tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1780338140722029992024-03-21T13:21:42.797-07:00Internet ScamsThis blog will talk about common internet scams as well as give users things to look for to help them identify and stay away from internet deception.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger28125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-178033814072202999.post-88037115875819882232023-09-01T23:42:00.002-07:002023-09-01T23:42:56.834-07:00Bloky ‑ (Not) Protect your Store and other Shopify Protector Services<p><b>Web Content Protectors:</b></p><p>While I was searching for images for a reverse Google search to find products, I encountered a particular webpage that caused some annoyance. It happened to be a website hosted on Shopify. Whenever I attempted to access the developer tools to inspect the images, the page would swiftly redirect to a blank page or revert to the previous page.</p><p>Clearly, this behavior was a result of some JavaScript code attempting to discern my intentions, despite my genuine lack of any malicious intent. My sole purpose was to conduct product research, and I had no intention of pilfering any information or images from the site. Fortunately, Chrome provides an option to disable JavaScript for specific websites under "Privacy & Security" -> "Site Settings" -> "JavaScript," allowing me to add the problematic website to the list of sites not permitted to use JavaScript. This simple adjustment allowed the site to load without issues, granting me full functionality.</p><p>The irony lies in the fact that this service is marketed as a solution to prevent data scraping. In truth, many scrapers avoid loading JavaScript on the pages they target, and those that do use JavaScript are often searching for precisely the kind of code that interferes with user actions. If data collection was the aim, there exist straightforward workarounds for these measures.</p><p>The $10 per month service may indeed deter less tech-savvy individuals from copying images or text, but it's fairer to say that those purchasing this service are likely being deceived. In reality, there is no foolproof method to prevent such actions from occurring.</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-178033814072202999.post-70810495818372859792019-04-25T06:24:00.000-07:002019-04-25T06:39:47.731-07:00Legally Getting out of a Door-to-Door Company Contract<b><i>Disclaimer: This post is an opinion article and is not legal advice. If you need legal assistance, please contact an attorney directly. </i></b><br />
<br />
<h3>
The Door-to-door Salesperson</h3>
Most of us in some way connect and sympathize with door-to-door salespeople. They are out in the elements, working hard to put bread on their tables. The conversation begins with a smile as the salesperson wants to ask you a question or show you something or asks you for a favor. Then comes the pitch. Possibly doubt creeps in as we try to weigh out the situation, ask questions, and peruse the contract, we gain confidence and sign.<br />
<br />
A few days later we see the bill on our credit card or bank account and you start to worry, possibly even feeling a little buyer's remorse. You call the company to cancel your contract as your salesperson said you could do if you weren't 100% satisfied. As you talk to the manager, they explain that the contract you signed locks you in for the long haul and if you want to get out, you have to pay 1/3 of the final cost upfront. Your blood begins to boil. The salesperson was so kind, funny, and warm-hearted. They said you could basically cancel whenever you want with no penalty, right? What a liar! What a thief! How could they have deceived you so?!<br />
<br />
Well, now what? It's a legal contract. The fine print mirrors the brisk language of the manager on the phone. If you keep going it will cost you thousands, and if you cancel now, it will be a 1/3 of that.<br />
<br />
But maybe there is still hope yet.<br />
<br />
<h3>
Option 1: A Loophole</h3>
Many people just don't know that in some cities around the United States, the door-to-door salesperson is required by law to get a license or badge allowing them permission to go door-to-door in your city. If they didn't get one, there is a good chance that the company illegally approached you in the first place. Call your city and find out if the salesperson/company got permission to sell door-to-door in your city. If not, you could call the company and threaten them with this information or provide this information to your lawyer.<br />
<br />
From my experience, asking about a city-provided license is a great way to get the salesperson off the porch and on their way. You might even save your neighbors some headache.<br />
<br />
<h3>
Option 2: Lawyer Up</h3>
Some people find litigation to be scary. To be frank, <i>good</i> <i>lawyers </i>are there to help you and protect you. Don't get me wrong, they can be expensive but you can find reviews online, get referrals from friends and neighbors, and shop and compare lawyers. Almost all of them should be able to give you an estimate up front before any payment is required. A stern letter from a firm can go a long ways when the company would rather avoid the financial loss of a lawsuit.<br />
<br />
<h3>
Option 3: Make a Stink</h3>
Companies with shady practices are ultimately about the money. If you don't like how they have treated you, <b>tell the world about it</b>. Go online to social media and company review sites and tell others about your experience. Make sure to post certain details so people can identify the company you are talking about and can factor your opinion in to their decision. Some companies might threaten legal action for defamation if your stink is bad enough. Don't worry about contacting a lawyer unless they actually serve you at which point certainly get a good lawyer to protect your first amendment rights. Chances are, their bark is worse than their bite. Not only because it just means more money (a lot more than 1/3 of a thousand dollars) but also because if they are actually dumb enough to try that, you could potentially also tell the world about the lawsuit which in turn hurts that company worse.<br />
<br />
<h3>
Option 4: Lease Takeover</h3>
Some contracts are lease agreements which sometimes allow a new person to assume the remainder of the contract. Just because you didn't like the company or the product doesn't mean that someone else wont either. You can find people to lease your contract to online.<br />
<br />
<h3>
If They Cancel, Great! But one more thing.</h3>
<div>
Make sure you <b>get everything in writing (and recordings)</b>! Just like the contract that got you into this mess, you can only truly cancel a contract if you have it in writing. Documenting everything can also assist you if legal action becomes necessary. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<h4>
Last-Minute Tips:</h4>
- Almost nothing you can buy in life is going to pass you by if you don't act fast. And if they do, it's definitely something you don't need. <b>Never make quick decisions!</b><br />
<br />
- <b>Always get a business card</b> with the Salesperson's information. Also obtain any brochures or documents about the company, company locations, etc.<br />
<br />
- Ask for a city-issued badge or license showing that the salesperson has been permitted by the city to sell there. If you're not sure, contact your city office to find out the rules.<br />
<br />
- If your worried for your safety or feel harassed by the salesperson, call the police.<br />
<br />
- Never let door-to-door salespeople into your home. It's possible some are sex-offenders getting these jobs due to the lack of process in hiring. <b>Protect yourself and your domain!</b><br />
<br />
- If you don't feel safe, don't open the door. Just keep it locked and walk away.<br />
<br />
- Never feel awkward asking the salesperson to wait outside while you go research the company and product online. You could also give them the option to come back later. If they protest you going online to do research, excuse yourself and walk away.<br />
<br />
<h4>
Other Resources</h4>
<div>
Here are some other good resources for getting out of contracts depending on what you purchased. </div>
<div>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.solartwin.com/solartwin-features/fun/how-to-get-out-of-a-solar-contract" target="_blank">Getting Out of a Solar Contract</a> </li>
<li><a href="https://www.thinkprotection.com/blog/secure-home/how-can-you-get-out-of-an-alarm-contract/" target="_blank">Getting Out of a Home Alarm Contract</a></li>
</ul>
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-178033814072202999.post-22490853734592562942016-04-27T12:34:00.003-07:002016-04-27T12:35:51.734-07:00Disneyland 4 Free Tickets: Facebook Scam<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://i.imgur.com/Zrqt53Q.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://i.imgur.com/Zrqt53Q.png" height="176" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #504d4d; font-family: "arial" , "verdana"; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px; text-align: justify;">Scam Score: </span><b style="background-color: white; color: #504d4d; font-family: Arial, Verdana; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px; text-align: justify;">100 (</b><a href="http://net-scams.blogspot.com/2014/11/net-scams-scam-scores.html" style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial, Verdana; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 20px; outline: none; text-align: justify;">Severe Risk</a><b style="background-color: white; color: #504d4d; font-family: Arial, Verdana; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px; text-align: justify;">)</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>Background</b><br />
Recently I found this being shared on Facebook. It appeared quickly as an obvious scam but I followed the link to see more evidence of the scam.<br />
<br />
You can see quickly that the coupon was composited in a hurry and without much thought to design. The most important parts to Disney is going to be their logo, which is obviously skewed in this picture. This picture also happens to be click-bait as it does not appear on the landing page.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz02UimmDf2XgGEiC2WphYDpS5P3130rPh7QQD6pxXlCdSqeLpc3Bk5O0QgvkSB3MVHv1WtRf_2PBg26Y3361PHbwcTmT2nK2CRoPnmkai_EJzd3gXN9dKKnSNPmaeMeIPgW55JeeEf6g/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-04-27+at+1.26.33+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="321" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz02UimmDf2XgGEiC2WphYDpS5P3130rPh7QQD6pxXlCdSqeLpc3Bk5O0QgvkSB3MVHv1WtRf_2PBg26Y3361PHbwcTmT2nK2CRoPnmkai_EJzd3gXN9dKKnSNPmaeMeIPgW55JeeEf6g/s400/Screen+Shot+2016-04-27+at+1.26.33+PM.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small; text-align: start;">http://www.disneyland.com-present.com</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
The landing page greeting the clicker displays all the common elements of a scam. A poorly designed web site, which Disney would never put their name on. A tickets remaining countdown (which randomly resets to one of several different numbers on refresh) to encourage quick action by the user, but is nothing more than some JavaScript.<br />
<br />
While the site appears to be on behalf of Disney, there is no listed responsible party of who would handle the prizes.<br />
<br />
The button for redeeming your exclusive gift card is set to alert that you have not completed step 2.<br />
<br />
Looking at the source of the page is appears that the developers were German.<br />
<br />
The URL (http://www.disneyland.com-present.com) is meant to be deceiving as well. The root of the domain is actually <b>com-present.com </b>which is obviously not owned by Disney and has private registration.<br />
<br />
<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-178033814072202999.post-70439728247193222982015-11-03T14:50:00.004-08:002015-11-04T10:05:01.633-08:00Amazon.com Scam: ChiekoLtd@gmail.com<b>Background:</b><br />
As I was looking through various items on Amazon, I came across a very nice and expensive camera that was listed at $3,000 less than all other postings. The description said the camera was new and never used. The grammar and punctuation were terrible. The description concluded with specifying that all buyers should contact ChiekoLtd@gmail.com before ordering.<br />
