, any list out there may be out of date by the time you check it. Hence, not very useful.
BUT, a list of internet scams is most useful because it explains how the scams work no matter what name the scammer choose for their online trap.
Hence, here’s a list of the latest internet scams you need to know and how to avoid them.
The classic Spanish Prisoner Con is similar to the Nigerian scam, also sometimes known as Nigerian 419, named for the section of the Nigerian criminal code it violates. (Read here The Classic Spanish Prisoner Con) Despite its name, Nigerian scam, the scammers could be from anywhere in the world.
In 2007, 22-year-old John Rempel, an Ontario man, thought he had hit a jackpot when an email addressed to him explained that a distant relative had died and left him $12.8 million inheritance. He was ecstatic! The email was from an attorney named Matthew Spenser. John Rempel fell for this con hook, line, and sinker. First, he was told to wire $2,500 as documentation fee. He wired the money. That was just the start
He said, “After that … it never stopped. They were like, ‘Just this bit yet and then it’s going to happen.'” He was told to pay government tax, inheritance fee, and so on, which he dutifully paid.
When he started to have doubt, he insisted to meet the attorney Matthew Spenser. The scammer agreed, and John Rempel flew to England. They met in a motel. Now he was convinced this was all genuine. He handed over another $35,000!
When he returned to Ontario, more emails came asking for more money. He borrowed from his parents, his relatives, and his friends. Finally, when he said he has no more money to pay, the scammers played a final cruel joke on him They told him to wait for them at New York airport. He waited for 2 weeks But they never come.
How to avoid falling victim to the Nigerian 419 scam?
Some said, look for grammatical mistakes in the email or that when the email request for money, it’s a scam.
What I recommend is just this one rule: Any email from a stranger wanting to give you money is a scam!
OK, so you do believe that you had an uncle named Rubesquintine Rumpleskin who had recently passed away and there is a 1% chance that he did leave you a fortune. Follow rule no 2: Please check with an attorney first.
Love scam is a variation of the Nigerian scam. The hook is love.
Audrey Elaine Elrod, in her early fifties, was in the midst of a divorce. She was looking for love to start a new chapter in her life. That’s when she received a Facebook friend invitation from Duke Mc Gregor, a handsome man in his late forties.
“How beautiful is your picture Audrey,” the message read. Then Duke introduced himself as an oil-rig engineer from Aberdeen. That he was a single parent to a 17-year-old son, Kevin. He was looking for a special someone and he ended his message with, “by the Grace of God I will meet that someone again.”
Soon they began chatting online for hours. Duke’s son Kevin too, began chatting with Audrey. She enjoyed his funny emails. Of course, Mc Gregor and Kevin are the same person.
In just a month, Elrod and Mc Gregor were talking marriage! Then the request for money started.
Duke wrote that Kevin had been involved in an accident and needed a few thousands for medical care. She has grown fond of the boy so she wired the money. Soon, he was asking for money for a high-powered drill, $6,000. A new Personal computer, a few more thousands. Kevin’s trip to somewhere, a few more thousands.
It reached a point she was sending three-quarters of her weekly take-home pay. She sold her washing machine. She sold her jewelry. She sold her car. And finally, she quit her $19-an-hour clerical job at the Mecklenburg County Health Department so she could cash her retirement account and gave the money to him.
Yeah, I know, you want to whack the scammer in the face for bilking a vulnerable woman dry.
How to avoid falling for a love scam?
I recommend this one simple rule to weed out love scam: When your love interest starts to ask for money, that’s a clear sign to cut the relationship.
OK, the heart can be deceiving. It wants to believe even when there are so many doubts. Then follow rule no. 2. Tell a good friend for an impartial opinion. It’s better to be a fool with money than a fool without money!
Roger A. Knew all about lottery scam. So when he received an email informing him that he has won $100,960 from a Spanish lottery firm, he decided to play along. He decided that once they started to ask him to pay for taxes or processing fee to get his prize, he would know for sure this was a scam.
They never asked for money.
Instead, they sent him a Banker’s check for $7,600 as the first installment of his winning! The check of $7,600 was credited to his account. He was told to pay for $5,500 for taxes and fee and they will send him a check for the balance of $93,360. Roger wired them the $5,500.
Later, his bank informed him the Banker’s check was a fake and debited $7,600 from his account.
How to avoid a lottery scam?
Simple really: Do not be greedy! Repeat, do not be greedy! And oh, if you did not buy a lottery, how could you have won? Really?
If Phishing reminds you of fishing that’s because both uses a bait in catching a victim or a fish. In phishing the scammer attempts to get your username, password, or credit card details so that they can steal your money, using authentic-looking but fake website.
Bryan Rutberg received an email from Facebook telling him that there is a problem with his Facebook account. He was asked to click on a link to connect to his Facebook account so as to update his account.
