The Top 10 Scams Of 2008!

Here is a link to the top 10 scams of 2008!

It has been issued by the Chicago Better Business Bureau!

I won't give it all away but as someone that does grant research, I would have to agree that you should investigate places, people and sites that you want to do grant work for you.

Of course also included in the list are a lot of work-from-home scams as well!

You REALLY, REALLY Have To Be Careful About The Email That You Get!

I just got finished posting to my Spam Blog about how one has to be careful about the email that one receives.

As things get more and more sophisticated so do too the scams!

Email will come to one's box saying that they are from their banks and they need to "check out" your account information. The email wants you to click on a link that is provided so that you can enter your banking or account information.

Like I said in my Spam Blog - DO NOT CLICK ON THOSE LINKS! Call your bank directly and ask if there is something wrong with your financial account.

While you may be clever enough not to fall for this kind of scam a lot of people do and the live to regret it!

Phony AOL Email!

Here is a copy of a phone AOL email that I got:

Dear AOL Member,

This confirms that your AOL payment method has been updated to reflect the new information you provided. You can make payment method changes at AOL Keyword: My Account throughout your monthly billing cycle if you decide that a different payment method would better suit your needs. Please note however, that the billing method on record at 10:00 AM EST on your billing cycle date will be the one used to process your account charges.

You can access America Online`s secure, self-service Billing Center by going to AOL Keyword: My Account. Here you can review and modify your AOL account information online, anytime.

please use the following link--> AOL Billing Center

Please Remember: If your account information is not updated within 48 hours then your ability to use your AOL account will become restricted!

Sincerely,
Member Services
AOL, LLC.

First of all I can tell that this is a phony email from someplace claiming to be AOL because the link does not go to an official AOL website!

You have to be very careful about email nowadays because if you click on the link you could risk losing very important information. Some of these links will ask you for your log-in information including your password!

In some cases you might get phony email from your bank asking you to "verify" your information by providing important information about your account.

When you come upon an email that asks you to click on a link, put your cursor over the link to see where that link is. If it's not an official site then do not click on that link. If you have an association with the company it is best to call them first as opposed to being involved in some kind of scam email that could possibly ruin you!

Those Nigerian Email Scams

Do you get those Nigerian email scams in your email box? I caught the tail end of a show on MSNBC about it. Now I didn't think that a lot of people actually sent in their money but I was wrong! Apparently this kind of scam has raked in millions of dollars! If you're not familiar with this kind of scam it goes like this:

You get an email from someone from another country saying that they have access to millions of dollars but they need your help in getting it. In return they promise to pay you a lot of money - somewhere in the 5 - 6 figure range (sometimes even higher!) Either you're supposed to send some "good faith" money or you are asked to send personal information like your bank account information. Even though just this much sounds suspicious many people have done it! Sometimes if you don't answer the email you'll get another one down the line saying that the money is ready for you but the representative hasn't been paid (by you). This payment that you're asked to make is supposedly suppose to be the representative's commission.

If you get this type of email - do you know what the experts say to do?

DELETE IT!

Another Paypal Email Scam?

Dear member,This email confirms that you have paid orders@dell.com $699.99 USD using PayPal. This credit card transaction will appear on your bill as "PAYPAL *DELL INC".

Payment Details

Purchased From: Dell.Inc

Item #

Item Title

Quantity: 1

$669.95 USD

Shipping & Handling via USPS First Class Mail to 154XX(includes any seller handling fees)
$19.16 USD

Shipping Insurance (optional):

Sales Tax (6.000% inPA) : $10.88 USD

Total: $699.99 USD

Note:Thank you!

Shipping Information

Shipping Info: W~, 16 elm st., B~, PA 1xxxx, United States

Address Status: Confirmed

If you have questions about the shipping and tracking of your purchased item or service, please contact the seller ~@dell.com.

Do you confirm this transaction?

If this transaction was not made by you please immediately take the following steps:

Login to your account by clicking on the link below

Provide requested information to ensure you are the owner of the account

Find this transaction in HISTORY and click 'Cancel Transaction'

Thank you for using PayPal!

The PayPal Team

Please do not reply to this email. This mailbox is not monitored and you will not receive a response. For assistance, log in to your PayPal account and choose the Help link located in the top right corner of any PayPal page.

PayPal Email ID XXXX

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Yet another email that was in my email box. There are a lot of "red" flags that went off when I got this email. One of them was the link that was provided that didn't even go to the Paypal website. Another red flag was the fact that this email mentioned to "provide requested information".

If you have a Paypal account and are unsure of any email that you get from someone or someplace that says they are Paypal do not click on the links in the email. Go to Paypal's Official Website!

Here is a link to more information about the Paypal Email Scams

Another Email Scam.....

This time the email message isn't even a message it is simply a link that is included. The email usually has some kind of attention-grabbing subject line but when you open the email the only thing that is there is a link that you're supposed to click on to find out more about it.