<br />
Seeing as how this is not normal Amazon behavior and in fact violates their policies, I decided to look up the company online (they appeared reputable and have been around for a while) and contact their support staff directly.<br />
<br />
Their staff later responded saying that the listing was in fact due to their Amazon.com account being hacked. The company regained access to their Amazon account and removed the product.<br />
<br />
<br />
Curiously I used a junk email to contact ChiekoLtd@gmail.com asking about the item and why it was listed with such a large discount. I got the following email in response:<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Hello,<br />
I will explain in this email all terms and condition<br />
The [Item Listed] is BRAND NEW, never used, ( US model, not grey market),<br />
but Amazon does not let us list it as new. The product is Sealed in its original box and comes with full Warranty,<br />
receipt, all manufacturer supplied accessories...<br />
The total price is $1,400.00 including all shipping taxes if you are in US and for international shipping you have to<br />
pay extra 29,99 $ (outside US) .<br />
If you want to buy, send me your phone number, full name, shipping address and I will contact Amazon asap to process<br />
your order. Dispatch is by normal UPS Services, which takes 1-3 days depending on where in the US you are.<br />
My return policy is full money back in 30 days.<br />
For more information don't hesitate to contact me!<br />
Many Thanks</blockquote>
As you may notice, the grammar and punctuation continue to be very unprofessional. The English is broken and they can't make up their minds how to write currency amounts. If this was a legitimate sale, Amazon would provide the information the company needed following the purchase through Amazon.com. They would not need to request it by email.<br />
<br />
Last, the author if the email failed to provide any kind of professional footer. No name, no position, and no website. <b>Make sure you always keep purchase and communication within the sale platform! </b>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-178033814072202999.post-10796377410004398162015-01-08T10:44:00.000-08:002015-01-08T10:44:08.979-08:00Prescription Assistance Services: Is it a scam?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGatQBFZt7APwpB8PMWo9m_lCtS6s5zla2KVUYZbluoOd9WPxv-uDGWxhoB_WosbzkksCEaXgJdT8YRB64B6jEu_qZ_bJwcjzinhQp9Xl_Xts_Wp4AE3gf492jKZDuBzN3gLipNnbwBQ8/s1600/cardCapture.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGatQBFZt7APwpB8PMWo9m_lCtS6s5zla2KVUYZbluoOd9WPxv-uDGWxhoB_WosbzkksCEaXgJdT8YRB64B6jEu_qZ_bJwcjzinhQp9Xl_Xts_Wp4AE3gf492jKZDuBzN3gLipNnbwBQ8/s1600/cardCapture.PNG" height="125" width="200" /></a></div>
<b>Background: </b><br />
In the mail recently, I received a letter and pharmacy discount cards for a company called Prescription Assistance Services. The letter spells out the terms of these cards as pre-activated, and no fee discount cards. We've seen something very similar before with <a href="http://net-scams.blogspot.com/2013/03/rx-relief-pharmacy-discount-card.html">RX Relief Pharmacy Discount Card / Healthcare Alliance</a>.<br />
<br />
My words of caution still hold true as I mentioned in the <a href="http://net-scams.blogspot.com/2013/03/rx-relief-pharmacy-discount-card.html">RX Relief Pharmacy Discount Card / Healthcare Alliance</a> article, be weary of how your information is being used. Companies don't spend a lot of money marketing these for nothing.<br />
<br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-178033814072202999.post-59834601622248055402014-11-24T12:45:00.002-08:002014-11-24T12:47:42.134-08:00Email: Center Security (noreply@facebookalert.com) Scam<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilNecRECy16blkwU6PG-fAvt0O4N2I30Un5zviwxC_VYScP-jmfY2uFeGDVdQCBuoylXNleWoeJzDDHvPvMezTuSkh6RuI5VhRW2ofFv4caK_HSeJzrjnQPBsK2XYdWULDx3X4YdcNc0c/s1600/fb_scam.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilNecRECy16blkwU6PG-fAvt0O4N2I30Un5zviwxC_VYScP-jmfY2uFeGDVdQCBuoylXNleWoeJzDDHvPvMezTuSkh6RuI5VhRW2ofFv4caK_HSeJzrjnQPBsK2XYdWULDx3X4YdcNc0c/s1600/fb_scam.PNG" height="115" width="200" /></a></div>
Scam Score: <b>85 (</b><a href="http://net-scams.blogspot.com/2014/11/net-scams-scam-scores.html" style="font-weight: bold;">Severe Risk</a><b>)</b><br />
<br />
<b>Background: </b>While reviewing emails in my inbox, I came across an email that was intended to look like Facebook warning me that a charge had been made on my account for 22.34 USD.<br />
<br />
The link provided for me to login to "Facebook" actually resolves to http://74.7.88.163/aboutes.php which is obviously not Facebook. This server also appears to be hosting the websites: websiteincomesuccess.com, www.leidschdagblad.nl, and www.tweetprocesor.com which are obviously not owned by Facebook and seem sketchy themselves.<br />
<br />
This email fails our tests by first, not identifying me personally. If anyone knows my name, it is Facebook (or at least the name I provide them). Second, the grammar and punctuation in the email are not professional. Third, the email is supposed to be from Facebook but the message ends with a reference to PayPal Security. PayPal and Facebook are not the same company. Purchases notifications from PayPal will never be from a Facebook email.<br />
<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-178033814072202999.post-86365887582703619302014-11-24T12:09:00.003-08:002014-11-24T12:09:32.427-08:00Net-Scams Scam Scores<h2>
New Scam Scores!</h2>
<h2>
<div style="font-size: medium; font-weight: normal;">
To quickly summarize the legitimacy of scam, we will now be supplying a Net-Scams Scam Score. This score builds on top of the existing rules we previously established and sums a score from those rules.</div>
<div style="font-size: medium; font-weight: normal;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-size: medium; font-weight: normal;">
<b>50 pts ~ Responsible Party</b></div>
<div style="font-size: medium; font-weight: normal;">
In all legit offers and giveaways, there will always a person or company held responsible for fulfillment of the prize. This company may or may not also handle inquires of possible participants. This responsible party must uphold their end of the agreement.</div>
<div style="font-size: medium; font-weight: normal;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-size: medium; font-weight: normal;">
<b>20 pts ~ Regulations and Tax Requirements</b></div>
<div style="font-size: medium; font-weight: normal;">
Do not account for US tax requirements and regulations</div>
<div style="font-size: medium; font-weight: normal;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-size: medium; font-weight: normal;">
<b>10 pts ~ Professional Conduct</b></div>
<div style="font-size: medium; font-weight: normal;">
Poor grammar used through out the site</div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="font-size: medium; font-weight: normal;">
<b>10 pts ~ Server Location</b></div>
<div style="font-size: medium; font-weight: normal;">
Servers located outside the United States are not able to be governed by US law. This applies a sense of distrust.</div>
<div style="font-size: medium; font-weight: normal;">
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<div style="font-size: medium; font-weight: normal;">
<b>10 pts ~ Other</b></div>
<div style="font-size: medium; font-weight: normal;">
This includes usage of Non-English languages in an English</div>
<div style="font-size: medium; font-weight: normal;">
Russian language used on the site</div>
<div style="font-size: medium; font-weight: normal;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-size: medium; font-weight: normal;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-size: medium; font-weight: normal;">
By adding points of each qualifying rule, we can derive a risk score of each potential scam:</div>
<div style="font-size: medium; font-weight: normal;">
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<div style="font-size: medium; font-weight: normal;">
0 - 20 pts - Low risk</div>
<div style="font-size: medium; font-weight: normal;">
20 - 40 pts - Medium risk</div>
<div style="font-size: medium; font-weight: normal;">
40 - 60 pts - High risk</div>
<div style="font-size: medium; font-weight: normal;">
60 - 80 pts - Extreme risk</div>
<div style="font-size: medium; font-weight: normal;">
80 - 100 pts - Severe risk, extreme caution advised!</div>
</h2>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-178033814072202999.post-38808242273181546622014-11-24T12:09:00.000-08:002014-11-24T12:33:11.870-08:00Facebook: 2014 Chevrolet Camaro SS Scam<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0P0q1aDFSNVMz3RgjlRNC8qjqSt8KIqsd6UZJpnh83DHBirXnY754Rh0fDCwPLuVvTQiH_zjANQCLBb0DL6wAqFaGVvHiLxLqknUJfYnn1borqRWO4w98Sk2ur6b4qK2u5wgXMUKy9Kk/s1600/car_fb_scam.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0P0q1aDFSNVMz3RgjlRNC8qjqSt8KIqsd6UZJpnh83DHBirXnY754Rh0fDCwPLuVvTQiH_zjANQCLBb0DL6wAqFaGVvHiLxLqknUJfYnn1borqRWO4w98Sk2ur6b4qK2u5wgXMUKy9Kk/s1600/car_fb_scam.PNG" height="192" width="200" /></a></div>
<b>Scam Score: 80 (<a href="http://net-scams.blogspot.com/2014/11/net-scams-scam-scores.html">High risk</a>)</b><br />
<br />
With the progressing popularity of social website, there has also been an increase in social scams.<br />
<br />
One such scam is this one:<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/2014-Chevrolet-Camaro-SS/633618510021197" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">2014 Chevrolet Camaro SS Facebook</a><br />
<br />
This page fails to provide a responsible party who will be fulfilling the offer. In addition, they make no reference to regulations (i.e. excluded regions, etc.) or tax requirements. Prizes over $600 in value must be reported to the IRS for tax purposes (the winner will be required to pay taxes on the value car).<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-178033814072202999.post-37723295120509660282013-12-27T12:05:00.002-08:002013-12-27T12:05:46.472-08:00Check.me Website ReviewRecently, my dear mother went to pay a bill online to pay her internet bill and ended up on Check.me, a website that appears to pay your bills for you. Knowing that sometimes companies will intentionally redirect their eCommerce transactions to be handled by a third-party site, my mom completed their forms and supplied her credit card number. Afterward she realized that she may have made a mistake and asked me to find out more. With a little research in her browser history, I realized that she had clicked a link from a Google search page.<br />
<br />
Looking at their cancellation policy and their BBB rating with 52 complaints in the last 12 months. I realized what this company was actually doing.<br />
<br />
<b>Their Game: </b><br />
This company makes their money on convenience fees and short cancellation windows. Their website is set up wizard style, where they guide you through the process one question as a time with each question asking for more and more sensitive information by asking you the billing number and then credit card information. Up until now, you don't know that they are going to want to charge you a convenience fee until the next screen which shows you the totals and payment methods. They will default select the "fastest" payment speed which costs a little more and then bill your card once you click to submit the order.<br />
<br />
<b>The Fine Print:</b><br />
This company does not make it obvious that it is an independent third-party service not directly tied to the payee. In fact, you will only notice this if you read the fine print at the bottom of the web page or dig through pages on their website.<br />
<br />
<b>Cancellation Nightmare:</b><br />
They don't want to refund your money so they make cancellation next-to-impossible. In fact if you don't cancel before 10:00 AM or 4:30 PM the same day (depending on the next time after completing the order), you can't cancel at all. They might say this is because your bill payment is being transacted and can't be halted, but I doubt the company has that quick of a turn-around time (hence why they have to payment speeds; neither one being same-day or next-day). With the situation with my mother, she tried to contact someone to cancel within that window and wasn't able to get a hold of anyone. I've encouraged her to talk with the credit card issuer about a reversal as they did not uphold their cancellation policy.<br />
