Stupid Punts!

Colonel Gaddafi's Daughter Writes

2012-01-28T02:34:00.000-08:00

LOL, this scammer claiming to be Colonel Gaddafi's daughter has written to me.

The usual shite about boxes containing vast sums of money etc etc.

Aside from it obviously being bollocks, methinks the Gaddafi's daughter would write far better English than this scammer were she really to write to me!

"Greetings,

My name is Ayesha Gaddafi am the only daughter late president Muammar Gaddafi, who ruled Libya from 1969 to 2011. During the period of his stay in office, he made me go into money exchange and gold business but due to the up rising/crisis in libya now he died a careless death as a result of that i made a bold decission that i was going to leave the country so that i will not fall a victim like my father did because the way things are going on,no body is safe.

However before the death of my father he deposited $20 million to a bank in London Uk, which i will provide you with the contact information. And also as people were evacuating the country i packaged 85 kilogram of Gold in an italian safe as a mattar of fact i saw a UNITED NATION humaniterian aid worker he was going to London UK and i secure the two boxes on his care but i did not disclose the original content of box to him.I asked him to help me to convey the boxes to his country in the United Kingdom,i told him that the content of the boxes is my father's properties documents both home and abroad,i told him to help me secure it till my country is calm then i will give him instruction on that,so he to issue to me the certificate of ownership of the boxes with my name which i will forward to you for the collections of the boxes because he said that whoever that is coming to claim it should present the ownership certificate that was our agreement.

As i was making searching in the internet i got your email address and i said to my self that i was going to do busines with you in your country. i am happy the diplomat had now arrived to London safely with my frist son and he has called me and i told him that somebody will call him about the boxes i gave him and he said no problem that my boxes are safe and i am free any time for it. Having gone through my mail massage i will like us to work together in your country with the money US$20 Million so if you have accepted with me then get back to me with your full name,your country of origin,your age and sex,your private telephone number,your current occupation and lastly any of your valid identification card. with all this it will enable us to proceed and please remember not to disclose this to any body for security reasons,If you have accepted then i will give you the contact to contact the Diplomat for the boxes of gold and the contact information of the bank were the money is been deposited in United Kingdom and as soon as every thing is concluded i will fly to your country to settle down there for the rest of my life and we will invest the money and sale the gold. Waiting to hear from you as it will enable me to stop searching for another helper.

Best Regard

Ayesha Gaddafi

only daughter late president Muammar Gaddafi"

Advice To Scammers

2012-01-03T04:28:00.000-08:00

When you write to me purporting to be Western Union, at least have the brains to spell the name of the company correctly in your fake email address!

"wiesternunion@prokonto.pl

Attn: Scam Victim, From Western Union Money Transfer, Please view the attachment for more information."

Ugg Boots

2011-12-08T08:18:00.001-08:00

What is it with spammers and Ugg Boots?

I am inundated with spam trying to get me to visit various sites selling Ugg Boots.

A Trip To Nigeria

2011-12-05T01:34:00.001-08:00

My thanks to the spammer who sent me this "kind" message.

As to ever coming to Nigeria "for a discussion", "when hell freezes over" is my response to that!

"I think i’m interested in you. Get in touch with me on my email I will want to you to come down to Nigeria for more discussion."

Moron

2011-10-29T01:44:00.001-07:00

Full marks for stupidity to the scammer who sent me this pile of shite.

Starting off by asking me if I am alive or dead is remarkably idiotic, even by the standards of the scam merchants!

Ugent Confirmation.

Are You Dead or Alive?.

Attn:

My name is Funsho Babatunde, I work in the Accounts and Audit

Dept. Cbn ,in the course of our General Auditing and Account revision

of the last quarter of the year 2011,we discovered that the Bank

Accounts belonging to some Benefactors have been changed on the basis

that the owners have died some time last year or have given out an

authorization note of change of data. (DEED OF ASSIGNMENT)

After the investigations, however, it was revealed that there are

Foreigners who are collaborating with Retired Staffs to make these

changes illegally without the knowledge of the Bonafide Benefactors

and one traced to your own change is this Mr.Howard Hays who said you

are dead, hence they have forwarded some documents of funeral service

held for you so as to divert your fund. They have also forwarded the

below bank account as the new account that will receive the approved

gazetted amount of $18,500.000.00.

