Pharmed founders sentenced in fraud case

When I read this I think about how we have become a society that wants everything and yet wants to accept responsibility for nothing and I myself write this knowing of the personal issues I must resolve. Walking the walk is hard and not for the faint of heart. 

There are stories of how they attempt to compare the owners to Robin Hood and while Robin was a thief the difference is in the nobility of Robyn in that he kept nothing for himself so the comparison is not a valid one.

 

• http://tinyurl.com/ddokrb
  
• http://tinyurl.com/cf4gtx  
  
• http://tinyurl.com/azbsds
  
• Business Journal Links 

What are your thoughts?

Internet Scam Series – Phishing

Ever get an email supposedly from a bank you do business with or one that you do not or a company you do business with stating your password has expired, please enter you old username and password and a new password to secure you account or something to that effect? 

How about am email to your PayPal account that takes you to a link that looks just like your real account? 

These and other things like it are called Phishing – pronounced fishing. A third party seeks to gain access to your account information so they can gain access to your fund and/or credit information either to deplete your funds or steal your identity. 

Technically this activity is defined as: a criminally fraudulent process of attempting to acquire sensitive information such as usernames, passwords and credit card details by masquerading as a trustworthy entity in an electronic communication 

Were many are mislead is it it not just by computer – you may get a phone call seeming perfectly legitimate requesting similar. This can occur using: 

•  Link manipulation
  
• Fiter evasion
  
• Website forgery
  
• Phone Phishing 
  

How do you protect yourself

• Never give out your credit card or bank information over the phone unless you called and verified who
• Never respond to a phone call or email with a link leading to a website requesting you change your account information
• Keep your antispyware software current and run weekly scans (min)
• Keep your antivirus software current and run weekly scans (min)
• Check the full header information of any email
• Call your bank or the business in question to verify call 

In January 2007, Jeffrey Brett Goodin of California became the first defendant convicted by a jury under the provisions of the CAN-SPAM Act of 2003. He was found guilty of sending thousands of e-mails to America Online users, while posing as AOL's billing department and is facing 101 years in Jail. 

If you want to learn more about Phishing here is a resource link

Internet Scam Series – Money / Dead Person or Relative

You are contacted and a distant relative died or they want you to act as a broker and you will receive some % of the money. In this scam there is usually a hacker off shore who asks you to set up an account and they steal money from someone else put in your account and ask you to wire or transfer the balance to them. You are then charged with quite a few crimes and since they are off shore they have the money and you are no where to be found. 

These emails often say UK but ironically Russia is the worst for this sort of Cyber Crime 

 

 

91 - 94 Shorts Gardens

Covent Garden, WC2H 9AA

London, United Kingdom.

 

In appreciation of your esteemed contact received through a reliable Source and the choice of your country. I wish to introduce myself. I am Mr. Tim Byuce, a solicitor at law. I am the personal attorney to Mr. Terrill Prue, An American, who was a contractor and a businessman here in London. 

On the 30th of April 2000, my client, his wife and their three children were involved in a car accident in which all occupants of the vehicle died. My client {Terrill} deposited as family belongings in a bank here in London, the sum of £20 Million British Pound, with the hope of transferring it to his country as soon as he is on leave. 

Since his death I have made several attempts to locate any of my clients extended relatives, but this attempt so far has been unsuccessful. 

After these several unsuccessful attempts, hence I contacted you. I have contacted you to assist in repatriating the money and property left behind by my client before they get confiscated or declared unserviceable by the Bank where the deposit was made. 

Now the Bank has issued me a notice to provide the next of kin or have the money confiscated within the next fourteen official working days. Since I have been unsuccessful in locating the relatives for over 2 years now. I seek your consent to present you as the next of kin of the deceased. All legal documents to aid your claim for this fund and to prove your relationship with the deceased will be arranged for. Your help will be appreciated with 30% of the total sum. 

