Are Anti-Aging Products Containing Resveratrol Scamming Innocent People?

Getting old happens to the best of us – and ever since Juan Ponce de Leon went to Florida in 1512 on a quest to find the fountain of youth – many have searched for a miracle that would stop, slow or reverse the aging process.

The marketing of Resveratrol is the latest chapter in this saga and has inspired some greedy and not very honest entities to hawk Resveratrol products over the Internet they claim are "guaranteed." The only guarantee with some of these products is that the person buying them might end up spending a lot of money for nothing.

The sad truth is that there are companies selling Resveratrol supplements that appear to be using deceptive marketing practices. If you see a come-on for Resveratrol, I would carefully consider, whether or not, it appears a little too be too good to be true and follow the principle of "caveat emptor" (buyer beware). Of course, it always pays to read the “fine print” (as you will see below), also.

Please note, I'm not here to dispute the possible health benefits of Resvervatrol or recommend if people should use it. The research on it is pretty exciting and I truly hope the results are positive.

There is research showing that Resveratrol has the ability to cure diseases caused by aging and increase life spans. 60 Minutes, Oprah and many other media sources have done stories on it – but although it is being studied seriously – it still hasn’t been approved by the FDA.

Unfortunately, seeming credible evidence is often twisted by greedy people with the intent of making a quick buck, who make it appear they are legitimate when they are not.

Horror stories are starting to pop in Internet forums from ordinary people – who buy Resveratrol and end up paying a lot more than they should have. Even worse, they might end up buying something that isn’t really Resveratrol. A lot of supplements are hawked via spam advertising, where the source might be slightly questionable. The latest estimates are that over 90 percent of all e-mail is spam. Spam is known to contain a lot of deceptive and outright criminal come-ons.

Of course, spam advertising isn't the only venue where Resveratrol is being marketed. Dr. Oz has talked about Resveratrol on Oprah and the article on this from Oprah.com has put in a disclaimer that Harpo productions is pursuing companies that are claiming an affiliation with Dr. Oz or Oprah. I even found an ad page from a "Dr. Os" (note the spelling difference), which is hawking Resveratrol. The page has a YouTube video with the real Dr. Oz talking about Resveratrol. Didn't go so far as to confirm it, but I would be careful about buying anything on this site, which offers up to two free bottles of Resveratrol.

Sadly enough the Oprah.com article – with the disclaimer – is buried by all the other sites using Dr. Oz and other assorted mainstream media stories about Resveratrol. If you want to see what I am talking about, a simple search for "Resveratrol" pulls up an amazing amount of Internet marketing selling Resveratrol. Some of the advertising has "warnings" that Resveratrol products might be harmful to someone's health or a scam. Most of these ads lead to the product the advertiser putting out the warning is selling.

The sheer volume of advertising on Resveratrol makes it hard for the average person to determine what is legitimate and what is not.

Besides the disclaimer being made by Oprah, there is some interesting buzz on her forums about a product called "Resveratrol Ultra.". Many of the people leaving comments on these forums have had their credit cards repetitively charged after signing up for a free trial of this particular product. The true cost is $87.13 for the free trial (if you don’t immediately return it) and they keep shipping you their product and charging you this amount, monthly.

I went to the Resveratrol Ultra site and it has a YouTube clip of the 60 minutes story. One thing I noticed is there is a disclaimer on the site, which states:

The 15 day Free Trial offer is designed to display the quality and effectiveness of Resveratrol Ultra. This gives you the opportunity to try this remarkable program for FREE (just pay shipping and handling) so you can come to a decision for yourself if this is the right product for you.

We want you to be pleased with our products. If it is not all you expected it to be, or you're unsatisfied in any way just return the unused portion 15 days from the date that the product was originally shipped to you for a refund. We are committed to providing superior products and service to our customers. If you are not completely satisfied, contact us and we will make it right for you. Guaranteed!

