| Millions of scams are emailed every day. How do you | | | | hundreds of promotional offers came from other |
| recognize them to avoid wasting time? Here are | | | | large businesses that now had our email address. |
| some schemes specially designed to persuade you to | | | | Lottery prizes |
| part with your personal identity information or your | | | | You receive a notice that you have won a large prize |
| money. | | | | in a lottery that you never entered. To claim the |
| Domain name renewals | | | | prize you must pay a fee and provide some personal |
| Many domain name owners are receiving what | | | | identity information. Of course! It's another scheme |
| appears to be an invoice for renewal of their domain | | | | to steal your money. |
| name at several times the normal price and three | | | | Miracle cures |
| months ahead of the renewal date. These are not | | | | A survey identifies that you have a certain medical |
| invoices. They are offers to renew the name through | | | | condition that can only be cured if you buy a certain |
| another company. Sometimes they may be to | | | | medicine from a certain website. This is the only |
| register a name slightly different from yours. | | | | place in the whole world that you can obtain the |
| Compare the prices with your current registrar, and | | | | medicine. Of course it's a miracle cure, but no |
| you will see that they are scams. | | | | guarantees! |
| Domain name foreign country registrations | | | | Bank account phishing |
| Domain name owners are currently receiving offers | | | | You are requested to go to a screen and update |
| to register their name with a foreign country's | | | | your personal banking details, otherwise your bank |
| extension, with the story that someone else has | | | | will freeze your account! If you pass your mouse |
| applied for that name. So what? Only if you wish to | | | | over the link you will see that it does not go to your |
| appear to be located in that country would you want | | | | bank, or to any bank. It will go to a website where |
| to register a name there. Find out what your current | | | | you are able give up your identity so that they can |
| registrar charges. | | | | steal from your bank account. Most real banks warn |
| World directories | | | | that they never ask customers to login via an email. |
| Every year businesses receive what appear to be | | | | Nigerian letters |
| invoices for a listing in some world directory. These | | | | This generic heading covers letters from anywhere in |
| are not invoices. They are offers to list you. | | | | the world with the common theme that a share in a |
| Unfortunately some businesses pay them. If you | | | | large sum of money, which the sender wishes to |
| have never seen a copy of such directory how do | | | | move secretly out of a country, is offered to the |
| you know it is ever published? If there is a website, | | | | recipient in return for some personal identity details |
| see if anyone you know is listed. | | | | and the payment of some fees. |
| Who's who directories | | | | These came to the notice of authorities in the 1960's |
| We were once flattered with a nomination for | | | | when letters produced on old typewriters were |
| inclusion in a Who's Who. However a further contact | | | | received from Nigeria. The reasons for the offers |
| from that organization requested a large fee for | | | | differed and were quite creative, but the method |
| inclusion in the directory. Our response is that if | | | | was always the same. |
| anyone wants to list us in any Who's Who, then they | | | | Surprisingly, these schemes trapped numbers of |
| can pay. | | | | naive people then and have continued trapping people |
| Work from home offers | | | | for almost fifty years, now by email. There's a |
| Everyone gets offers to make them rich for working | | | | potential victim born every day. |
| only a few hours per week. Of course, you are | | | | What is common to all scams? |
| asked for personal identification details. Many of | | | | Scams are designed to appeal to some human trait - |
| these offers are to facilitate money laundering | | | | greed, fear, ego, etc. Scams have always been |
| through your bank account. If you want to work | | | | around. The internet just enables them to reach |
| from home, decide the type of business you want to | | | | more people faster. |
| work in. Find it or start it yourself. If it is good, you | | | | Remember, if it looks too good to be true, it |
| shouldn't wait for it to find you. | | | | probably is! Use common sense. Get independent |
| Surveys | | | | advice. Only give personal identity or credit card |
| You are congratulated on a chance to win something | | | | information to parties you know and trust. |
| from a vast array of prizes if you agree to complete | | | | Scams will continue as long as there are naive people. |
| some surveys. Why do they need your personal | | | | Our web host has a good spam filter on its email |
| identification information? So they can steal your | | | | server that discards every category of scam that |
| identity and use your bank account, of course. | | | | we identify. We are frequently adding to that filter as |
| Promotional prizes | | | | scammers reword their emails. But the number of |
| We did fall in once and agreed to accept a | | | | scams getting past our filter is reducing. |
| promotional prize from a well-known department | | | | Be alert, recognize scams, and save time by having |
| store. They did not ask for our personal information, | | | | them filtered out before they reach you. |
| just our name and email address. No prize came, but | | | | |