Yep, I just got an e-mail WHICH I DID NOT OPEN informing

me that I won the UK Lottery and claim forms are attached. Well,

surprisingly, I never bought a ticket! Since I didn't open the e-mail,

I don't know exactly what it was going to cost to claim the money,

but probably a few thousand up-front.

BEWARE! There are lots of internet scams and there ain't nothin' free!

>

I get at least one of those a day.  Not always lottery but wanting to send me a cashier check and me send them money and keep the rest.

same here I delete tons of this crap a day.  I wish I was smart enought to write a program to go back to thier computer and crash it. ;D

I was dumb enough to answer a reply to one of those once telling whomever it may concern to F*** off and now they have validated my email address and I get at least 5 of those a day sometimes :

I send mine to a phishing email alert to hotmail to warn them.After that i never get the same scam again.Seems to help cut down phishing that go around.

I send mine to a phishing email alert to hotmail to warn them.After that i never get the same scam again.Seems to help cut down phishing that go around.

I'll try that.  Thanks.  Any Ideas on Gmail?

Kent- Can I have the winnings since you are not going to claim it?  ;D

I get one that is a beaut every six months or so.  Its an old school scam, and used to be perpetrated through snail mail as well.

I get an email asking to photograph a "high profile" wedding, based on references someone provided of my excellent work.  The wedding is always somewhere on the other side of the country. I am instructed that a money order will be sent, should I choose to accept, and it will include payment of $40,000 to include services, my normal shooting rate, and print package, plus travel, food and lodging.

I know at least one photog that has bitten.  You cash the money order/cashiers check at your bank, and a few days later, you contacted again.  It turns out the wedding is a "no go, " and the bride got cold feet.  They only ask that you refund them 1/2 money, and to keep the rest as a non refundable deposit, and will keep you on the "top of their list" for future engagements.

It turns out the money order/cashiers check is a forgery, and it generally takes the banks six to 9 months to track this down, and remove the fraudulent funds from your account.  By that time, you've already sent the crooks $20K, and now your out the $40K you originally deposited.  In the end, you were robbed of $20K.  

Pretty sweet deal, huh?  >

I feel bad for people that fall for this crap, but c'mon - how gullible can you be?

Not me, I'm too busy making $6000 a week working part time at home, all I needed was a computer-at least thats what the commercial says

same here I delete tons of this crap a day. I wish I was smart enought to write a program to go back to thier computer and crash it. ;D

Amen brother!  The only good hacker is one that hacks into hacker's programs and wreaks havoc on them.  Give 'em a taste of their own medicine. >

YOU TOO????  So did I---what a coincidence.  ;D ;D I'm planning on buying Bass Pro --The whole company.  8-) 8-)

People like that always remind me of my friends back in high school.  They would come up with the most brilliant, intricate plans to cheat on their exams.  These schemes took more time and intelligence than was required to just study for the test and ace it.

If the people creating these scams would put their intelligence and creativity towards something constructive, just imagine all that our country would have accomplished by now!

I almost fell for one once.  I was looking for a roommate via craigslist, and got a reply from a nice kid coming to Austin from London to go to school.  He was going to overnight me a check for deposit and everything.  I almost did it, thinking "how can someone be scamming me if they are sending me money?"  Then I got about 15 more very similar e-mails from people in Canada, Ireland, etc...  At this point I was wary, but still confused by how someone could be sending me money and be scamming me.  Finally, I saw something in one of the messages that clued me in that it was definitely a scam:  It was a person coming here to teach an English class, and I have never seen worse grammar in an e-mail in my life!

Yep, I just got an e-mail WHICH I DID NOT OPEN informing

me that I won the UK Lottery and claim forms are attached. Well,

surprisingly, I never bought a ticket! Since I didn't open the e-mail,

I don't know exactly what it was going to cost to claim the money,

but probably a few thousand up-front.

BEWARE! There are lots of internet scams and there ain't nothin' free!

>

That's impossible. They said I won it...

Thank For the heads up RW

I just got e-mailed another one today which is particularly relevant and sinister, since many people are job searching these days.

It was an e-mail, the 3rd like it, sent to me supposedly from a job board where my resume is posted.  Basically, the e-mail offers me a job which I am in no way qualified for, with a ridiculous salary, and asks for a response.  I didn't respond, so I'm not sure how they try to get your money, but it's definitely a scam.

So for anybody out there who is job searching right now, be very wary of any job offers that you get, especially if it's not a job in your field or one that you haven't applied to.  I know that an offer of employment can be hard to pass up, but let's face it, some things are too good to be true.

Isn't there any way to track these knuckleheads (cleaned up for family viewing) down?   > I'm all for funding an international hit squad (as in the movie "Munich") to track them down and play the xylophone on their rib cages.

In years gone by I forwarded some of these to the FBI, but they never

responded or followed-up with me. Now I just pass over them.

As someone who works in retail that "previously" was a agent for Western Union, everyone should beware of those as well, particularly the elderly.

This includes relatives and/or neighbors.

Some of the scammers that use WU are really good.

I can think of three instances real quick where we had to get the local police involved to help prevent some elderly customers from wiring thousands of dollars to these scammers.

It's a shame, but it happens every day.

I just got e-mailed another one today which is particularly relevant and sinister, since many people are job searching these days.

It was an e-mail, the 3rd like it, sent to me supposedly from a job board where my resume is posted. Basically, the e-mail offers me a job which I am in no way qualified for, with a ridiculous salary, and asks for a response. I didn't respond, so I'm not sure how they try to get your money, but it's definitely a scam.

So for anybody out there who is job searching right now, be very wary of any job offers that you get, especially if it's not a job in your field or one that you haven't applied to. I know that an offer of employment can be hard to pass up, but let's face it, some things are too good to be true.

I have a long history of working in the oil industry.  About three years ago I posted my resume' with an internationally recognized petroleum industry search firm.  My intent was to work overseas for several years, make a lot of money, and then sit back and fish.  Well, nothing happened until a couple of months ago.  Then, it started.  About two months ago I started receiving e-mails from so-called legitimate companies located in England.  The companies were all looking for experienced personnel and were offering $30,000 to $40,000 a month, plus housing and all expenses paid.  Does anyone want to guess where the jobs were located?  You guessed it. Nigeria.

I was so excited about making so much money that I couldn't hit the Delete button fast enough.