If you read the complaints this seems to allow them to start charging you $87.13 a month starting with the free offer unless you return the product in 15 days. Based on the comments in Oprah's forum and on a personal conversation I had with a victim -- good luck getting any cooperation from Resveratrol Ultra in getting a refund once this happens. Other complaints state it is even hard to get them to stop billing you $87.13 a month.

Of course, Oprah.com isn't the only place where the public is crying foul about a company selling a Resveratrol product. Complaintboard.com is warning people about Resveratrol complaints and there are also YouTube videos about the subject.

I did a search on mainstream drug store sites and found Resveratrol for about $7 to $12 a bottle. This seems to be a more sensible way to go than paying almost $100 a bottle if you choose to try Resveratrol before the FDA approves it. These places won’t keep charging your credit card, over and over again, either.

If anyone reading this has a complaint, the best place to report it would be the Federal Trade Commission. You can do so right on their site. I ran a search on the FTC site and so far there is nothing about Resveratrol companies, but if enough people complain to them, perhaps there will be.

Posting complaints in Internet forums is an honorable thing to do – but my guess is that if the FTC gets enough complaints they will look into it and go after the people doing it – a lot more, effectively!

To close this post, I would like to reach out to all the mainstream sources which have covered Resveratrol. Their stories are being used to market these products. It sure would be nice if they took the time to cover this aspect of the story more effectively. The few warnings out there about this are easily buried by all the people selling Resveratrol!

My inspiration to write this post came from a Nurse Carol, who spent a career working in Public Health and holds a Master's Degree. She fell for the free trial part of this and has gone through hours of pain and suffering trying to get her money back. Despite cancelling the product after realizing what it was all about, her credit card is still be billed by Resveratrol Ultra as I write this. Although Nurse Carol isn’t a celebrity like Doctor Oz, I can guarantee she recommends that anyone considering using Resveratrol exercise caution before handing over a method of payment.

How to buySAFE on the Internet

(Courtesy of buySAFE)

The Center for American Progress and the Center for Democracy and Technology recently released a report concluding that not enough is being done to protect the public from fraud on the Internet. "If problems such as malware, phishing, and spam are left unchecked, many consumers may lose trust and abandon e-commerce," according to the report.

What if a shopper could safely enjoy the convenience, lower prices and choices offered by the world of e-commerce, while avoiding all the fraud lurking on the Internet free?

In 2006, buySAFE entered the e-commerce scene with a unique concept, giving sellers the ability to become bonded and display the buySAFE seal on their site. Once a seller is bonded, the purchase is guaranteed up to $25,000.

The buySAFE guarantee covers virtually any loss that might occur during an online shopping transaction. This includes, but isn't necessarily limited to fraud, phishing and financial misdeeds.

Last month, they grew their concept with the buySAFE Shopping Advisor, which is a free software tool that rates the safety/security of all sites within a search term. The tool also points to sites sites with the buySAFE seal, which guarantees the transaction.

Shopping Advisor leverages buySAFE’s advanced technology and bonded merchant customer base to provide a fully closed-loop safe shopping experience. "There is nothing else like it in the world as it provides comprehensive safe shopping for consumers from search through purchase and beyond – guaranteed," according to Jeff Grass, buySAFE's CEO.

While buySAFE offers a free service to the e-consumer, they aren't in business to lose money. Some of the due diligence performed on every bonded merchant includes ensuring they have a SSL certificate and a privacy policy describing how they protect personal information. Additionally, bonded sellers are required to allow buySAFE access to inspect their business anytime they choose to do so.

Shopping Advisor provides a tool to analyze e-commerce sites and provides a safe shopping portal, which consists of bonded sellers, only. Once in the safe shopping portal every purchase is guaranteed within the limits of the bond buySAFE provides.

Shopping Advisor uses buySAFE's proprietary website inspection and assessment technology to analyze almost 100 different safety/security attributes of an e-commerce site. It then provides objective ratings on the site when searching with Google, Yahoo and MSN (Firefox is on the way). This allows the shopper to make an informed decision before forking over their hard-earned cash.

Within the Shopping Advisor tool is the Safe Shopping Portal providing alternative product choices from thousands of merchants that are protected with the buySAFE seal. It is within the Safe Shopping Portal that every purchase is guaranteed with a Bond of up to $25,000 and it's protected against identity theft, also.

