The Bank Has Suspended My Account!

Oh my goodness, the bank has suspended my account! AGAIN!

Well, it might be true, if I actually had an account with this bank. But I sure wouldn't use their link, I'd go to my bank's website and check it out from there.

The BULL DROPPINGS get deeper by the day. It must be the holiday season, because the fake e-mails are coming in faster than I can delete them!

I got this one just the other day, it was over in my spam box, where it belongs, but I thought you'd find it amusing.

Dear Customer,
Back of Lancaster County temporarily suspended your account. [Please note, they misspelled Bank!]
Reason: Billing failure.
We require you to complete on account update so we unlock your account. To log in and start the update process click here .Once you have completed the update, you can access your accoung at any time. The information provided will be treated in confidence and stored in our secure database. Your account will be deleted if you fail to complete the update process.

Besides the misspellings, their English grammar is terrible! A second grader can write better than most of the scammers sending out these e-mails.

As always, be careful out there in cyberspace. NEVER click on a link provided in an e-mail. Open a new window and type in your bank, credit card company or other website.

And if you don't have an account with that company, just hit the old "SPAM" button on your e-mail so next time their message won't even make it to your inbox.

I WON!

Yes, yes, yes, I WON!

I got the e-mail today!

I'm so excited! [NOT]

BULL DROPPINGS! I didn't win Jack****!

Check this scammer's e-mail out:

IMPORTANT NOTICE
Fondazion Di Rome,ITALY
http://www.fondazionedivittorio.it

The Foundazion di Rome, would like to notify you that you have been chosen by the board of trustees as one of the final recipients of a cash Grant/Donation for your own personal, educational, and business development. The Fondazione Di Rome, established 1977 by the Multi-Million groups and now supported by the Economic Community for West African States (ECOWAS), United Nations Organization (UNO) and the European Union (EU) was conceived with the objective of human growth, educational, and community development.

To celebrate the 28th anniversary program, The Rome Foundation in conjunction with the Economic Community for West African States (ECOWAS), United Nations Organization (UNO) and the European Union (EU) is giving out a yearly donation of US$100,000,000.00 (One Hundred Million United States Dollars) to 100 lucky recipients. These specific Donations/Grants will be awarded to 100 lucky international recipients worldwide; in different categories for their personal business development and enhancement of their educational plans. At least 15% of the awarded funds should be used by you to develop a part of your environment. This is a yearly program, which is a measure of universal development strategy.

Based on the random selection exercise of internet websites and millions of supermarket cash invoices worldwide, you were selected among the lucky recipients to receive the award sum of US$1,000,000.00 (One Million United States Dollars) as charity donations/aid from the Rome Foundation, ECOWAS, EU and the UNO in accordance with the enabling act of Parliament. (Note that all beneficiaries email addresses were selected randomly from over 100,000 internet websites or a shop's cash invoice around your area in which you might have purchased something from).

You are required to fill the form below and email it to our Executive Secretary below for qualification documentation and processing of your claims. After contacting our office with the requested data, you will be given your donation pin number, which you will use in collecting the funds. Please endeavor to quote your Qualification numbers (N-444-7858, E-800-67) in all discussions.
FULL NAMES:_________ADDRESS: __________CITY:_____
STATE:_____________ ZIP:____________COUNTRY_________
SEX:_______________AGE:__________________
MARITAL STATUS:_________________OCCUPATION:________
E-MAIL ADDRESS:____________TELEPHONE NUMBER:__________
===========================================

Executive Secretary- Adrianno Fabio
Email: fdvadrianofabio@yahoo.it

All information is strictly confidential and will only be used for the purpose to which it is been requested.

Please note that these donations/Grants are strictly administered by Economic community for West African States (ECOWAS), European Union (EU), under delegated powers from the United Nations Organization (UNO). This means that your qualification number will be reffled to know the organisation (ECOWAS or EU) that will handle your payment. You are to keep this whole information confidential until you have been able to collect your donation, as there have been many cases of double and unqualified claim, due to beneficiaries informing third parties about his/her donation.

