Frauds, Scams & Cons (General; Miscellaneous)

[TheLeeds]

On the subject of the iffy stamps, I've just seen a listing on ebay that's got to be dodgy. Too good to be true etc.
50 1st class large letter stamps for £13.22.
It's being listed by a zero feedback seller in Hong Kong.
They're £1.45 in the Post Office.

Listing says,

Fifty 1st Class 'Large Letter' self-adhesive stamps in a neat, convenient folded sheet. 100% authentic and perfect for posting.

What else do they think people would do with them, wallpaper the living room ?

 

[Ogdred Weary]

Poh... fronted the racket together with three accomplices, who have all been jailed.

One presumes said accomplices were Tinky Winky, Dipsy and La La.

 

[ramonmercado]

Definitely something fishy going on.

The name alone - "Fishrot" - conjures up the unpleasant stench of corruption.

The financial scandal - named after a 2019 Wikileaks release called the "Fishrot Files" - stretches from Namibia to Iceland, taking in government ministers and involving at least $20m (£16.6m). The southern African country is now preparing for the biggest corruption trial in its short history. It is all about fish quotas - not an immediately obvious source of corruption, but in Namibia they are very lucrative.

With nearly 1,600km (1,000 miles) of South Atlantic coastline, fishing is one of the country's main industries, accounting for about 20% of export earnings. In the Fishrot scandal, a number of prominent politicians and businessmen are accused of running schemes to get control of valuable fishing quotas, for example those held by the state fishing company Fishcor. It is alleged that they then diverted them to the Icelandic fishing company Samherji in return for kickbacks.

Ten suspects, including former Fisheries Minister Bernard Esau and ex-Justice Minister Sakeus Shangala, are alleged to have benefitted. All those accused, some of whom have been in detention for over three years now, have protested their innocence. Samherji, one of Iceland's most important companies, has strongly denied allegations of bribery. ...

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-64526018

 

[ramonmercado]

We need to hear from Transport for London a spokesman.

A man who was charged hundreds of pounds after thieves used his bike hire code has criticised Transport for London for continuing to take his cash.

Jeremy was using the Santander hire scheme, run by TfL, when two teenagers snatched his bike release code, which was printed on a piece of paper. Jeremy said the code had since been used to hire bikes at his expense. He said he had paid almost £400 even though he reported the matter promptly. TfL said it would refund him.

Jeremy's ordeal began when he was trying to hire a bike near the BBC's Broadcasting House in central London, on 17 February. Many people use an app to access the code needed to release a hire bike from its dock, however Jeremy used his debit card so the code was printed on to a piece of paper.

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-london-64779527

 

[Dick Turpin]

We need to hear from Transport for London a spokesman.

A man who was charged hundreds of pounds after thieves used his bike hire code has criticised Transport for London for continuing to take his cash.

Jeremy was using the Santander hire scheme, run by TfL, when two teenagers snatched his bike release code, which was printed on a piece of paper. Jeremy said the code had since been used to hire bikes at his expense. He said he had paid almost £400 even though he reported the matter promptly. TfL said it would refund him.

Jeremy's ordeal began when he was trying to hire a bike near the BBC's Broadcasting House in central London, on 17 February. Many people use an app to access the code needed to release a hire bike from its dock, however Jeremy used his debit card so the code was printed on to a piece of paper.

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-london-64779527

I despise TFL. Drove into town on Saturday a few weeks back to visit my mother. We pre-paid the charge of £12.50, but unfortunately Mrs DT paid the charge for the Sunday instead of the Saturday in Error. We received a fine, so I called them up and explained the situation, and they wasn’t interested.

T0ssers to a man that lot down at TFL, I’m telling yers…..

 

[ramonmercado]

I despise TFL. Drove into town on Saturday a few weeks back to visit my mother. We pre-paid the charge of £12.50, but unfortunately Mrs DT paid the charge for the Sunday instead of the Saturday in Error. We received a fine, so I called them up and explained the situation, and they wasn’t interested.

T0ssers to a man that lot down at TFL, I’m telling yers…..

Appeal that decision.

 

[Dick Turpin]

Appeal that decision.

Oh I have Ram, I have. I'll let you know how I get on.

