Tag: scams

Scam List

The Comparitech website has a comprehensive list of common scams at https://www.comparitech.com/vpn/avoiding-common-scams-schemes/

Scammers keep thinking up new ways to steal our property, money or identity but most scams are rehashed versions of old scams.

Everything from Advance Fee scams to Charity scams to Phishing scams to Scam Compensation Scams to Stock Market Pump and Dump scams.

If something seems too good to be true then chances are it’s a scam.

Keep your money and your identity safe.

Do enter your email address and click on the subscribe button on top right to keep up to date with new posts.

 

Fightback Ninja Signature

The State of Scamming in Australia

Government statistics show that 161,528 reports of scammers were raised with the Australian Authorities in 2017, of which 8.7% involves financial loss.

Total lost estimated to be $90 million.

The biggest chunk of this was to investment scams (approx. $34M), then dating and romance scams (approx. $22M), then business and employment scams (approx.$7M).

Following those were advance fee fraud, buying and selling scams, false billing, inheritance scams, remote access scams, threats to life and finally betting scams.

The age group that lost the most money was the over 65s.

The most common scams reported are:-

  1. Phishing
  2. Identity theft
  3. False billing
  4. Lottery scams
  5. Buying and selling scams
  6. Rebate scams
  7. Remote access scams
  8. Advance fee Fraud
  9. Threats to Life
  10. Online Shopping Scams

Beware of those scammers.

Do enter your email address and click on the subscribe button on top right to keep up to date with new posts.

Fightback Ninja Signature

 

Hoax-Slayer

The website is www.hoax-slayer.net

Hoax-Slayer is owned and operated by Brett Christensen, who lives in Queensland.

Hoax-Slayer debunks email and social media hoaxes, thwarts Internet scammers, combats spam, and educates web users about email, social media, and Internet security issues. That’s how it describes itself.

Hoax-Slayer also highlights latest scams, has a series of guides to avoid the most popular types of scam. It’s been in operation since 2003 and is paid for by advertising (the adverts are quite intrusive at times) and affiliate commission on product sales.

This site also looks at hoaxes of various kinds – some involving scams and some not.

E.g. “Donald Trump Arrested Virus” Fake-News Post

Message circulating via WhatsApp and social media websites warns users not to read a news item showing “two police officers arresting Donald Trump on your computer screen” because it is a virus that will infect your computer.

E.g. 2  Decorative Magnets on Refrigerators – Cancer Warning Hoax

Warning message claims that researchers at Princeton University have discovered that electromagnetic radiation from decorative magnets stuck to refrigerator doors “radiated” the food inside thereby massively increasing the probability of cancer in test mice used in the study. The hoax goes into detail about research at Princeton to prove this.

This is just rubbish of course.

There are moving images on screen which can be annoying but the site content is very good and in a modern format so the site works well on mobile devices.

You can subscribe to receive an email of headlines each time there is a new post or you can use the RSS feed if you prefer to manage the data directly.

The site is based in Australia but the world of scammers knows no international boundaries and the same scams are found the world over.

Do click on the Facebook or Twitter icons on top right to follow Fight Back Ninja.

Website: Friends Against Scams

friendsagainstscamslogo

The website is www.friendsagainstscams.org.uk/ and it has been created by National Trading Standards.

Their byline is

Friends Against Scams Will Start Taking Action Now Deliver the Message Against Scams.

The highlight on the letters S T A N D gives the word and you can get the phrase Stand Against Scams from this – very clever.

The introduction on the website states their reason for creating the website as follows

Friends against Scams is a National Trading Standards Scams Team initiative, which aims to protect and prevent people from becoming victims of scams by empowering communities to “Take a Stand Against Scams”.

It goes on to explain that the lack of awareness of scams is allowing a lot of scammers to get away with their criminality and Friends Against Scams encourages communities and organisations to take action.

There is a lot of useful content on the website but the starting point is a short video about scams and the damage they cause. Well worth watching. One statistic that stands out is that although anyone of any age can fall victim to a scam, the average age of those scammed is 75. They target the most vulnerable.

Friends Against Scams is also active on Twitter at @AgainstScams

This is a great new development in the fight against scammers and hopefully it will build to a huge public campaign. The more people understand what the scammers do then the more we can protect everyone against them.

Do click on the Facebook or Twitter icons on top right to follow Fight Back Ninja

ninja_signature