He was taken to a fake web page that appeared like Facebook log-in page and was told to enter his username and password. He did as he was told, after all, you can trust Facebook, right?
The scammer then hijacked Rutberg’s account and sent messages to his friends informing them that he had been robbed while holidaying in London and requesting them to send money to a bank account of Western Union’s branch in London. His friends, thinking Rutberg was in need of cash, wired ‘him’, the scammer, the cash.
It could be worst. If the email has been from his ‘bank’ and he has given his username and password of his banking account, the scammer could have cleaned out his money or max up his credit card.
How to avoid a Phishing scam?
On important tip is to look at the beginning of the link address. It should have https://. Phishing scams will just have http:// (no “s”). If your guts feeling tells you something is not right, don’t click on the link. If the email appears to be from your bank, call them to confirm.
Adrian H. was so excited about the job offer that pays $25 per hour from a reputable company! He has been unemployed for some time and was desperate to get a job. He was required to pay $100 for a processing fee. He paid.
The job offer turned up to be just a scam. In all, about 250-300 people were cheated. The scammer must have made $25,000 – $30,000.
What is heartbreaking about this kind of scam is that these innocent victims not only lost money, which probably they borrowed, but also their faith in humanity. The let-down must have hit them hard.
Adrian H. said, “I’m devastated – especially with Christmas and the holidays coming.”
How to avoid a fake job scam?
This is a tough one. It’s because you may have posted your resume online. And so to receive a job offer is a good thing. For more information on how to avoid a job scam, please read here.
As you can see a list of scammers is not very helpful. Some scammers use legitimate company names as their front. But understanding how certain scams work is a better protection. For more information, please read How to avoid scams online, remember A.SCAM.
Please share other internet scams you have encountered.
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22 thoughts on “List of internet scammers is not very useful, but a list of internet scams is, here’s why”
Sad to hear these stories. That sense of knowing you have been scammed causing rage beyond belief, but also a horrid feeling of foolishness and humiliation. I think that there is a common theme to avoiding these horrible situations. If it’s too good to be true, then it is not real, and also, if it’s coming from a stranger, be on guard and get the facts before taking any kind of action.
Let’s hope for a brighter future where we can develop ways to be aware of these scams, and as a result, hopefully, people will resort to scamming others less and less.
Hi Jacob,
Rage! Yes that’s the word to use when we hear of innocent people getting scammed. We may not have much sympathy for those who’re greedy. But for those who are victims of sophisticated phishing scam or fake job con, we can feel their pain.
Future? May be Google, Yahoo, Bing and other search engines can block these scam sites. For example, if many people voted them as such. Then there’ll be less scammers on the net. What do you think?
Song
This is, in a perverse way, a very “funny” article. Not as in “ha-ha” funny, but more ironic/perverse funny. As I read each one of these stories, I found myself smacking my forehead and thinking “Wow! How silly! I’d never let that happen to me.” But as I think about it more, I feel like it is kind of a there but for the grace of God go I sort of thing.
The story that touched me the most was the love scam, because it offers such a profound insight on the nature of love, and the way love can overpower our rational mind. While it may seem unbelievable that someone would liquidate their retirement account for a person they’ve never met, I know I certainly have been in situations where I’ve done things I would not ordinarily do because I was infatuated. I’ve never dumped out my retirement account for love, but I have several times allowed cute girls to copy my homework. I think most people have been “love scammed” at some point in their life.
Hi Ephraim, I like your observation. Really, we have to be vigilant online. Scammers are getting smarter. The phishing scam is one the more challenging cons we have to deal with because they can mimic real companies’ websites.
The love scam will never go away. Yes I agree with you. When the heart is seized by love, the logical mind has no more control on the person’s action. Ha ha, cute girls copying your homework! I bet you married one of them!
Song
I hope a lot of people read this. It’s hard to believe these scams are still out there. I remember when I was out of work 15 years ago and there was an ad on the internet to make money on the computer. I called them and a woman answered and told me that I would send letters to people and if they sent the $5 fee, I would get $1 – $2 of it. I said ok and was sent to her manager who told me I would have to pay $2,200 for the software that would need to be used to do this. I told him that was a lot of money for software and after saying no to him a bunch of times, he started calling me a child trying to intimidate me. I came back saying I would be acting like a child if I paid you $2,200 for that software and hung up on him.
Hi Kevin, I agree with you that it’s frustrating to know people are still being scammed everyday despite the fact that these cons have been exposed many times. Great you did not fall for the fake Job con. These scammers use intimation to cheat. For the those vulnerable, they will be bullied to pay up.
I think in your case, the scammer was not so smart. I think if he had asked for, say, $45 as processing fee, perhaps you would have paid up. And times that by many other victims, he would have made a lot more. Thanks for chipping in your thoughts.
