The Latest Attempts to Scam You
By Email and by Phone
Microsoft Has NOT Been Ordered to Issue Refunds, No One Has Hacked Your Webcam, and No One is Coming to Arrest You
It has been a while since we've looked at e-mail you should just ignore and voice mail phishing attempts. A couple of new attempts to separate you from your money have cropped up lately, all involving scare tactics designed to make you act without thinking. First comes a junk call scam, telling you you're owed a rebate, next comes an e-mail that reports someone is spying on you, and last comes an arrest threat based on a non-existent debt. Keep reading to find out the details of each, so you'll recognize them and not panic should they come your way.
Don't Hang Up!
I still don't answer numbers I don't recognize, unless the Caller ID looks legit. My philosophy is if a number comes up as "unknown," and you needed something, you'll leave a message. If there's no message, it was a call that did not need answering. So when an unidentified number leaves a message, I make a point of trying to pick up the voicemail quickly.
I do not automatically dismiss robocalls, as I live in a Hurricane-prone area, and Code Red Alerts start with "Please hang on the line for an important message." But 99% of the time, when I hear "Don't hang up," I do just that. Usually it's either Rachel from Card Services or "important information about your Google listing." For some reason, I listened to this one all the way through. And I'm glad I did. I needed a good giggle. (Hit up the video to hear the call; turn your volume all the way up. A transcript is also included below.)
This is KATHY JACKSON I am calling you from Microsoft's refund Department please do not hang up you have paid for your computer technical support few months ago we are calling to refund your money as the company has been ordered to close down please call our toll free number 8886831135 to get your refund repeating again 888-683-1135 thank you
Now, I must give this scammer points for creativity. Everyone else tries to convince you Microsoft fixes computers for free over the phone. Then, at some point during the free repair, they get your info, and next thing you know, you're on the hook for a support plan that costs more than your monthly car payment. THIS scammer assumes you've already fallen for that and claims they've been ordered to issue refunds. Or even if you haven't, maybe you'll think it's probable Microsoft lost some sort of fight, and that they may have been ordered to repay consumers. Either way, you may be naive or greedy enough to take the bait.
Guess what...Microsoft never offered individual tech support contracts to begin with. They've lost several court battles, but none have required them to issue individual consumer refunds.
Now this is just a guess, but my bet is were you to call that number, you'd end up being out money rather than gaining it. Either they'll claim to need your bank information to wire you a refund, and they'll use that info to withdraw money instead. Or they'll ask for credit card info so they can issue a refund, and they'll charge to it instead. They might even warn you that they are now going to read terms and conditions of the service contract, to which you'll have to agree before they can issue a refund. Then they will record you agreeing, and use that as the "proof" that you agreed to a monthly charge when you later file a dispute with the credit card company.
By the time this scam reaches you, I fully expect the call back number to have changed. Like with the IRS type scams, these guys take the money and disappear pretty quickly. They're counting on the number being dead by the time you realize you've been scammed and sent investigators their way. The general come-on remains the same though.
I Can See You Through Your Webcam
This e-mail actually threatens the recipient, claiming that someone has hacked your webcam and recorded you doing unsavory things. If you do not pay immediately, the e-mailer is going to release the videos publicly. The e-mail arrives in plain text format. The Subject line reads "Day after another day I have to punish someone like you." The body is cut/pasted below.
Тicket Dеtаils: JND-751-66717
Email: [redacted]
Camera ready,Notification: 21/06/2018 03:25:07
Status: Waiting for Reply 99xuJaOy6A0f70wEnSmKkE7ZrT4Ky35Wu3_Priority: Normal
***********************************************************************
Good day.
If you were more attentive while playing with yourself, I wouldn't worry you. I don't think that playing with yourself is very terrible, but when all your friends, relatives, сolleagues receive video of it- it is obviously for u.
I adjusted malisious soft on a porn site which you have visited. When the object tap on a play button, device starts recording the screen and all cameras on your device begins working.
Moreover, my virus makes a rdp supplied with keylogger function from your device , so I was able to get all contacts from your e-mail, messengers and other social networks. I've chosen dis e-mail cuz It's your corporate address, so u will read it.
