SMS death threats a scam – watchdog
PEOPLE have been receiving text messages containing death threats as part of an international scam – and they’re been told to report them to authorities.
The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) has received complaints about the scam messages, which it says come from overseas.
The messages aim to frighten recipients into passing on money, credit card details and personal information to the scammers, according to ACMA.
This is an example of the messages: “I am about to kill you. If you want to live, contact (xxxxxx.com) to get information on what you will have to do to live. If you ignore this message, you will die!”
Chris Chapman, chairman of ACMA, said people should definitely not reply to the messages, and should report them instead.
“These threats are a particularly nasty type of scam,” Mr Chapman said, leaving some people distressed
Recipients are advised to contact ACMA by telephone or over the internet.
SMS death threats a scam – watchdog | National Breaking News | News.com.au
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Facebook accounts hacked by scammers seeking money in London
IF you hear of a Facebook friend in London without a penny, take a moment to check their story – it’s most likely a scam that’s seeped into the social network.
Australian Facebook user accounts have been hacked, opening them up to scammers who then use it to send live chat messages to their friends asking for help.
“Several of my friends received a messages through Facebook Chat from their online Facebook friends,” one user, Nick, told news.com.au.
The messages claimed the person was “on a trip to London, but had been mugged, and was now marooned without passport or cash somewhere in North London,” he said.
The ploy usually culminates in a request for a Western Union money transfer.
Digital strategist Mark Neely found out his account had been hacked when a friend called to ask if he was alright.
“I immediately attempted to log into Facebook, but the password had been changed,” he said in a post on the Risks Digest message board.
Read the full story…Facebook accounts hacked by scammers seeking money in London | News | News.com.au
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Online criminals target social networking sites
Online criminals target social networking sites | NEWS.com.au
SOCIAL networking websites are fast becoming a key target for online fraud, according to a new report.
The latest Symantec Internet Security Threat Report for the second half of 2007 reveals there were 87,963 “phishing hosts” for that period, an increase of 167 per cent from the first half of 2007.
Phishing hosts act as fake websites, collecting information including login and password details from unsuspecting users.
Symantec Australia managing director Craig Scroggie said social networking websites were a treasure trove of personal data, listing information such as birthdate, location and employment history.
“(Users of these) websites are putting up a large amount of confidential information that is being used for fraudulent activity and financial gain,” Mr Scroggie said.
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Fraudsters behind bogus Dell email
Dells customer support centre was overloaded this morning, after emails appearing to come from Dell lobbed into inboxes around the country to inform recipients their credit card had been charged $865.
Premium Rate Scams – Beware Of Missed Calls
Premium Rate Scams – Beware Of Missed Calls by Peter Finch
This article outlines the more common methods of Premium Rate Scams. We have tried to elaborate the commonly used techniques used by scamsters and make people aware.
The first example of a scam is related to missed calls on your mobile phones. If you get a missed call on your phone from an unknown number that starts with 0709 prefix there may be something fishy.
The scam is simple yet effective and you can be taken for a ride. The scamsters dial in a number for a fraction of a minute in anticipation that the person will call back, and that is when the game starts. Once you call into this number which is being used for the fraud your telephone bill immediately starts ticking.
What happens is pretty simple to understand. You are dialling into a premium rate number and getting charged for a call which you never wanted to make.
There has been some kind of exaggeration on the rates though. Some people have claimed that you can be charged UKP50.00 per minute for a scam call. ICSTIS, the regulatory body of Premium Rate Number services has very clearly outlined that a premium rate number cannot be charged at more than UKP1.50 per minute.
The point to note is that even if you are not losing a huge amount, definitely you are losing some money and the fraudsters are making a windfall. The remedy is simple and you can easily save yourself from getting duped by using a little common sense. When you get a missed call from a 0709 number and you are not sure, preferably do not call back.
If you feel that the call may be from a business associate, call up but the first instance you feel that the person on the other end is trying to take you for a ride hang up immediately. These kind of scams die a quick death because the authorities take stern action or people become aware of them.
Another scam that has happened in Luton in the United Kingdom is even more shocking. A well dressed distressed lady knocks on your door and asks for help. Her story goes this way. Her car has broken down and she needs a phone to call up her husband. As a good samaritan you help her out with your phone. She makes a call but the call is definitely not to her husband but an Interactive Voice Recording system.
The lady has in fact called a prime rate number from your phone. She will make money out of a call which she is making from your phone. You will not realize that you have been duped until the time you get your bill. Here again there is some kind of exaggeration on the amount you can be billed. The rumor mills put the figure at UKP50.00 per minute but again it cannot go beyond UKP1.50 per minute.
These scams are common place in UK and you should take due care from falling into the hands of one of these fraudsters.
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