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How to Identify an Imposter or Scam

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Robertt S:
    Federal Trade Commission Protecting America's Consumers      FTC Consumer Alert
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* Email   Spotting an Impostor:
 Scammers Pose as Friends, Family and Government Agencies It's easy to think "It couldn't happen to me." But scammers know how to get around our better judgment. They play on our emotions or promise big payoffs to get us to act. And many use the names of government agencies like the FTC, trusted companies, or friends and family to get us to buy into their schemes. We may not be able to spot the impostor until it's too late.
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the nation's consumer protection agency, wants you to know that scammers are posing as people, agencies and companies you know and trust. They may use phone calls, emails, letters, faxes or even text messages in their deceptions. To see past the disguise, you need to be alert to signs of an impostor scam:
 
* They want you to wire money. Wiring money is like sending cash; once it's gone, you can't get it back. Don't send a check or money order by overnight delivery or courier, either. And don't deposit a check and wire money back — the check will turn out to be a fake. Con artists tell you to use these services so they can get your money before you realize you've been cheated. For more on money wiring scams, visit ftc.gov/ScamWatch.
* They want you to pay to collect your winnings. Legitimate sweepstakes don't require you to pay insurance, taxes, or shipping to claim what you've won. Scammers pretend to be with banks and well-known companies like WalMart and Publishers Clearing House to make you think it's the real deal. No matter how convincing the reasons, never send money to claim a prize.
* They claim to be with a government agency. They may try to get you to send money by saying they're with the FBI, FTC, IRS, U.S. Customs and Border Protection or the U.S. Marshals Service. They might even use a real employee's name and call from a Washington, D.C., phone number. But it's a number they've faked. Contrary to scammers' lines, no federal government agency supervises or runs sweepstakes. Similarly, insurers like Lloyd's of London don't insure the delivery of sweepstakes winnings.
* They claim to be someone you care about. You think it's your grandson calling, panicked because he needs you to wire money to help him fix a car, get out of jail or a hospital emergency room, or leave a foreign country without the rest of the family finding out. Or a stranded friend emails and asks you to wire money overseas. In reality, it's a scammer who sleuthed out your grandchild's name, or hacked your friend's email account. To make sure it's not really a loved one in trouble, call a number you know to be genuine, and check the story out with other people in your circle. You also can ask the caller some questions that a stranger couldn't possibly answer.
* They want you to act now. The key to successful impostor scams is getting you to send money before you find out who's really on the other end. The more time you have, the more likely you'll figure it out. Resist the pressure to act immediately before you've checked it out. File a complaint with the FTC
  If you encounter an impostor scam, let the FTC know. File a complaint at ftc.gov or call 1-877-FTC-HELP.
The   FTC works to prevent fraudulent, deceptive and unfair business practices in the   marketplace and to provide information to help consumers spot, stop and avoid   them. To file a complaint or get free information on consumer   issues, visit ftc.gov or call toll-free,   1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357); TTY: 1-866-653-4261. Watch a video, How to   File a Complaint, at ftc.gov/video to learn more. The   FTC enters consumer complaints into the Consumer Sentinel   Network, a secure online database and investigative tool used by   hundreds of civil and criminal law enforcement agencies in the U.S.   and abroad.
 February 2011   
   Our mission: To prevent business practices that are  anticompetitive, deceptive, or unfair to consumers
   
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* For FTC Staff    Last Modified: Wednesday, November 16, 2011   

Vince G:
I say just use your Common Sense with a little logic thrown in. NO ONE in another country or even in yours that you never heard of is giving you millions of dollars. I've gotten these scams also but when reading their proposal I see all the flaws in it. "Send me $1000. for the courier to sent the check" ??? Have you ever sent any paperwork by UPS, FED EX or even the mail? Did it cost you 1000.? International mail is no different. Common price for docs is 25.00. But anyway just showing a little common sense saves you.

I have received emails from the government stating they are IRS, FBI and whoever else is suppose to scare me. You know what I reply with? a big F*** U. Here's why.. if you owe any money they DO NOT EMAIL YOU. First off how would they get your email address? You really think the movies are true where they track you with intelligence? Wake up, they are a bunch of babbling fools just look at the DMV.