<br />
<b>Honest Business? Sure, by somebody's standards...:</b><br />
This site does not appear to be a scam or illegal, but I wouldn't call their practices ethical either. Just like with your bank or credit-union, it is a bill-pay service. They cut and mail the checks on your behalf and you pay a little more for it. And regardless of tactics, it is the user's responsibility to do their research when using any website including understanding their terms and conditions.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-178033814072202999.post-31267743362611570332013-11-07T20:29:00.001-08:002013-11-09T11:34:57.546-08:00Circumnews.com Scam (sontores.com or inqueritopro.com)<b>Overview</b><br />
Today I learned of a web site called circumnews.com (server [46.28.65.179] also hosts sontores.com or inqueritopro.com which appear to be Russian and Portuguese versions of the same kind of thing). This site claims to pay you between $2 - $5 USD per article you read. There is no verification system to ensure users read the articles other than a (weak) bot protection system. They say that you must reach a minimum of $100 in order to get paid out and they will pay to a PayPal or Payza account. They claim that the site owners pay them and then they pay you 70% of what they make. Once you request your money, payments are supposed to be paid within 14 days. This has not been verified to actually happen.<br />
<br />
<b>A Potential Threat!</b><br />
Personally, I have serious doubts about this kind of web site. Well it does not appear to be asking for more than your name (first and last), email, and your PayPal account, I speculate this is a system that provides them with a list of real PayPal (ecommerce) accounts, emails, and possible passwords for those accounts if you use the same password for those accounts as you signed up with. In addition, providing your PayPal or Payza account information could put you at risk.<br />
<br />
In addition, they also track referrals. This could provide them with a way to spam your email account as pretending to be someone you know since they know names and who referred who. They can also send you phishing emails pretending to be PayPal or Payza trying to get you to reveal additional important account information.<br />
<br />
They also track <a href="https://www.maxmind.com/en/locate_my_ip" target="_blank">IP addresses which can reveal</a> <span id="goog_925740808"></span><span id="goog_925740809"></span><a href="https://www.blogger.com/"></a>more about you and the services you use (your general location, your Internet Service Provider).<br />
<br />
<b>Reasons for my distrust:</b><br />
Don't provide company contact information<br />
Servers hosted in Germany (or Ukraine)<br />
Do not account for US tax requirements and regulations<br />
Poor grammar used through out the site<br />
Russian language used on the site<br />
Fishy revenue model<br />
The thought that Russians are going to pay you money to read English articlesUnknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-178033814072202999.post-5828079452602872002013-09-14T15:48:00.002-07:002013-09-14T15:48:31.533-07:00International Christian Followers Crusade ScamHere is another old, but good example of a Craigslist rental scam. This one is from the dear Nicholas Bailey at <a href="mailto:phunkyhome111@hotmail.com" target="_blank">phunkyhome111@hotmail.com</a>.<br />
<br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">Thanks
for your email and interest in renting my house..I am Nicholas Bailey,
the owner of the house you are making inquiry of…Actually I resided in
the house with my family, my wife and my only daughter before and
presently we have moved out due to my transfer from my work now in
Warsaw,Poland. Presently my house is still available for rent for $1000
(rent already includes utilities).More so Now, i am currently in the
(West Africa)for an international Christian follower’s crusade..Pls i
want you to note that i spent a lot on my property that i want to give
to you for rent,so i will solicit for your absolute maintenance of this
house and want you to treat it as your own, It is not the money that is
the main problem but i want you to keep it tidy all the time so that i
will be glad to see it neat when i come for a check up.I also want you
to let me have trust in you as i always stand on my word.</span><br style="color: #444444; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;" /><span style="color: #444444; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"> </span><br style="color: #444444; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;" />
<span style="color: #444444; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">Address of the house.. (2--- W 6-- N, Layton, UT 84041)</span><br style="color: #444444; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;" /><br style="color: #444444; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;" />
<span style="color: #444444; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">It
has a dramatic entry foyer with ceramic floor. Extremely spacious 3
bedrooms and 2 bathroom throughout with lots of big windows…nice and
light! New neutral paint and some newer carpet..Very quiet, low traffic
area. New fridge I believe its absolutely a perfect home for you and
your family.Utilities include Water,Trash,Sewer,Gas Etc...</span><br style="color: #444444; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;" /><br style="color: #444444; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;" /><span style="color: #444444; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">SO IF YOU ARE REALLY INTERESTED I WILL WANT YOU TO FILL THE RENT APPLICATION FORM BELOW.</span><br style="color: #444444; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;" />
<br style="color: #444444; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;" /><span style="color: #444444; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">RENT APPLICATION FORM.</span><br style="color: #444444; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;" />
<span style="color: #444444; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">FIRST NAME:__________?</span><br style="color: #444444; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;" /><span style="color: #444444; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">MIDDLE NAME:__________?</span><br style="color: #444444; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;" />
<span style="color: #444444; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">LAST NAME:__________?</span><br style="color: #444444; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;" /><span style="color: #444444; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">PROFESSION:__________?</span><br style="color: #444444; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;" />
<span style="color: #444444; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">PHONE:</span><br style="color: #444444; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;" /><span style="color: #444444; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">(CELL)PHONE__________?</span><br style="color: #444444; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;" />
<span style="color: #444444; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">(WORK)PHONE__________?</span><br style="color: #444444; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;" /><span style="color: #444444; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">(HOME)PHONE__________?</span><br style="color: #444444; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;" />
<span style="color: #444444; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">KIDS_____ (YES/NO), HOW MANY________</span><br style="color: #444444; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;" /><span style="color: #444444; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">PRESENT ADDRESS: _____________________</span><br style="color: #444444; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;" />
<span style="color: #444444; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">CITY: _______________</span><br style="color: #444444; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;" /><span style="color: #444444; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">STATE:______________</span><br style="color: #444444; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;" />
<span style="color: #444444; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">ZIP CODE: ____________</span><br style="color: #444444; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;" /><span style="color: #444444; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">HOW LONG? ___________IF RENTING</span><br style="color: #444444; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;" />
<span style="color: #444444; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">WHY ARE YOU LEAVING__________?</span><br style="color: #444444; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;" /><span style="color: #444444; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">IF THIS HOUSE IS BEING GIVEN TO YOU,</span><br style="color: #444444; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;" />
<span style="color: #444444; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">HOW LONG DO YOU INTEND STAYING? ____________?</span><br style="color: #444444; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;" /><span style="color: #444444; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">WHEN DO YOU INTEND MOVING IN?______________?</span><br style="color: #444444; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;" />
<span style="color: #444444; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">IF YOU HAVE A PET,</span><br style="color: #444444; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;" /><span style="color: #444444; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">NAME OF PET: _____________?</span><br style="color: #444444; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;" />
<span style="color: #444444; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">KIND OF PETS: _____________?</span><br style="color: #444444; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;" /><span style="color: #444444; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">HABITS</span><br style="color: #444444; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;" />
<span style="color: #444444; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">DO YOU SMOKE ______________ ?</span><br style="color: #444444; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;" /><span style="color: #444444; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">DO YOU DRINK ______________?</span><br style="color: #444444; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;" />
<span style="color: #444444; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">DO YOU WORK LATE NIGHT?____?</span><br style="color: #444444; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;" /><br style="color: #444444; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;" />
<span style="color: #444444; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">Looking
forward to hearing from you with all this details so that i can have it
in my file in case of issuing the receipt for you and contacting
you…Await your urgent reply so that we can discuss on how to get the
document and the keys to you,please we are giving you all this based on
trust and again i will want you to stick to your words,you know that we
have not seen yet and only putting everything into Gods hands,so please
do not let us down in this our property and God bless you more as you do
this…The house is available for rent at the moment so you are free to
move in as soon as you wish to my number..<a href="tel:%28%2B23480-2971-7275" target="_blank" value="+2348029717275">(+23480-2971-7275</a>).…A Deposit
of $700 (which happens to be the security deposit) is required before
