Recent Internet Scam
The Email Scam
I bought a theme from Envato last week. Two days later I received another email asking me to update my theme. Yes I was very alert. The email was similar to one from Envato. It had a download link button on the email. I was suspicious because I fell for something similar 5 years ago. These recent scammers are no different from my previous experience.
5 years ago I bought a software from Adobe, a week later there was an email asking me to update by clicking on the download link. I did.Not knowing the email was an email scam. I lost all my data on my computer. I had to rebuild the computer from scratch. Thankfully It was Christmas, but after the holidays was our year end and preparation of the financial accounts. I had no choice but to spend the holidays rebuilding the computer adding all the software and ensuring that it was in the state before the virus infected it. When I later checked the email, the name appeared as Adobe but had an alteration on the actual address. I learnt a very painful lesson. The recent scammers are the same.
With Envato. instead of market@envato.com, the email read market@market.envato.com.
Avoid downloading from an email unless you are comfortable with where its from. Our association with various affiliates make us susceptible to these recent internet scammers. BE CAREFUL!
The Phone Scams
This is an obvious recent internet scam, but just incase someone falls for it. I have had numerous calls from computer engineers asking me to go to my PC in the UK and log on. I always keep my recent internet scammers in suspense pretending I am actually logging on and going online until I start questioning the internet scammers and then they hangup. Word of caution, if by coincidence these internet scammers call at a time that you have a problem with your PC and you are desperately awaiting a call from your official support company to fix the problem, you still need to be on the LOOKOUT. I suspect the recent internet scammers are sometimes lucky hence the reason why they are still in business.
Even if you have a problem with your PC you do not want to fall for internet scam. Even if you are awaiting a call from your support network, make sure they are the right people you answer to by questioning them. Your support engineer should already know what the problem is. If in doubt hangup the phone and call the number of your support network or you will fall for the recent internet scam.
The LinkedIn Scam
I got an email from someone posing as an Executive Director from one of the biggest UK Banks. I found the email suspicious as the internet scammers couldn't even tell which country I resided in. I immediately contacted the supposed person on linkedIn and she confirmed that it wasn't her. I encouraged the recent internet scammers stringing them along. In the end these recent internet scammers wanted my details so they could send me money from a dead customer, the typical internet scam. The recent internet scammers also sent me a fake copy of the impersonated person's drivers licence, to assure me that they are genuine.
Each year millions of dollars are lost to the internet Scammers. Our activities online exposes us to these scammers. But let us be diligent and we will be a step ahead of them.
Recent Comments
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Hey Joseph, thanks for sharing this post. It doesn't seem to matter how many warnings are posted online about various kind of scams; it will still be new for someone.
I think it is worth saying that all the site security and virus scanners in the world are no match for human foibles. We human beings are a collection of all kinds of frailties and habits that scammers readily exploit.
We might for instance, like the idea that someone beautiful or successful is writing to us so much, that we ignore the possibility we are being played. We might be so reactive to the mention of any kind of authority, that when someone pretends to represent policing or taxation, we hand over all our personal details.
For every one of these possible scenarios, there is still an opportunity to - STOP, breathe out, and take a closer look. But if we don't, it's usually because scammers are exciting the possibility of danger, or of missing out, just like the best marketers do!
Hey, just one question: how do you think the scammers you described in your Adobe and Envato example knew that you were a new customer of those products?
Hi Ivy,
I am not sure but I my instinct tells me that they have a software phishing for information from Adobe and Envato.
Maybe a software engineer can help answer that question.
J
Thanks for the heads up. Btw, there is other scam to watch out for: I've been getting vm and live calls saying they're from the United States government and that I will go to jail if I don't pay my outstanding balance. It's a scam. As scary as it sounds, I mean, no one wants to go to jail for a debit they didn't have
What I do is Google "who owns this number" and it'll take you to sites where other people who've received calls for from this number logged complaints.
A great post, Joseph. Thanks for the warnings. I've been alert to scams for some time now having almost been caught by an Asian scam which was threatening my business email address when I was running a virtual secretarial company. But, even though I'm alert to scams I could still get caught. These people are so intricately creative and if they catch us at wrong moment we can suffer tremendously, as you did. That would have been a horrible experience for you, Joseph. But, it's clear you won't get caught again.
Thank you. Lets get the scammers to work with us at WA and come up with a legitimate way of making money. Or we could make stealing using the web, black or white a felony.
Thanks for the heads up, man. It's unfortunate that people do things like this, and they actually are successful sometimes.
A older gentleman I use to work with got a fake CRA (tax police in Canada) email claiming that he owed a lot of taxes. Wanted him to pay a couple of thousand dollars in the form of, get this- Itunes gift cards, so that he doesn't get further in trouble. And he did. It was so sad.
They so often prey on the old and computer-illiterate.
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Yes... Always have to be alert in this industry.