Common Scams Section

[GiveMeABreak]

We have created this section for members to post up their experiences of being scammed or warnings of potential scams.

Please do not post personal details or emails here, as these can often be hijacked / impersonations of real accounts. Try and keep posts focussed on the scamming element, otherwise the actual threat or scam can become lost in a long post.

If you have any questions or suspect a scam in relation to a sale or a purchase, post them here - you might just save yourself some pain.

[xantiagreen]

Last Wednesday I advertised the xantia for sale on Gumtree and around 11pm, Thursday late morning get a text from [email protected] asking if the car is still available and to respond via email so I sent a reply that the car was still available. See the screenshots no number came up on the text message just ann.

I checled online and a host of articles on the scamster Ann beatson came up, a facebook article showed her true identity, the scamster is also fundraising for Cancer Research UK and has around £125 showing

I knew it was a scam when I read, im deaf and in a wheel chair and will send a courier to collect and will paypal the money, I should have gone with the scamsters story and see what would have happened, I've had another idiot on another free to sell app ask me why I have covered my reg, is it because it has been involved in any illegal activities and is it a cut 'n' shut, i gave up and blocked him.

Just thought i'd pass on the info for others to be wary of, has anyone else been targeted by Ann.

[GiveMeABreak]

I think some explanation of the scam is needed, as on the face of it, there is nothing in the above to indicate a scam.

The scam is where the supposed seller can’t get to pick up the item, due to some disability, and therefore they have to send a courier to pick it up. Of course the ‘courier’ only accepts money grams, western union and the like. As she is ‘disabled’ she can’t get to the post office or similar to wire the money to the ‘courier’, so the scammer tries to get you to pay the courier and may offer to add the fee on to the item price.

The item never gets bought of course and you have emailed a tidy sum to a fake courier, who is the scammer, never to be heard from again.

This is quite common and similar to the African emails sent about gold deposits and the like all involving Western Union transfers.

So ignore any of these where you are requested to make any payment yourself to any source for something you are selling!

[MikeT]

You might want to read this article from our local paper yesterday
https://www.bournemouthecho.co.uk/news/ ... criminals/

"However, the emerging threat for online platforms like these is that they can be used to facilitate harassment and stalking, as well as sexual crimes.

"If you use Tinder, for example, you might be naturally warier when you get messages, or if you’re going to meet people. "However, if you’re buying a table from someone on Gumtree, you haven’t necessarily got the same guards up.

"Predators are using platforms like these to meet victims who aren’t necessarily thinking about their safety.

[Paul-R]

Maybe not a scammer but a troll wasting your time and putting you to unnecessary trouble and, possibly, losing a real buyer.

[Gibbo2286]

I've had a page pop up when logging in to Edge several times in the last couple of weeks warning that my computer has four viruses and "Do not ignore this message." It has a download button.

I ignore it, just delete it and have run Malwarebytes to make sure nothing has crept in.

The URL is http://applando.info/en_webwindows_uk/? ... oja7x94ki4# and must be somehow linked to the Edge log in, or TalkTalk

This is a snippet from the page.

[GiveMeABreak]

Some recent and common ones:

The BT 'Engineer' Scam:
Typically you'll get a call from a supposed BT engineer concerning your broadband router, and that they'll need to undertake some work / reconfigure it to prevent loss of internet services. This is just an attempt to get you (and them) logged into your PC using remote software, which will give them access to your PC and files, where they will no doubt try and access files or try to get personal information or other details. BT never call in this manner, so a few choice words and put the phone down.

The 'Your PC is infected' pop up message on your PC whilst browsing the web:
This one can pop up when browsing and may play an audio file giving some dire warning about your PC being infected with a virus etc. The following is a typical screenshot. Clicking anywhere on the page can make it appear Full Screen, at which point they put a fake website element onto the screen so it looks like you are not on Microsoft's own support site as can be seen with the red rectangle highlighted:

The number they try and get you to call is of course all a fake call centre and they will invariably get you to install some remote access software, at which point they will open a command line and type in a few DOS commands that simply run directory listings and pretend they are running a scan. Then they will run some NET STAT commands and show a load of crap to try and convince you that there is a virus and that you have malware - pointing to a load of web addresses of course.. They then open up notepad and start offer you 'support packages' that they type out as you go along

Of course the aim is to get you to cough up the cash either by giving them your card details, redirecting you to a scam payment site, or by getting you to buy iTunes vouchers .