Bank Name: Bank of America

Bank address: 510 Branson Landing Blvd. Branson, Missouri 65616

Bank fax: 417-337-5839

Account number:354006400237

Account name:Reba's

Routing number: 081000032

But we wanted to confirm if actually this is true and hence decided to

write to your email address which after 2 days from now and there is

no response, we will then know that you are dead indeed and go on with

the transfer. If proved otherwise by you that you did not die, please

forward to us all the related Benefactors particulars including your

Telephone number, contact address. These details from you will help to

assist us reach a conclusion that you are not dead.

Anything contrary to this claim will help us charge this man to court

and prosecute him while your fund will be paid to you immediately

without any further delay.

You have to get back to us on time for us to commence legal

proceedings against Mr. Howard L.Hays and his accomplices

if you are still alive and did not sent him.

We do await your positive response.

Yours truly,

Mr. Funsho Babatunde

Accounts and Audit Dept.

International Banking Unit.

Central Bank Of Nigeria

Tel: +2347089118143

Sun Hacked

2011-08-03T02:03:00.000-07:00

The Guardian reports that News International on Monday emailed thousands of people to warn them that one or more hackers have copied personal details of thousands of people who entered competitions and polls on the Sun's website and are posting them publicly on the internet. The hack took place several weeks ago, on 19th July.

Chris Duncan, the director of customer data for News International, wrote in the email:

"..some customer information from competitions and polls was breached...

No financial or password information was compromised.."

Given that names, addresses, dates of birth, emails and phone numbers were taken this exposes people to the risk of id theft and fraud (whatever Duncan may claim).

Phishing

2011-08-01T05:43:00.000-07:00

Be warned, phishing is becoming more sophistcated, costly and dangerous.

Military Email Addresses Hacked

2011-07-12T03:12:00.000-07:00

The Telegraph reports that 90,000 email addresses have allegedly been stolen from Booze Allen Hamilton (which provides technological services including cyber-security consulting to the military and other US government agencies).

The "online collective" Anonymous claims that it has posted the details on the internet.

Seemingly 53,000 of the hacked emails carried the military “.mil” domains.

Google+ Hacked

2011-07-05T01:01:00.000-07:00

Be warned, the Telegraph reports that Google+ (the new social network) has been hacked. The hackers are now sending out bogus invites to Google+, which instead directs users to a pharmaceutical website.

Sony Hacked Again

2011-06-03T03:10:00.000-07:00

Much like the return of an unloved season, it appears that hacking Sony's systems is becoming a tedious regular event.

LulzSec, a hacker group, have attacked Sony Pictures (the entertainment distribution division) and stolen/published the private details (including names, birth dates, addresses, emails, phone numbers and passwords) of more than a million people.

The Telegraph reports that LulzSec claims that the hack was designed to prove how vulnerable Sony was to "simple attacks".

All very, maybe. However, why then publish people's private details and leave them open to abuse by criminals, stalkers, phishers, scammers and other dross?

The Auditor General

2011-05-27T03:07:00.001-07:00

Badly written, unsolicited, untrue and garbage.

Yes, it's a Nigerian scam!

Dear Beneficiary,
I read your contract payment file with great pain and tears following all you had to go through without success in the release of your fund.I work directly with Auditor General,Federal Republic of Nigeria.It was in the course of carrying out my primary duty as the personal assistance to Auditor General, why arranging contractors payment file that i saw your file and I was moved realizing the trauma you must have gone through concerning your inheritance,so out of compassion I quickly went to report your predicament to my boss who said i should write you immediately.He stated categorically,that if you are alive ,we should process your payment within 48hours.You are hereby advise to get back to us quickly.
Regards
Mr.Larry Chukwuemeka

Coca Cola - Cola Coca

2011-05-23T01:00:00.001-07:00

Here is an example of how the Nigerian scammer fails to check the text of the scam email that he sends out.