Song
Unbelievable… They cheat honest one to make a living.. Every types of scams were well planned and it will appeal to victims heart. We need to keep reminding ourselves we should not be greedy as well as do not bank in money easily to others without confirming the information accuracy.
Thanks for sharing the wisdom and bitter experiences other people had faced!
Hi Junya, yeah, the scammers plan their traps well. It’s like fishing really. There’s the worm wriggling at the end of the hook. Once the fish bite, they’re hooked. They also know how to appeal to a person’s greed. Please share with your friends the article. The more people know about the different types of scams, the less likely they’ll be cheated. Thanks for dropping by.
Song
Unfortunately we live in a world where there is so much dishonesty going on and to many this is a joke as they steal from people and destroy lives. I believe that because we live in such times we ought to learn from other people mistake and not be so quick to bit the bullet.
Hi Norman, yes these scammers have no conscience as they cheated the innocents of their money. While some were conned because of their greed, others were scammed because they do not know how scammers operate. Hence my hope is that this article, as you said, will help others not to make the same mistakes. Thanks.
Song
I always enjoy this blog. It is not only fun to read but also very practical. That’s how we have been taught in our school. I feel like this not because I’m toxicated by alcohol now, it truly does.
Hi Roy, great you like the blog. I believe now more people are aware of how scammers work. Yet there are many others who have to learn the hard way after being scammed. Ok, go get a beer now!
Song
Twenty years ago I think the majority of us would have fallen victim to most scams online owing to the fact we’d never been associated with this type of personal contact before, it’s only after hearing time & time again about similar scams to which you have written about here that we realise some people can be very dishonest, we are becoming more wise to being duped.
I got contacted the other day through Google+ which came as a bit of a surprise. A lady from Ghana who had been searching my name for ages because one of my distant relatives had died in an earthquake back in 2009 and left me $5,500,000. If I don’t claim the money with her now, apparently it goes to the bank.
She wanted to help me claim the money – Smell a rat? Me too,
Simon.
Hi simon, today is your lucky day! Remember your uncle Bill? Your mother’s brother’s brother-in-law’s third cousin, twice removed? Well he died and just left you $2.356 million! Just send a processing fee of $1,532 and your account number and I’ll wire the $2.356 million to you!
Yeah, I’ll glad people are wiser now. More scams are being exposed daily. The fight goes on! Have a great day!
Song
Psst, still interested in the $2.356 million?
Very good web page on internet scams and scammers. I have received emails from two scammers on your list. The lottery scam and the scam from Nigeria. Both emails I ignored. After all, how can you win a lottery in which you didn’t enter. Second, no stranger is going to select you as a receiver of a large sum of money. Your site is very informative. More people need to read it and understand what you are saying about scams and scammers. I keep social media at arms length. I think there are enough deceivers on there! Great reading and very useful. More people, especially the elderly need to visit your website. Great job!
Hi Mick, thanks for dropping by! What you said about the elderly is so true. Generally, not belittling anyone here, some are more vulnerable and more trusting and scammers do make them a target. Well, having been a victim of scam myself (see comments below) I do what I can to warn others.
Have a great day!
Song
Horrible! There are people out there you just don´t have any conscience!
Thanks for putting these information together, they need to be shared!
As a kid/teenager I red an email saying I will get a free DVD! I actually got it but also subscribed by accident and ended up paying (well, my parents) 50 bucks for three months until I could unsubscribe!
Watch out guys!
Hi Manny, I can totally relate to what happened to you when you were a kid. As I told Josh (see below) we both failed to read the fine print. You’re ok I guess because you were a kid. I got scammed as a too-trusting adult. So some times we need to read about these scams so that we are aware of how these bottom-feeding scavengers work.
We’ll remember this lesson forever!
Song
Haha I agree with your title for the exact reason you mentioned. As soon as a scammer is exposed, they put on their chameleon cloak and set up another scamming business. Like Jordan Belfort from wolf of wall street, I’m sure he’s is working on another scam right now to make money. The fake job scam is the most popular one I’ve seen, i have been told I could make $25 an hour just to realise it is complete crap/
Very informative, have you fell for any of these scams yourself?
Hi Josh, great to have you visiting! As long as there are greedy, gullible and too-trusting people, there will always be scammers. Well I’ve been a victim of online scam. It’s the it’s-in-the-fine-print scam. I subscribe to a free resume website just for a try-out without the intention to continue. But they billed me after. What made me angry was that they were not upfront that I need to cancel or I will be billed. To me this unethical method is a scam. In a way it was my fault too. I didn’t read the fine print. Well, lesson learned.
Song
Very enlightening post. I feel so bad for those who have fallen victim to lecherous people. Thank you for summing up some of the possibilities, maybe you’ll save some people the same fate.
Hi Janet, yes we feel sad do these victims. There are real people with faces and names. Some of them are vulnerable people. So if we have such friends and they go online, we should ‘watch over’ them. Have a cool Sunday!
Song