moving in…Feel free to call me for more information and arrangements on
how to get the keys and other necessary documents delivered to you...The
house will be available for rent for a period of 4 years so you have a
choice of deciding how long you intend staying there…</span><br style="color: #444444; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;" /><br style="color: #444444; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;" /><span style="color: #444444; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">Rent: $1000 Deposit: $700</span><br style="color: #444444; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;" />
<span style="color: #444444; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">3 Bedroom 2 Bathroom</span><br style="color: #444444; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;" /><span style="color: #444444; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">Pet Allowed.</span><br style="color: #444444; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;" />
<br style="color: #444444; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;" /><span style="color: #444444; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">God Bless,</span><br style="color: #444444; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;" /><br style="color: #444444; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;" />
<span style="color: #444444; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;">Nicholas Bailey</span><span style="color: #444444; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"> </span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #444444; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"><span style="color: black;">Remember to look for a key few points in determining a rental scam: </span></span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="color: #444444; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"><span style="color: black;">Are they answering your questions that you've asked in a previous email?</span></span></li>
<li><span style="color: #444444; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"><span style="color: black;">Do they only leave an email address (usually Hotmail or Yahoo) to contact them about the rental in the original ad?</span></span></li>
<li><span style="color: #444444; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"><span style="color: black;">Do they give you an out-of-the-United-States phone number to contact them at?</span></span></li>
<li><span style="color: #444444; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"><span style="color: black;">Do they clearly state that they are not even in the United States right now?</span></span></li>
</ul>
<span style="color: #444444; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"><span style="color: black;">Usually one yes to any of these questions can guarantee that you are dealing with someone who is working on a scam.</span></span> Unknownnoreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-178033814072202999.post-13438421096139999382013-09-14T15:22:00.000-07:002013-09-14T15:22:54.154-07:00Dove Christian Fellowship International ScamAs I have been looking for a new place to rent, I have come across an interesting group that people are referring to as "Dove International" or "Dove Christian Fellowship."<br />
<br />
Originally I had found this cute little home and the price seemed about right for the area so I emailed right away as they had <b>only left an email address </b>for contacting about renting. That should have been my first hint that it was a scam.<br />
<br />
This is a little odd, but I have noticed that a lot of <b>scammers have email addresses that end in hotmail.com or yahoo.com</b>. Yahoo seems to be more popular for scams so if yous see only an email address for contact and a Yahoo email address, be weary. This email address was annenc@yahoo.com.<br />
<br />
As I have come across various scams through renting before, I am always cautious when writing my emails. I keep them short and sweet and ask very specific questions:<br />
<br />
<div>
<span style="color: purple;"><i>Anne,</i></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: purple;"><i> </i></span></div>
<span style="color: purple;"><i>
</i></span><div>
<span style="color: purple;"><i>I am very interested in this home. How much are utilities each month and would it be possible to see this home in person? I know this area well and love that cute little house.</i></span></div>
<br />
<br />
The lady named "Anne" wrote back:<br />
<br />
<i><span style="color: blue;">Thanks for your interest and inquiries about our home. The house is still<br />
available for rent and we are looking for a responsible person/family<br />to occupy and maintain the house. The house is available for short<br />and long term lease. My husband and I travelled down to Arizona, for a<br />program Empowering Youth to Fight Racism, HIV/AIDS, Poverty<br />
and Lack of Education with Dove Christian Fellowship International.<br />The program is taking place in Many Countries. Later my husband was<br />transferred to West Africa for the same program. you can email my husband<br />for more information about our home, email my husband on <span style="outline: 0px none;"><a href="mailto:dcfintl@yahoo.com" rel="nofollow" style="outline: 0px none;" target="_blank"><span>dcfintl@yahoo.com</span></a> or</span></span></i>
<br />
<div>
<i><span style="color: blue;"></span></i></div>
<div style="font-size: 16px;">
<i><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-size: 19px;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/null" rel="nofollow">(480) 409-8188</a></span><br /><br />
<span style="font-size: medium;">Thanks</span></span></i></div>
<div>
<span></span></div>
<br />
<br />
At first I was confused because the first part of the email seemed legitimate. They had also left a phone number which made it seem real. However, upon further thinking about it, the email just sounded strange and unnatural for an owner who is renting their place to say so I marked it as spam. Curious as to what would happen next, I decided to email her "husband" just to see what would happen. I assumed that they would want my information and wired money so I made sure to keep my email short and sweet again:<br />
<span style="color: purple;"><i><br /></i></span>
<span style="color: purple;"><i>Hi,<br /><br />Anne said I could email you about your Orem home rental.<br /><br />Is
the home internet ready? Do the renters pay all utilities? Also, I am
interested in walking through the house with my family, so I'd like to
be able to set up a time with you to do that.</i></span><br />
<br />
The husband's email was exactly as I expected<i>:</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<br /><span style="color: blue;"><span style="border-collapse: separate; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-align: auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 18px;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Hello Kim,<br />
<br />It great to hear from you, i got your email earlier from my wife about</span><br style="font-style: italic;" /><span style="font-style: italic;">you making inquiry of our home, </span><br style="font-style: italic;" />
<br style="font-style: italic;" /><span style="font-style: italic;">Due to these program, we are unavailable to take care of our home</span><br style="font-style: italic;" />
<span style="font-style: italic;">for now, We will be away for a while that is the reason why we made up</span><br style="font-style: italic;" /><span style="font-style: italic;">our mind to put up our home for lease to whom ever that will take good</span><br style="font-style: italic;" />
<span style="font-style: italic;">care of it. Please i want you to note that we really spent a lot on</span><br style="font-style: italic;" /><span style="font-style: italic;">our property, so i will solicit for you absolute maintenance of this house</span><br style="font-style: italic;" />
<span style="font-style: italic;">and want you to treat it as your own. , Deposit fee is $500.</span><br style="font-style: italic;" /><span style="font-style: italic;">you can call me on (+234)
<a href="tel:809-755-0043" target="_blank" value="+18097550043">809-755-0043</a>.</span><br style="font-style: italic;" /><br style="font-style: italic;" />
<span style="font-style: italic;">The Utilities include Water, Trash, Sewer, Gas and Electricity, and it has been</span><br style="font-style: italic;" />
<span style="font-style: italic;">included with the month rent.</span><br style="font-style: italic;" /><br style="font-style: italic;" />
<span style="font-style: italic;">Below is the house description:</span><br style="font-style: italic;" /><br style="font-style: italic;" />
<span style="font-style: italic;">Accommodation
Features</span><br style="font-style: italic;" /><span style="font-style: italic;">..............................<wbr></wbr>.................... .</span><br style="font-style: italic;" />
<span style="font-style: italic;">Wood Floor :</span><br style="font-style: italic;" /><span style="font-style: italic;">Heater :</span><br style="font-style: italic;" />
<span style="font-style: italic;">Central Heating :</span><br style="font-style: italic;" /><span style="font-style: italic;">Equipped Kitchen
:</span><br style="font-style: italic;" /><span style="font-style: italic;">Tv: Cable/Satellite TV:</span><br style="font-style: italic;" />
<span style="font-style: italic;">Video/Stereo:</span><br style="font-style: italic;" /><span style="font-style: italic;">Internet :</span><br style="font-style: italic;" />
<span style="font-style: italic;">Air Conditioning:</span><br style="font-style: italic;" /><span style="font-style: italic;">• Full Kitchen</span><br style="font-style: italic;" />
<span style="font-style: italic;">•
Refrigerator:</span><br style="font-style: italic;" /><span style="font-style: italic;">• Garage/Car park</span><br style="font-style: italic;" />
<span style="font-style: italic;">• pets allowed.</span><br style="font-style: italic;" /><br style="font-style: italic;" />
<span style="font-style: italic;">Application form has been attached with Agreement form, You can</span></span></span></span><br />
<div style="background-color: transparent; font-family: verdana; font-size: 18px; font-style: italic;">
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="border-collapse: separate; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-align: auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 18px;"><span style="font-style: italic;">download and fill it out, and email it back to me for Approval.</span><br style="font-style: italic;" />
<br style="font-style: italic;" /><span style="font-style: italic;">So get back to me when you get the done okay</span><br style="font-style: italic;" />
<br style="font-style: italic;" /><span style="font-style: italic;">Thanks</span></span></span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: transparent; font-family: verdana; font-size: 18px; font-style: italic;">
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="border-collapse: separate; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-align: auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 18px;"><span style="font-style: italic;"> </span></span></span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: transparent; font-family: verdana; font-size: 18px; font-style: italic;">
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="border-collapse: separate; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-align: auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 18px;"><span style="color: black;">I did not write back after that because they were <b>not answering my questions</b> and because I now had two telephone numbers for him and neither were the same - in fact, one was not even in the United States. It also seemed to not be real because the last email I received was written in very poor English with odd wording.</span></span></span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: transparent; font-family: verdana; font-size: 18px; font-style: italic;">
