Is this e-mail real? Avoid tricky scams!

 

Today I received an amusing e-mail:

“Hello. I operate a consultancy firm here with name and registered address as follows: Xpress Solutions, 37 old Lilly BLVD, London NE7 9KP. A client of mine who is due to arrive in the United States in few weeks time is interested in your editing services. Can you tell me a little more about your mode of operation? If interested, please reply.”

Obviously there were several points in the e-mail that tipped me off to the scam. But sadly, not everyone figured this out. An interesting website shows a group of people who received the exact same e-mail and almost fell for it. Apparently this e-mail has been going around for years.

Want to avoid scams in the future? Here are some tips.

1. Skepticism will save you - If you receive an e-mail from someone you don’t recognize, proceed with caution. *Never* assume it’s from the person it claims. E-mails from yahoo and hotmail accounts are especially suspect.

2. Google the e-mail - This simple step may tell you everything you need to know. You might find out they’re legit by seeing other places they’ve posted as themselves. Or, you might find forums where people are discussing scams from this very person!

3. Track the e-mail – Many people don’t realize that many e-mails from yahoo and hotmail are traceable. A number of websites allow you to paste in the e-mail’s header and trace the e-mail to its original source. The e-mail I received originated in Nigeria. Scam anyone? (Note: Some people hide their IP addresses, so this isn’t always accurate.)

4. Get a phone number and address – Write the person back and, if he or she is wanting to do business with you, ask for a phone number and address. Then google the information to see if anything comes up. Sometimes you’ll find the address is connected to a completely unrelated business. Sometimes you’ll find the phone number has been connected with scam attempts in the past.

5. Never, never, never, never send money – If you decide someone’s possibly legit, remain skeptical. Recent scams involve scam artists sending a cashier’s check for more than the amount of your bill, and then requesting you mail them a check with the amount they overpaid. Some scams involve requesting you send money to cover shipping so they can send you the “real” check. Watch out.

6. Report the e-mail – Help everyone in the long run and report strange e-mails. PayPal, eBay, and the IRS have phishing accounts you can forward scam e-mails to. Yahoo also has an abuse site that follows up on your reports.

Yahoo Abuse Report
Hotmail Junk Mail address: report_spam@hotmail.com
G-mail spam reporting: gmail-abuse@google.com
IRS report: phishing@irs.gov
eBay report: spoof@ebay.com (see Spoof Tutorial)
PayPal report: spoof@paypal.com (see PayPal’s spoof page)

Want a link to a variety of places you can report scam e-mails to? Then visit here or here.

7. Stay Alert – That’s the bottom line. Check and double check every step of the way. If they call you, google the phone number they use and see what you find. Make sure the e-mails they send originate from the same place. If they don’t, you might be dealing with a scammer using an anonymous proxy. There are many other things you can do, but this will help you get started.

Stay safe out there! And if you have any other tips to add, I’d love to hear them!