Essentially, Shopping Advisor shows all the shopping opportunities for the search term listed, rates the sites in question and then gives the consumer the ability to make an informed buying decision. If the buyer chooses to buy a product via the Safe Shopping Portal, it is automatically guaranteed and the transaction is protected against identity theft for 30 days. When the buyer purchases an item from the Safe Shopping Portal, they automatically receive an e-mail with the specifics on the guarantee for their personal records.

buySAFE offers a lot of benefits to sellers, also. The biggest is which is what ensures any successful business, or the trust of it's customers. They've also added a cost-per-sale pricing model that has received positive feedback from the merchants using it. If a merchant needs more information on this, I'll refer them to Jeff Grass' blog, or the press release on this matter.

According to most if not all of the reports out there, Internet crime continues to grow and become more sophisticated. Saying that, no matter how sophisticated it becomes the primary motivation to commit cybercrime is money. This rings true from the most simple social engineering scheme to most sophisticated attacks using crimeware. What buySAFE has done is remove this primary motivator from the mix, or at least made it a lot less attractive to Internet fraudsters, charlatans and tricksters.

Shopping Advisor takes this concept to the next level by providing the consumer with a tool to make an educated shopping decision without falling prey to the pitfalls of a too good be true come-on. Too good to be true lures are the common theme Internet fraudsters, charlatans and tricksters use to snare their prey. In other words, Shopping Advisor is a tool a consumer can effectively use to practice the principle known as caveat emptor, or buyer beware.

buySAFE is also offering a shopper referral program. They pay $1.00 for every user referred to Shopping Advisor. This is a great fundraiser opportunity for charities, sports leagues, churches or any good cause.

If your car gets stolen, eBay might be a good place to look for it!

If your car was recently stolen, it might be a good idea to check out the listings on eBay, according to Dariusz Grabowski, a.k.a (also known as) as the "eBay king of stolen cars."

Rick Hepp at the Star-Ledger reports:

Grabowski and his crew would buy junked or damaged vehicles at auctions and look for similar newer cars to steal. Once they found a car they wanted, they would get its vehicle identification number, usually found in sales ads or right on the car's windshield.

Today's newer car keys can only be duplicated if their computer chips are programmed according to the vehicle identification numbers. Car owners who lose their keys and want duplicates generally go to locksmiths who program the new keys by getting "key codes" from database companies hired by auto manufacturers.

Posing as a locksmith, Grabowski got these codes from the database companies and then made brand new keys. His crew took the keys and simply drove off with the cars.

Before selling the cars, they made them look legitimate by switching the vehicle identification numbers with the ID numbers of the junked cars they had bought.

Grabowski learned how to do all of this by surfing websites that provide technical assistance to locksmiths, and interestingly enough, buying any hardware he needed, on eBay:

You go online, you find anything you need," Grabowski told the investigators in the videotaped interview. "You can go on eBay at this point and purchase any of the equipment you need. Of course, I might pick this up easier than other people.

From there, Grabowski got a business license, which he made on a computer "real quick" and lavished special attention on a female owner of a company licensed to provide locksmiths with the necessary code to clone keys.

Grabowski and crew have all been convicted, but their victims are still paying the price for their misdeeds. New Jersey State Investigator, Jeffrey Lorman was quoted in the article as saying:

The buyers were happy with the cars, they got a great deal. Then we found out about Dariusz and the stolen cars were recovered. Some of these people are still paying for cars they no longer have.

The article mentioned that Grabowski was affiliated with a lot of other Polish nationals, involved in the business of stealing cars, also.

Our friend Dariusz, might or might not be the eBay king of stolen cars. If he is, he isn't alone, at least according to Google. A simple Google search reveals a large amount of information related to scams involving automobiles on eBay, here.

Fraud, Phishing and Financial Misdeeds a.k.a. (sometimes) FraudWar has a lot of information on auction fraud (if anyone is interested), here.