 

[Mr. Banooka]

I’ve had “O2” chasing me for days now to give me 30% off my bill. I’ve blocked the number multiple times, for them to just call on a different number. I’ve had calls from Blackburn, Bournemouth, Leeds, Bolton and various mobile numbers. I’ve hung up on most but decided to hear the guy out today. A very thick Indian accent that I could barely understand offered me 30% off my bill for the next 6 months if I gave him a code. I would get two texts, the first to confirm it was O2, the second with the code. I just then needed to give him the code and he could set up the discount.

I had to ask him why both texts that came through said “O2 will NEVER ask you for a code, so please don’t share with anyone”? He tried to blag me, so I just called him a scammer and hung up. So far I haven’t had any more calls. Fingers crossed.

My dad would have fell hook line and sinker for something like this.

How they are managing to spoof O2s messaging system I don‘t know, as the texts themselves were coming from a genuine O2 number that I have used many times for 2FA.

 

[Mr. Banooka]

I’ve had “O2” chasing me for days now to give me 30% off my bill. I’ve blocked the number multiple times, for them to just call on a different number. I’ve had calls from Blackburn, Bournemouth, Leeds, Bolton and various mobile numbers. I’ve hung up on most but decided to hear the guy out today. A very thick Indian accent that I could barely understand offered me 30% off my bill for the next 6 months if I gave him a code. I would get two texts, the first to confirm it was O2, the second with the code. I just then needed to give him the code and he could set up the discount.

I had to ask him why both texts that came through said “O2 will NEVER ask you for a code, so please don’t share with anyone”? He tried to blag me, so I just called him a scammer and hung up. So far I haven’t had any more calls. Fingers crossed.

My dad would have fell hook line and sinker for something like this.

How they are managing to spoof O2s messaging system I don‘t know, as the texts themselves were coming from a genuine O2 number that I have used many times for 2FA.

I think I’ve sussed what they are doing. It’s pretty obvious when you think about it. And it explains why the texts look legit.

They have your phone number and name from a list somehow. They are then logging in to the O2 website and saying they have forgotten their password. They call you up and ask you for the code. This then allows them to change your password and you are screwed.

 

[Coal]

Had a scam email needing me to 'enable payment to keep my account yada yada' purporting to be from BT today, 'looked' legit, but...yeah, was a good effort though, got past, ironically, BT's spam filter and mine.

 

[PeteS]

My dad would have fell hook line and sinker for something like this.

Sadly scammers tend to prey on the elderly but it's amazing how naive younger people can be. On another forum I called out what was so obviously a blatant scam over a £5000 asset. Amazingly there were responses such as "scammers wouldn't bother with £5000" and similar. I gave up in the end. I'm no longer surprised why scams succeed.

 

[Spookdaddy]

Sadly scammers tend to prey on the elderly but it's amazing how naive younger people can be. On another forum I called out what was so obviously a blatant scam over a £5000 asset. Amazingly there were responses such as "scammers wouldn't bother with £5000" and similar. I gave up in the end. I'm no longer surprised why scams succeed.

As far as profit harvesting goes, modest and often probably makes more sense than fishing for larger profits, but on a much less regular basis (as, I think, Isaac Newton provided mathematical proof of to the glove manufacturers of London...or something. Which didn't stop him losing a fortune during the South Sea Bubble, mind.)

Aside from the economics, smaller losses are less likely to be reported and acted upon.

Anyway. I am lonely and looking for a husband. My name is Yulia, and I like doing gymnastics in much nakedness and working for charity. My rich uncle has deposited 4.8 million US dollars resting in the Bank of Armenia, but I don't now have enough cash for a bus ticket to Yerevan....etc

 

[escargot]

It's best to treat all non-face to face interactions with strangers as scams unless you've initiated the contact yourself.

Having said that, Techy and I met by chance online. I was fly enough not to trust him for a very long time.
It's nearly 25 years now. I'll catch him out soon.

 

[catseye]

Sadly scammers tend to prey on the elderly but it's amazing how naive younger people can be. On another forum I called out what was so obviously a blatant scam over a £5000 asset. Amazingly there were responses such as "scammers wouldn't bother with £5000" and similar. I gave up in the end. I'm no longer surprised why scams succeed.

