Hello and welcome to my guide on scammers:
PLEASE READ ALL OF IT. It is very important for your own welfare and shows you the ropes.
I have made this guide to help my fellow citizens prevent being the victim of online scammers.
I hope you can read this and remember the main points if you should ever come across a scammer.
I have made this off my own back it has taken me a days worth of creating but is worth it to prevent and reduce victims of online fraud.
Always remember the saying:
"If it looks too good to be true.... then it probably is"
The slogan for The Real Hustle on BBC Three
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GENERAL ADVICE
Whether you're buying or selling , please always remain aware and avoid any deal / offer that looks suspicious.
Spam Emails
Spam emails are all very simular some ask for transactions of large sums of money others claim you have won rewards of large sums of money.
Always ignore these emails.
The same goes with prize emails, if you have not entered any competitions or prize draws then, you should not take any notice of emails which claim you have won.
Always check with companies by contacting them if you ever receive any prize draw emails to confirm with them.
Classified Ads Scams
There are several different scams to watch out for but all are basically to do with overpayment for your goods. In a classified advertisement scam, a scammer responds to an advertisement for anything: a car, a bike, a computer, furniture ... anything that is being advertised at a reasonably high price.
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MISLEADING EMAILS
The below picture is the common type of spam email you would receive.
These emails are sent in bulk to random email addresses by scammers.
Most of us know these are not real emails BUT some dont.
The scammer will "play it cool" when a person replies by asking the convinced person if they are able to handle the transaction.
The person replies to the scammer to confirm they are able to handle the transaction.
The Scammer replies next in either two ways:
1.Send me your contact details and a photo for identification
2.Send me your Bank Account Details and Contact Details.
They do this because they will want to steal the victims identity by using their identity to apply for things like driving licences or buy items online.
If you ever receive an email like this report it to your email providers abuse section.
NEVER FALL FOR THESE EMAILS!!!!
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KEY POINTS ON SCAM & SPAM EMAILS
-Most of these scammers are based in West Africa, especially Nigeria and Ghana. Watch out for any links to these places.
-They tell you sob stories, especially that their wife or children have died.
-They have a sudden emergency - son needs medical treatment, bank account frozen - which can only be fixed by you sending money.
-Their requests for small sums of money increase to large sums of money.
-They wish to transfer money to you from a corrupt government.
-They insist you wire money so they have no need to give their own accurate details - don't send them anything!
-Their language sounds unusual, possibly West African.
-Do not be fooled by calls from a U.K number. This will be a paid assosiate (another scammer)
-You Google their details and find lots of warnings.
Be very sceptical at all times.
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BUYING & SELLING SCAM 1 - "OVERSEAS BUYERS..."
The scammer will express an interest in buying the item that is for sale. However, the scammer tells the vendor that he lives abroad, and that he would like to send the vendor a cheque to cover the cost of the item, plus an additional amount to cover the cost of shipping the item overseas.
If the vendor agrees to this, the scammer sends them a cheque or a banker's draft for the total amount. The vendor pays the cheque or draft into their bank account, and the bank clears it immediately, making the funds available in the vendor's bank account.
The scammer then asks the vendor to get in touch with the shipping agent immediately in order to arrange the shipment overseas. The vendor does so, and the shipping agent (another scammer) asks for their fee up front. They usually ask for the fee to be sent via Western Union to enable them to collect it immediately. As the scammer's cheque or bank draft has been cleared by the bank as soon as it was paid in, the vendor agrees to this, and sends the shipping agent their money.
The vendor is usually then contacted by the scammer, who asks the vendor to send the rest of the money back as he no longer wants to purchase the item. There is usually a hard-luck story attached: one common story is that the scammer's son or daughter has been involved in an accident or is seriously ill, and the scammer needs the money to pay for their hospital treatment. If the vendor agrees, they transfer the rest of the money back to the scammer, again probably via Western Union.
At this point, the vendor is unaware that they have been scammed. They remain unaware of this until the scammer's cheque or bank draft completes the bank clearing process - which can take days or even weeks - and the bank finally finds out that it is a forgery.
