Equipping People To Make Sense Of What They Are Told
If it not “Junk” mail then its “Scam” mail
Don’t get scammed
Nobody wants to feel that they have wasted, lost or have been conned out of their
money. Unfortunately, there are many situations in which individuals can find that
they have come off worse from what they think is an honest transaction.
People who are suffering from an illness are particularly vulnerable, they may be
lonely, suffering from depression, have cognitive problems or be confused.
Note - Always seek advice from others and not only from one source of information,
even if it’s a charity or bank?
Scam mail is now a serious and endemic problem that is causing financial and mental
devastation to millions of vulnerable people across the world.
Scam Mail should not be confused with Junk Mail.
Junk Mail is the name given to unsolicited mail which advertises goods and services;
In the UK it can be reduced by registering with the Mail Preference Service.
Scam mail is posted out by criminals and is addressed to the victim by name. Scammers
(Criminals) are not in an environment that can be regulated and postal services have
a legal obligation to deliver all addressed mail.
The criminals who hide behind what may appear to many as a legitimate front (business
etc) have only one intent to steal money from vulnerable people “YOU”.
Not only are the elderly and lonely people targeted but those who suffer from ill
health are included.
Advance Fee Fraud - A nominal payment is required to release a much larger amount
which is held by a third party. Any transaction that promises a huge return for a
relatively small fee is probably an Advance Fee Fraud.
Lottery Scams - Payment is required to get your huge unsolicited lottery winnings
transferred into your country/bank account. If you are told you have won some random
email lottery, or a lottery that you don't remember entering, you are probably being
set up for a Lottery Scam.
Phishing - Official-looking emails from banks, retailers and other online services.
Once they obtain your login details, they will raid your bank, use online accounts
as spam engines or hijack your good name for selling/buying. Often asks for credit
card details. These are then used or sold on.
Auction Scams - Simple scams using eBay or Craigslist to take either your money,
your property or both. May use hijacked accounts with good customer feedback obtained
by Phishing. Be aware of Second Chance Offers on auctions you did not win!
Employment Scams - Employment is usually offered processing international payments,
promising to let you keep 10% as commission. You pay the (fake) cheque's into your
bank and send them money. By the time the bank bounces the cheque, your money has
disappeared (almost always demands Western Union payments).
Financial/Investment Scams - Including High Yield Investment Plans offering huge
unrealistic returns on investments which turn out to be fraudulent, illegal or non-existent.
Solicitations almost always by Spam emails.
All of these scams have one thing in common; to get you to part with your money or
your property.