My advice is to be extremely cautious when buying a car on an auction site! If you choose to be cautious a good place to perform due diligence is CarBuyingTips.com, which can be seen, here.

The word is caveat emptor, latin for "buyer beware."

Star-Ledger article, here.

FlexiSpy - software that spies on people via their smart phone

There is already a lot of "buzz" that mobile phones, especially those of the smarter variety, will be targeted for their "information value."

A product called "FlexiSPY" is being legally sold, which allows anyone (with the money to buy it) to invade the privacy of someone, who uses a smart phone.

Here is FlexiSPY's marketing pitch (from their site):

Catch cheating wives or cheating husbands, stop employee espionage, protect children, make automatic backups, bug meetings rooms etc.

If FlexiSPY is installed on a smart phone, it downloads data to their server 4 times a day, which can be accessed via the Internet by anyone paying for their service 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

The FlexiSPY site blasts F-Secure, a security vendor, for calling their software a trojan, and claims FlexiSPY will not answer their e-mails. This is probably because F-Secure was the first one to question this software and it's potential abuse factor. The site claims F-Secure's true intent is to sell their own software, which can remove FlexiSPY.

This is partially true, billions are made in the spy versus spy (white-hat versus black-hat) world of computer security. Although, in all fairness, F-Secure isn't the only on record that is worried about the use of FlexiSPY's spyware.

According to FlexiSPY, their software IS NOT a trojan because it has to be loaded on a telephone by a human being, and the software doesn't replicate itself.

I wonder how long it will be before a hacker figures out how to drop the software remotely? Of course, it also makes sense that FlexiSPY wouldn't want someone to be able to replicate their software. Replicated software doesn't make them any money.

I'll leave it to the reader's imagination how a product like this could be used by criminals, spies, or stalkers.

It never ceases to amaze me how some of these products are sold right over the Internet to ANYONE! It gives credence to the old saying, "there ought to be a law."

FlexiSPY even lists several electronic publications on their site as "talking about them." I decided to see what a few of them (besides F-Secure) had to say.

Gizmodo states:

The software allows a sickening amount of privacy invading features.

Endgaget states:

While FlexiSPY is designed to install itself invisibly, it's now been officially categorized as a trojan (which, face it, it really is) and has been added to F-Secure's virus database.

And the Register states:

A piece of software which allows a user to track another person's mobile phone use would be almost impossible to use in the UK without breaking the law, according to a surveillance law expert.

If fact, using this software could be illegal and subject to penalties in most of the civilized world. Most of these countries would require some sort of court order, even if this technology were to be used by law enforcement.

Gizmodo story, here.

Engadget story, here.

Register story, here.

FlexiSPY acknowledges the same concern that the surveillance law expert brings up in the Register article about them:

It is the responsibility of the user of FlexiSPY to ascertain, and obey, all applicable laws in their country in regard to the use of FlexiSPY for "sneaky purposes". If you are in doubt, consult your local attorney before using FlexiSPY. By downloading and installing FlexiSPY, you represent that FlexiSPY will be used in only a lawful manner. Logging other people's SMS messages & other phone activity or installing FlexiSPY on another person's phone without their knowledge can be considered as an illegal activity in your country. Vervata assumes no liability and is not responsible for any misuse or damage caused by our FlexiSPY. It's final user's responsibility to obey all laws in their country. By purchasing & downloading FlexiSPY, you hereby agree to the above.

I guess the old latin saying "caveat emptor" (buyer beware) applies in this instance!

Will Gift Card Sites Become a Fraud Problem?

This morning, I read a story in the San Jose Mercury about organized retail theft - which mentioned how shoplifting gangs are stocking up for the Christmas season.

The story quoted Joseph LaRocca, of the National Retail Federation:

"Goods stolen by organized or professional thieves are sometimes sold cheaply at flea markets, on street corners or in impromptu home boutiques, say retail security experts. They can end up as fraudulent returns to stores. And in a high-tech age, they can be "e-fenced'' on online auction sites."

Also mentioned was how gift cards are being bought and stolen with fraudulent checks and credit cards.