I had my credit card cloned (or the details sold from somewhere). I only use my credit card when shopping online (because of the increased protection) or when I'm on holiday, so it was either a website or someone copied the number down. It was being used 'without authentication' or something, which presumably means that someone dodgy was allowing spending with only the long number being used. And I missed it for several months, simply because it was being used for very small amounts, less than £50 a time. So the first times I thought it must have been things I'd bought online and just forgotten about, or I didn't really check it out. It was only when I was doing my tax accounts at the end of the year and therefore going back over ALL my statements, rather than just one at a time, that I noticed the pattern of spending. Once every couple of months, between £30 and £50 being spent somewhere in the midlands.

I assume, given that it was only in this one place, and only small amounts, that someone had partial card details, and this was the only place they could find that was dodgy enough to accept a 'card' without authentication. I blocked and cancelled the card, and then felt slightly sorry for the pathetic specimen who had been using it...

And no, it wasn't me using it for things I might have forgotten about, because it's never been queried since.

 

[maximus otter]

...felt slightly sorry for the pathetic specimen who had been using it...

maximus otter

 

[catseye]

maximus otter

Well, just imagine going to all the trouble of buying or acquiring someone's credit card details and then finding that there's only one place you can actually use those details and that's somewhere that won't let you spend more than a few quid (or where you can't even buy what you want). I have no idea why they didn't just buy hundreds of pounds worth of stuff and then sell it on. I mean, I'm grateful that they didn't, obviously, but I would have spotted that and stopped it at once (and got my money back from the cc company), but - I mean...it's so stupid it's pitiable.

 

[maximus otter]

Well, just imagine going to all the trouble of buying or acquiring someone's credit card details and then finding that there's only one place you can actually use those details and that's somewhere that won't let you spend more than a few quid (or where you can't even buy what you want). I have no idea why they didn't just buy hundreds of pounds worth of stuff and then sell it on. I mean, I'm grateful that they didn't, obviously, but I would have spotted that and stopped it at once (and got my money back from the cc company), but - I mean...it's so stupid it's pitiable.

You’re far kinder and more understanding than me.

maximus otter

 

[Stormkhan]

They have your phone number and name from a list somehow. e screwed.

It's amazing how much information can be bought and sold legitimately on the internet. Unless you chase down the original 'harvesters' and demand they delete, as per the data protection act, then 'phone number and name are easy.
Here's one short info peice by a qualified barrister.

 

[brownmane]

Anyway. I am lonely and looking for a husband. My name is Yulia, and I like doing gymnastics in much nakedness and working for charity. My rich uncle has deposited 4.8 million US dollars resting in the Bank of Armenia, but I don't now have enough cash for a bus ticket to Yerevan....etc

Nope. You can't to be a scammer. You're spelling is much good.

 

[Frideswide]

You’re far kinder and more understanding than me.

maximus otter

St Frideswide stand with @maximus otter !

and realises that @catseye does empathy far better than I ever will!

 

[brownmane]

And I missed it for several months, simply because it was being used for very small amounts, less than £50 a time. So the first times I thought it must have been things I'd bought online and just forgotten about, or I didn't really check it out. It was only when I was doing my tax accounts at the end of the year and therefore going back over ALL my statements, rather than just one at a time, that I noticed the pattern of spending. Once every couple of months, between £30 and £50 being spent somewhere in the midlands.

I assume, given that it was only in this one place, and only small amounts, that someone had partial card details, and this was the only place they could find that was dodgy enough to accept a 'card'

But it is as @Spookdaddy said. Small and regular amounts. Yours would not be the only card in use. The thieves are expecting that people are not monitoring their cards closely.

One sign of theft that credit card companies do look for is small amounts like $5.00 charged to cards for companies like Tim Hortons. The scammers test out the small amounts and the cards that aren't cancelled are then used for greater amounts.

I have had my card company call me for $11.00 that had been charged in an online purchase (I think I mentioned this somewhere up thread). It wasn't mine. They replaced my card immediately.

 

[Cochise]

I despise TFL. Drove into town on Saturday a few weeks back to visit my mother. We pre-paid the charge of £12.50, but unfortunately Mrs DT paid the charge for the Sunday instead of the Saturday in Error. We received a fine, so I called them up and explained the situation, and they wasn’t interested.

T0ssers to a man that lot down at TFL, I’m telling yers…..