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="border-collapse: separate; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-align: auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 18px;"><span style="color: black;"> </span></span></span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: transparent; font-family: verdana; font-size: 18px; font-style: italic;">
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="border-collapse: separate; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-align: auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 18px;"><span style="color: black;">Not all of these reasons as to why this Dove Christian Fellowship International is a scam will fit all emails - some may actually be legit. Unfortunately, however, this one is a scam. </span><span style="font-style: italic;"> </span></span></span></span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-178033814072202999.post-50216226592939218812013-07-27T10:07:00.002-07:002013-07-27T18:49:32.288-07:00gldd.me - Text Message ScamRecently I received a text message from an unknown number (18324646571), saying it was from a friend of mine and that I should click a link. The link alone is a dead giveaway that I should be concerned. I decided to trace the request path to see how the link resolved and what would be waiting on the other end. This meant I would have to see where the link took me (this was done in a controlled environment to prevent against possible viruses and trojans). I watched as the domain resolve against several other servers and eventually ended up at the glide.me homepage.<br />
<br />
Some people online have said this is a virus, but the truth is, that's wrong. This is a simple (and exploited) marketing tactic someone is trying to use to make some money. Basically here is what is happening.<br />
<br />
A company obtained names and numbers with the knowledge of who has who as contacts. This could be obtained using a virus or trojan but some people have stated that it was stolen from mobile carriers (which I think is more likely). The company connects to a advertising network as a publisher (someone who sends out spam, advertisements, or displays advertisements on their website). They assigned each person a unique code to track which users click and to control the tracking data associated with the click.<br />
<br />
If you click your link it resolves against a page that converts this code into tracking data, like this.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">http://launch1.co/serve?action=click&publisher_id=20320&site_id=20708&offer_id=251638&site_id_ios=16660&site_id_android=20712&sub_campaign=sms_invite</span><br />
<br />
The people publishing this link are going to get a kick back from glide.me for all traffic that is referred there. And probably even more if the person downloads their software. Looking at the link, you can see that they track the site that sent it out, the offer/advertisement (i.e. "Hey buddy, check out this link! - Your friend"), the mobile sites connected, and how the user interacted with the offer (SMS).<br />
<br />
Well this isn't a virus or a scam necessarily, it is spam and an exploitation of user data. Basically this is the text message version of junk mail.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-178033814072202999.post-78670666585794423552013-07-27T09:40:00.002-07:002013-07-27T09:40:37.343-07:00Tariff DNS Scam Email - DreamHost Phishing ScamRecently, I received an email that was supposed to have come from my hosting company. It said I needed to confirm a request for changing of a tariff plan. Although, the wording was awful and it was very non-specific as to the recipient. The email I got was as follows:<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 13px;">Dear DreamHost client,</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 13px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 13px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 13px;">In your account has been created request for changing of a tariff plan. </span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 13px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 13px;">It is necessary confirmation of this request. </span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 13px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 13px;">You can do it in the section (Change tariff) Virtual Offices :</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 13px;" /><br />https://dreamhost.com/login.<wbr></wbr>aspx?ts=domain.org?</span><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">19abc7f04ff-c0ac4315-99bf3-55dcbd7ec5c44AECA3E759B1992CFA6Ad4</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 13px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 13px;">Sincerely,</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 13px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 13px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 13px;">DreamHost hosting Team.</span></span><br /><br />
Someone who is rushing may not read the contents of this email and just click link. This clever scammer set up a catch-all subdomain so that the link would even appear to be directing to dreamhost. The link would take you here:<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">http://panel.dreamhost.com.login.2qjesez0l6dlilz4tuz67gzzz1bkwp4lyg3apxo1jrzimfx27l9wbbgbuaf72m.vqp9gqp87c8za6gayfc0fvryrbzkczg4r4u5f95me64v9q1ddk99x4qcoo85e.eyt0b3of65cvtd5c6shn2baq8xslyuj4yckz72tgwok4n5npixapz02xr3viztc.kidea.com/login.php?domain=domain.org</span><br />
<br />
At first glance, this appears to go to http://panel.dreamhost.com, but notice that it is really all part of a complex sub-domain meant to confuse the recipient. The root domain is actually: <b>kidea.com</b><br />
<br />
Looking at the <a href="http://whois.net/whois/kidea.com" target="_blank">whois record for this domain</a> we can find out the following information.<br />
<br />
This domain is hosted by tucows.com and resolves with domain servers to bluehost.com by a company with the following registration record:<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">XOL Holding</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Beirut</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Beirut, Beirut xxxxx</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">LB</span><br />
<br />
The technical contact information for this domain is:<br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Nassar Center</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">5th Floor</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Charles El-Helou Avenue, Rmeil</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Beirut, 20727508</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">LB</span><br />
<br />
This happens to be the ISP end point, a company in Lebanon called Terra Net. This company has chosen to not disclose more information about the scammers.<br />
<br />
So looking at the main website for kidea.com, we find out some interesting information. One, that they used a company called art-promotion to build and design their site. This company happens to also be in Lebanon, so I looked up their whois and found that they were also hosted on bluehost.com and contact information.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Saab, Jean web@artpromotion-lb.com</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Art Promotion</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Nahr el Mot</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Beirut, -</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Lebanon</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">+961.3737247</span><br />
<br />
So I went to look closer at kidea.com and found that this might be a cover site (or some poor site that got hacked). The poor design and lack of ecommerce functionality is what seem to indicate that there was more than what meets the eye.You can't checkout with any of the items they sell. It's difficult to think that isn't part of the scam.<br />
<br />
Regardless of who this phishing scam came from, be sure to take the time to read your emails before you go clicking links and signing in.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-178033814072202999.post-26006739853351892732013-03-20T20:34:00.003-07:002013-05-17T14:33:26.979-07:00RX Relief Pharmacy Discount Card - Healthcare Alliance (Script Relief, LLC) Scam?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJJWfit-Fk7e15MwjUAYT6uNp3tuW9tQg1gKY70LRlRZh_D6ThcI_7_2SRN_3U3emOMxwfSxS6-MWQd8BvvcSxsMA_DfnXYAW0Z_DZ1ygbGrKomXPRl68YWmGckNNy745dKwlHip4Q_XY/s1600/discount_card.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="116" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJJWfit-Fk7e15MwjUAYT6uNp3tuW9tQg1gKY70LRlRZh_D6ThcI_7_2SRN_3U3emOMxwfSxS6-MWQd8BvvcSxsMA_DfnXYAW0Z_DZ1ygbGrKomXPRl68YWmGckNNy745dKwlHip4Q_XY/s200/discount_card.PNG" width="200" /></a></div>
<b>Background: </b><br />
Recently we received the RXrelief Pharmacy Discount Cards from a company called Healthcare Alliance (or Script Relief, LLC) in the mail. We we're going to toss it in the trash and then I noticed the simple letter that accompanied them and what it said. Was it true? Could I really save money on prescription drugs for nothing? I decided I needed to figure out if this was a scam.<br />
<br />
<b>Who is Healthcare Alliance?</b> I've never heard of Healthcare Alliance before. They're name and logo look pretty generic, too. Who are these guys? Where did they get my information? What is their angle? Like every business they have to make money to stay in business. In the letter they talk about providing discounts for over 50,000 medicines.<br />
<br />
<b>Other Speculations</b><br />
Other users online have worried that using these cards will provide the company with your personal information. If you got the cards in the mail with your name on the envelope, then they already have all that information and it seems like it would be in dangerous territory to violate HIPAA laws which protects confidential medical information. One user said they make their profit from networking with drug manufacturers.<br />
<br />
<b>My Theory: Not a Scam</b><br />
In order to give you a discount on your medicine, the company providing the discount has to know what "member" used the card and for what. This means that they can track you (the information they already have on your or the information from the pharmacist) and what you buy (birth control, antibiotics, etc.). Then they go to companies that manufacture drugs for those kinds of symptoms. This information could be sold to all those groups or just to the highest bidder. By using the card, you agree to be a member of their network meaning they aren't violating any HIPAA laws by getting your information.<br />
<br />
You can get a card <a href="http://rxreliefcard.com/card_print">right now</a> without providing any of your personal information immediately.<br />
<br />
If a company can already provide proof that a person has some association with an illness or disease or that they repeatedly buy a specific medicine, then they have reduced the amount of work the pharmaceutical sales reps would have to do just to find qualified/interested individuals. This means they could turn around and sell a lead for what could be a lot of money.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>UPDATE:</b><br />
I spoke with a Hospital Pharmacist who confirmed my theory that information is shared with the discount provider when you use the card.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-178033814072202999.post-80950744312026882792013-01-15T10:14:00.001-08:002013-05-17T14:32:14.434-07:002 Free Southwest Tickets: Scam?<h4>
The Gig</h4>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU_BIfkJE9VdjfCigx1QrgctUCCYB8oaCGDpsDFm68VKondL4JHdDc8heVY9ek6j-xkWrW9c0Cy3sUVQKvXndatq8wfmvH0_q28ZgRad-VKP3IqaM6LvI8jVS5Yeu1Rll606Y6i8zdxRE/s1600/2+Southwest+Tickets.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="289" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU_BIfkJE9VdjfCigx1QrgctUCCYB8oaCGDpsDFm68VKondL4JHdDc8heVY9ek6j-xkWrW9c0Cy3sUVQKvXndatq8wfmvH0_q28ZgRad-VKP3IqaM6LvI8jVS5Yeu1Rll606Y6i8zdxRE/s320/2+Southwest+Tickets.png" width="320" /></a></div>
On Facebook (and other websites) there have been links flying around that tell people you can get 2 Free Southwest Tickets.<br />
<h4>
The Truth</h4>