This one purportedly comes from Coca Cola:

"Congratulation

Your email address has won YOU Sum of £750,000.00 GBP the ongoing Coca Cola Bottling Company New Year Promotion United Kingdom.

For claims provide;
1. Name:
2. Address:
3. Phone/No:
4. Age:
5. Occupation
6. Sex:
7. Country:
8. State:

To file for your claim, please contact our fiduciary agent:

Contact: Dr. Henry Jerry
Email:coca-colasweeeptakers@hotmail.com
Phone No:+44-701-423-7356"

Aside from the poor grammar, the scammer made one fundamental error in the header of the email:

COLA COCA award PROMOTION

Wicked Officials

2011-05-18T05:46:00.000-07:00

This scammer was so worried about me falling prey to those "wicked officials" that she sent me the same email twice.

Oh those "wicked officials"..LOL:)

"Good day to you

Hurry now and claim your fund from the Central Bank of Nigeria or your fund will be confiscated by the wicked officials of the CBN. My name is Rosemary Helen. I am a Computer Scientist working with Central Bank of Nigeria CBN. I am 25 years old, just started working with CBN. I came across your file marked X and your released disk painted RED.

I took time to study it and tried to find out why the funds were not released to you. Those evil officials can never tell you the truth that they won't release the fund to you; instead they allow you spend your money unnecessarily. I do not intend to work here forever; I can help you claim your fund if you can certify me of my security and assure me that you would settle with me after you must have received your payment.

I must do this because you need to know the status of your payment and cause for the delay. This is like a Mafia setting in Nigeria and you may not understand because you are not a Nigerian. The only thing needed to release this fund to you is the Original Anti Drug/Terrorist Clearance Certificate, which will be tendered to any of your nominated bank and the Internal Revenue Service IRS for clearance of the transferred amount in your account.

Once the Original Anti Drug/Terrorist Clearance Certificate is cleared, fund will immediately reflect in your bank within 10 Minutes. The only authorized and sincere person who will issue you the Original Documents is Mr.Richard Clifford. Make sure you indicate your file letter X and tell her its painted color Red so she will be able to recognize your file. The president made a compensation fund release for all unpaid beneficiaries/contractors.

Therefore, you are not going to receive your original initial fund, the compensation fund release bonus will be added to your original fund payment. The whole funds both your initial payment and the compensation payment shall be transferred to your bank account as soon as the Original documents are cleared.

Do get back to me ASAP if you are still interested in claiming your fund.

Yours sincerely,

Miss. Rosemary Helen"

FBI Scam

2011-05-16T01:29:00.000-07:00

Here is a fine example of a poorly presented scam purportedly from the improbably named Fang Hollowen, who claims to work for the FBI in Nigeria.

Suffice to say this is a scam!

FBI Headquarters in Washington,
D.C.Federal Bureau of Investigation
J. Edgar Hoover Building
935 Pennsylvania Avenue,
NW Washington,
D.C. 20535-0001(202)
324-3000

Attn: Beneficiary,

Compliments of the day, I Wish to inform you that your Payment of $800,000 Thousand Dollars has been approved and it will be released to you as soon as possible so you will need to contact our Department in Nigeria to thepayment Officer Mr Fang Hollowen with the information as stated below.

CONTACT INFORMATION
NAME: Mr Fang Hollowen
EMAIL: investigations_fbi1@qatar.io

Do contact Mr Fang Hollowen of the ATM PAYMENT CENTER OFFICE with your details:
FULL NAME:
HOME ADDRESS:
TELL:
CELL:
CURRENT OCCUPATION:
BANK NAME:
AGE:

Also please be informed that all necessary Documents has been put in placeall you will have to do is to make sure you can be able to afford $132Dollars for the Delivery of your Funds which is to be sent to you via an ATM SWIFT CARD using FedEx International Courier Service. we do await your response so we can move on with our Investigation andmake sure your ATM SWIFT CARD gets to you.

Thanks and hope to read from you soon.

Regards,

ROBERT S. MUELLER, III
DIRECTOR,
FEDERAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION
UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE
WASHINGTON,
D.C. 20535
UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE.

