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Seniors Under attack from Supposed Authority

panda picks — Sat, 03 Jan 2009 19:31:51 +0000

Seniors continue to be targeted by on line scams as reported by the FBI. The following information is condensed from Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3)

Flurry of Spam Targeting the Federal Bureau of Investigation

E-mails continue to enter our boxes as the sender pretends to be from the FBI. ”As with previous spam attacks, the latest versions use the names of several high ranking executives within the FBI and even the IC3 to attempt to defraud consumers.

”Official order” from the FBI’s Anti-Terrorist and Monetary Crimes Division, try to scare us into reacting in a way that will compromise our personal information. You are told to confirm an inheritance or contain a lottery notification, all informing recipients they have been named the beneficiary of millions of dollars. To claim the large sum, recipients are instructed to furnish their personally identifiable information (PII) and are often threatened with some type of penalty, such as prosecution, if they fail to do so. Specific PII information requested includes, but is not limited to, the recipient’s name, banking information, telephone number, and a copy of their passport.

The spam e-mail allegedly from the IC3 states that the recipient has extorted money and will be given a limited amount of time to refund the money or face prosecution. They try to catch us Seniors off guard as we always want to be law abiding in our on line dealings.

Do not respond. These e-mails are a hoax.

The FBI does not send unsolicited e-mails of this nature. FBI Executives do not personally contact consumers regarding such matters. In addition, the IC3 does not send threatening letters to consumers demanding payments for Internet crimes.

Consumers should not respond to any unsolicited e-mails or click on any embedded links associated with such e-mails, as they may contain viruses or malware.

It is imperative consumers guard their PII. Providing your PII will compromise your identity!

Read the entire artictle and learn more information about previous warnings on the IC3 site, http://www.ic3.gov/default.aspx

Panda picked the subject of persons posing as officials to scare us into revealing what we should not expose to anyone. Remember, no legit organization whether a pay service or authority figure will ask

you for personal information. Most of us know the “You have inherited” or “You have won” but it is the supposed authority that may cause of to over react.

: Panda Lady

If you have been a victim of Internet crime, please file a complaint at www.IC3.gov.

Seniors Lured in by Scams

panda picks — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 20:56:40 +0000

The latest scam which is quite prevelant here in Northwest Ohio, is the caller who claims to be a relative stranded in Canada. Supposedly they are being detained and need money for fines and transportation home. Funds should be sent via wire transfer, Western Union or MoneyGram. Our Better Business Bureau has been contacted by many reporting this scam.

This scam can be carried out because your name, address, ages children, phone are listed on people search sites. We seniors can become frustrated when we hear a youngster is in trouble and we want to resucue. Never mind that we don’t recognize the voice. With our families so scattered we may not have heard the voice of our grandchildren for a long time.

Radio and Television are getting the scam information out here in our area. You might alert others in your area as to this scam as it is growing rapidly so a representative of our Better Buseau told me The Better

Is there a “For Sale Sign” in your yard. These scammers are not targeting the elderly who can’t defend themselves, they are appealing to the desperate who are having trouble selling there homes.

Go here to read the descriptions of scam offers to help sell your house. http://blogs.byownermls.com/2008/11/avoiding-common-homeowner-scams.html

While on line we have to have our defenses up. This week, a nice skype chat turned into a blunt statement “Send me more than $150 US dollars”. The nice thing about skype is that you just don’t respond. Likewise, as we advertise our business ventures on line by giving out our e-mail address, we become the recipient of scam letters. You know the one who is sick, father has died and left money in London. Not original is it? I just learned that there is a place to report these incidents. Facebook has been hit with a Nigerian type scam where the person claims to be your on line friend stranded in another country. This involves high jacking your on line account. Mail on line.com. reports the latest on line scam.

Send your reports to: http://www.antiphishing.org/report_phishing.html