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Thank you for visiting our site!
The block below labelled News Items are links to news stories and articles that have appeared recently in the newspaper
and magazine media, that are related towards scams and frauds being perpetrated daily. These can be viewed directly within our
News and Articles forums.
Please take some time to review these; simply click the Read More link to the bottom right of the item.
Each of the articles are linked to the original story and all copyrights are acknowledged.
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For New Visitors
If you have received an email, a letter or a telephone call warning you that you are being scammed, and you have been referred to this
site, please click here for further information.
Please take a few moments to read through our news and
articles to find information that may relate directly to your own situation. Alternatively,
if you have questions that need answering, or need to discuss or share your experiences, you may go to our Open
Forum (click here) where you can both read about and relate any matters that you wish to have addressed.
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» Scammers Using the FraudWatchers Name |
It seems that scamming criminals, yet again, are trying to impersonate this website and its support and management team.
I quote below from one of their emails to a victim:
We do not, nor have we ever, owned or been associated with the domain name quoted above.
Furthermore, what the scammers do not seem to realize (in their stupidity) is that a ".pn" suffix does not denote "private network" but is, in fact, the official ICANN country domain suffix for the Pitcairn Islands.
Last I looked, we were situated in Europe - several thousand miles from the Southern Pacific.
As ever, please be very aware of any emails that purport to be from our organization. We will always use our own domain suffix of "fraudwatchers.org" in every email correspondence, and it is to this domain that any emails should be directed. We also own the .net variation of the domain; any others that claim to be this organization, however, at this point in time, are fraudulent.
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» Scammers Target the Burma Tragedy |
We are sure that almost everyone is aware of the devastation that has occurred in Burma in recent weeks, due to the climactic phenomenon that has been dubbed "Cyclone Nargis". Our deepest condolences and sympathies go out to the families and friends of the many tens of thousands of victims of this tragedy, and we extend our thoughts and prayers for those survivors who now face a mammoth task to rebuild their shattered lives and communities.
Unfortunately, as with any such event that happens on a massive scale, the criminal vultures stand at the periphery, waiting to see how they can profit from this heartache and suffering. And, as unhappily predicted by so many, the scams have already begun. Emails sent by the hundreds of thousands around the world from internet cafes in Lagos and Abuja, each proclaiming to have billions of dollars of unclaimed cash sitting in bank accounts held by the victims of the disaster.
What is most frightening, though, is yet again, these heartless criminals have taken to setting up fake charitable organizations, with newly-fashioned web sites that have false domain registrations that both look and sound very convincing. These are typically sites that request donations for relief to be sent via Western Union to a fictitious name; funds that will never see the light of day in Burma.
It is very difficult in these times to stress the importance of caution; it is especially more so to those many, many good-hearted individuals and groups in the world that are generous to a fault and wish for nothing but to be able to assist in whatever way they can.
But such is life in today's world, and we cannot emphasize enough to anyone who wishes to donate, to be extremely vigilant and to ensure that a little more time is spent in thorough research of any organization through whom they wish to donate.
Please, please, read the following links on our website to be able to assist you in any decision you make, and do not, for your own sake and for the sakes of those affected by this terrible tragedy, accept without question, any communications (email, postal mail, SMS or other media) that you may receive claiming to be from a charity or that tries to convince you of impending good fortune as a result.
News Items
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» Tragedy Results from Scam |
Web scam drove student to suicide
An inquest has been told how a university student killed herself after falling victim to an internet scam.
Jaiyue Wang, 23, gave more than £6,000 in the belief she had won half a million pounds in a lottery after being contacted over the internet.
She arrived in Britain last summer from Hainan in China to study at the University of Nottingham.
Recording a suicide verdict, Nottingham coroner Dr Nigel Chapman said her death, in April, was a tragedy.
Vulnerable woman
He said: "A young university student - doesn't speak very much English, her parents don't speak English - been coming across to one of the great universities but has taken her own life because of a scam from Nigeria."
Ms Wang was found hanged at her home in Beeston last month.