Finally, all funds should be claimed by their respective beneficiaries, no later than 15 days after notification. Failure to do so will mean cancellation of that beneficiary and its donation will then be reserved for next year?s recipients. On behalf of the Board kindly, accept our warmest congratulations.

Regards.
Mr. Alessandra Ceasar
(Foundation officer)

Let me tell you, I get this garbage all the time. Why would someone pick ME over some other person out there on the Internet? Why? Because they think I'm a sucker!

Bad news for them, I'm not. And don't you be a sucker either!! If you get some crazy ass e-mail saying you won, listen my friend, the best thing you can do for yourself is hit the "DELETE" button!

I Want To Buy Your Stuff!

OK, look, Mom has her little hustle thing going on. I buy stuff cheap from gov't sources and then sell them on craigslist and/or eBay. I buy super cheap, I sell cheap enough that it's still a great deal for the buyers.

Now, there are some hassles involved when you sell on craigslist. There's the hit and run e-mailers, they e-mail you all hot and bothered, they MUST have this item. Then you never hear from them again. Next level of CL flakiness is the "I'm on my way right now with the money." OK... Two weeks later, you're still waiting [NOT]. Today I even got an e-mail from someone wanting to know if I'd deliver the item to him--without even offering to reimburse me for gas. [Think NOT!]

And then, there's another whole level of scam going on. Despite all warnings, this is a common response to online classified ads:

Hello,

I am interested in the immediate purchase of your item placed on Craigslist and I will like to ask few questions before I proceed on the purchase.

1 :- Is the item available for sale ?

2 :- What is the condition of the item ?

3 :- Do you accept a cashiers check as mode of payment?

4 :- Where is the item located ?

5 :- What is the final price of the item ?

6 :- Will you be able to send more pictures to see how it look likes ?

7 :-Will you allow my Shipper come to your house for the pick up of the item cos I don't want you to worry yourself about the shipping of the item.?

8 :- Will you be able to wire the Shipping fess via western union money transfer to my shipper cos the total payment which include the shipping charges and some other commissions needed to get the item to its destination would be issued altogether on the check?

9 :- If accepted kindly get back to me with your full name and contact address including your phone number so that my client can mail out the check right away?

Thanks
Regards

Edwin James

I'd laugh, but this is too sad. I call BULL DROPPINGS on this "buyer"!

Now, FYI, I have no fear in posting this name, because I'm quite sure that this is not a real name. This "buyer" is getting ready to try to rip me off!

Anytime someone e-mails you and wants to send you money via check, money order or cashiers check and then you're supposed to give someone else part of the $$, it's a guaranteed ripoff. Yes, I know you waited a week and your bank said the check had cleared.

Sadly, in another couple of weeks or a month, your bank will pull ALL of the money back out of your account and you'll be the one being investigated for bank fraud and forgery.

Yes, the check is no good. On top of that, you sent off part of the money via wire transfer or Western Union to someone else.

No, the bank won't protect you. No, the Feds won't protect you. No, the Post Office won't protect you.

So, don't be a sucker! If you get an e-mail offering to buy your stuff and you give part of the money to a "shipper" or some other crazy variation of this scam, DON'T DO IT!!

And if someone does seen credible and you do decide to ship an item, accept USPS money orders ONLY and then take them straight to the Post Office to cash them. There's tracking numbers on them and the computer will know if they're good and how much they were originally made out for. Don't put them in your bank! Take them to the Post Office ONLY!!

Remember, the scammers will keep doing this until people get smart and stop falling for it. Don't be a sucker, be a smart consumer!

"Forced To Suspend Your Account"

It must be the holiday season.

I got not one, but TWO e-mails yesterday, one from eBay and one from PayPal, telling me that there was fraudulent activity on my accounts and thus I needed to log in and verify my information or they'd be "forced to suspend your account" (IE my account). Conveniently, each e-mail provided a link to take me to the respective "website".

LOL! Yeah, right!

I call: BULL DROPPINGS!

By merely waving my cursor over the link, it was obvious that it was going somewhere other than eBay and PayPal.