Barclays Phish Warning

2011-05-11T04:05:00.000-07:00

Be warned there is a phish doing the rounds purportedly from Barclays.

Do not click on the link if you receive any such email, it is a phish designed to trick you into revealing your pass codes etc.

Barclays Security Notification

We noticed a violation of our services on your account, this
may have occurred due to a viral infection on your computer
when you last accessed your account online.

For security reasons, we have temporarily disabled access to
your account until you complete the account restore process.

Please Click Here To Restore Your Account

Best Regards,
Barclays Customer Services

Rumours Of Another Hack on Sony

2011-05-06T02:34:00.000-07:00

CVG report rumours of another possible hack on Sony, coming this weekend.

Bin Laden Photos Contain Malware

2011-05-05T01:19:00.000-07:00

Those with a morbid desire to see the corpse of Osama bin Laden, should resist the temptation to open any files sent to them claiming to contain photos of his corpse.

Security firms are warning that the photos, many of which are contained in an attachment labelled "Fotos_Osama_Bin_Laden.zip", contain malware designed to place a Trojan on the unwary voyeur's pc which will download banking passcodes etc.

Sony Shuts Stable Door

2011-05-04T05:48:00.000-07:00

The Guardian reports that Sony has hired private investigators, including a former special agent with the US Naval Investigative Service, to track down the hackers who stole the personal details of more than 100 million online gamers.

The UK information commissioner's office is also making enquiries, as well as the FBI in the US.

Unconfirmed reports in the media indicate that some Sony customers have noted irregular activities in their bank accounts.

As to whether there is another hack, that has yet to be identified/admitted/occur remains to be seen.

Sony PlayStation Network Hacked II

2011-05-03T01:19:00.000-07:00

Last week Sony admitted that up to 77 million users of its PlayStation Network may have had their security compromised by a hack.

Now it has revealed that a further 25 million users may face a security compromise.

It seems that on 18 April, the day before PlayStation Network was hacked, Sony Online Entertainment PC games network was hacked. However, Sony did not find out about the breach until early on Monday and shut down the service shortly afterwards.

Sony Online Entertainment network hosts games such as "EverQuest".

Sony stated that the names, addresses, emails, birthdates, phone numbers and other information from 24.6 million PC games accounts may have been stolen from its servers as well as an "outdated database" from 2007.

Lloyds Scam

2011-04-28T03:01:00.000-07:00

Maybe the scammer here, pretending to be Lloyds TSB, should have used spell check first?

"tempormmmmarily"???

"Unsubscribe:

Lloyds TSB has been receiving complaints from our customers for unauthorised use of Lloyds TSB Online accounts. As a result we periodically review Lloyds Online Accounts and tempormmmmarily restrict mailing

Please confirm you would like to unsubscribe from this mailing YES or NO .

If you'd like to find out about our latest products and services you can visit www.lloydstsb.com at any time.

Yours sincerely

Ashley Machin,
Digital Banking Director

Sony PlayStation Network Hacked

2011-04-27T03:29:00.000-07:00

Sony shut down its PlayStation Network last week because it has discovered a "non-gaming" intrusion into the system.

However, it had not realised until late yesterday (after forensic security testing) that the breach had led to the theft of the data of the 77 million users. This data theft could compromise the financial security of the 77 million users who have registered their details with Sony.

Here is a list of FAQ's from the Sony site re the security breach:

Update on PSN Service Outages

Q.1 When did you realise the system had been intruded?

We discovered between April 17 and April 19 there was an illegal and unauthorized intrusion into our network.

Q.2 How did you know that the system was intruded?

We watch for any issues that may be raised with respect to security and monitor for such issues both internally and externally.

Q.3 What is the main reason to this problem? Which parts of the system were vulnerable to the intrusion?

We are currently conducting a thorough investigation of the situation. Since this is an overall security related issue, we will not comment further on this case.

Q.4 What action did you take (are you taking)? Is there any possibility of further unauthorized access?