Jonathan Ray, a University of Nottingham spokesman, said: "Obviously anybody who hears this story will just feel that it's a despicable exploitation of a vulnerable person whatever their status or location in life.
"It's just deeply sad that the young woman was so badly hit by what happened to her just before Christmas."
Full story at this BBC News link
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» US Visa Information - India |
US Visa Information for Indian Nationals
We have noticed that in recent months, there has been a high incidence of Employment/Job Offers in the USA, targeted to people specifically living in India. These jobs have come from a variety of sources, but are usually traced or linked to a company based in the United States of America, that are IT (information technology) consultants, contractors or simply a specialist employment agency These companies have clearly stated that they will "assist" or even outright claimed that they will "obtain" the necessary working permit visas (H1x) on behalf of the proposed employee.
For more information please click on this link.
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» Metropolitan Police Announcement |
We have received a communication from the Metropolitan Police in the UK regarding Advance Fee Fraud (419) emails received.
"We would ask everyone to please forward all their received 419 and Advanced Fee Fraud related emails to the Metropolitan Police, together with full email headers, to fraud.alert@met.police.uk."
"This request is not limited to those only living in the UK, for the reason that UK based perpetrators of this crime indiscriminately distribute their scam letters and emails to inbox addresses all over the world."
"It is essential that the entire email, including the header information, is emailed as an attachment to the above address. In the event that you are unable to include these full headers, please just delete the email and do not forward it, as it will be a waste of time and resource."
You may refer to the documentation of your email client on how to display full email headers before forwarding them (Yahoo users should click on "Options", "General Preferences", and at the option "Forwarding Messages" set "Forward as an attachment").
Users of other email programs/applications may find this page useful, but be prepared to copy and paste if your program or application will not include them automatically.
If you have any questions about this announcement, or how to go about assisting, please post any queries in this thread within our forums.
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» Police/FBI/Government Impersonation |
Jan 15, 2009 - 6:38 AM - by Curious Nelly
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Scammers use FBI, IRS as lures
JOHN BRANTON COLUMBIAN STAFF WRITER
Tuesday, January 13 | 9:57 p.m.
Bogus pitches misuse agencies’ names to trick victims out of info
Scams have been pouring into Vancouver residents’ computers and homes, including several that claim falsely ... [Read More]
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30 Views
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» Sheffield - Pet Scam Warning |
Jan 14, 2009 - 2:48 AM - by Curious Nelly
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Warning over internet pet poster scam
Matthew Reville
13 January 2009
PET lovers have been warned to be on their guard against a suspected internet scam offering free puppies.
Multiple mystery posters uploaded notices about Yorkshire Terriers and Bassett Hounds looking for new home... [Read More]
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26 Views
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» 419-Aussie Arrest |
Jan 11, 2009 - 5:04 AM - by Curious Nelly
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Aussies charged in Nigerian web scam
AAP /
Thursday, 08 January 2009
Two Queenslanders have been charged over recruiting people to a Nigerian scam which netted the fraudsters more than A$4.3 million (NZ$5.2 million).
Australian police said the Sunshine Coast man, 48, and woman, 4... [Read More]
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62 Views
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» UK- HM Revenue and Customs Warning |
Jan 11, 2009 - 4:50 AM - by Curious Nelly
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UK Flooded With Fake Tax Emails
Graham Fitzgerald, Sky News Online
12:11am UK, Thursday January 08, 2009
Britons are being flooded with scam emails promising tax rebates ahead of this month's deadline for self-assessment forms to be sent in.
HM Revenue and Customs has issued t... [Read More]
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39 Views
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» 419-Stelle Komana, a "deaf girl" |
Jan 11, 2009 - 4:39 AM - by Curious Nelly
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E-mail scam may target hearing impaired
The Capital Times
1/08/2009 6:57 pm
Madison police say a new scam that is a takeoff on the old Nigerian con may be aimed at the hearing impaired.
Earlier this week, a Madison sign language interpreter received an e-mail with the latest f... [Read More]
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40 Views
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