Scams and get-rich-quick schemes have been around for as long as money has existed. But in today's fast-paced, hyper-connected digital world, scammers have more opportunities than ever to trick people out of their hard-earned cash and sensitive information. There are all sorts of scams out there, from fake emails and identity theft to Ponzi schemes and bogus investment opportunities. Scammers are getting smarter and more creative, using a wide range of tactics to fool people. The scary part is that these scams are having a huge impact on people's lives. A recent survey by the Global Anti-Scam Alliance and Scam Adviser found that a whopping 40% of people worldwide have lost money to investment scams. Even worse, most of them (69%) didn't even try to get their money back because they didn't know how. These scams are hitting people where it hurts - their wallets. About 66% of people said that getting scammed had a big impact on their finances. Surprisingly, 32% didn't try to … [Read more...]
Aco sy michelle, Facebook scams and how to avoid them
A friend of mine recently disclosed that he has been scammed on Facebook in the amount of P 30,000.00. He transacted with a certain person whose Facebook name is “Aco sy michelle.” He has done a lot of online transactions before and after doing preliminary business in Facebook, he usually meets in person to finalize the transaction. It is only in the meeting when items and cash changes hands. The item was indeed very tempting. It was for a Canon 60D camera which was only sold for P 30,000.00. (Usually this sells for close to P 60,000) However instead of going about his usual protocol, my friend decided to send the money. Afterwards he was given an LBC tracking number. He was alarmed when the item did not arrive on the day it was suppose to arrive. So he tried calling up the person but her mobile number could not be reached anymore. He tried messaging her in Facebook, but the Facebook page was already deactivated. The seller was gone with the wind and so was his P30,000.00. My friend … [Read more...]
A blow by blow account of how an ebay scam works
My friend who works in our company asked me one afternoon to check out an item he is about to purchase. He said he is reluctant to send the money because what is involved is a very big amount. What he was buying was not some cheap items like a box cutter. He was buying a very expensive item. He wanted my opinion on whether the transaction he is about to enter into is a scam or not. Knowing that I do a lot of online transaction he wanted me to checkout if what he is about to enter into is an ebay scam or not. His ebay scam story began when he ran across an ad for a very expensive camera. The camera market price for the camera is more than a P 100,000.00. But this second hand unit sells for more than half the price at only P 45,000.00. He needed the camera because he had a studio business as a sideline. Little did he know that this transaction would soon expose him to a very dangerous ebay scam. The ad was displayed on free ads, buy and sell Philippine based website, … [Read more...]
Yet another Paypal Phishing scam
I received another Paypal Phishing email. This time, I have been informed that I need to update my records. I’ve received this kind of email from scammers before and I have blogged about it in the post entitled “Online fraud.” Click on the link if you want to more about what Phishing is. For those of you who have not seen what this Paypal Phishing email looks like, I am posting it here hoping that you might not be stupid enough to fall for this scam. Take note that Paypal, ebay and online banks never ask for personal information such as Credit and debit card numbers, Bank account numbers, Driver's License numbers, Email addresses, Passwords or Your full name. So never send any of that personal information to anybody online. With this information in hand, I hope you never fall for a Paypal Phishing email scam or an phishing scam. If you do fall for this scam get a Mechanix gloves and box the scammer in the face ! hehehehee … [Read more...]
Online Fraud
I’ve been alarmed over the emails that I received for the past two weeks; it seems that online scam artists are doubling their efforts. I used to get only about 2 or 3 emails a month from scam artists and they are usually from somebody who wants you to help them “hide” their money from a terrorist government or somebody who wants to entrust you with huge amount of fortune they received. I've also received emails selling black market medicines. However recently I have received two emails that made me raise my eyebrows. These are not ordinary scam emails where you might be somewhat forewarned that they are scams. This type of online fraud is sure to get an uninformed user hook line and sinker. What I am talking about is what security experts aptly name as “phishing.” According to Wikipedia, phishing is defined as “an attempt to criminally and fraudulently acquire sensitive information, such as usernames, passwords and credit card details, by masquerading as a trustworthy entity … [Read more...]