Robert Siciliano is a NextAdvisor.com Expert Guest Blogger
Throughout the week past, fraudsters in Nigeria, Belgium and the United Kingdom were to come after me in full force, via craigslist. Unfortunately, the popular classifieds site online has become a launchpad for criminal activities. First of online affinity or advance fee scams to baby killers and Craigslist killer have hurt the site's reputation.
I use Craigslist to find tenants for an apartment that I own. Last year, scammers copied my text ad, except for the contact information, which they replaced with their own, and the prices, which have halved. The scammer who claimed to be the property owner informed potential tenants he was in Austria, and asked them to drive by the apartment and send a deposit check if they liked the look of the place. Fortunately, I was in there when a couple came, according to the instructions of the scammer. We discovered the ruse and contacted Craigslist. False reporting have continued to appear, but after many emails to Craigslist, they have all been removed.
Last week I posted a new ad, and within minutes, I received the following email:
Subject : SURVEY LOCATION !! hope to hear from you soon
Hello Robert,
Let me know if the room / app you advertise on craigslist.com is still available and let me know if you can accept certified check bank as a fashion payment..And latest price space.
I'm currently Belgium.I will immediately place is vacant for me to move in.But the matter is that because of the distance I will not be able to come to see the place.Meanwhile let me tell you about a bad myself..I not smoke and I do not boyfriend.Am Sarah Smith and my nickname is SERA and I am 26years old I lost my father a few years ago when I ' was young so my mother had to get married so she married Michael Scott is my stepfather now..He was the one who took care of me all this time I think he is a God m ' sent cux now I have never regretted with him..Things i like are the following reading, swimming and chatting with people around and also make them happy..I have always been thinking of how I will affect people's lives positively by donating to the less privileges cus when I watched my password when I lost my father in the story of my mother said me..I noticed that it is hard for people who as no parent.Well i hope that when we meet in person, you will know more about my stepfather me..Meanwhile the following will need to make payment to you as soon as possible ..
full name 1.your.
2.Address fully with the postal code ..
3.I will need your phone numberI expect to have this information to you so that my father can do payment for rental fees and security deposit in advance ... I am waiting to hear from you ....
Hope to hear from you very soon.
Thank you, SARAH
It is easy to dissect this scam. The person who sent this email has two objectives. First, the scammer wants to build a relationship with the brand. He or she provides (horribly written) history in an attempt to build trust. The victim is then more likely to fall for scams, following the instructions of the scammer and conducting the necessary financial transactions. Many victims are stupid enough to provide account numbers or other personal information identitifying. Second, the scammer is to establish an affinity, or advance fee scam. In this con, the scammer sends you mail a check. You deposit the check in your bank account, and he temporarily lost. In this limited time window, the scammer will ask you to return part or all of the funds. It can claim to have changed their mind about renting or buying from you, or that he accidentally made the original check for more than the agreed amount. So you wire the money. In a day or two, the bank called to let you know that the original check was counterfeit. So you lost the money you wired to the scammer.
How can you protect yourself against scams like this, or other scams that take advantage of online classified ads? Use common sense, be smart, and pay attention. If you do this, you will not fall for these types of cons.
When we were young, our parents told us not to talk to strangers. Foreigners are not yet part of our circle of trust. So do not trust them! There is no benefit to paranoia, but being a little guarded can keep you from stumbling into a vulnerable situation. Since predators use online ads to lure unsuspecting victims, you should know as much as possible about strangers who contact you. Use Google or iSearch.com to investigate names and email addresses.
Whenever possible, deal locally. People who can not meet you in your city are more likely to be crooks. And even if you do meet in person, you should be wary.
Never engage in online transactions involving credit cards, bank checks, money orders, personal checks, Western Union, MoneyGram or cash, that require you to send money to in response to a foreign money they sent you. This is an advance fee scam.
Be smart. Do not disclose your financial information, including account or Social Security numbers, for any reason. Scammers will say anything in order to get this information.
Prevent check fraud. When sending checks in the mail, you want to avoid "check washing," which occurs when the recipient changes the name of the beneficiary and increases the dollar amount, empty your checking account. Something as simple and inexpensive as a select uni-ball pen can help. These pens contain specially formulated gel ink (trademark Uni-Super Ink ™) that is absorbed into the paper fibers and can never be washed.
Secure your PC. Make sure your computer is protected by an Internet security software, and all your critical security patches are up to date.
Protect your identity. You can not prevent all forms of identity theft, but you can greatly reduce your risk by making a small investment in identity theft protection.
Robert Siciliano, identity theft speaker, discusses advance fee scams.
Robert Siciliano is CEO of IDTheftSecurity.com, an expert on identity theft, professional speaker, security analyst, published author and television news correspondent. Siciliano works with Fortune 1000 and start-up companies as a consultant on product launches, branding, messaging, representation, SEO and media. the thoughts and advice of Siciliano on all these issues often appear in both television and print media news, including CNN, MSNBC, CNBC, FOX, Forbes and USA Today. He has 25 years of safety training as a member of the American Society for Industrial Security. He is the author of two books, including The Safety Minute: Living on high alert; How to take control of your personal safety and to prevent fraud . He also established a partnership with Uni-Ball to help raise awareness of the growing threat of identity theft and provide tips on how you can protect yourself.