This isn't a scam but an incentivized offer. There are many rewards companies that do similar things to this, offering "free" things for only a little information and "participation".<br />
<h4>
Why Information?</h4>
These companies do several things to try and make money. First, they want to acquire as much information as they can about you (for this offer, they have you give up your Facebook info and then ask you for more). They do this so they can turn around and sell that information. Your information is referred to as a lead and will generally sell anywhere from $0.10 to several dollars. The buyers of this information are generally salespeople who want to sell you something.<br />
<h4>
What is "Participation"?</h4>
Generally in these cases, "participation" means that you have to be a part of one or more offers. These offers are products or services that you buy and by purchasing/subscribing to these (and keeping them for at least a specified amount of time) you are then qualified for 2 free Southwest Tickets.<br />
<br />
In the case of 2 Free Southwest Tickets, you are required to:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-align: -webkit-auto;">18 years old</span>
</li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-align: -webkit-auto;">Legal US resident</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12px;">Provide Valid email</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12px;">Provide Valid Mailing Address</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12px;">Cannot live in Washington State, Puerto Rico, US Virgin Islands or </span></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-align: -webkit-auto;">non-contiguous boundaries of the US</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-align: -webkit-auto;">Provide Zip Code</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-align: -webkit-auto;">More contact information</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-align: -webkit-auto;">Demographic information</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-align: -webkit-auto;"><span style="text-align: -webkit-auto;">Acquire two sponsor action points from the Top Offers Group (buy 2 things from this product list)</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-align: -webkit-auto;"><span style="text-align: -webkit-auto;"><span style="text-align: -webkit-auto;">Acquire two offers from the Prime Offers Group </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">(buy 2 more things from this product list)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;"><span style="text-align: -webkit-auto;">Acquire 9 offers from the Premium Offers Group (buy 9 things from this product list)</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;"><span style="text-align: -webkit-auto;"><span style="text-align: -webkit-auto;">Refer three friends to </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-align: -webkit-auto;">register and complete the required number of sponsor offers</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-align: -webkit-auto;">If there is a credit card offer, you must use the card, </span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-align: -webkit-auto;">balance transfer or cash advance, AND keep it for 60 days</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-align: -webkit-auto;">Retails offers must not be returned or canceled</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-align: -webkit-auto;">Billing information on all purchases must be exactly the same</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-align: -webkit-auto;">All this must be completed in 90 days</span></li>
<li><span style="text-align: -webkit-auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12px;">After everything above is done, you have to log in and print a certificate which is mailed in</span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-align: -webkit-auto;">Your 2 "Free" Southwest Tickets will be sent in 30 days</span></li>
</ul>
<div>
After you meet eligibility, have given all your information, purchased 13 different products/services, and spammed your friends to do the same and they complete it, then you have to jump through half a dozen more hoops and you will get 2 Southwest Airline Tickets 30 days later.</div>
<h4>
Conclusion</h4>
<div>
You don't get something for nothing.</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-178033814072202999.post-14482435977892289602013-01-15T09:27:00.000-08:002015-09-30T22:00:59.120-07:00Gephardt Approved Scam?<h4>
The Skinny</h4>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB5MEp9q6uof-f43DfgueiSy3XZKR2sctOMo41DlaSLj7pMv8LD4y23b5RQAYrAd-l_M85Jj8pWWdRumS5YLBCNtaAjCLm6wxHpS32z7ygq4vN5NkaOGOOITGsCyG7uGvPL3qsXrl52GA/s1600/ga_header.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="97" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB5MEp9q6uof-f43DfgueiSy3XZKR2sctOMo41DlaSLj7pMv8LD4y23b5RQAYrAd-l_M85Jj8pWWdRumS5YLBCNtaAjCLm6wxHpS32z7ygq4vN5NkaOGOOITGsCyG7uGvPL3qsXrl52GA/s320/ga_header.PNG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
In Utah, there is a company called Gephardt Approved. As I understand, other companies pay them to get reviewed and "approved" all based on the name of Bill Gephardt, a man who claims to be honest and respectable. When someone I know had a bad experience with one of their "approved" companies and emailed Gephardt about it, the Gephardt Approved team emailed his complaint on to the "approved" company with an added message to something to the effect of: "here, you deal with this".<br />
<br />
<h4>
The Problem</h4>
The "approved" company my friend had been dealing with was small and his complaints were first given to the head of the "approved" company, but when they rudely argued that they had done nothing wrong, he reached out to the Gephardt team to do what they promise on their website:<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh062qwuyKIGffKKdQyRRQLuT0M9PS3fuOiczdEubnepK1ZrXD6gXcrPOUw9_Hj3VVDZLAJoDeWRBQ9jEgI6dBJV_uKC-IUr_eMiXpuo8kbh7Uo3jYTf-IZYaiKDVQrFmPDafx4XNAUXF8/s1600/gephardt.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="203" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh062qwuyKIGffKKdQyRRQLuT0M9PS3fuOiczdEubnepK1ZrXD6gXcrPOUw9_Hj3VVDZLAJoDeWRBQ9jEgI6dBJV_uKC-IUr_eMiXpuo8kbh7Uo3jYTf-IZYaiKDVQrFmPDafx4XNAUXF8/s640/gephardt.PNG" width="640" /></a></div>
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Seeing as to how Gephardt handled this complaint and my friend hoping they would be his advocate, I began to wonder why they did absolutely nothing about his issue. I couldn't help but feel that they are a company that is <a href="https://www.bbb.org/utah/business-reviews/business-services-general/gephardt-approved-inc-in-south-jordan-ut-22358496/Complaints#breakdown" target="_blank">just worried about getting paid by businesses</a> regardless of customer complaints. It doesn't help their case when this isn't the first time a company has continued to be Gephardt Approved despite <a href="http://www.beenjerkedaroundbywestvalleyautoplaza.com/2012/09/it-sounds-like-we-need-get-gephardt-to.html" target="_blank">other customer complaints</a>. The question to ask is: Why would a company that gets paid by businesses, fire his own customers? That is bad business and doesn't make sense. Gephardt Approved is <a href="https://www.bbb.org/utah/business-reviews/business-services-general/gephardt-approved-inc-in-south-jordan-ut-22358496" target="_blank">not even approved by the Better Business Bureau</a>.<br />
<br />
<h4>
To be Fair</h4>
OK, so maybe it was an uneducated employee who handled my friend's request and maybe Bill Gephardt himself would have handled it differently, but in the end my friend was rudely treated by both the "approved" company and Gephardt Approved.<br />
<br />
<h4>
Conclusion</h4>
I now avoid businesses that say "Gephardt Approved" because to me, that leaves a bad taste in my mouth. As we all get to do, you get to decide what this means to you.<br />
<br />
<br />
Thankfully, this blog is NOT Gephardt Approved and never will be.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-178033814072202999.post-13184848070467713102012-12-13T09:26:00.000-08:002013-05-17T14:32:28.878-07:00DNS Services DNSsvc.com Invoice Scam - Is this an invoice?<b>The Background</b><br />
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Recently, a company asked me to review an invoice they received from what appeared to be a reputable and large company, DNS Services (DNSsvc.com). They had never heard of this company and had not contracted with the for any services. </div>
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<b>The Invoice Scam</b></div>
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Some companies scam people into becoming customers and paying for a service they don't need or want. Especially with large companies where the person paying the bills is not always aware of the actions of people who spend the money. These fake invoices will generally be low amounts and appear very professional, since the bill payer will most likely write it off as a one time cost and asking around about it could cause headaches. This particular company has gone to great lengths to appear professional including a website (probably from a cheap template).</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmCdxEkP5yBxCgv6C_SjluIHITs-gOCkk__2HDcYFk-ONpwySuimIPhgSwt4DvFUu5ijQq0WRXYGH2ZYyktcr8uz_4GJcPX7ClPO_v1Nnhze93F1cvvpUZErcIA5oWY3uw5uR914V4rWk/s1600/dns-services.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="174" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmCdxEkP5yBxCgv6C_SjluIHITs-gOCkk__2HDcYFk-ONpwySuimIPhgSwt4DvFUu5ijQq0WRXYGH2ZYyktcr8uz_4GJcPX7ClPO_v1Nnhze93F1cvvpUZErcIA5oWY3uw5uR914V4rWk/s200/dns-services.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">DNS Services Website</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<b>Pocketbook Protection: Detecting An Invoice</b></div>
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These documents are generally void of specific details and are required by law to include a clause explaining the purpose of the document (which happens to appear like an invoice). Looking at the document below, notice there is no Due Date for payment listed. Also, note the text I highlighted text on the page:</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
THIS IS A SOLICITATION FOR THE ORDER OF GOODS OR SERVICES, OR BOTH, AND NOT A BILL, INVOICE, OR STATEMENT OF ACCOUNT DUE. YOU ARE UNDER NO OBLIGATION TO MAKE ANY PAYMENTS ON ACCOUNT OF THIS OFFER UNLESS YOU ACCEPT THIS OFFER.</div>
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<b>Summary</b></div>
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As you can tell, this is not an invoice, but if you submit $65 and return it, you are contracted to have this service. The clause listed above also legally protects this company from anyone filing a law suit against them for fraud. If you're not sure if it is a true invoice, always look for clues that it is not a real invoice.</div>
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<b>Original Document (minus company specifics)</b></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRka-RFWLRO5TzrlP-2KqgrJMPNX32Z6k4_JCk5_JWF5VbCZpLZ67VCalKh-29_elhdFY9JTAcf8XjnM9VLvrb_KoBEyZWERYbPEl1M33i-NtT5xPbSfV9stkZf27_7mZ9xBFGoi0zDdc/s1600/fake-finvoice.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRka-RFWLRO5TzrlP-2KqgrJMPNX32Z6k4_JCk5_JWF5VbCZpLZ67VCalKh-29_elhdFY9JTAcf8XjnM9VLvrb_KoBEyZWERYbPEl1M33i-NtT5xPbSfV9stkZf27_7mZ9xBFGoi0zDdc/s640/fake-finvoice.jpg" width="502" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">DNS Services (DNSsvc.com) Fake Invoice (actually a solicitation)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-178033814072202999.post-46641747727951033352011-12-31T09:50:00.000-08:002013-05-17T14:32:41.693-07:00Costco Scam - http://costco-giftcardoffer.blogspot.com/<b><br /></b>
Recently this has been very popular on Facebook. Someone created a simple blog using a free blog service (blogspot/blogger) and placed some simple text.<br />
