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Internet Security - Cross-Border Scams:
How To Spot Cross-Border
Scams
The Internet gives buyers access to a world of goods and
services, and gives sellers access to a world of customers.
Unfortunately, the Internet also gives con artists the very
same access. But being on guard online can help you maximize
the global benefits of electronic commerce and minimize your
chance of being defrauded.
OnGuard Online wants you to know how to spot some
cross-border scams — including foreign lotteries, money offers,
and check overpayment schemes — and report them to the appropriate
authorities.
Foreign Lotteries
For years, scam operators have used the telephone and direct
mail to entice U.S. consumers into buying chances in supposedly
high-stakes foreign lotteries. Now they're using email, too
— either to sell tickets or suggest that a large cash prize
has your name on it. No matter what country's name is used
to promote a lottery, the pitch follows a pattern: you should
send money to pay for taxes, insurance, or processing or customs
fees. The amount may seem small at first, but as long as you
keep paying, the requests for funds will keep coming — for
higher and higher amounts. Some victims have lost thousands
of dollars.
Most scam operators never buy the lottery tickets on your
behalf. Others buy some tickets, but keep the "winnings" for
themselves. In any case, lottery hustlers generally try to
get you to share your bank account or credit card numbers,
so they can make unauthorized withdrawals.
If you're thinking about responding to a foreign lottery,
OnGuard Online wants you to remember:
- Playing a foreign lottery is against the law.
- There are no secret systems for winning foreign lotteries.
Your chances of getting any money back are slim to none.
- If you buy even one foreign lottery ticket, you can expect
many more bogus offers for lottery or investment "opportunities."
Your name will be placed on "sucker lists" that fraudsters
buy and sell.
- Keep your credit card and bank account numbers to yourself.
Scam artists often ask for them during an unsolicited sales
pitch. Once they get your account numbers, they may use
them to commit identity theft.
Resist solicitations for foreign lottery promotions.
Report them to the appropriate government
officials, then hit delete.
"Nigerian" Foreign
Money Offers
The "Nigerian" scam got its name from emails that supposedly
came from Nigerian "officials" who needed your help getting
at their money — which was tied up due to strife in their
country. Today, people claiming to be officials, business
people, or the surviving relatives of former government honchos
in countries around the world send countless offers via email
to transfer thousands of dollars into your bank account if
you will just pay a fee or "taxes" to help them access their
money. If you respond to the initial offer, you may receive
documents that look "official." But then, you will get more
email asking you to send more money to cover transaction and
transfer costs, attorney's fees, blank letterhead, and your
bank account numbers, among other information. Subsequent
emails will encourage you to travel to another country to
complete the transaction. Some fraudsters have even produced
trunks of dyed or stamped money to verify their claims.
The emails are from crooks trying to steal your money or
commit identity theft. Victims of this scam report that emergencies
arise that require more money and delay the "transfer" of
funds; in the end, you lose your money, and the scam artist
vanishes. According to the U.S. State Department, people who
have responded to these solicitations have been beaten, subjected
to threats and extortion, and in some cases, murdered.
If you receive an email from someone claiming to need your
help getting money out of another country, don't respond.
After all, why would a stranger from another country pick
you out at random to share thousands of dollars? Report
the solicitation to the appropriate government officials,
and then hit delete.
Check Overpayment
Schemes
Say no to a check for more than your selling price, no
matter how tempting the plea or convincing the story.
Check overpayment schemes generally target people who have
posted an item for sale online. The con artist, posing as
a potential buyer from a foreign country (or a distant part
of the U.S.), emails the seller and offers to buy the item
with a cashier's check, money order, personal check, or corporate
check. Or the scammer may pretend to be a business owner from
a foreign country, needing "financial agents" to process payments
for their U.S. orders; in exchange, they promise a commission.