You can usually tell what the url address is by hovering your cursor over the link provided. Mind you I said "hovering" your mouse and NOT clicking on the link.

Once you discover what the link is and where it goes to then you can decide whether or not you want to click on that link - but be careful!

Paypal Scam (Again!)

I guess the reason why there are so many Paypal schemes and scams going around is because it has to do with money! Just think about it. And the same thing applies to those phony emails purporting to be from your bank saying that there is a problem or they need to verify your account information. I have gotten a lot of those too - and some of them are from banks that I don't even have an account at?

If you have a Paypal account you have to be very careful when you get these kinds of email. Never click on the link that is provided in the email! Instead go to the website itself (or better yet - CALL THEM ON THE PHONE!

Another Paypal Email Scam?

Here's an excerpt from an email I got saying that it was from PayPal:

"Dear PayPal Member,

PayPal is committed to maintaining a safe environment for its community of buyers and sellers. To protect the security of your account, PayPal employs some of the most advanced security systems in the world and our anti-fraud teams regularly screen the PayPal system for unusual activity. Recently, our Account Review Team identified some unusual activity in your account. In accordance with PayPal's User Agreement and to ensure that your account has not been compromised, access to it was flagged. Youwill remain flagged until this issue has been resolved. This is a fraud prevention measure meant to ensure that your account is not compromised. In order to secure your account and quickly restore full access, we may require some specific information from you for the following reason: Our system requires further account verification. Case ID Number: xx-xxx-xxx-xxx. We encou! rage you to log in and restore full access as soon as possible. Should your account remain flagged for an extended period of time, it may result in further limitations on the use of your account or may result in eventual account closure.
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Please click on the link below to log in and restore full access to your account. (the link provided has paypal.com in it but if you put your cursor over the link you see that the link goes somewhere else)
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Thank you for your prompt attention to this matter. Please understand that this is a security measure meant to help protect you and your account. We apologize for any inconvenience.

Sincerely, PayPal Account Review Department
PayPal Email ID xxxxxxx

Now I went to Paypal's site just to find out more information about these so-called emails that are sent out. Here is an excerpt of Paypal's official website:

How can I protect myself from PayPal fraud or scams?


PayPal is dedicated to fighting fraud and scams. You can help protect your account against PayPal scams by being cautious in giving out your own personal information such as first name, last name, business name, email address, password, financial information (credit card, bank account number, PIN), social security number, and driver's license number.

Tips to stay safe from PayPal fraud or scams:


Log in safely: To log in to your PayPal account or access the PayPal website, open a new web browser (e.g., Internet Explorer or Netscape) and type in the following: https://www.paypal.com/

Check the email greeting: Emails from PayPal will always address you by your first and last name or the business name associated with your PayPal account. A PayPal scam email may include the salutation "Dear PayPal User" or "Dear PayPal Member"


Look out for attachments: PayPal emails will never ask you to download an attachment or a software program. An attachment found in a PayPal scam email will often contain a virus that can harm your computer or compromise your PayPal account


Never give out personal information: If we require information from you, we will notify you in an email and request that you enter the information only after you have safely and securely logged in to your PayPal account. Often, PayPal scams will request details such as your full name, account password, credit card number, bank account, PIN number, Social Security Number, or mother's maiden name. "

To find more safety tips from Paypal's own website just go to:

https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=p/gen/fraud-prevention-outside

Is It REALLY QVC?

Be careful when you get email from QVC. Make sure that it is coming from QVC! How do you do that? Just move your curser over the blue link (BUT DO NOT CLICK ON IT!). You will then be able to see where this blue link will go. Even though the letters "QVC" may be in the link that doesn't mean that the link will take you to QVC's official website. The best thing to do would be for you to go directly to QVC's official site and find out any information you can about the email. If you still have your doubts you can either call or email QVC - they even have a message board where you can post.

Paypal Scam

Here is a copy of a bogus email that I got:

Dear PayPal Member,This email confirms that you have paid xxx $x.00 USD using PayPal. This credit card transaction will appear on your bill as "PAYPAL xxx*".

PayPal Shopping Cart Contents

Item Name: Nokia 8800 Brand New

Quantity:1

Total: $X.00 USD

Cart Subtotal: $X.00 USD

Shipping Charge: $30.00 USD

Cart Total: $x.00 USD

Shipping Information
Shipping Info: ~
Address Status: Unconfirmed

If you haven't authorized this charge, click the link below to cancel the payment and get a full refund. (Of course this link doesn't directly go to Paypal!)

Thank you for using PayPal!The PayPal Team

Please do not reply to this e-mail. Mail sent to this address cannot be answered. For assistance, log in to your PayPal account and choose the "Help" link in the footer of any page.

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You have to be careful when you get email like this! DON'T CLICK ON THE BLUE LINK!

It is an email scam and if you click on that blue link you will be very sorry that you did!