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<a href="http://costco-giftcardoffer.blogspot.com/">http://costco-giftcardoffer.blogspot.com/</a>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyTpq1MYlgvyRk76_3HLAf1PhiK-TXyL8rBUPW3A6j__LYy1EloUZnsvIVonCwROS6_vYESsLqyvpYKRXKvFMaKBvLcanpiqluZ3E3AqKtOdDXkORRu6gJz3E6hcNuqPw3VMvh-cxeXGU/s1600/costcoscam.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyTpq1MYlgvyRk76_3HLAf1PhiK-TXyL8rBUPW3A6j__LYy1EloUZnsvIVonCwROS6_vYESsLqyvpYKRXKvFMaKBvLcanpiqluZ3E3AqKtOdDXkORRu6gJz3E6hcNuqPw3VMvh-cxeXGU/s320/costcoscam.png" width="311" /></a></div>
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People like getting things for free and some have on Facebook. My wife has won a couple things by liking pages and being entered into drawings, however let me explain to you why this one is a scam.<br />
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<b>Free Blog Service</b><br />
It's only somewhat fishy that a giveaway (promising more than $1,295,000 (1295 x $1000) in free Gift Cards) can't purchase a simple domain for $9.95/year.<br />
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<b>Infinite Countdown</b><br />
When loading the page you can see a countdown indicating how many gift cards are remaining. This is not driven by a database using Ajax, it is a simple script that just reduced the number every second or so. Once you refresh the page, the amount of gift cards remaining resets to 1295 magically. If your curious, it will continue countdown into the negatives if you allow it to.<br />
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<b>Responsibility</b><br />
No organization or individual is provided as a responsible party for this offer. In legitimate offers, there will always be information provided for those who the offer is available.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-178033814072202999.post-12367086484752883092010-08-03T07:44:00.000-07:002013-05-17T14:32:52.743-07:001saleaday.com review<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzyk8q6pqCLBvyEUDIyMU9s9l67cygZm2pI_yrSaPxxvJYcwO9ZG6GWCpQlQFDy9yaYmG0VuP4sW4bi6nioZOtkBaDLGSxs4vgZ1OLwztQWPwnDpHiamMhN-N8N2FV9cDkAAvrzZsocwc/s1600/1saleaday.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="230" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzyk8q6pqCLBvyEUDIyMU9s9l67cygZm2pI_yrSaPxxvJYcwO9ZG6GWCpQlQFDy9yaYmG0VuP4sW4bi6nioZOtkBaDLGSxs4vgZ1OLwztQWPwnDpHiamMhN-N8N2FV9cDkAAvrzZsocwc/s320/1saleaday.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Many people may be wondering about the website 1saleaday.com, a web site that displays several deals for the duration of 24 hours. The problem is that most reviewers of the web site have had a bad experience with 1saleaday.com, and now bid their warning to others. The common complaints included low-grade products, lost shipping orders, and products that are dead on arrival (DOA). I decided to take the risk using paypal to ensure my credit card data was not compromised. I purchased two 6' HDMI cables. After about 2 weeks, the cables arrived and upon inspection, I found them to be a lower-quality product. The total cost for the cables was $5.99 including shipping. <br />
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Looking closer at the situation, it only makes sense I got what I got. A company like 1saleaday.com is still out to make a profit. To do this they have to offer low-quality merchandise (or almost unwanted merchandise) to continue to make that profit. They are in the business of making money, but it appears they don't have the resources to handle customer complaints very well. For a company like this, loosing repeat business is a very bad move for these revenue seekers. <br />
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My caution to those who are interested in what 1saleaday.com has, you honestly do get what you pay for AND you most likely wont ever get something for nothing.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com39tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-178033814072202999.post-54675824772897972602010-07-31T17:31:00.000-07:002013-05-17T14:33:39.499-07:00You get what you pay for - beware of ecaseshop.com<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2FmSKNC103a9HmI10UPZ4S6ke2Rzw_uF3DQjkEy5A6OIpxtrcSxiAXkPx18uPSZVqTBEEbdPkydXCjoFFDclGZ3UFTNxfFTtg1CjNgm8j4uI8XimXB2LPGVZ5d1b5YZRZq29VnerfRXM/s1600/eCaseShop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="278" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2FmSKNC103a9HmI10UPZ4S6ke2Rzw_uF3DQjkEy5A6OIpxtrcSxiAXkPx18uPSZVqTBEEbdPkydXCjoFFDclGZ3UFTNxfFTtg1CjNgm8j4uI8XimXB2LPGVZ5d1b5YZRZq29VnerfRXM/s320/eCaseShop.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
My wife has an iPhone which has cracked on the back plate. I went in search of replacement parts online and decided to take the chance with ecaseshop.com due to good pricing. The web site didn't have reviews online and I decided to take the gamble. I purchased the iPhone 3G Black Housing unit and waited to see what I had purchased. After a couple weeks, the product (made in Hong Kong) showed up and I was exited to use it. I opened it at the post office and found that the plastic seemed really cheap. But I knew the weights and densities might feel different with the metal internals of the phone connected to it. As I went to begin the iPhone cosmetic surgery (with the knowledge that doing this could void any remaining warranty), I found that the tools they had said they would send were not the right tools at all. The "X" and "-" screwdrivers were star-screwdrivers that don't fit at all. I went on to compare the weights and densities of the housings to find that the OEM one was in fact more dense and felt stronger than the one sent by ecaseshop.com. I decided that the risk wasn't worth it and left my wife's phone with the OEM parts. My caution to those interested in ecaseshop.com is to know that you get (sometimes less) than what you pay for. On that note, does anyone want a new iPhone black housing kit? <br />
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PS. When I was waiting for the shipment, I got a notice from them saying "if your package has any questions, we'll let you know via email." I guess they know me better than I do.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-178033814072202999.post-8656653343782649942010-07-01T10:23:00.000-07:002013-05-17T14:33:49.215-07:00Spokeo - Helpful or Hurtful?Some people may not have yet heard about spokeo.com, a service that allows people to find others by email, name, phone number, or friends. This alone seems innocent enough, but what happens when they decide to aggregate (or collect) too much personal information about people. What if they had information like how much you make, what your house is worth, your likes/dislikes, contact information, personal pictures of you, phone numbers, address, ethnicity, relationship status, occupation, and credit scores. The fact is they claim to have all this and more.<br />
<br />
Spokeo has created a program that searches the web to collect information on you as a person. They store all this data on their servers (which by doing happens to violate most social networking site's terms and conditions). This information is then sold at a price to others who want to find out your details.<br />
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<b>Target Marketing:</b> By having all your information marketing companies can potentially search you out by your salary or other qualifications with regards to what they are trying to sell and then call you, email you, or send you snail mail in attempts to gain your business. This data is worth quite a bit of money to them and the sad part is, you don't get anything but spam for your personal information. <br />
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<b>Targeting Youth: </b>Web sites that provide a service are required to inform their users that they must be 18 or older. This has to do with laws in the United States that protect underage kids online. Spokeo however has banners on the web site show underage teenagers (most likely high school kids) using their service to <a href="http://www.spokeo.com/friends">dig up data on friends</a>. While those under the age of 18 (but older than 13) are allowed to use the web site, it is illegal for the company to collect and store information for individuals under the age of 18. Despite the attempts of Spokeo to filter their collections, they are not able to verify the age of users in their system offering others a way to search and target underage kids. (These girls are most likely looking at people their own age...)<br />
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<a href="http://www.spokeo.com/images/v4/homepage/homepage_upsell_friends_gfx.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="196" src="http://www.spokeo.com/images/v4/homepage/homepage_upsell_friends_gfx.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b>Unencrypted passwords/Password storing:</b> Spokeo offers to connect to your email to download your contact list into their database (they will make money on these emails but you will make nothing) and possibly show you information about your contacts. They don't use any HTTP encryption when you provide this information. This makes it easier for hackers to see your password running over the web and obtain access to your email account to use for whatever illegal activities they desire. This can be especially dangerous when you have this email account linked to bank accounts, auction sites, and other personally sensitive information on the web. Secure HTTP is not difficult to implement, but it does cost about $15-$30 a year, a price they are not willing to pay to keep your passwords safe.<br />
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<b>Potential Dangers: </b>With a service providing so much information it definitely opens the doorway for more spear phishing (when people intersect your personal information and use it against you to get money or other things they want). In this case if I was to use Spokeo to get information about your house and I looked up your bank with your unencrypted email account and password, I could then call you pretending to be a bank and tell you that your previous mortgage payment did not go through and that you needed to provide a credit card and make the payment now to avoid various fines. Now of course doing this would be a little more work than the average internet user can do, but definitely could be done by a hacker. <br />
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<b>Removing Yourself from Spokeo</b>: If you search yourself and find that you are listed in the system you can ask to have your personal information removed from public view (I doubt this would prevent them from selling your data, but will prevent from others using their system to find you.) To remove yourself do the following:<br />
<ol>
<li>Go to spokeo.com in your browser and then search yourself by name.</li>
<li>Select your state and city until you find yourself. If you are not listed, you have evaded them for now but you may show up in their system later. Unfortunately you can remove yourself from the system until you are in it. </li>
<li>If you do find your self, load your profile. You may not see all your data since they only show 'previews' of information (these are the same for everyone - but only paid subscribers can see all the data available on you). </li>
<li>Copy the URL address of your profile. </li>
<li>Click on the privacy link in the bottom right of the web site. When this page pops up paste the URL into the URL field provided, then provide a junk email address that you have email access to and type the alpha-numeric code. </li>
</ol>
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You can do this 1 or 2 times with that one email address. This is nice to remove a spouse, family and friends. If you have several junk email accounts you can remove even more of those you care about.<br />
