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The majority of these scams are out of Russia and Ukraine, with some out of the former Soviet Union (FSU) countries. Nigeria, Ghana and the Senegal have jumped on the bandwagon.
Examples of Scams
A.Someone claims that Disabled World will guarantee a transaction, certify a buyer/seller, OR claims that Disabled World will handle or provide protection for a payment. These claims are fraudulent, as Disabled World does not have any role in any transaction. Scammer will often send an official looking email that appears to come from Disabled World, offering a guarantee, certifying a seller, providing payment services -- all such emails are fakes!
B.A person offers a genuine-looking (but fake) cashier's check you receive an email offering to buy your item sight unseen. A cashier's check is offered for your sale item, as a deposit and the value of the cashier's check often far exceeds your item - scammer offers to "trust" you, and asks you to wire the balance via money transfer service. The banks will often cash these fake checks AND THEN HOLD YOU RESPONSIBLE WHEN THE CHECK FAILS TO CLEAR, including criminal prosecution in some cases! This scam often involves a 3rd party (shipping agent, business associate owing buyer money, etc)
C.Someone requests wire service payment via Western Union or MoneyGram: Often claim that an MTCN or confirmation code is needed before he can withdraw your money - this is FALSE,once you've wired money, it is GONE.Common countries participating in online scams currently include: Nigeria, Romania,Ukraine,Spain,UK, Italy,Netherlands - but could be anywhere in the world.
D. A person offers to send you a money order and then have you wire money -this is ALWAYS a scam,the cashier's check is FAKE sometimes accompanies an offer of merchandise,sometimes not scammer often asks for your name, address, etc for printing on the fake check.
E. A seller suggests use of an online escrow service, most online escrow sites are FRAUDULENT, operated by scammers
F. A seller asks for a partial payment upfront, after which he will ship goods they say they trust you with the partial payment and may say that they have already shipped the goods.
G. A foreign company offers you a job receiving payments from customers. The foreign company may claim it is unable to receive payments from its customers directly you are offered a percentage of payments received this kind of "position" may be posted as a job, or offered to you via email BEWARE it is a scam!
H. Someone claims that Disabled World will guarantee a transaction, certify a buyer/seller, OR claims that Disabled World will handle or provide protection for a payment. These claims are fraudulent, as Disabled World does not have any role in any transaction. Scammer will often send an official looking email that appears to come from Disabled World, offering a guarantee, certifying a seller, providing payment services -- all such emails are fakes!
I.Complaints filed against companies offering work-at-home scams has more than doubled in the last few years.As more job seekers get online,these scams thrive.Generally,outside of the Internet,advertisements for work-at-home opportunities are also found in the classified sections of local newspapers, magazines and other publications.While not all offers are phony,many are.Protect yourself.
A foreign company offers you a job receiving payments from customers. The foreign company may claim it is unable to receive payments from its customers directly you are offered a percentage of payments received this kind of "position" may be posted as a job, or offered to you via email BEWARE it is a scam!
WARNING : Nigeria Ghana and Senegal Scam known as 419 Scam
The most visible form of advance fee fraud today is the Nigerian Letter or 419 fraud, named after the section of the Nigerian penal code that it violates. Originally sent by mail, and later by fax, the Nigerian Letter is now sent almost exclusively by e-mail. A typical letter includes a header that says something like “Confidential Business Proposal” and claims to come from a person needing to transfer large sums of money out of the country. As the Nigerian letter has become well known to potential targets, the gangs operating the scams have developed other variations. The targets are often told that they are the beneficiaries of an inheritance or are invited to impersonate the beneficiary of an unclaimed estate. The target may be told that a wealthy individual is being held hostage and will reward those who help to transfer the ransom money. Another common related scam is a fake lottery in which the targets are told that they have 'won' a large prize but must pay an 'administrative fee' before they can receive it. After the 'administrative fee' is paid, the scammer vanishes.
Dog & Other Pets for sale
This scam is relatively new, and is a hard to recognize as actually being a scam at first. In this scam, the scammer posts an online classified ad offering a rare or expensive dog for sale. The classified ad itself seems pretty normal, and there is nothing overtly suspicious about the way that it is written. But when you contact the seller, he will indicate that he would like you to send them a "shipping fee" or sometimes an "adoption fee" before they will sell the dog to you. Truth is there is no dog at all, and once the "seller" receives your deposit, he will disappear and be untraceable. While the scam is relatively simple, it sometimes works because the buyer is made to feel guilty about not paying "a small fee to ensure the animals health and safety.” Plus, who thinks that a nice dog breeder is going to try and scam them?
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