All I require is your honest co-operation to enable us see this deal through. I guarantee that this will be executed under a legitimate arrangement that will protect you from any breach of the law. Please accept my apologies, keep my confidence and disregard this letter if you do not appreciate this proposition I have offered you. However, if you do please include your phone and fax number in your response for better communication. God bless you and your family. 

Best Regards, 

Tim Byuce. 

 

Yes, the above is an example of a real letter.

They will ask you to visit them in their country or they may ask you setup a bank account and give them the account number so they can transfer the fund, or another variant is they will ask you to put up good faith money promising your great returns.  Would not advise even bothering – either give to your lawyer to respond (if it is legal they will not have a problem) or just delete email.

Internet Scam Series – Russian Dating

Beware of these – typically how the scam works is she will claim to have meant you via social network or random email. She will either offer her email or if has access to yours send you a letter outlining her history and background. Also Sooner or later expect a picture. Once she gains your confidence she will morph her story to that of a challenge and her needing money for free herself from the situation – abusive marriage, boyfriend, school, debt, etc. 

There are variants of the scam but usually she tries to gain your confidence, promise her affection, marriage or sex (sometimes) but all sooner or later lead to a request for financial assistance. The types of scammers: 

1. Visa and Tickets Scammer
   
2. An Unscrupulous or Fake Marriage / Translation Agency
   
3. Vacation Hunters
   
4. Pro-Dater
   
5. Accommodation Scam
   
6. Bigger Better Deal (BBD) Hunter
   
7. Green Card Hunter / Gold Digger 
   

Once you sent the money and when there is no more to give they will disappear. (Note: This is a well know foreign scam but domestic versions of the scam also exist – lost child, money for medical aid, etc.) Below is a real letter sent to me as an example and beneath that links to resources to spot Russian dating scams. 

Hello my new friend!

Your electronic address to me a distance in agency of acquaintances! I hope that our correspondence will be nice for each of us! It’s first time for me when I decided to meet with the man through the Internet. May be you will have a question why I do so. I was disappointed in Russian men. I think most of them very false and deceptive. But I believe that everyone of us make its happiness yourself. I believe that one day I meet my love and I’ll love him forever. Now I want to tell you about myself. My name is Juliya. It’s very popular Russian name. 

I was born at 20th of March 1980. I was born in town Omsk, Russia and I live here all my life! It ` s very nice provincial town. 

It ` s not very big but very beautiful. I have never been abroad. And I even never been in other town of Russia. I want to travel and learn interesting things and parts of country and all world. 

And do you like traveling? Hope you understand my English. It’s not my native language. I learnt it in the school and University and now I learn it myself at home! At University I studied Economy and I have the diploma of Economist. I studied in Omsk State Technical University. But in our town it ` s very difficult to find a good job and I sell shoes in shoes shop. I like my work and I do it with pleasure. Where do you work? Do you like your work? I work five days in week. On Saturday and Sunday I do work at home, go for a walk, cook, read books and have a rest. Do you have hobby? Do you like reading books? I like Russian Classics such as Michael Bulgakov, Lev Tolstoy, Aleksandr Pushkin. Have you heard about it? Now I read very interesting book " Anna Karenina " written by Lev Tolstoy. I think that books teaches us how to live right and we can see very good advices there. Oh, I forgot about time, I don ` t have computer at my home and I write you from Internet Cafe. Tomorrow I’ll come to check my e-mail again. I hope to see letter from you soon!!!

P. S. Do you like my photo? Please send me your photos, I’ll be very glad to get them! 

Bye!!!

Your friend from Russia Juliya.

 

You get a letter like this. Soon the conversation will switch from dating to money and how they need help. They will ask you to send money and will never agree to meet will even talk about wanting to marry you and how special you are...avoid this scam also. Usually when you are sent the email a picture will be included....best to just delete email. 

• Russian Scam Resource link 1
  
• Russian Scam Resource link 2