I would suggest you close full screen view (where it will generally reveal the fake website address), or press ALT and F4 to close the browser, then clear the history and cache of your browser. But in either case it's all a scam. Vulnerable people have lost big bucks this way.

[MikeT]

They're even more evil than that Marc. As soon as you open up a remote connection with them they lock your system and hold the password to ransom. You can still use the computer for the session but once you restart, game over without the password

[GiveMeABreak]

Yes, that is SYSKEY - which can lock anyone out of their PC - usually they also try to do that if you let on that you know they are scammers. Best though not to even engage with them.

I forgot to mention that the newer scammers actually direct you to the official Microsoft support site, where you can enter a 6 digit code to connect to the remote support engineer - however, this is for the LogMeIn Rescue software that is also available to anyone else - and what the scammer will do is give you their own 6 digit code generated from their version of LogMeIn and that's it - you are connected to the scammer once the remote software is downloaded and installed.

It's another way of hooking people into thinking that this is really a Microsoft engineer they are talking to, by using a genuine site.

[white exec]

Beware all e-mails telling you
- your account is locked/blocked
- there has been unusual (may have been unauthorised) activity on your account
- we have noted a transaction from [a far-away location]
- another device has recently accessed your account
- to Press the Following Link, to check your account is safe

Also those e-mails with cumbersome and multi-bracketed [02004-6aX5920070] [security_alert] headers, often from an e-mail address you really don't recognise, and which don't address you by your normal name (eg Dear Customer...).

The first four listed are particularly devious, because they mirror some of the genuine alerts/cautions that on-line traders can use.

In general, do not activate any link in one of these e-mails. If you think your particular account might have been compromised, leave the e-mail, and log into your account separately to check out orders/balance/activity etc independently.

[xantiagreen]

I think some explanation of the scam is needed, as on the face of it, there is nothing in the above to indicate a scam.

The scam is where the supposed seller can’t get to pick up the item, due to some disability, and therefore they have to send a courier to pick it up. Of course the ‘courier’ only accepts money grams, western union and the like. As she is ‘disabled’ she can’t get to the post office or similar to wire the money to the ‘courier’, so the scammer tries to get you to pay the courier and may offer to add the fee on to the item price.

The item never gets bought of course and you have emailed a tidy sum to a fake courier, who is the scammer, never to be heard from again.

This is quite common and similar to the African emails sent about gold deposits and the like all involving Western Union transfers.

So ignore any of these where you are requested to make any payment yourself to any source for something you are selling!

There are are posts online about ann beatson, their scam was to get me to accept payment via paypal, they would send an email pretending to be from paypal acknowledging payment received but in holding until I make a payment to the courier, obviously I didnt let it get that far but that was their intention to scam me a couple of hundred pounds

https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&sourc ... q-2x6H-sJd

https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&sourc ... nrkpu4a4KT

https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&sourc ... hs_ZQTW7PC

https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&sourc ... 4nlIvQhgLE

This particular alias has been runningvthis scam for a few years.

[GiveMeABreak]

Yes, had a look at those Faz, - always a matter of trying to keep a step ahead of these lowlifes.

[xantiagreen]

Maybe not a scammer but a troll wasting your time and putting you to unnecessary trouble and, possibly, losing a real buyer.

The other chap who kept asking why my reg was covered was a troll, got the same message again but a new account opened yesterday all i can do is block and delete.

[van ordinaire]

I used to get the occasional e-mail confirming my order had been dispatched - but I hadn't ordered anything, didn't recognise the senders & they all set out my address in a form I'd never use.

This was at work but IT security weren't interested, so I just deleted, & forgot, it BUT, while suspicious, I never understood what the scam was; there was no attachement & I wasn't asked for, or to do anything.

[MikeT]

I've started getting emails telling me that in lieu of Brexit, I will need to update my TV license registration details.

Seeing as it's sent from a .jp domain (Japan) I'm quite impressed with their command of the english language though can't figure out what leaving the EU has to do with it.