Obviously, these jerks must have some successes, because they keep sending this garbage to me, and I keep forwarding them to spoof@paypal.com and/or spoof@ebay.com. The return e-mail always says the same thing, that the message did NOT come from PayPal or eBay.

Look, to protect yourself, NEVER use a link provided in an e-mail. It's easy enough to open a new window and go directly to the website, log in, and check your messages. There is ALWAYS a message if it's a real e-mail.

There's no need to panic, any e-mail that threatens some horrible event, whether it's suspending your privileges, freezing a bank account, or bad luck for the next seven years, is a FAKE!

As always, you don't have to believe me.

In fact, don't believe everything you read or hear, it's just too, too easy to be fooled. Even my own mom got sucked in on a phishing (fake) e-mail. Luckily, just after she finished putting her info in, she realized what she'd done and called me. I was able to jump into her account and change the passwords before the thieves did, so all was well...

Sigh. Thank God Mom is a smart woman!

eBay Protection Tutorial: http://pages.ebay.com/help/tutorial/accountprotection/js_tutorial.html
PayPal Security Center: https://www.paypal.com/us/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_security-center-outside

The IRS Has A Refund For You!!

Yup, came right in my e-mail yesterday.

The IRS has found some extra money for me, and all I had to do was send an e-mail with my personal information (the link was conveniently provided to me) and I'd get my refund ASAP.

DANG, do these clowns think I fell off the turnip truck?

First off, the IRS will NEVER admit they owe you money. Come on, people, think!! Since when do the Feds give up a nickel without a mass of extra paperwork, at least an hour of your time, and an argument?

PULEEZE, I call BULL DROPPINGS on this e-mail.

It's just some cousin of the poor Christian woman who's dying of cancer and wants to send you all of her money, if you'll just give her your bank account information. Or the guy that wants to buy your car/furniture/electronics and he'll be happy to send you a money order plus shipping -- all you have to do is send the shipper's fee over to his thief-in-law...

In EVERY case, I can promise you that you'll end up owing the bank a bunch of money, whether it's having your account stripped clean with ACH withdrawals, or when they back that fake money order out of your account.

Don't be a fool out on the Internet! Just because someone says it's true, doesn't mean it is!

In fact, doubt me too.

But be warned, if you ignore me, you will be sorry....

IRS Website: www.irs.gov

I Can See Clearly Now*

"I can see clearly now, the rain is gone, I can see all obstacles in my way ..."

I'm driving to work and once again, there's a radio ad telling me all about how I can do a few minutes of exercises every day, and I'll be able to throw away my eyeglasses. Wow! Being super, super near-sighted, that would be awesome! But the question is, does the method work?

My answer: BULL DROPPINGS!

There is no such thing as eye exercises to fix your nearsightedness. You basically have three options: Get contact lenses, get new glasses, or have laser surgery. If you send away for this "method", you'll just throw away $350!

You don't have to take my word for it, there's a lot of info out there on the web:
http://www.quackwatch.org/01QuackeryRelatedTopics/eyequack.html
http://blog.washingtonpost.com/thecheckout/2006/11/hold_onto_those_eyeglasses.html
http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news04/2006/02/ia_vision_improvement.html

So the next time you hear a convincing commercial, or your coworker tries to convince you that they really did get rid of all their debts (without paying or going BK), or some other bullhockey idea, just remember to take a minute and do some research!

(Or ask your computer geek coworker -- like me!)

*Song: "I Can See Clearly Now" by Johnny Nash, hit Billboard Hot 100 on November 4, 1972

Good Grief!

I can't believe the garbage I hear advertised every day on my way to work. Do companies REALLY think that people will believe that they can have their debt eliminated, use some special secret to fix their vision, take a pill to lose weight? Well, obviously they must because the onslaught of crazy ads haven't stopped!

I turn on the TV, oh my gosh, I can buy land for pennies for an acre! I turn on the radio and if I just use this special stuff, I can see clearly! I pick up a magazine and see that I can take a pill to lose 30 - 50 - 100 pounds!

BULL DROPPINGS!

That stuff is just a pack of plain old lies to separate you from your money!

Don't be a sucker, spend a minute and CHECK IT OUT!