Racehorse TALK

Employment web scam being pressured to shut down
Aka:

Location:
WA Australia


The Ministry of Fair Trading in Perth is warning people to be aware of an Internet scam that preys on the unemployed.

The scam - Project 21 - is being advertised in the employment sections of newspapers. The ads are uninformative and usually give only an e-mail address for interested parties to respond in relation to positions as an "e-mail processor", working from home.

People who respond to the ads are encouraged to buy a kit that will show them how to make money.


A spokesman for the Ministry of Fair Trading said the kit consists mainly of the advice to "place an advertisement like the one you responded to and sell this kit to people who contact you".

People who buy the kit can only make money by promoting the scam to other unsuspecting job seekers.

Mr Ray Lane, an investigator with the Fair Trading Ministry, said more than 30 people had been told to refund cash or face legal proceedings.



"Some people are happy to see how far they can go without being prosecuted. They are well known to us and it is just a question of time when those people misjudge the ministry`s resolve. Any one of them runs the risk of being the test case," said Mr Lane.

Mr Lane said the ministry had been investigating the scam for sometime and were attempting to shut it down.

He said making false or misleading statements about employment or the profitability or risk of home business ventures was in breach of the Fair Trading Act.

If you have any information on this matter, please email us at scams@crimenet.com.au.

`Free` offers on the internet
Aka:

Location:
Australia


What is a ‘free’ offer on the internet and why can it be a scam?
‘Free’ offers displayed on the internet often turn out to be scams. They might offer you free access to an otherwise restricted site, free shares, free downloads, free trials of certain products or even a free holiday. They can appear as annoying pop-ups while you are on the net or as ads at the tops or margins of websites. Sometimes entire websites could be set up to advertise a ‘free’ offer.

Usually, the offers either require you to provide credit card, bank account or other personal details, or they require you to pay an upfront fee to claim your ‘free’ prize or product.

Of course, there are many sites on the internet that legitimately offer free products or services and that are not scams. The warning signs below can help you decide if an offer is likely to be a scam or not.


Warning signs
You follow an internet ad or pop-up window that is advertising a free product or service.
When you try to find out more about a free offer, you are directed to a different website with more advertising.
The website offering the ‘free’ product does not appear to load up correctly or not all its links work.
The website offering the ‘free’ product may require you to register your credit card or bank account details.
To claim the free product or service, you are asked to pay some sort of fee or charge.
There might not be any legal information (copyright statements and terms of use, privacy policies etc) contained on the page.

Protect yourself from ‘free’ offers on the internet.
If it looks too good to be true—it probably is.
Use your common sense: the offer may be a scam.
NEVER send money, or give credit card or online account details to anyone you do not know and trust.
Never enter your personal, credit card or online account information on a website that you are not certain is genuine.
Never send your personal, credit card or online account details through an email.
Read all the terms and conditions of any offer very carefully: claims of free or very cheap offers often have hidden costs.
As well as following these specific tips, find out how to protect yourself from all sorts of other scams.


Do your homework
Be sceptical of free offers and ask yourself: what’s the catch? Remember that you don’t get something for nothing. It’s better never to click on internet ads which promise you something that looks too good to be true.

It can be difficult to determine if a free offer is worthwhile or not. A good, but not foolproof, method is to ask other internet users you trust for information and to search for information about the product on trustworthy internet sites (sites that you have heard of before and are not connected with the free offer).

If a free offer does look reasonable (for example, the offer is being made by a well known company) be sure that you know what the offer is actually for, if there are any costs involved and what conditions are attached. For example, do you have to sign up for a subscription service where only the first order is free?

If the free offer involves an up-front payment or has other strings attached (e.g. to claim a ‘free holiday’), seek independent advice from an accountant or a solicitor before doing anything or contact your local office of fair trading for assistance. If you are asked to register your credit card or bank account details, for example, to gain entry to a ‘free’ website, ask yourself why this should be necessary if the offer was really free. If you do enter these details, there is a very real chance that these details will be used to steal money from you or to run up debts in your name. The golden rule is that if it looks too good to be true, it probably is.


Decide
If you come across an advertisement on the internet that offers something for free, be very careful. If the offer looks to good to be true, or asks you to provide credit card or banking details, do NOT respond. Do not make contact with anyone listed in the ad, do not call the telephone number listed and do not send any money, credit card details or other personal details to the scammers. Responding only indicates you`re interested and you could end up with lots more scam offers in the future.

If you believe the website and offer may be genuine, make sure you find out all the terms and conditions involved. Make sure you have reliable internet security software installed and keep it up-to-date. Be very suspicious of an offer that requires you to give over your credit card, bank account or personal details as these are nearly always scams.

Courtesy of www.scamwatch.gov.au

If you have any information on this matter, please contact ACCC Infocentre on 1300 302 502. You can also email us at scams@crimenet.com.au

What is computer prediction software?
Computerised gambling systems are software that promise to accurately predict results, usually of horse races, other sports or even share market movements.

The horse racing software scams tend to say that the predictions are based on weather conditions, the state of the horse, the draw or the condition of the jockey. They also claim to track the money that may have been placed on a race by professional betters.

There are legitimate software programs to help people monitor share prices, but the scammers will go further and claim that their software can accurately predict movements in share prices.

