Some Current Email Scams

It is almost certain that if you use email very much, you will be getting scam letters. Today I will show you some of the ones I have been receiving. Here is one supposedly from the IRS:

Date Mon, 18 Jan 201010:00 PM
From "service@irs.gov" (address is forged)

To (addressed to nobody)

Subject IRS Notification - TAX Refund

After the last annual calculations of your fiscal activity we have determined that
you are eligible to receive a tax refund of $648.50.
Please submit the tax refund request and allow us 3-6 days in order to process it.

A refund can be delayed for a variety of reasons.
For example submitting invalid records or applying after the deadline.

In order to complete your tax refund please click the link bellow and submit the refund form:
http://xxx.xxx/xx/xx

Note: For security reasons, we will record your ip-address, the date and time.
Deliberate wrong inputs are criminally pursued and indicated.


Regards,
Internal Revenue Service

As you can see, the email is not addressed to you personally and almost never will be. The sender has no idea who you are. They purchase emails from many online sources and sometimes grab them from postings at forums and anywhere they can.

They will always ask you to send personal information or to contact someone at a different email address so they can take your money.

Thu, 21 Jan 20105:43 PM

From "Bank of America Alert" <online.banking@bankofamerica.com>

To

Subject Bank of America Alert: Update Your Account

Security Update Notification

Dear Valued Customer :

Bank Of America is constantly working to increase security for all Online Banking users. To ensure the integrity of our online payment system, we periodically review accounts. Click here to continue, Security Bank Of America .

Due to concerns, for the safety and integrity of the Bank of America account we have issued this warning message

It has come to our attention that your account information needs to be updated due to inactive members, frauds and spoof reports. If you could please take 5-10 minutes out of your online experience and renew your records you will not run into any future problems with the online service. However, failure to update your records will result in account suspension. This notification expires on January 22, 2010.

Once you have updated your account records your Bank of America account service will not be interrupted and will continue as normal.

Please follow the link above and update your account information

Sincerely, Bank Of America customer department

This one is still going around. Please remember, banks do not do this. If you are ever unsure about anything from your bank, please call them directly. I do not even have an account with this bank, which is a good tip-off that something is wrong.

Can you assist me receive a huge sum of money into your account? You can open a new account for as little as $1 if you do not feel comfortable using your existing bank account to receive this huge fund.

I am a top executive working in a bank in Ghana and I discovered an excess profit of $3 Million during a recent audit exercise. I have already submitted the audit report for the last quarter to our global head office so they will never know of this fund. I have deposited this excess fund in a special escrow account without any beneficiary. All I have to do is insert your name in our database as the depositor of the fund. Immediately I do that you then become the legal owner of the fund.

We can thereafter transfer the money to your personal account. This transaction is safe, legal and will be carried out officially. It will take only 5 days to conclude the transfer process and I am offering you 40% (US$1.2 Million) for your partnership. As soon as the fund is transferred to you I will travel down to your country to personally meet you and receive my share of 60%. I will give you further details when I hear from you.
 
Sincerely
Jim

I think I have to tell Jim, “No deal!” This is way too good to be true and is a very common ploy these days.

Ms Helena Yunos,
England, United Kingdom

I am Ms Helena Yunos, I wish to seek for your assistance in a financial transaction, however, is not mandatory nor will I in any manner compel you to honor my request against your will.  Your profile pushed me to send you this mail; I’m the daughter of late Dr. and Mrs. Yusuf Yunos. My father was a highly reputable business man (supplier of agro allied material and general merchandise) he operated in the Middle East during his days. It is sad to say that he passed away in one of his trips to the UK.

Although his death was linked or rather suspected to have been masterminded by one of our uncles who travelled with him at that time. But God knows the truth! My mother died when I was a little girl, and since then my father took me so special. Before his death in 2008, he told me about a safe he concealed the sum of Twelve Million United State Dollars. ($12,000,000.00 USD) deposited with a large investment & Security Firm in Asia.

The safe was disguised & declared as Family Personal Belongings instead of the real content money, by this way the company does not know the true content of the safe as money but family personal belongings. I have in my possession the deposit Receipt which the company gave to my late father on the day he made the deposit with the security firm in Asia. I really don't know what to do than to seek your assistance in claiming these funds on my behalf.

I have been through a lot of hard times here in London, hidden for my life. The death of my father has brought sorrows to my life. I am in a sincere desire of your assistance in this regards. Your suggestions and ideas will be highly appreciated. Will you permit me to ask these few questions:-

1. Can you honestly and willingly help me in this transaction?
2. Can I completely trust you?
3. What percentage of the total amount in question will be good for you after the money gets in your possession?

Please, read through and kindly get back to me as soon as possible.

My sincere regards,
Ms Helena Yunos.

Such a sad story and even sadder if you send them any money. There are people dying of terrible diseases and soldiers in Iraq and all of them have millions of dollars they want to give you!

Not gonna happen!

This one is so long I am only printing part of it:

Global Trust Lottery Award Promotion
Tower 42, Level 35 25 Old Broad Street
EC2N 1HQ DX 557 London
United Kingdom.

You Won GBP1,250,000.00 Global Trust Congratulates You!

This is to bring to your notice that you have been chosen as the lucky winner in the ongoing Global Trust Lottery Award Promotion for the month of January 2010 held yesterday and result released today. All active email addresses were selected through Automated Internet E-Mail Ballot System. Your E-mail address was attached to ticket number 667-87641257 with serial number 3134/1198 drew lucky numbers 7-14-18-31-45, which consequently won in the 2ND category. You are hereby-approved lump sum payment value GBP1,250,000.00.

Wow, and I didn't even enter the thing! Imagine that! There are thousands of variations of this lottery scam and they all have one thing in common: they are phony!

As you can see, there as a multitude of scams going on out there. The best way to avoid them is to be very skeptical, and always check everything out completely. Usually you can google part of the email body and get a lot of information on the scam.

I hope this has been helpful. Perhaps (with enough information) we can stop vulnerable people from falling victim to these vipers.