Not mentioned in the article is the fact that gift cards are also issued as refunds when someone doesn't have a receipt and that "hackers" have been able to load "blank cards" in the past.

And new "gift-card auction sites" seem to be popping up all over the Internet.

Marshall Loeb of MARKETWATCH recently did a story on these sites, which attributed this new trend to consumers not using up their old cards. While this might be true -- gift card fraud is nothing new -- and I have to wonder how many cards sold on these sites were the result of one fraudulent transaction, or another?

And even the article states that consumers should be wary:

Consumer advocates warn that you should be careful when doing business on these sites. There is virtually no way to avoid fraud completely; a seller could post and sell cards that have no value. Some sites have built in safeguards to prevent this from happening. CardAvenue.com, for example, validates cards listed at more than $100 and will cover up to $100 of a card's value if it proves to be a dud (you have to pay a $10 deductible, though).

After reading this, I had another thought, which was that eBay warns people all the time not to do off-eBay transactions, but they do anyway - and there are many of them who become fraud victims.

It's amazing what a few "too good to be true deals" will harvest in the way of victims.

Will we see the same thing on these "gift card sites?"

A couple of years ago - eBay limited the number of cards that could be sold by any one seller - as a result of all the fraud and some pressure by corporate victims (retailers).

Now - it seems - that these gift card sites are stepping into to fill the "void" left by eBay's change in policy.

A lot of these sites are too new to have developed a history, but given the history of gift cards being tied into fraud - it's probably a matter of time before we see problems.

I would strongly recommend that buyer's be careful (caveat emptor) and that the "retail industry and law enforcement" keep a "watchful eye" on these sites.

Of course - my guess - is that they already are!

A closing thought is that even if the cards work - if they were a result of a fraud transaction - we all end up paying for it in the end.

Businesses wouldn't stay in business otherwise.

If you are interested in how much gift card fraud there is out there, click on the title of this post.

Counterfeit Cashier's Checks Fuel Internet Crime

Tom Fragala - Truston Identity Theft Blog - and I were talking about how counterfeit cashier's checks have become a long-term problem in the world of Internet crime.

It's often difficult to verify that a check is counterfeit. They often use valid account numbers, which verify (easily) in the computerized telephone systems that most banks use today. Quite simply, unless the bank or the account owner is aware of that their account is being counterfeited - the item will appear to be legitimate.

Furthermore -- a lot of banks have taken the stance in recent years -- that they will not verify whether a check is good, or not. It's getting harder all the time to verify checks with banks.

The lottery, auction, work-at-home (check cashing), romance, advance fee (419) and secret shopper scams all have a common theme -- they often use counterfeit cashiers checks to lure victims into negotiating the item and wiring the money off to some far-away location.

The fraudsters often request that you use Western Union, or MoneyGram to wire money to them. They are also known to use wire transfers services offered by banks. Once the money is picked up (normally very quickly in scams), the sender has very little, or no recourse.

The golden rule is to never wire money to people you don't know, or only know from the Internet.

To understand why Internet fraudsters prefer counterfeiting these instruments, one can refer to the legal definition of a cashier's check (courtesy of Wikipedia):

Under Article 3 of the Uniform Commercial Code, a cashier's check is effective as a note of the bank. Also, according to Regulation CC (Reg CC) of the Federal Reserve, cashier's checks are recognized as "guaranteed funds" and amounts under $5000 are not subject to deposit holds, except under certain circumstances.

To the person receiving the item, they appear as if they are guaranteed by the bank and if the check is under $5,000.00 - there is no hold on the funds. The fraudsters know this and it will normally be 7-10 days before their victim discovers that anything is wrong.

There was a recent story circulating in the press about a "seemingly cautious gentleman," who decided to have his bank examine the item before he went forward with an auction deal. The bank told him the item was good (twice) and he deposited it. Several days later, while reviewing his online statement, he discovered that this wasn't the case and the bank had withdrawn the funds.

