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Tag Archives: scam
Domain Name Registration Fraud
A client of mine sent me a copy of a letter she received and asked if she needed to pay this ‘invoice’. As we are the domain registrar for my client’s domain name, I knew immediately it was some sort of scam. Though determining exactly what they were trying to do, besides fraudulently extract money, is still not clear in my mind and I have read the letter over several times.
You may recall when the telephone companies deregulated, the flurry of calls you received to ‘upgrade’ your service; when in reality, those calls were from other companies trying to switch your service from your chosen carrier to their service. This practice was labeled ‘slamming’. It didn’t take long for this practice to find its way into the domain name market. If you had a domain name registered, you might have noticed a flurry of calls or letters or even faxes explaining that your domain name was about to expire, or that another variant of your domain needed to be registered to protect your company name. (for example, if you owned the name ‘yourcompany.com’ the letter might say you had to order ‘yourcompany.net’). These letters were from companies that were trying to switch your domain name registration from your chosen provider over to their company, usually at a much higher price.
Tax Refund via Email–NOT!
Don’t get taken by this one. This email recently appeared in my inbox looking rather official and appearing to be from the Internal Revenue Service. DO NOT CLICK ON ANY LINKS IN THIS EMAIL. It is a Phishing scam. The IRS does not contact you for information via email.
As a general rule, it is not a good idea to click on any links or respond to email you receive unless it is from someone you know. Even if an email looks like it is from someone you know, it is possible to forge the sender’s email address; so regardless of who an email appears to be sent from, if the request in the email is suspicious or unusual, it could also be a Phishing email and a telephone call to the sender might be a good precaution before replying.
————————————————–
From: Internal Revenue Service [mailto:service@irs.gov]
Sent: Thursday, February 05, 2009 1:10 AM
Subject: Get Your Tax Refund ( $869 )
Importance: High
After the last annual calculations of your fiscal activity we have
determined that you are eligible to receive a tax refund of $869.
Please submit the tax refund request and allow us 3-9 days in order to
process it.
A refund can be delayed for a variety of reasons.
For example submitting invalid records or applying after the deadline.
To access your tax refund, please click here
Best Regards,
Tax Refund Deparment
Internal Revenue Service
© Copyright 2009, Internal Revenue Service U.S.A. All rights reserved.
FaceBook Users Beware
BBB Warns: Your Facebook Friends Could Actually be Hackers, Scam Artists, and ID Thieves
FaceBook, one of the most popular social networking sites on the Internet, has become the target for several different phishing scams. Here is brief list of some of the scams you should be on the look-out for:
Friend in Distress:
Scam: Facebook users may receive a message in their inbox from a friend claiming to be in a dire situation — such as stranded in a foreign country — and needing money wired to them. The recipient doesn’t realize that their friend’s account has been hacked and that the message was sent by scammers. The Facebook user has no way of recovering the wired money after they learn that their friend is safe and sound.