In my opinion 350 usd is pretty enough for this little false. I made a split screen vid(records from screen (u have interesting tastes ) and camera ooooooh... its awful AF)
So its your choice, if u want me to destroy this сompromising evidence use my bitсoin wallеt аddrеss: 18Mk4XvT2q6THZqu9ggzJfhRrtiPaZxSr6
You have one day after opening my message, I put the special tracking pixel in it, so when you will open it I will know.If ya want me to share proofs with ya, reply on this letter and I will send my creation to five contacts that I've got from ur contacts.
P.S. U are able to complain to police, but I don't think that they can help, the inquisition will last for 5 month- I'm from Ukraine - so I dgf lmao
I actually laughed when this e-mail hit my inbox. Unfortunately, not everyone is so savvy. A senior that I know called me in tears after receiving a similar missive, afraid of what her husband was doing behind closed doors. She knew he watched porn on the computer, sometimes, but now someone was extorting him...
Luckily, I was able to convince her no one was watching, and she just needed to junk file the e-mail and move on. Whatever her husband might or might not be doing behind a closed door was NOT being recorded. I reminded her we had taped over the webcam they never used eons ago when some other news story scared her.
If you examine the source code of the message, you will see it contains NO tracking pixels, code, or trackable elements of any kind. It is a plain text message, originating from Italy, (NOT the Ukraine.) It actually made it through my own spam filter, probably because there are no nefarious type elements in it. There is NO WAY for the sender to tell if you received or opened this mail.
What I find particularly amusing about this scam is that the people who are most likely to panic respond are the ones that have no idea how to send a ransom in bitcoin! In fact, the second call I got about this was from a middle-aged male friend. He called to ask me about bitcoin, and how one went about sending money to a bitwallet. My response was something along the lines of "Why...what scam are you about to fall for, and what are they threatening you with?" (Chances are, if a non-tech savvy person is asking about paying in bitcoin, s/he is about to fall for a scam.)
Now, this individual happens to be one who caught ransomware on a porn site in the past, so he had reason to think this threat might carry weight. When we reformatted his PC, we upped his security to the point it stopped him from visiting any of the riskier porn sites, and kept him at safer sites (like xtube and youporn.) He swore up and down that this time, he had NOT given his personal info on a sketchy site and he HAD been keeping to the safer ones. I took in his computer "just to be sure," and found absolutely NO malware on the system. I was actually proud.
So chances are, even if you ARE a user of the type of site the e-mail mentions, or you think someone in your household may be, chances are, they're just phishing you. Spam-file the message and do not give it a second thought. And if you don't use those sites, or you have your webcam covered, it most certainly is nothing but a phishing threat.
There is NO Arrest Warrant
Here is another scam, with roots in the fact that a majority of folks carry some form of debt these days. The subject line reads "Final Notice & Arrest Warrant," and the mail is supposedly from an attorney. (The fake name used in the from line varies.) This e-mail is in HTML format, but contains no tracking information, save the mail list service affiliate link at the bottom. (There is no such tracking code within the e-mail, as that would violate the free mailer's TOS. In other words, if you click through the link in the footer, the mail service knows which affiliate sent you there. However, there is no way for the e-mailer to discern if the message was read or received.)
Hello
This is last chance for you
This Legal Proceeding will be issued on your Docket Number SU 8049162 with one of Cash Advance Inc. Company to let know you that after making calls to you on your phone number we were not able to get hold of you. So the account's department of Cash Advance has decided to mark this case as a flat refusal and press legal charges against you.
CASE NO: VD 8051138
Amount Outstanding: $989.68
We have sent you this warning notification about legal proceedings of March 8, 2016, but you failed to respond on time now it’s high time if you failed to respond in next 4 HOURS we will register this case in court. Consider this as a final warning. And we will be Emailing/ Fax this issue to your current employer to make sure they take strict against you. Your salary wages will we garnished.
Do revert back if you want to get rid of these legal consequences and make payment arrangement today or else we would be proceeding legally against you and this notification will also send to your current employer. The opportunity to take care of this voluntary is quickly coming to an end. We would hate for you to lose the option of resolving this before it goes to the next step which is a Lawsuit against you, but to do so you must take immediate action.
You can email back to get the payment mode;
accountingdepartment@cashadvancedebtrecovery.com
We will we forced to go ahead legally against you and once it proceed in the Court House, The creditor has entire rights to tell your employer and your references about this issue and the lawsuit will be the next step which will be amounting to $3700.00 and will be totally levied upon you and that would be excluding your attorney charges. If you take care of this out of court then we will release the clearance certificate from the court and we will make sure that no one will contact you in the future.