In the article, the bank blamed "Reg CC," because they are unable to hold the funds. Not completely true, an exception can be made if they have reason to believe the item can't be collected. The item may also be sent in as a collection versus depositing it in the account.

Nonetheless, in this instance, the bank had little to no liability because the item was counterfeit.

To illustrate, the amount of this activity, the FDIC sends out alerts on counterfeit cashier's checks. If you would like to see how many alerts -- they've issued recently (scary) -- link here.

Here are some things a person can do to see if a cashier's check is fraudulent:

If someone is asking you to wire money back to them - it's more than likely a scam.

Review the security features of a cashier's check. Despite the "booming" make your own check industry, some of the items out there are pretty amateur. Wikipedia has a good reference on the security features, here.

Review recent FDIC alerts - in a lot of cases, a warning has already been issued.

Verify the check with the issuing institution. Although this isn't 100 percent effective in the case of a counterfeit, they can normally verify certain items; like the ABA/account number, payee, check number, date of issuance, authorized signer and amount.

When you call the bank, never use the number printed on the check. Quite often - phony numbers with phony employees are set up to verify these items. Get the bank's number from a website, or telephone directory. Using 411 (information) might not be the best way to verify a number. Recently, there have been phony numbers set up that verify through - and reverse - through 411.

Since, there are also a lot of phony bank sites out there, if you use the Internet, TrustWatch is a good option for a search engine. TrustWatch will show you via a "coded coloring system," whether the site is verified to be legitimate, or not.

In some instances, good cashier's checks are copied, which defeats verifying the item by telephone. Once the counterfeit item is cashed, the fraudster negotiates the good item and the counterfeit is returned. This is also seen (occasionally) with counterfeit money orders.

If you are still uncomfortable after talking to the bank - ask to speak to a supervisor, or even better - someone in the fraud department. Ask if you can fax them a copy of the item for them to look at. A good way to do this - is to tell them you have a reason to suspect fraud.

Scams that involve, counterfeit cashier's checks, always represent something that is too good to be true. If this is the case, it probably is.

How to Spot a Counterfeit on eBay

Steve Swoda (founder of buySAFE) offers the following tips on how to avoid buying counterfeit merchandise (knockoffs) on eBay.

These tips were published in the Miami Herald a couple of weeks ago:

• Don't buy based on price alone. We all know that if the price is too good to be true, it probably is. Not all knockoffs are cheap, however. High prices can add a sense of legitimacy, and many knockoff sellers know this. Just because the price is high doesn't mean it's authentic.
  
• Pictures aren't always worth a thousand words. If a seller has only a few pictures and won't share more, you know you're dealing with someone illegitimate. Anyone selling high-value goods -- used or new -- understands the importance of authenticity. If the merchant is selling something genuine, he'll have nothing to hide.
  
• Read the fine print. Some ''e-tailers'' or auction sellers will lure you in with words that you're likely to use, such as ''Chanel'' or ''Gucci.'' Many sites also resort to overkill with words such as 'authentic,'' or 'genuine'' to describe items. It's only by reading carefully through the descriptions that you will see comments such as ''inspired by . . .'' to let you know that the merchandise isn't an exact copy. This sort of wording affords the seller immunity from trademark infringement.
  
• Return or get burned. Make sure the seller offers a return policy, or ensure that he uses a buyer-protection program.
  
• The extras. Designers love to provide value-added extras, such as boxes, identity cards and storage bags. The counterfeiters are always one step ahead, so don't let down your guard. Recent reports indicate that counterfeiters are even buying fake receipts to prove authenticity.
  
• At the end of the day, it's caveat emptor. If you suspect that the merchandise isn't genuine, don't buy it.

Link, here.

Of course, fake receipts are nothing new - shoplifters have used them for years to refund stolen merchandise. A Google search will show you that this "activity" is alive and well on the Internet, here.

Someone should go after the companies selling the means to do this!

Steve also does a blog, "Steve Woda's Blog: buySAFE, eCommerce, Trust & Safety" and was recently appointed to the "Commonwealth of Virginia's Joint Commission on Technology & Science Cybercrimes Advisory Committee."