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<b>Spreading the word:</b> Send this post to friends and family to spread the word of warning and help others to remove themselves from the Spokeo service.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-178033814072202999.post-20605933163360533512010-02-21T15:05:00.000-08:002013-05-17T14:34:29.816-07:00Craigslist Property Scam - Capital ManagementLately, someone who claims to be "Jason Duvall" from "Capital Management" has been posting housing listings for the Provo/Orem Utah area. This may or may not be a scam. We are unsure at this point. The most recent that I have seen looks like this:<br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; color: #3d85c6; font-size: x-small; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">$570 / 3br - ::Apts -3B Luxury Living!:: (provo)</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; color: #3d85c6; font-size: x-small; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">:Apts - 3B Luxury Living!::</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; color: #3d85c6; font-size: x-small; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">-3 Bedrooms + Bonus Room / Office</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; color: #3d85c6; font-size: x-small; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">- 1 and 1/2 New Bathrooms</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; color: #3d85c6; font-size: x-small; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">- New Carpet </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; color: #3d85c6; font-size: x-small; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">- New Tile Floors</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; color: #3d85c6; font-size: x-small; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">- New Equipped Kitchen W/</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; color: #3d85c6; font-size: x-small; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Fridge</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; color: #3d85c6; font-size: x-small; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Stove </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; color: #3d85c6; font-size: x-small; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Microwave</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; color: #3d85c6; font-size: x-small; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Garbage Disposal</span><br />
<h2>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: small; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: small; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"> </span><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">$570 ONLY</span><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"></span> <span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span></h2>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: small; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwcy_8gEAWUs7HP4OUoNsFvRVJECdF452JshrspT_43ECMFDonPrP2a6PoCtt-07-_MgJK_9aV1HnoVU5M6FVrQ4ZnZOjIfTzUGtqkDGt0o57qKaVO2jjzCe0uf2QQxYHChi6q8QQAL_w/s1600-h/3ne3me3p15Oe5Te5S5a2kccfbbba149db1695.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwcy_8gEAWUs7HP4OUoNsFvRVJECdF452JshrspT_43ECMFDonPrP2a6PoCtt-07-_MgJK_9aV1HnoVU5M6FVrQ4ZnZOjIfTzUGtqkDGt0o57qKaVO2jjzCe0uf2QQxYHChi6q8QQAL_w/s200/3ne3me3p15Oe5Te5S5a2kccfbbba149db1695.jpg" width="200" /></a></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: small; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgSbEXaOa_2RBvcY0ZBCB7Dx6044FAriKdTiDdUJvH30skhtob_OjJlR57VLCUY2AAPb6nnPrmYap58a4E4M0mgwZ8KbbeBrO3LxTYYJDSAyPojFQv6t4y0c0sxzUdRXpktvqIjwIYzCM/s1600-h/3m73p63o15T65R25S0a2kd1d325e4dd121200.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="132" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgSbEXaOa_2RBvcY0ZBCB7Dx6044FAriKdTiDdUJvH30skhtob_OjJlR57VLCUY2AAPb6nnPrmYap58a4E4M0mgwZ8KbbeBrO3LxTYYJDSAyPojFQv6t4y0c0sxzUdRXpktvqIjwIYzCM/s200/3m73p63o15T65R25S0a2kd1d325e4dd121200.jpg" width="200" /></a></span></div>
<div id="userbody" style="font-family: inherit;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; color: black; font-size: x-small; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-converted-space"><br />
</span></span></div>
<div id="userbody" style="font-family: inherit;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; color: black; font-size: x-small; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-converted-space">After emailing them and asking questions, only one question was answered. This was their reply:</span></span></div>
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<div id="userbody" style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: inherit;">
<div style="font-family: inherit;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; font-size: x-small; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">iluvtennis2004 -</span></div>
<div style="font-family: inherit;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; font-size: x-small; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><br />
</span></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; font-size: x-small; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="border-collapse: collapse;"><span style="border-collapse: collapse;"><span style="border-collapse: collapse;"><span style="border-collapse: collapse;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Thank y</span>ou for inquiring about this unit. It's available now. </span></span></span></span></span><span style="border-collapse: collapse;"><span style="border-collapse: collapse;"><span style="border-collapse: collapse;"><span style="border-collapse: collapse;">We're looking to fulfill a 9 or 12 month lease.. This lease does include heat and hot water. Tenant pays electricity.. I like to mention the electricity usually runs about $35-$55 a month. We'll waive your move in fees (usually 1 months rent) AND we're offering 2 weeks <b>FREE</b> if you sign a lease before February 28th.<br />
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We require a completed credit report for each prospective tenant before scheduling a walkthrough. Please use this link: <a __removedlink__530077370__href="http://tenant-report.com/applications/creditapplication.php" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=178033814072202999&postID=2060593316336053351" target="_blank">Fill out the quick credit application</a> and follow the prompts to complete the process. This will also let me qualify you for our zero move-in deposit special.<br />
</span></span></span></span><span style="border-collapse: collapse;"><span style="border-collapse: collapse;"><span style="border-collapse: collapse;"><span style="border-collapse: collapse;">After you have finished the application, please send your report <b>Confirmation ID </b>and I will get back to you shortly to schedule a viewing and (hopefully) a lease signing!! Please let me know if you have any other questions!</span></span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; font-size: x-small; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="border-collapse: collapse;"><span style="border-collapse: collapse;"><span style="border-collapse: collapse;"><span style="border-collapse: collapse;"><br />
</span></span>Warmest Regards,<br />
<b>Jason Duvall</b></span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; font-size: x-small; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="border-collapse: collapse;"><span style="border-collapse: collapse;"><u><b>Capital Management</b></u><br />
Sent from my Verizon Wireless Blackberry</span></span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; color: black; font-size: x-small; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="border-collapse: collapse;"><span style="border-collapse: collapse;"><span style="color: grey;"><span style="color: #ff8000;"><span style="color: black;">Some things about this email were huge signs that I should not follow through:</span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; color: black; font-size: x-small; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="border-collapse: collapse;"><span style="border-collapse: collapse;"><span style="color: grey;"><span style="color: #ff8000;"><span style="color: black;">When I emailed him, I signed it with my name. When the email was sent back, he used part of my email address as my name</span></span></span></span></span>. A credit check is also required before I <i>walk through</i> the place. If credit checks are required, they are usually only after you agree that you would like to move into the apartment, condo, house, etc. And lastly, there is no email address, physical address, or telephone number after his name and his company's name. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; color: black; font-size: x-small; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Upon researching this company, I found no legitimate Capital Managements in Utah.</span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; color: black; font-size: x-small; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">The email of this person is </span></span><span dojoattachpoint="fullFromNode"><span class="address" userinputform="2003jasonduvall@gmail.com">2003jasonduvall@gmail.com.</span></span></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: x-small; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-178033814072202999.post-89605104595845787412010-02-13T21:03:00.000-08:002013-05-17T14:34:47.258-07:00Recovering from an Internet ScamHave you been a victim of an internet scam? Here are several things to begin the recovery process.<br />
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The most threatening scam these days is identity theft. I have had friends who have had their identity stolen and credit ruined. Unfortunately, sometimes the ones who steal our identity are people we know and feel we should trust. In one case, a friend's roommate stole her identity to get a cell phone. Another case involved someone's daughter attempting to get a credit card. When talking to an investigator, they couldn't do much more than write up a statement and say they would look into it.<br />
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The recovery process for identity theft is a long and bumpy road. In most cases you don't have proof that you didn't authorize the transaction. So what do you do now?<br />
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Here are some tips that will help you recover from identity theft. First, carefully look over the information that the thief is now in possession of and think of the possibilities of what they can do with it. In the Madden-Brooks scam listed previously, it appears that the real damage will be that of spam and marketing your information. If you completed the whole credit check process, you may have given crucial information that could be used for stealing your identity.<br />
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Second, monitor your expenses and credit aggressively and/or find a legitimate company to help you do so. If you have online banking, make sure you check regularly for unauthorized charges. Credit monitoring also will help you to identify if others have used your personal information. Typically those who steal your personal information will use it in the first year of having it. That isn't to say that they wont use it later, but the likelihood of such is decreased.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-178033814072202999.post-13744580132093829352010-01-14T01:27:00.000-08:002013-05-17T14:35:05.404-07:00Another rental scam - nita.blaney@gmail.comLooking further online for housing we ran into this scam. The email from nita.blaney@gmail.com was received back and oddly enough was fairly identical to the Madden-Brooks properties emails. This one however has a hidden (shortened url) link to the site they want you to visit (although after hitting the tracking website, you end up at www.gofreecredit.com; ironically a domain shorter than the one they give you). They also only provide a general area where "their" place is located, never an actual address. The tracking domain used for the url they provide is launch.roirocket.com.<br />
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Biggest mistake? They used the same exact pictures on all their craigslist.org postings. <br />
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This one looks a little bit older than Madden-Brooks, but I am confident it's the same people.<br />
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As always ask for the actual address of a place your interested in and google an email address your not sure about, see what else they have done.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0