As soon as we learned of this issue, 1) we temporarily turned off PlayStation Network and Qriocity services in order to conduct a thorough investigation and to verify the smooth and secure operation of our network services, 2) we have also engaged an outside, recognized security firm to conduct a full and complete investigation into what happened, and 3) quickly taken steps to enhance security and strengthen our network infrastructure by re-building our system to provide you with greater protection of your personal information.

Q.5 How many were affected? How many per each region? What is the latest status of PlayStation Network registered account/ operating countries.

Our investigation indicates that all PlayStation Network/ Qriocity accounts may have been affected.

Q.6 Does that mean all users’ information was compromised? Tell us more in details of what personal information leaked.

In terms of possibility, yes. We believe that an unauthorized person has obtained the following information that you provided: name, address (city, state/province, zip or postal code), country, email address, birthdate, PlayStation Network/Qriocity password, login, password security answers, and handle/PSN online ID. It is also possible that your profile data may have been obtained, including purchase history and billing address (city, state/province, zip or postal code). If you have authorized a sub-account for your dependent, the same data with respect to your dependent may have been obtained. If you have provided your credit card data through PlayStation Network or Qriocity, it is possible that your credit card number (excluding security code) and expiration date may also have been obtained.

Q.7 Have you notified those users?

We are sending out e-mails directly to these users to their e-mail address registered on the PS Network accounts. Also, we have posted web notices, and additional necessary procedures have been followed by each region.

Q.8 Have you received reports or claims that their PSN ID information/ credit card had been used improperly?

Not at this point in time.

Q.9 I want to know if my account has been affected.

To protect against possible identity theft or other financial loss, we encourage you to remain vigilant to review your account statements and to monitor your credit reports. Additionally, if you use the same user name or password for your PlayStation Network or Qriocity service account for other unrelated services or accounts, we strongly recommend that you change them. When the PlayStation Network and Qriocity services are back on line, we also strongly recommend that you log on to change your password.

For your security, we encourage you to be especially aware of email, telephone, postal mail or other scams that ask for personal or sensitive information. Sony will not contact you in any way, including by email, asking for your credit card number, social security number or other personally identifiable information. If you are asked for this information, you can be confident Sony is not the entity asking.

Q.10 What should I do to prevent any unauthorized use of my (credit card) personal information?

For your security, we encourage you to be especially aware of email, telephone, postal mail or other scams that ask for personal or sensitive information. Sony will not contact you in any way, including by email, asking for your credit card number, social security number or other personally identifiable information. If you are asked for this information, you can be confident Sony is not the entity asking. Additionally, if you use the same user name or password for your PlayStation Network or Qriocity service account for other unrelated services or accounts, we strongly recommend that you change them. When the PlayStation Network and Qriocity services are back on line, we also strongly recommend that you log on to change your password.

To protect against possible identity theft or other financial loss, we encourage you to remain vigilant to review your account statements and to monitor your credit reports.

Q.11 Since when have PSN/Qriocity become unavailable and in which region?

PSN/Qriocity services have not been available since April 20 (US time) in all regions.

Q.12 How come it is taking so much time to resume the service?

We are taking the investigation seriously. We decided to keep the service down to allow us to conduct a thorough investigation and verify smooth operation of our network services.

Q.13 How serious is this? Have the hackers broken the security on PSN/Qriocity? Are you taking necessary measures to prevent such outage happening in the future?

Since this is an overall security related issue, we will not comment further on this case but we are working to restore and maintain the services, including countermeasures against future intrusions.

Q.14 When will the service resume?

We are taking the investigation seriously. We will keep the service down to allow us to conduct a thorough investigation and verify smooth operation of our network services but are working hard to resume the services as soon as we can be reasonably assured security concerns are addressed.

Q.15 Seems like SOE service was also not available/ suffering outage. Is this true? Is this due to the same reason as the PSN/Qriocity outage?

SOE's service is available although a service interruption due to an external attack did occur. A thorough investigation is ongoing.

Q.16 I want my money back (subscription fee, content) since the PSN/Qriocity was not available.

When the full services are restored and the length of the outage is known, we will assess the correct course of action.

Q.17 There seems to be some games that cannot be played even offline?