Here is a previous post, I did on how to safely navigate auction sites:

25 Ways to Avoid Auction Fraud From a Seller's Perspective

I did a post on counterfeit goods (knockoffs), it mentions a book by Tim Phillips on the subject (Knockoff), which is a great reference on this subject:

Counterfeit Goods, A Borderless Problem

Aids Cure, Another Lure in the Internet Fraud Saga

Research has come a long way since Aids was discovered in the early 80's, but no cure has been found yet.

SophosLabs is reporting that a new advance fee (spam) e-mail is circulating claiming to have found a cure for aids. Here is what they have to say:

"However, Sophos warns computer users that this is a ruse to steal personal details, and that the fraudsters behind the scam campaign can use such information to steal money from bank accounts and commit identity fraud."

"People who receive this email may believe they are helping the world fight AIDS, as well as potentially make themselves some money from the proceeds of any distribution of a successful cure. However, the scammers are just using another method to try to dupe computer users into divulging sensitive information," said Carole Theriault, senior security consultant for Sophos. "It's particularly sick of the hackers to exploit human illness in their search for innocent computer users to fleece."

"This email con-trick is the latest of many 419 scams. These scams are named after the relevant section of the Nigerian penal code where many of the scams originated and are unsolicited emails where the author offers a large amount of money. Once a victim has been drawn in, requests are made from the fraudster for private information which may lead to requests for money, stolen identities, and financial theft."

There is a copy of the letter on the alert from Sophos.

Unfortunately, the alert - which contains the e-mail in question - is cut-off before it is clear exactly what the scam entails. It also makes references to stealing personal information (identity theft) - which can be done via "social engineering," or by visiting a "rogue website" and picking up some malware on your system.

I decided to "dig a little deeper" and used one of my favorite tools, "Google."

Sure enough, I was able to find more information on this - including "WHOIS" data regarding the origin of the e-mails. Interestingly enough, this version of the scam has been around for since February, 2005. The e-mail in the Sophos alert was dated this month (July).

This version was reported by Joe Wein, who runs a Japanese software company that sells spam and on-line fraud protection.

In this version, the e-mail using a UK e-mail address from a IP address in Nigeria. The letter claims to be from an Indian doctor.

It appears Joe corresponded with the scammer and the lure to obtain personal information appears to be of a "social engineering" (human con) type. The e-mail asks for patients medical information, which in turn will probably be used for "identity theft" purposes.

The additional e-mails also mentions having the "aids drugs" sent to people. Please note that there also is a big problem with the sale of "useless" counterfeit drugs on the Internet. Most of us get spam e-mails about this all the time, at least in our spam filters.

In both of the e-mails, I was unable to find any "direction" to a "rogue site," which might install spyware, malware, or crimeware on a computer.

If you would like to view this version, link here.

Having the proper protection on your computer is extremely important, but being knowledgeable of "social engineering" is critical, also.

The term "buyer beware" (caveat emptor) is a good thing to think about before proceeding with a transaction on the Internet. A little "digging" and verifying facts is prudent, also.

"If it's too good to be true - it might not be."

When Someone Rips You Off - Take Action!

Consumers are ripped off daily, especially when hiring independent specialists from the "service industry."

Eric Larsen (Ashbury Press) wrote an interesting article on what to do before you buy - and maybe more importantly - how to effectively file a consumer complaint. Here is a quote from the article:

"New Jersey has one of the strongest consumer protection agencies in the nation, said Kimberly S. Ricketts, who was appointed director of the state division by former Gov. Richard J. Codey one year ago."

"The division has full enforcement authority over New Jersey's Consumer Fraud Act and can levy fines up to $10,000 for first offenses and $20,000 for subsequent offenses by businesses. "While dealing with consumer complaints is certainly at the core of our mission, we want to educate consumers before they have a complaint," Ricketts said."

Ricketts said the top five complaints the division receives are, in order: 1. home improvement contractors; 2. autos; 3. banking, financial and investment complaints; 4. home furnishings and appliances; 5. hometown businesses such as health clubs, movers, travel agencies and employment agencies.