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SCAM 2 -
"I'VE SENT YOU TOO
MUCH MONEY..."
Another one works when the person who has agreed to buy your goods says a mistake has been made and instead of (for example) £100 the cheque has been made out for £1000 and would you cash the cheque and send back the difference.
The cheque will clear into your bank, only to be stopped/refused weeks later. At this point, the Banks/Building Societies will take the full cheque amount back out of your account. Not only will you have lost the goods, you will be out of pocket for the amount of their original cheque (£1000) and the amount you passed on as the difference (£900).
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SCAM 3 -
"SOMEONE OWES ME MONEY..."
This one works when you are contacted by someone offering to pay for your item in full. They will say that they are living in a different country but that someone in England owes them money. They will offer to send you a cheque for far more money than the actual price and then ask you to send the difference with the goods.
Again, the cheque will clear into your bank, only to be stopped/refused weeks later. At this point, the Banks/Building Societies will take the full cheque amount back out of your account leaving you out of pocket amount of their original cheque, the amount you passed on as the difference and any goods you have shipped.
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IN SUMMARY....
In all of these cases (and there are many more), at this point, the vendor is unaware that they have been scammed. They remain unaware of this until the scammer's cheque or bank draft completes the bank clearing process - which can take days or even weeks - and the bank finally finds out that it is a forgery.
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YOU SHOULD, THEREFORE,
BE EXTREMLEY SUSPISOUS IF:
•Someone responds to a classified advertisement you have placed and wants you to ship the item abroad, without even having seen the item.I recommend caution when dealing with anyone based outside the UK.
•They offer to pay you the amount of the item, plus the shipping costs, and ask you to arrange the shipping and pay the shipping agent yourself.
•DO NOT be reassured if you receive a cheque or a banker's draft and your bank clears it as soon as you pay it into your account; it may still be a forgery, and if so, you will lose out.
•Someone sends you a cheque or bankers draft for your goods, then asks you to return the money to them for whatever reason, via an instant cash transfer service such as Western Union or MoneyGram. Cash transfers made using these services are instant, meaning that the scammer can get his hands on your money well before you find out that the cheque you received is forged
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WHAT TO DO:
Unfortunately, No-one else cannot intercede on your behalf as the transaction is between the buyer (scammer) and the seller (you). However, if this does happen to you, contact your local Police and Trading Standards Officer who may be able to assist.
You will be ok if you only have given your Contact Details to a scammer.
However, if you have given a scammer your bank details you should contact your bank immediatley and have your account shut down and then ring the Police after doing so contact CIFAS for a data protection act for extra security.
Please click on referred contacts to see more information.
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KEY POINTS ON SCAMS
WHEN BUYING OR SELLING
There are a few things to watch for when you are BUYING/SELLING:
1. If the messages says "Dear Seller" it's almost always a scammer.
They send out mass e-mails so it's mainly kept generic.
2. They keep refering to your item for sale as an "item".
Take note of this when they don't say what you're
selling in your post.
3. The item you're selling is always in bold,
brackets( ),CAPITALS or quoted " ". eg. I'm
interested in your (forks), I see that you have a
"bike" for sale.
4. These are keywords to look for in a common scam
email:
SHIPPING COMPANY
WESTERN UNION
MANAGER WILL SEND YOU A CHEQUE
I NEED YOUR NAME,ADDRESS & TELEPHONE NUMBER
5. They offer you more money for what you are asking for.
Wheter it be they are offering you £50 ontop of the
money you sold the bike for, for selling the bike to them,
or diabolical offers such as £5000 when you are only
selling your bike for £200.
6. Try to stay away from cashier's cheques and Western
Union since many of these are fake and used by scammers.
7. DO NOT Accept Cheque Payment by anyone, always cash
in hand or Paypal.
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REFERRED CONTACTS
If you have been scammed you can contact the UK's Fraud Prevention Service:
http://www.cifas.org.uk
Call your local Police and ask to be put through to the:
Crime Prevention Unit
For Further Information on Identity Fraud:
http://www.identitytheft.org.uk