Scammers can charge a lot of money for this software, ranging from around $1000 up to $15 000 or even more. For your money you may get equipment like calculators, a program on a disk, a newsletter subscription or a whole computer system. No one can guarantee that you will make money through betting.

The software promises huge returns based on past results and trends. However, once purchased the systems do not work as promised and buyers can’t get their money back.

The usual approach is through advertisements presenting such systems as business opportunities or investments (approaches are also made by unsolicited emails, letters or phone calls). Often professional people or those getting close to retirement are targeted.

Top
Warning signs
Offers of huge returns just by using certain software.
This approach is followed by promotional material, such as glossy brochures and videos with famous people recommending the software.
Promotional material may highlight a few successful past predictions (without mentioning the unsuccessful ones).
Promises of ‘guaranteed’ or very large returns.
Very high prices for the software.
Top
Protect yourself from computer prediction software scams
Remember there are no get-rich-quick schemes—the only people who make money are the scammers.
Do not let anyone pressure you into making decisions about money or investments—always get independent financial advice.
Be wary of investments promising a high return with little or no risk.
Make sure you know how to stop any subscription service you want to sign up to.
If it looks too good to be true—it probably is.
As well as following these specific tips, find out how to protect yourself from all sorts of other scams.

Top
Do your homework
Don’t be enticed by reported past performance or examples, as the results can easily be manipulated. Ask yourself: 'Why would someone sell me a system that can guarantee a profit?’ and ‘How can a machine predict a gambling result where luck is involved?’.

Be on the look out for ongoing costs. Many systems require you to open a betting or trading account and maintain a minimum balance. If the prediction you rely on is not correct, you have to keep pumping money into the account.

Be wary of high pressure and slick sales techniques. Promoters of these products are often highly skilled in selling.

Read the Computerised gambling systems fact sheet published by the ACCC and the Queensland Office of Fair Trading.

If you still think that the product sounds like it could work, seek independent advice from a solicitor or financial adviser about the viability of the product and the purchase contract/terms and conditions. ‘Money-back guarantees’ may have strings attached.

Is that stuff from Nigeria kosher mate ? Honest injun ?

  Good luck 2day Gallops   

Some say love is blind, greed is little different. There is a limit to how much protection can be afforded to gullible people.

i heard of another one where they were selling the rights to airspace over your home and if you payed for the licence you would get a sum off the airlines every time a plane flew over your house.
people around the airport were keen to buy these fake licences

here's the latest email hoax doing the rounds, i got TWO exactly worded the same...from 2 different "banks" Commonwealth and St George in the space of a few hours 
Dear St.George Cardmember:

This is not a promotional e-mail. Please call us immediately at +61-730188670 regarding recent activity on your account. We're available 24/7 to take your call.

Please disregard this e-mail if you've already call us since the date this e-mail was sent.

We appreciate your prompt attention to this matter.

Thank you
St.George Card Fraud Prevention Security Department

© St.George Bank Limited ABN 92 055 513 070 AFS Licence No. 24099

im getting 20 of these a day 
Dear Customer,

You have 1 New Security Notification!

In order to read, please Log on to your NetBank account and follow the steps.

Sincerly,
Commonwealth Bank of Australia Customer Services

© Commonwealth Bank of Australia 2009 ABN 48 123 123 124
hrDear Valued Customer,

This email is your official notification from Commonwealth Bank  .Your online NetBank has expired on 25-05-2009 ,if you want to continue  using our service you have to renew your acount if not your account will be deactivated and deleted


To continue please click the link below:

www .netbankcommonbank.com

Many Thanks and Kind Regards - Commonwealth Bank   Customer Department


© Commonwealth Bank of Australia 2009 ABN 48 123 123 124
hr Restore your Internet Banking Access 
 
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
     
  As a result of too many incorrect attempts to access Internet Banking, your access to this service has been locked. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause. 
     
  Please logon to your account and restore your access as soon as possible. 
     
  Internet Banking: Restore Access 
     
     
 
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
     
     
  © St.George Bank Limited ABN 92 055 513 070 AFS Licence No. 240997

Dear Valued Customer,



A scheduled maintenance on the Abbey National Bank website has just been completed. We therefore require that you immediately Login to your Online Banking in order to ensure your account (s) are still active and protected. Kindly click on the "Login to Abbey National Bank" link stated below:



Login to Abbey National Bank



Thank you for banking with us.



Online Banking Security Department,



Abbey National Bank.





Don't even have an account there     

Congratulations!

You have been selected by National Australia Bank Online Department to take part in our quick and easy reward survey.
In return we will credit $300 to your account - Just for your time!

Helping us better understand how our customers feel, benefits everyone.
With the information collected we can decide to direct a number of changes to improve and expand our services.
The information you provide us is all non-sensitive and anonymous. No part of it is handed down to any third party groups.
It will be stored in our secure database for maximum of 3 days while we process the results of this nationwide survey.

To access the form, please click on the link below :



Executive Officer

National Australia Bank.

yes,it is amazing i get these spams from only banks i don't have accounts with as well.

go and have a look at the horse ascot bloodstock are trying to flog,valuing it at 55,000,they show you it winning a trial over 400m.its a cockroach,but they advertise it as greatly reduced price for this week only

I'm just sick of being told I need a penis enlargement.

and I want to know how all those companies who email me found out what the missus was saying.