Here is how to effectively practice the art of "Caveat Emptor," or let the buyer beware:

How To: File a Consumer Complaint

The biggest problem out there is too many people don't report this type of activity. Although this article is specific to New Jersey - most States have an agency that is responsible for this. Not reporting these frauds only means that you will never have a chance of getting satisfaction and that someone else will probably get "ripped-off."

I recently had a relative ripped-off for a considerable amount of money in a home improvement scam. Although, we were both novices in the "consumer fraud world" - the two of us put our heads together and filed with some local agencies. Even though the "contractor" had disappeared (3,000 miles away), he was arrested - transported cross-country in a prison bus - and charged criminally. In the end, my relative, was made financially "whole" and got a lot of satisfaction out of knowing he had prevailed and put this gentleman "out-of-business."

Interestingly enough, this fine fellow ripped off a lot of people and amazingly enough - most of them gave up and wrote it off as a "loss." In this case, many of the people concerned - were upper middle-class and well educated. The sad fact is that most of them didn't know where to begin and gave up.

In case you need a resource, here is a good one. It lists resources within the United States and all over the world, where one can seek help and take action:

Consumer World: Consumer Agencies

Counterfeit Postal Money Orders Showing Up in IScams Again

If someone you know over the Internet asks you to cash a money order -- or offers it you as a form of payment -- it's probably best to remember the old legal term "Caveat emptor, or "Buyer Beware."

As reported by readers and other sources, the Internet market is (again) being flooded with counterfeit U.S. Postal Money Orders. After not being around for awhile, these items are raising their ugly head again.

The U.S. Postal Inspectors have speculated in the past that these items are being counterfeited in Western Africa and Eastern Europe. For an interesting article from the NY Times about this, link here.

This is probably the best article, I've read on this subject.

The Postal Inspectors also have a page on how to identify counterfeit money orders.

Yes, counterfeit Postal Money Orders are making a come back, but the core activity has never stopped. The Internet is full of counterfeit methods of payment and the best way to avoid becoming a victim is to recognize the social hook the criminal uses, or "something too good to be true."

While we thought counterfeit Postal Money Orders were a thing of the past, they were replaced with counterfeit items from other money order issuers and legitimate money orders, which were altered.

Of course, there are also those counterfeit cashiers checks, which have been done from so many different financial institutions, it seems impossible to keep up with.

Internet fraud artists are constantly mutating their methods to confuse their victims.

In a recent post on Internet scams, I wrote:

"Thus far, these money orders are showing up mostly in Advance fee fraud (419) scams.

The Advance Fee scam is where a ruse is used to get a victim to send them money (nowadays normally wire-transfer) in anticipation of riches (or sometimes love) to come. The best known is the "Nigerian Letter," but the activity has mutated into romance, lottery, auction, check cashing, work at home and reshipping (as mentioned below) scams.

In a lot of the more recent Advance Fee activity, the victim is tricked into involving themselves in criminal activity, whether it be forwarding stolen merchandise, or negotiating bogus financial transactions and sending the funds elsewhere."

When someone from a Internet source offers free money, romance, or to pay more than something is worth - you are probably dealing with a fraudster.

Anyone, who does this for them, ends up with a huge loss. Even if you can convince the authorities you are a victim, the civil responsibility will still fall on you.

To make matters worse, a lot of petty criminals are getting in on the action, also. They get on the Internet, impersonate victims, get the instruments and then cash them with no intention of sending money back to the crook that sent them the item.

I predict, it's going to get harder and harder to convince the authorities that the person cashing them is totally innocent. Recently - in a "Judge Judy" episode - her "honor" chewed a defendant up and down for cashing a bunch of counterfeit money orders (through her sister's account) and claiming to be "totally innocent." In less than a minute, Judge Judy was easily able to establish that this victim had benefited financially from her transaction and had in fact never wired any money anywhere.

Best bet for all of this is to learn how to spot this activity and when we do, run away from it as fast as we can!

Of course, reporting it and making other's aware can help, also.