|
Favorits •
Web Domain Directory •
ODP •
Annuaire FR •
Directorio ES •
Directory EN •
Diretório PT •
IT Katalog •
Czech Katalog •
Polski Katalog •
Maps •
Satellite Photos •
View Card
|
||
|
|
Security |
|
|
| ||
 |
Money Mule Email Scam Hits U.S.
Imagine this - you open up your email box and an international company is offering you a dream job - you can be an agent for them - a financial intermediary - receiving payments for them and transferring money to them, and, naturally, keeping a commission on each transaction. There's no investment, no money required. They are just looking for people with a good reputation that they can trust with their money. The company needs a local agent because US banking laws restrict the accounts that a foreign company has, unless they have a U.S. citizen as a registered agent of the company. It sounds really good. After all, the company is overseas and it needs a U.S. Agent to receive payments and all you have to do is wire-transfer the money to the company account overseas, less your commission. There seems to be no way to lose, since you won't be putting out any of YOUR money and YOU have control over all incoming and outgoing payments. You can't lose, can you? Unfortunately you can. Take this job and you become a "money mule" - an unwitting participant in a scheme to defraud others. Here's how it works: The company may or may not have a good looking website with what sounds like a legitimate name, "Techhydraulik" and says it's based in Germany. Sounds like it is a technology company having something to do with hydraulics, doesn't it? However, it is really an Internet front for Bad Guys who need to be able to transfer money out of the United States from people that they have defrauded through "Phishing." Phishing is the practice of setting up fake bank sites that look just like the real bank site (for example, Wells Fargo) and sending emails to millions of people saying that there is an irregularity in their Wells Fargo account and to "click on the link to confirm your information or your account will be closed". When you click on the link and fill out the fields for your account number, username and passwords, it sends the information to the Bad Guys who empty your account. Believe it or not, tens of thousands of people fall for this each year. The Bad Guys then send the payment to their agent (you), and you wire-transfer the money, less your commission, to their overseas account. Several weeks or months later, perhaps, there is a knock at your door and the FBI wants to know why you are receiving stolen funds. You explain that the funds are not stolen, they are payments for equipment purchased by people from Techhydraulik, and you are their legitimate agent. You may not be held criminally liable since you were an unknowing dupe, but you may certainly be liable for repayment of all of the money that passed through your hands. And of course, the real perpetrators have long ago closed that overseas account and disappeared. How can you protect yourself? Go to www.betterwhois.com and look up the information about the company's website. You'll be able to see when the .com was registered. Typically, the names are registered just a few days before the email is sent out, because the individual websites are generally only up for a few days or weeks, to make it hard for authorities to trace. For example, techhydraulik.com was registered on August 2nd and the fraudulent email was sent out on August 15. Chances are the website will be gone shortly. The techhydraulik.com website is hosted by computers in Russia where laws are lax and recovery is unlikely. It's also possible that if you did visit the techhydraulik site, your computer would be infested with password stealers, key loggers and spyware. The Internet is a wonderful tool. It is also a place where you need to protect yourself from becoming a victim. Sign up for the free "The Blinking Cursor News" to stay on top of the latest scams and shams on the Internet. © Steve Freedman, Archer Strategic Alliances 2005 All Rights Reserved http://helpprotectmycomputer.com
MORE RESOURCES: |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
How to Know Whether an Email is a Fake or Not A few nights ago I received an email from "2CO" asking me to update my personal data. The sender did not forget to insert a link to log in, too. The 5 Critical Steps to Protecting Your Computer on the Internet Spyware, viruses and worms.. The Importance of Protecting Your PC from Viruses and Spam Today the internet is a mine field of malicious code looking to harm your computer. Hackers want to have access to your PC for both fun and profit. Is The Internet Over Regulated Today's Internet or World Wide Web is being over regulated.But, are you being taken for a ride, are you lead to believe that Governments World Wide are creating new legislation for your benefit or are there underlying factors that these laws are more beneficial to Governments and big business?First we had the Can-Spam and other laws passed regulating the sending of unsolicited commercial e-mail, that contains false or deceptive subject information, or that is sent from invalid e-mail addresses, but for me, my inbox still seems to always be full of junk mail. Cybercriminals Trick: Targeted Trojan-Containing Emails Threats we ordinary Web users face online leave us no choice but learn. Haven't you noticed how many new things you learned lately? We are much better informed about malicious programs than just a year ago. 3 Steps to Ending Scams and Virus Problems Watching how the traditional media covers the latest virus or scam would make one think we are all innocent victims and it is the "evil Internet" at work once again. News flash! Innocent? More like uninformed. Phishing and Pharming: Dangerous Scams As soon as almost all computer users already got used to -- or at least heard about -- the word "phishing", another somewhat confusing word appeared not long ago. Pharming. What Can Be Done About Spyware And Adware Having a good Spyware eliminator on your computer is vital now a days with all of the different Spyware, Adware, and other malicious computer parasites that are out there. Most of them are reasonably priced and very easy to use. 3 Pervasive Phishing Scams Scams involving email continue to plague consumers across America, indeed the world. These so called "phishing" scams involve "spoofed" emails meant to draw the unwary to bogus internet sites masquerading as legitimate sites. If You Steal It, They May Come! Business on the internet is getting down right shameless. This week, my email box was literally filled with hype, overly inflated promises, phish mail, scams, ezines I did not order, and about 14 viagra gimmicks. Secure Your PC From Hackers, Viruses, and Trojans Viruses, Trojans and Spyware: Protecting yourself.No user on the internet is safe from assault. Instant Messaging - Expressway for Identity Theft, Trojan Horses, Viruses, and Worms Never before with Instant Messaging (IM) has a more vital warning been needed for current and potential IM buddies who chat on line.John Sakoda of IMlogic CTO and Vice President of Products stated that,"IM viruses and worms are growing exponentially. File Sharing - What You Need to Know! File sharing on p2p is soaring despite the music and movie industry efforts to curb the practice. Regardless of which side of the arguement you are on it is likely that sharing of copyright material will continue in one form or another for the foreseeable future. Protecting Your Home Both Inside and Out If you are a parent, you have probably wondered at one time or another, what more you can do to protect your children and yourself, not only physically but emotionally, mentally, spiritually etc. Today many parents and families are discouraged. How to Manage Your Username and Password The Easy and Secure Way Have been an Internet user for more than 9 years, I have 100's of logins and passwords to keep. I'm paranoid. Blogs as Safe Haven for Cybercriminals? To blog or not to blog? Well, why not? Lots of people like either to write or to read blogs -- sometimes both. The much-quoted survey by the Pew Internet & American Life Project, says 27 percent read blogs. Information Security for E-businessmen: Just a Couple of Ideas If you constantly deal with bank or electronic accounts, it must be your worst nightmare--to wake up and learn that you are a bankrupt. Some crook stole your personal data and all the money you have been sweating blood for years has flown to somebody else's account. Top Ten Spyware and Adware Threats Identified On December 8, 2004 Webroot, an award winning anti-spyware solution provider, released a press release identifying the ten most significant emerging spyware and adware threats. Most of these you probably haven't heard of and a few may surprise you. Internet Privacy Over the past few years as the internet has become more and more popular, privacy has become a major issue. Just as if you are walking down the street and can be watched, every click of your mouse every website you browse, or file you download, is traceable. All About Computer Viruses Your computer is as slow as molasses. Your mouse freezes every 15 minutes, and that Microsoft Word program just won't seem to open.
|