You get all kinds of emails talking about scams, and most of the time I immediantly check Snopes to make sure it’s legitimate or not (and usually it’s not). There was one going around about a year ago in forwarded email that talked about watching when you filled your car up with gas because gang members were hiding under cars, and they would slit the back of your ankle with a knife slicing your Achilles tendon so you couldn’t walk – and then hijacking your car. This was a fraudulent story that never happenned, an urban legend. There was another one that gave some special code to use to dial 911 on your cell phone, and yet another code to use to give your cell phone more battery life – all fraudulent.
But sometimes the stories seem all to real, and more and more the spam emails prey on people that are expecting an email. Now they send out emails regarding bonus checks for people signing on to a new job, or worse from their retirement account or something. If you were expecting such a check, the spam email might seem real to you. This official article from the United States FDIC warns of such a ‘cashier’s check scam’. Even though the bulletin was from 2002, I’ve seen emails like it this year.
This article from the United States FTC warns or being way about ‘sweepstakes winnings’. Most people have enough common sense to know that you never pay for sweepstakes winnings, but I’m sure we all know a relative or friend that doesn’t. Geeks unite – warn your friends and family about such things, we are often their first line of defense! Have you been scammed or known someone who has? Comment now…