Depending on the game titles, but mainly PSN games, some may require access to PSN for trophy sync, security check, etc.

Contact Details

Country Customer Support
Africa sonycustomercare.mea@ap.sony.com
Australia 1-300 365-911
Austria 0820 44 45 40
Belgium 011 516 406
Bulgaria support@sbhbg.com
Croatia playstation.hr@arsvenatus.hr
Cyprus 22352282
Czech Republic 222 864 199
Denmark 90137013
Estonia 6543484
Finland 600411911
France 0820 31 32 33
Germany 01805 766 977
Greece 801 11 92000
Hungary 1 814 4800
Iceland 591- 5100
India 1800-103-7799
Ireland 0818 365065
Israel 09-9711700
Italy 199 116 266
Latvia 67046049
Lithuania 37338655
Luxembourg 0820 31 32 33
Malta 234 360 00
Middle East - All sonycustomercare.mea@ap.sony.com
Netherlands 0495 574 817
New Zealand 09 415 2447
Norway 82068322
Poland 0 801 230 000
Portugal 707 23 23 10
Romania support@sbhbg.com
Russia 8-800-200-76-67
Slovakia 232 112 209
Slovenia 1 510 31 30
South Africa 0861 773783
Spain 902 102 102
Sweden 09002033075
Switzerland 0848 84 00 85
Turkey bilgi@eu.sony.com

Ukraine 0 800 307 669
UK 0844 736 0595

How To Outwit Boiler Room Scammers

2011-04-26T06:36:00.000-07:00

The Telegraph has a helpful article about boiler room scams, which I reproduce in full below:

"As a victim of "boiler room" activities I wondered if it would be worth reinforcing the message to your readers not to consider the purchase of shares offered over the telephone. They were very persistent and I was particularly vulnerable as a pensioner and my wife in hospital and I agreed to the purchase of shares.

Some weeks later I received a warning letter from the Financial Services Authority. By which time it was too late. In hindsight I realise how silly I was. It is, of course, too late for me, but if it might prevent similar problems for any of your readers a warning may be useful.

RJ
Merseyside

The firm you have been a victim of appeared on the FSA scam list just a week before you wrote to me so, had you checked the site when it approached you, you wouldn't have found its name there.

This, cruelly, is the way with these tricksters and, which is apparently part of their nature, these people caught you out when your defences were low and things in your life at a low ebb. These con men are adept psychologists with no scruples about who and how much they hurt people.

From your letter and those that appeared in The Daily Telegraph yesterday, it is clear that it is not necessarily those you might expect who get caught out by such scams. Indeed, often it is people with some financial knowledge, on which crooks cleverly play.

One of the readers scammed in this way is a certified accountant and Lloyd's underwriter. Another is a chartered accountant, one has an MBE and another is a professor.

City of London police strongly advise people not to buy shares or land from cold callers. David Honeywell, a reader featured in yesterday's column, also reiterates, from his bitter experience, the police's message, which is that by far the best approach is simply not to get involved.

Anyone who still feels tempted should know that if a firm is unauthorised, financial complaints and compensation schemes cannot step in should anything go wrong.

To find out a firm's status go to the FSA website (www.fsa.gov.uk) and type "unauthorised firms" in the search box. This list mainly consists of overseas firms about which there has been a certain amount of bad feedback, so will not show every dodgy concern. Check out the regulator's authorised list too.

If the firm appears to be genuine, the FSA said would-be investors should always call the switchboard number if one is given on its register. I would suggest that they might also check that the person who called is an employee. Bear in mind though that I have encountered instances where the name of an honest employee has been hijacked.

Therefore speak to the person named to establish that they are one and the same. Possibly consult directory inquiries to confirm the number as well. Mr Honeywell, who was conned in a very sophisticated heist, points out that this way of checking is not infallible.

If the register of authorised firms does not show the number, as applies with most of the genuine overseas companies listed, call the FSA's helpline on 0845 606 1234. Then log onto the website cited on the register to compare the details.

Check with Companies House via www.companieshouse.gov.uk or 0303 1234 500.