Please let us know what your intention is by today itself so we can hold the case or else we will send the paperwork to your local county sheriff department and you will we served by court summons at your door step.
We informed you and we have more than 17 kinds of technical proof against you to prove that you are guilty and committed the following frauds.
1. Violation of Federal Banking Regulation.
2. Collateral Check Fraud
3. Theft by Deception
4. Electronic Fund Transfer Fraud.
Note : This notice provided to you for Cash Advance Inc. and its parent company, and their respective family of companies including Cash Advance, its parent company, Cash America International, Inc., and all of their respective subsidiaries and affiliates, (after this... takes effect collectively called the “Cash Advance Related Companies,” “we,” “our,” or “us”). The Cash Advance Related Companies include, but are not limited to: Cash Advance, Cash America International, Inc., and all of their respective subsidiaries and affiliates, including those that work under the trade names Cash Advance, 100 Day Loan, Net loan USA, Fax free Cash, Payday one, Sonic Cash, Money tree, Egg loans, Check cash Loan, Quick Payday, Personal Cash Advance, Rapid Cash, Sonic Payday, Speedy Cash, My Cash Now, National Payday, Payday OK, Cash Central Loans, Cash Net 500,Cash Net USA, Allied Cash, Super Pawn, Check into Cash, Check Smart, Cash America, Cash America Pawn, Cash land, Super Pawn, Cash America Payday Advance, or any company-owned Mr. Payroll locations. “You” or “Your” means you as a participant in or as a user of the products and/or services offered by a Cash Advance Related Company.
WE MAY REPORT INFORMATION ABOUT YOUR ACCOUNT TO CREDIT BUREAUS. LATE PAYMENTS, MISSED PAYMENTS, OR OTHER DEFAULTS ON YOUR ACCOUNT MAY BE REFLECTED IN YOUR CREDIT REPORT.
TERMS and CONDITIONS YOU AGREED.
By electronically signing this Loan Agreement by clicking the “I AGREE” button below, you are confirming that you have agreed to the terms and conditions of the Consent and that you have downloaded or printed a copy of this Consent for your records.
Note: To make payment you would contact our email address;-
accountingdepartment@cashadvancedebtrecovery.com
We are informing you that if we will not receive your payment then, unfortunately, we have to go ahead further with the legal action against your name
Note: - If you ignore this email and failed to take care of this debt than all of your bank accounts will we seized through Major Credited Bureau within Seven Business Days that's why your co-operation will we appreciated.
Steven E. Butler (Senior Officer)
Bureau of Defaulters agency FTC Incorporation
Freedom Debt Recovery
Rossville, IN 46065
Now, there are several signs that this is a scam. First of all, there are many illegal threats made in the text, something that would result in a LEGITIMATE debt collector losing in court. Second, this type of collection activity would be sent certified mail, or in some other form requiring a signature to prove receipt. No debt collector can garnish wages without having already won a judgment in court, nor can they disclose such debt to an employer without a complicated legal process. NO legit debt collector would demand action within 4 hours, and then request payment by e-mail.
The other fear recipients may have is that their identity has been stolen, and someone has amassed a debt in their name. That is highly unlikely. Usually, multiple demand letters for debts that are not yours, coupled with a lot of demand letters delivered via US Mail, are the signs your identity has been compromised. A single (or couple) spammy e-mails are NOT usually a sign of identity theft.
Whatever you do, DO NOT "reply" for "more information," thinking "What's the harm?" EVEN if they do not manage to scam you out of any money, just the fact you reply to spam makes your e-mail address worth money on the dark web. Maybe you didn't fall for the debt scam, but you paid attention...you're likely to fall for SOME scam...
In other words, even replying means your e-mail is now sellable and worth money to the sender. AND you've just made yourself the target of every e-mail phisher who buys your info. Trash the mail and move on.
Summary
The Bad Guys continue to bank on the fact you'll be distracted, tired, scared, or just plain stupid, and they continue to actively try to trick us out of money and personal information. The threats get crazier and more outlandish with each attack. But good people can still get scared.
You may have ended up here because you are a regular reader, or Google may have brought you here while you were checking to see if something was legit. If Google brought you here, good for you. You're doing exactly what you SHOULD be doing. You're researching a threat BEFORE you panic, and you know better than to take these things at face value. Kudos!
This website was... how do I say it? Relevant!!
ReplyDeleteFinally I've found something that helped me. Kudos!