Regardless of the cover, here's what happens: The scammer
sends you a check that looks authentic — complete with watermarks
— made payable for more money than you expected. They ask
you to deposit it in your bank account, and then wire-transfer
some portion of the funds to a foreign account. They provide
convincing reasons why the check is for more than the necessary
amount, and why the funds must be transferred quickly. Sometimes,
the counterfeit checks fool a bank teller, but be aware that
the check still can bounce. The scammer vanishes with the
money you wired from your own account and you are on the hook
for the entire amount of the worthless check. In addition,
a scammer who has your bank account number is likely to use
it to withdraw more money from your account.
Reporting a Cross-Border
Scam
If you think you may have responded to a cross-border scam,
file a complaint at www.econsumer.gov,
a project of 20 countries of the International
Consumer Protection and Enforcement Network. Then
visit the FTC's
identity theft website. While you can't completely
control whether you will become a victim of identity theft,
you can take some steps to minimize your risk.
If you've responded to a "Nigerian" scheme, contact your
local Secret Service field office using contact information
from the Blue Pages of your telephone directory, or from www.secretservice.gov/field_offices.shtml.
In addition, report telemarketing fraud and check overpayment
scams to your state Attorney General, using contact information
at www.naag.org.
Report unsolicited email offers to spam@uce.gov — including
offers inviting you to participate in a foreign lottery, looking
for help getting money out of a foreign country, or asking
you to wire back extra funds from a check you received.
If you receive what looks like lottery material from a foreign
country through the postal mail, give it to your local postmaster.
For More Information
Foreign Lottery Scams
U.S. Federal
Trade Commission — The FTC works for the consumer
to prevent fraudulent, deceptive, and unfair business practices
in the marketplace and to provide information to help consumers
spot, stop, and avoid them. To file a complaint or to get
free information on consumer issues, visit www.ftc.gov or
call toll-free, 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357); TTY: 1-866-653-4261.
The FTC enters Internet, telemarketing, identity theft, and
other fraud-related complaints into Consumer Sentinel, a secure,
online database available to hundreds of civil and criminal
law enforcement agencies in the U.S. and abroad.
Competition
Bureau in Canada — The Competition Bureau is an
independent law enforcement agency in Canada that investigates
anti-competitive practices and promotes compliance with the
laws under its jurisdiction. To file a complaint or to get
free information, visit www.competitionbureau.gc.ca or call
toll-free, 1-800-348-5358. The Bureau has the ability to refer
criminal matters to the Attorney General of Canada, who then
decides whether to prosecute before the courts.
United
Kingdom's Office of Fair Trading — The United
Kingdom's Office of Fair Trading is responsible for making
markets work well for consumers. They protect and promote
consumer interests throughout the United Kingdom, while ensuring
that businesses are fair and competitive. To file a complaint
or to get free information, visit www.oft.gov.uk or send an
email to enquiries@oft.gsi.gov.uk.
Australian
Competition and Consumer Commission — The Australian
Competition and Consumer Commission encourages vigorous competition
in the marketplace and enforces consumer protection and fair
trading laws. To file a complaint or to get more information,
visit www.accc.gov.au. The ACCC advocates consultation and
negotiation as the first and best option to settle disputes,
but once the ACCC pursues legal action any sort of mediation
becomes less likely.
"Nigerian" Advance-Fee Scams
U.S.
Secret Service — The Secret Service investigates
violations of laws relating to financial crimes, including
access device fraud, financial institution fraud, identity
theft, and computer fraud. To file a complaint or to get free
information, visit www.secretservice.gov
or call 202-406-5708.
U.S.
Department of State Advance Fee Fraud PDF — The
Department of State's mission is to create a more secure,
democratic, and prosperous world for the benefit of the American
people and the international community. As part of that mission,
the Department of State seeks to minimize the impact of international
crime, including cross-border internet scams, on the United
States and its citizens. To get free information, visit www.state.gov.
U.S. Federal
Trade Commission — See above.
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Recommendation - Symantec Software
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Eagle Internet Security
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Internet Security
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