PRESS RELEASE:
January 1, 2007

As part of my ongoing drive to find persons and so-called opportunities that are out there to trick you, I recently joined two paid-to-read websites based on the notion that I would receive $10 into an e-gold account. The email I got read as follows (grammar and spelling is exactly how I received it):

(HELLO, THIS IS NOT SPAM. YOU ARE RECEIVING THIS MESSAGEBECAUSE YOU ARE A MEMBER
OF SMART-LIST. IF YOU WISH TO BEREMOVED FROM THIS LIST, PLEASE TYPE REMOVE IN
THE SUBJECTBOX OF YOUR REPLY.)

Hi,

Thanks For Taking Time. I Know You R Looking For Making Money.

I m giving $10 egold for being my free referral in 2 ptr’s.
i.e. Just Sign-up Thru The Links given below.

http://tinyurl.com/y8m8ch

http://tinyurl.com/y4fqly

After signing up send an email at itsmokin#hotmail.com with
your username you used to sign-up and e-gold account no.
I will send $10 to your egold account in 24 hrs. and e-mail you payment batch number.

If you don’t have an e-gold you can get it here.
Its free to join
http://www.e-gold.com/

Best Wishes,

Rocky

It was from email address riyaj.sac@gmail.com and it has been well over five days since I responded and till this day I have not received any money. Both accounts have the name ‘riyaj’ as the upline. So, look out for this email or even others similar to it. You will not get any money if you sign up. By the way, I cancelled both accounts.

The prevalence of Information Phishing online today is quite alarming. Many of us have received emails that are supposedly from a particlar individual or company requesting that we take a particular action involving submitting personal information to them. But before we continue, let us define Phishing.

A direct quote from webopedia defines it this way: Phishing is “the act of sending an e-mail to a user falsely claiming to be an established legitimate enterprise in an attempt to scam the user into surrendering private information that will be used for identity theft. The e-mail directs the user to visit a Web site where they are asked to update personal information, such as passwords and credit card, social security, and bank account numbers, that the legitimate organization already has. The Web site, however, is bogus and set up only to steal the user’s information.”

So, to make these phishing e-mail messages look even more legitimate, the scam artists may place a link in them that appears to go to the legitimate Web site, but in fact it actually takes you to a phony scam site or possibly a pop-up window that looks exactly like the official site. Another name given to these copycat sites is a “spoofed” Web sites. Once you are at one of these spoofed web sites, you might unwittingly send personal information to the con artists who are running the scam.

How can you tell if an e-mail message is fraudulent. Microsoft offers this advice:

Here are a few phrases to look for if you think an e-mail message is a phishing scam:

“Verify your account.”
Businesses should not ask you to send passwords, login names, Social Security numbers, or other personal information through e-mail.

“If you don’t respond within 48 hours, your account will be closed.”
These messages convey a sense of urgency so that you’ll respond immediately without thinking. Phishing e-mail might even claim that your response is required because your account might have been compromised.

“Dear Valued Customer.”
Phishing e-mail messages are usually sent out in bulk and often do not contain your first or last name.

“Click the link below to gain access to your account.”
HTML-formatted messages can contain links or forms that you can fill out just as you’d fill out a form on a Web site. The links that you are urged to click may contain all or part of a real company’s name and are usually “masked,” meaning that the link you see does not take you to that address but somewhere different, usually a phony Web site.

Be proactive and look out for e-mail messages that may be part of a phishing scam. I hope that this post has served as a guide to help you protect yourself from fraudulent e-mails.

Press Release:
November 30, 2006

The following is an email I received on the 29th of November. I saw right away that it was a scam. The sender did not even know my name and my email address was not in the “TO” line. Notice the poor grammar and spelling as you go along (please note that I cut and pasted the email as-is, i.e. exactly as I received it):

DATE: 11/29/06 7:42 PM [ SIZE: 3.672KB ]
FROM: African Development Bank
TO:
SUBJECT: Re Your Fund Release

African Development Bank,
(WWW.AFDB.ORG)
Ecowas Building Matama
Federal Territory
Abuja Nigeria
Official Email:mrdonaldkaberuka@presidency.com

Subject: You’re Fund Release

I am Mr. Donald Kaberuka, President of the African Development bank, I am writing this message to inform you that my office has Taking over all the money Transaction originated from any part Of Africa and Europe counties as Contract payment, Fund Inheritance or Lottery Winning due to excessive demand of up Front payment by corrupt officials of Apex banks and some Security companies as reported by the International Community,

Subsequently, the World Bank Group has Mandated the African Development bank via my office to release funds to approved Fund beneficiaries through a certified International Cashier’s Bank Draft, Hence Your Name/Email address appears as one of the approved fund beneficiaries whom their fund was Successfully cleared recently from Terrorist and Money laundry, therefore your money will be Released to you through An International Cashier’s Bank Draft on Your contact to our Account Officer, Rev Kampson Lars through his Telephone Number: 234 8055760492 ext 212 Email revkampsonlarsaccan@accountant.com

On this process you are advised to forward your direct telephone numbers, complete name and mailing address to Rev Kampson Lars for immediate release of your money to you, Note that Ten Million Dollars Only (US10,000,000.00) was allocated to you, Be also informed that the Fund Approvals and authorization document Including Antiterrorist Clearance Certificate was issued in your name and has been handed over to Rev Kampson Lars to Authorized him Issue the International cashier’s bank
Draft in your name and send to you through a faster courier company Preferably DHL,

Finally, You are advised to dissociate from any way you may have been working to receive this money no matter your commitment to avoid Mis information and excessive demand of upfront payment, The account officer Rev Kampson Lars is standby to receive your communication and release your fund to you through International Cashier’ Bank Draft without further Delay, Make your contact directly to Rev Kampson Lars through
Telephone Number: 234 8055760492 ext 212 mail:revkampsonlarsaccan@accountant.com
Thanks for Your Cooperation.
Mr. Donald Kaberuka (President)
www.afdb.org

Anytime you see an email like this, please disregard and delete it. In most cases, you will be asked to send money for them to release your “funds” to you. It is a scam and you will only lose your money. You will never see the ‘Ten Million Dollars’ they claim to have for you.