Now we know where overpromoted traffic wardens go. I realise that they probably don't hate the world when they start the job, but it doesn't take them long. About as popular as the revenuers on Romney Marsh.

Declared interest - I used to work for HM Customs and Excise when it was a reputable job. Before Maggie. She couldn't understand the job was extract the maximum milk with the minimum moo.

 

[hunck]

Fake psychiatrist jailed after conning NHS out of £1,300,000​

Zholia Alemi was jailed for seven years on Tuesday after being found guilty of using a forged medical degree certificate to get a number of NHS jobs over a period of more than 20 years.

Alemi’s lie began to unravel in 2016 when a carer reported concerns about her attempts to defraud an elderly patient.

She was convicted of three fraud offences at Carlisle Crown Court.

Journalist Phil Coleman, of the Cumbrian newspaper News and Star, went on to discover Alemi had never completed the medical degree at the University of Auckland in New Zealand she claimed to have, and a police investigation was launched.

Detective Superintendent Matt Scott of Cumbria Police said: ‘We conducted search warrants in a number of properties, but predominantly in Northern Ireland at Alemi’s home address.

‘What we found there was what I would describe as a treasure trove in terms of the investigation.

‘There was what are now proven to be false certificates; there was what I’d describe as a forger’s kit with transfer letters, blank certificates of qualification that basically you could put almost anything you want on there, really.

After registering with the General Medical Council in 1995 using the fake certificate and a forged letter of verification, Alemi worked for health trusts in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, earning up to £1.3 million.

Once Alemi is sentenced, police will apply to claw back some of the money she fraudulently earned.

Mr Scott said: ‘She lived a good lifestyle, as you’d expect from somebody in such a senior role and position of responsibility.

‘So the next stage in what we want to do now is to make sure that all of those ill-gotten gains are taken from her and put back where they need to be.’

 

[escargot]

Fake psychiatrist jailed after conning NHS out of £1,300,000​

Zholia Alemi was jailed for seven years on Tuesday after being found guilty of using a forged medical degree certificate to get a number of NHS jobs over a period of more than 20 years.

Alemi’s lie began to unravel in 2016 when a carer reported concerns about her attempts to defraud an elderly patient.

She was convicted of three fraud offences at Carlisle Crown Court.

Journalist Phil Coleman, of the Cumbrian newspaper News and Star, went on to discover Alemi had never completed the medical degree at the University of Auckland in New Zealand she claimed to have, and a police investigation was launched.

Detective Superintendent Matt Scott of Cumbria Police said: ‘We conducted search warrants in a number of properties, but predominantly in Northern Ireland at Alemi’s home address.

‘What we found there was what I would describe as a treasure trove in terms of the investigation.

‘There was what are now proven to be false certificates; there was what I’d describe as a forger’s kit with transfer letters, blank certificates of qualification that basically you could put almost anything you want on there, really.

View attachment 63900

This was on our local news tonight as Alemi had worked in the area.
That journalist, Phil Coleman, what a scoop for him! Proper old-fashioned investigating.

Interestingly, Alemi was caught out the same way as Shipman was, by attempting to forge a will.

 

[catseye]

But it is as @Spookdaddy said. Small and regular amounts. Yours would not be the only card in use. The thieves are expecting that people are not monitoring their cards closely.

One sign of theft that credit card companies do look for is small amounts like $5.00 charged to cards for companies like Tim Hortons. The scammers test out the small amounts and the cards that aren't cancelled are then used for greater amounts.

I have had my card company call me for $11.00 that had been charged in an online purchase (I think I mentioned this somewhere up thread). It wasn't mine. They replaced my card immediately.

It wasn't so much the amount, it was the fact that they couldn't use the card. They clearly didn't have all the card information, so were using (presumably) the long number but without the three digit security number, so they could only use it in a place that was sufficiently 'bent' to know the card was stolen so it was showing as 'used without authorisation'.

 

[PeteS]

As far as profit harvesting goes, modest and often probably makes more sense than fishing for larger profits, but on a much less regular basis (as, I think, Isaac Newton provided mathematical proof of to the glove manufacturers of London...or something. Which didn't stop him losing a fortune during the South Sea Bubble, mind.)

Aside from the economics, smaller losses are less likely to be reported and acted upon.

