Pinterest Scams

Pinterest is a great social media network based on pictures of all kinds.

People mainly use it for inspiration – food to cook, places to go, clothes to buy, things to do, funnies, absurdities etc.

But it is also used by scammers. When you a post a picture you can add a link to a website page so scammers post something to make you click and that takes you to their scam website.

Here’s a recent example, posted by an idiot.

The woman in the photo is clearly standing further from the camera in the second photo – even her head is narrower in the second photo.

She looks to have lost weight but who knows how many weeks between the photos and she has a suntan in the second photo so maybe some weeks of holiday occurred in between photos.

However, it is impossible for anyone to lose 5 kilogrammes in2 days.

Oh and the magic herb is just parsley. Drinking parsley tea at night supposedly removes all the fat you’ve eaten that day.

No it doesn’t.

Use Pinterest for entertainment and inspiration but don’t be conned by fake photos.

Do leave a comment on this post – click on the post title then scroll down to leave your comment.

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The Society of Citizens Against Relationship Scams

https://againstscams.org/

The Society of Citizens Against Relationship Scams (SCARS) claim to represent more than 25,000 people, dedicated to changing the world of online fraud for the sake of everyone. They claim that more than 36 million people have been affected by these scams worldwide.

SCARS wants to be the global organization to coordinate political advocacy, public education and avoidance programs, have an enforcement focus, support victims and promote recovery programs, and establish best practices and standards throughout the world. “A Beacon In The Darkness”.

That’s quite a mission.

How SCARS Began

The focus of the Society is to:

  • Consolidate the voices of many into a single voice.
  • Work for the creation and implementation of universal standards and practices that provide effective and ethical anti-scam activities
  • Engage government, law enforcement, and victims globally in new methods to aggressively combat online fraud.
  • Create the first worldwide Anti-Scam Data Reporting Network with industry partners for real time exposure of fraudsters
  • Develop support and recovery solutions for traumatized victims based upon the best methods employed in the private and public sectors.

Professional Links

SCARS claims to be the only anti-online fraud non-governmental organization recognized by governments around the world and partners with a various important authorities, including:-

  • The United States Department of Homeland Security
  • Recognized Victims Assistance Organization
  • S. Department of Justice Office of Victims of Crime
  • S. DoJ OVC National Census Of Victim Service Providers
  • NCVC Victim Connect Program
  • NOVA – National Organization for Victim Assistance
  • SCARS Is a member of The European Union’s Council Of Europe Octopus Cybercrime Organization

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What is The Beard Czar Scam

There is a trend for fashionable beards and some men will buy products to help them grow such a beard and for grooming.

Beard Czar heavily  advertise their products for beard growth and grooming and they have a website at www.beardczar.com

Selling such products is perfectly legal of course.

It’s the special offer they advertise that is the problem.

The offer is that you can try their product for 1 month at a cost of $4.95. The small print with the offer says that you are automatically signed up for their auto-shipment program which sends you 1 month supply every 30 days and charge your credit card.

Unless you cancel that subscription within 14 days then you will be charged $89.99 and so on every 30 days.

There is a phone number to call to cancel but people trying that find it very difficult

See https://www.bbb.org/phoenix/business-reviews/hair-ornaments/beard-czar-in-phoenix-az-1000039261/reviews-and-complaints

for people’s experiences of dealing with this company.

Beard Czar have followed the typical scammers model and created lots of fake reviews online to make it difficult for people to find genuine reviews.

If you type Beard Czar on Google, it finds the Beard Czar website then a lot of reviews with titles such as Beard Czar Warning – Read This Before You Buy It”, “Do Not Buy “Beard Czar” – SIDE EFFECTS REVEALED!!”, Do Not Try “Beard Czar”- All Side Effects HERE!!! – Health Fly Up”

These are just sales pitches dressed up to look like reviews. This is an attempt to deceive people and this kind of action is only carried out by people who don’t want the public to know what’s going on.

Companies that operate this kind of model where they send you a product then do everything they can to make it difficult to stop their charges – are best avoided.

If you have any experiences with scammers, spammers or time-waster do let me know, by email.

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Stupidest Scam or Spam of the Week Mega Anti-Oxidant

“5000 times stronger than vitamins A, C and E combined” is a scammer’s tagline.

Vitamins are naturally occurring and we need certain amounts of them to make our bodies run efficiently.

Lots of people have health issues that can be helped by ensuring adequate vitamins in their food and some people just p=have poor diets so need vitamin supplements.

However all vitamins can be harmful in large quantities

e.g. taking as little 5 times the recommended amount of vitamin A can lead to liver damage, bone loss, hair loss and more. Taking several times the recommended does of vitamin E increases the chances of stroke and death.

Even relatively safe vitamin C can cause medical problems if over dosed.

So, something 5000 times stronger than vitamins A, C and E combined would absolutely be lethal.

The scammer also claims that this new ‘nutrient’ will rewind time on your cells to make you younger again.

The scam is a mixture of misunderstood science and fantasy and a lot of exaggeration.

Never never trust unsolicited emails offering a magic remedy – they are either non-existent or potentially dangerous.

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Jim Browning – Scam Fighter

Jim Browning is the Internet alias of a software engineer and YouTuber who focuses on scam baiting and exposing scam call centres and he publishes the results on Youtube.

Browning began researching scam operations after a relative lost money to a technical support scam. He started his YouTube channel to upload footage to send to authorities as evidence against scammers.

He has since carried out various investigative scam baits, infiltrating computer networks run by scammers who claim to be technical support experts and use remote desktop software to take control of the victim’s computer.

Such scams usually involve unsolicited calls offering computer services, or websites posing to be reputable companies such as Dell or Microsoft.

BBC Panorama

Browning was featured in a March 2020 episode of British documentary series Panorama, in which a large-scale technical support scamming operation was infiltrated and extensively documented by Browning and fellow YouTuber Karl Rock.

The duo recorded drone and CCTV footage of the facility in Gurugram, Haryana, and gathered incriminating evidence linking alleged scammer Amit Chauhan to a series of scams targeting computer-illiterate and elderly people in the United Kingdom and United States. During a private meeting with his associates, Chauhan was quoted as stating, “We don’t give a **** about our customers”.

Some of his call centre agents were recorded scamming and laughing at a British man who admitted to being depressed. They were also recorded conning a blind woman with diabetes. Although he was arrested along with his accountant Sumit Kumar in a raid.

In 2021, Browning was targeted by scammers who pretended to be YouTube support staff and misled him into deleting his own channel. His channel was reinstated four days later. He explained in a video that the scammer used Google Chat to send a phishing email from the “google.com” domain and convinced Browning to delete his channel under the pretence of moving it to a new YouTube brand account.

The YouTube channel for Browning is at https://www.youtube.com/c/JimBrowning

If you have any experiences with these scams do let me know, by email.

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