Try a Google search to see if the name crops up in any way, perhaps on internet forums.

www.actionfraud.org.uk gives fraud prevention advice and has alerts of the latest scams.

If you are caught out it is important to notify Action Fraud, which serves as a portal to pass information on to the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau.

A report of the crime can be registered online or the incident talked through with an Action Fraud adviser to create a report. This government helpline number is 0300 123 2040 and is open from Mondays to Fridays between 8am and 8pm; on Saturdays between 9am and 4pm; and Sundays between 10am and 4pm. A crime reference number will be issued. The intelligence provided helps give a far bigger picture for dealing with the issues raised and help police to understand where they can efficiently target their resources.

Also check out the helpful www.cityoflondon.police.uk website.

Although the FSA also said it was heavily reliant on information it receives from consumers about boiler room activity, I was disconcerted to find that details of the frauds perpetrated on CC and GK, both featured in Saturday's page, were not recorded with it even though both these readers said they had contacted the regulator and there is no reason to disbelieve them.

I checked out the guidance on the website for reporting such matters to the FSA and found that a number that would not have been relevant after early 2010 was still shown as one to contact. FSA apologises for leaving that number on view, although, as it says, it was on a press release on its website. As a result of my observations it has now been deleted.

It now transpires that last summer, when CC looked for a number to call, he acquired the same out-of-date number and called it. Although no harm will have come from reporting details to that number, clearly no good came out of it in CC's case as the information he gave was not properly registered. The FSA must keep crucial information on its website up to date.

Victims should call the 0845 606 1234 helpline, selecting option 3.

As if all this was not enough, people caught out in this way also need to watch out for "recovery rooms" offering help, as ever at a price, to help recover money for those defrauded by boiler room scams. An FSA spokesperson said: "The people calling are often the same chaps sitting across the office from one another or they may even be the same person who 'sold' the shares.

"Typically they might say, 'I hear you have some shares to sell, send me an administration fee.' Then nothing is heard of them again."

Remember that it is often during holiday times when people may be less on their guard or, as in some of the cases I hear about, when life has hit a low point that in comes a so-called friend to make the sad times sadder.

Then, for all the ready charm and the respectable veneer adopted by such swindlers when they want something, they cannot be talked round to taking a compassionate stance when the victim finds themselves confronted with personal ruin.

Nor, as these stories illustrate, should people put their faith in foreign banks to rescue them from such scams.

Finally, it is a tribute to the characters of the readers writing in about their experiences that they had the courage to do so. Hopefully this will prevent others being caught out in the same way. The FSA estimates that only 10pc of those caught out by such scams report them. "

Bobijou Inc

2011-04-25T02:17:00.000-07:00

Beware the following scam email from "Bobijou Inc".

Do not respond to it, or open the attached document. The scam works by tricking the hapless victim into revealing their credit card details when disputing the non existent "order".

"Thank you for ordering from Bobijou Inc.

This message is to inform you that your order has been received and is currently being processed.

Your order reference is 436467.
You will need this in all correspondence.

This receipt is NOT proof of purchase.
We will send a printed invoice by mail to your billing address.

You have chosen to pay by credit card.
Your card will be charged for the amount of 075.00 USD and “Bobijou Inc.” will appear next to the charge on your statement.

You will receive a separate email confirming your order has been despatched.

Your purchase and delivery information appears below in attached file.

Thanks again for shopping at Bobijou Inc"

Marks and Spencer Spam Warning

2011-04-06T02:38:00.000-07:00

Following on from my earlier article about the largest data theft in history, it seems that Marks and Spencer have been caught up in that theft as well.

M&S have warned their customers to expect an increase in spam e-mail after hackers stole their details from the marketing firm Epsilon.

Largest Data Theft in History

2011-04-04T05:36:00.000-07:00

Be warned the largest data theft (of customer email addresses) in history has occurred.

It affects many well known firms including; Barclaycard, Capital One, JP Morgan Chase, the Marriot International hotel group and the US supermarket chain Kroger.

Customers should be on the look out for spamming and phishing attempts by the thieves, who will pretend to be writing on behalf of the companies from which the data was stolen.