Anyway. I am lonely and looking for a husband. My name is Yulia, and I like doing gymnastics in much nakedness and working for charity. My rich uncle has deposited 4.8 million US dollars resting in the Bank of Armenia, but I don't now have enough cash for a bus ticket to Yerevan....etc

But the thing is scammers rarely do have any sense which is just as well since they are easily identified. On a watch forum I look at the same scam has been reported for years, the scammers even using exactly the same wording, despite the fact that they are called out every time. You only have to look at YouTubers calling out scammers who invariably don't change their approach.

 

[ramonmercado]

A scam being used to suppress investigative journalism.

Journalists have been forced to temporarily take down articles critical of powerful oil lobbyists due to the exploitation of US copyright law, according to a new report.

At least five such articles have been subject to fake copyright claims, including one by the respected South African newspaper Mail & Guardian, according to the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP). The claims - which falsely assert ownership of the stories - have been made by mystery individuals under the US Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), a law meant to protect copyright holders.

Just last month, three separate false copyright claims were made against Diario Rombe, an investigative news outlet that focusses on Equatorial Guinea. The articles under attack are about the president of Equatorial Guinea's son, Gabriel Mbaga Obiang Lima, and his close associate, Cameroonian businessman and lawyer NJ Ayuk.

The OCCRP claimed in a report published on Wednesday that the DMCA process was often abused by "unknown parties" who create backdated fake articles to target critical news reports.

Under the US law, any online author saying that their content has been stolen can seek to have what they claim is the infringing material "taken down" by triggering a formal legal process through web servers who host the material. The process differs depending on the server provider, but it can mean content is removed from the web for weeks while the genuine author proves their credentials.

The OCCRP is yet to discover who is behind the attacks, however all the stories were critical of NJ Ayuk. NJ Ayuk, also known as Njock Ayuk Eyong, is the CEO of African law firm Centurion Law Group and the founder of the African Energy Chamber (AEC). He is also an outspoken advocate of the oil industry in Africa.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-64798469

 

[PeteS]

A scam being used to suppress investigative journalism.

Journalists have been forced to temporarily take down articles critical of powerful oil lobbyists due to the exploitation of US copyright law, according to a new report.

At least five such articles have been subject to fake copyright claims, including one by the respected South African newspaper Mail & Guardian, according to the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP). The claims - which falsely assert ownership of the stories - have been made by mystery individuals under the US Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), a law meant to protect copyright holders.

Just last month, three separate false copyright claims were made against Diario Rombe, an investigative news outlet that focusses on Equatorial Guinea. The articles under attack are about the president of Equatorial Guinea's son, Gabriel Mbaga Obiang Lima, and his close associate, Cameroonian businessman and lawyer NJ Ayuk.

The OCCRP claimed in a report published on Wednesday that the DMCA process was often abused by "unknown parties" who create backdated fake articles to target critical news reports.

Under the US law, any online author saying that their content has been stolen can seek to have what they claim is the infringing material "taken down" by triggering a formal legal process through web servers who host the material. The process differs depending on the server provider, but it can mean content is removed from the web for weeks while the genuine author proves their credentials.

The OCCRP is yet to discover who is behind the attacks, however all the stories were critical of NJ Ayuk. NJ Ayuk, also known as Njock Ayuk Eyong, is the CEO of African law firm Centurion Law Group and the founder of the African Energy Chamber (AEC). He is also an outspoken advocate of the oil industry in Africa.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-64798469

Wow never heard of this before. Corruption at it's worst.

 

[escargot]

But the thing is scammers rarely do have any sense which is just as well since they are easily identified. On a watch forum I look at the same scam has been reported for years, the scammers even using exactly the same wording, despite the fact that they are called out every time. You only have to look at YouTubers calling out scammers who invariably don't change their approach.

There's little point in changing the method if there are still plenty of marks to target.

Look at the romance scams, where victim after victim is taken in by the same photos and blurb. There are regular magazine features and entire TV shows about it, targeted at the very same people who might be taken in, but it still happens.

The people who enact the scams, at the (say) telephone call level, aren't the criminal masterminds. They don't have to be and are more or less reading a script. It's easy to exploit emotionally vulnerable people.

 

[Stormkhan]

Y'know, I wouldn't mind as much if those faking their qualifications actually did as much good as those who earned theirs.
Not for financial gain, not for kudos.
But they actually helped.