So again, use Common Sense

Pineau:
Most of these email scam are so obvious that you would have to be a moron or very naive to fall for them. But I guess there are a lot more morons than I thought out there. The ones I think we (collective men's we) should worry the most about is the agency or lady that is well versed in the art of pulling your heart strings or your wank while picking your pocket.

The first thing you want to do is find out where they are and see if it matches what they have told you.  Try to send them an email and solicit a response. This is so simple and works almost every time. I guess they thin you are too stupid to think of it.
To find the origin of an email you look for the IP address in the email headers. Each mail client is different but for hotmail I right-click on the the message and click on view message source.  Somewhere just above the message text you will find a line like this X-Originating-IP: [71.237.103.16]. copy and paste the IP address and send it to a lookup service or google.  http://www.lookip.networks for me.
You should get something that looks like this.
IP Address: 71.237.103.16
Hostname: c-71-237-103-16.hsd1.co.comcast.net
Reverse Lookup: c-71-237-103-16.hsd1.co.comcast.net
ISP: Comcast Cable
Company: Comcast Cable
City: Loveland
State/Province: Colorado

If she says she is from Shanghai but her IP says she is in Nigeria or Russia.  BIG RED FLAG.

But sometimes the IP address gets removed or replaced as is the case when they are using anonymous emailing or they are using a mail forwarding service. ( Most of the ladies and Nigerians are too ignorant to know about and couldnt pay for the service anyway) If this is the case you know you are dealing with a pro and you you should just delete their mails and forget them. But if your bored to death like me you can continue the game and see if you can find out where they are, just for fun.  I found a service called spypig at http://www.spypig.com/  It is a free service and allows you to hide a small java script inside of a gif file and include it in your email. You can choose the image or make it invisible. My choice is invisible. Once they get the mail and open it the script will use their email client to send you a email with their IP address. If this does not work then I pack up and leave before I get burned.

I meet several people a month all claiming to be women but some I suspect are men posing as women.  I have seen everything from the coy lady in distress scam to I am horny and I want your body now ploy.  If they say they are in Shanghai but their email  IP address says they are in in Nigeria then chances are you about to be scammed. Or in my case It is time to have a little fun and make them drool before letting them off the hook.  The good ones that pass my test I will refer to Robertt's website otherwise they get dumped after I humiliate them.  I have one lady at the moment that I am not sure about yet. She claims she is from GD but she has not opened my email yet so I don't know where she really is. If she turns out to be legit then I think she will make someone a good wife and I will send her to Robbertt's websitte. But if not then she is a seasoned pro.  You may think I am strange but it passes the time and it is entertaining.

Willy The Londoner:
I take you up on what you say about Nigerians. They are the tops in scams well at least second to the Russians. I lived there for quite a while in 2004 and they are well up to date on anything concerning the internet.   They get people to up load millions of emails a day taking hours of internet cafe rate.  They have access like I have to more than 40 IP addresses and they do not mind paying for the anonymous domain and webhosting.  It is peanuts to what they earn from their online frauds.

Willy

Pineau:
Sorry, It was a bad assumption. I should have checked the facts rather than believe my own assumption.  It was based on my own experience.  Of the ones I caught most were from Nigeria and Russia.  Some were from the USA and some from China.  The point being that you can use the IP address reverse look up as a tool to try to find the person that sent you the message. If it does not match the information they told you, or it is has been removed or replaced with a bogus IP then you are one step ahead of them already. What you do next is up to you. Delete them is one option and is probably the safest.
But I like to stay and play and have a little fun before I send my last email to them. (which is usually FUCK OFF ASSHOLE...or something like it)

There are two types of messages I usually get.
1 is the email that is sent to you and announces that you have got a lot of money coming to you. That one for me is so easy to see through that I never even finish them anymore. Just follow the advice of the FTC that Robertt posted here. 

2 is a bit more sinister for me. It attempts to start a one on one dialogue with you personally through email or QQ, using friendship, love or sex as the bait.  They are impostors that range from lonely middle age housewives to hot little 18 year olds.  I think that many are men impersonating a woman and they are not Chinese at all.  If they say they grew up in Changsha but they can carry on an English chat as fast as you can or their English is as good as yours then chances are you chatting with a really good translator or some guy in the US or UK trying to catch a fish.

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