A Look At The Top Scams For 2010 and 2011
Posted by Michelle Moquin on January 2nd, 2011
Good morning!
For at least a year now I have been blogging scams from Scambusters for all of you, in HOPEs that you don’t get scammed. Well…how did your year go? Did you fall for any, or have these been helpful in preventing you and your livelihood from getting into the hands of scammers? If you haven’t been paying attention to these in the past you might want to read today’s write and catch up.
Here’s the latest:
Top 10 Scams of 2010 and 2011
Ten years have passed since we started our Top 10 scams list and it’s amazing, looking back, how many of the scams we predicted a decade ago continue to plague victims, as you’ll see if you check out that original list.
http://clicks.aweber.com/y/ct/?l=8JUKO&m=1bu4NGLMJWtWfo&b=NrvGOHvY50lGvBEXNEz8Vg
Those were relatively early days of the Internet, of course. Users were fewer and so were the number of crooks using the web to hook their victims.
Since then, the rapid change in the shape and operation of the Internet, notably the huge growth of social networking, has introduced new techniques for delivering scams, and the number of victims has gone up by leaps and bounds.
Reporting recently on the 10-year trend, Internet security outfit PandaLabs noted the high incidence of the Nigerian fee scam, which was Number 3 in our charts 10 years ago, Number 4 last year, and, we predict, will hold the same position in 2011.
Check out our earlier reports for more about Nigerian scams.
http://clicks.aweber.com/y/ct/?l=8JUKO&m=1bu4NGLMJWtWfo&b=TZPsPNhUn7UqWUIOrl7KBA
http://clicks.aweber.com/y/ct/?l=8JUKO&m=1bu4NGLMJWtWfo&b=7pSDwFuu4Q0Q7MI45e21YA
http://clicks.aweber.com/y/ct/?l=8JUKO&m=1bu4NGLMJWtWfo&b=32IFlcz6V866RcLJm0rSqA
Lottery and advance fee scams and bogus jobs — both work-from-home and outside employment — have remained consistently high in the charts.
PandaLabs also mentions the high incidence of hijacking of Hotmail and Facebook accounts by hackers who then claim to be the account holder in urgent need of cash.
But, surprisingly, the security specialist didn’t specifically single out one of the root causes of this offense: phishing – the crime of stealing personal information for identity theft – which is by far the biggest scam and remains firmly at the head of our Top 10 scams list for 2011.
Results for 2010
Let’s now take a look at the Scambusters top scams chart, which is based on the feedback we get from many thousands of subscribers and readers, plus our own in-depth research and monitoring of crime reports.
For 2010, our Top 10 scams predictions again proved to be fairly accurate, with just a couple of switches at the lower end.
Here’s how the outturn looks, against our forecasts.
10. Travel and vacations (Predicted as #9). As forecast, the Soccer World Cup in South Africa drew in thousands of ticket scam victims, while an increasing flow of travelers to China found themselves at the center of numerous tourist con tricks. However, the economic recovery we expected to see wasn’t as strong as everyone hoped and many Americans decided to vacation more safely at home.
9. Investment scams (Predicted as #10). In the wake of the Madoff scandal, more incredible Ponzi schemes were exposed and crashed, while art investment frauds targeted celebrities. Rock bottom interest rates lured more people into phony real estate and “green” investment projects (including the BP Gulf disaster clean-up) and foreign exchange funds promising unrealistically high returns.
8. Work from home schemes (Predicted as #7). Still a major source of crime, bogus home-working schemes received a lot of publicity throughout the year, so, although there were just as many crooks pushing these scams, slightly fewer victims may have fallen for them than we expected. One bit of good news!
7. Auctions and classified ad scams (Predicted as #8) move up one more place in our Top 10 scams list, as they did in the prior year. As much as anything, this reflects the growing use of the Internet for buying stuff, so we included bogus retail websites in our research this year, which, as you’ll see below, is likely to push the crime even higher up the charts in 2011.
6. Doorstep scams (Predicted as #6). We forecast that the 2010 Census back in April would attract scammers, mainly “phishing” (see #1 below) for information they could use for identity theft. And we were right. The annual crop of disasters, including floods and, this year, the San Francisco gas explosion, also brought out the bogus contractors in force.
5. Lottery scams (Predicted as #5). Sadly, as we reported a year ago, this crime targets the elderly. There’s apparently still no shortage of victims willing to pay up to hundreds of thousands of dollars in bogus fees to collect non-existent winnings.
4. Nigerian scams (Predicted as #4). The continuing efforts by the Nigerian government to clamp down on this scam seem to be having little effect. A TV documentary broadcast a few months ago showed how whole towns in that country have become dependent on the proceeds of scams.
3. Economy-related scams (Predicted as #3). Foreclosure and loan modification scams, together with bogus job offers – usually a prelude to identify theft or simply a means for charging an upfront fee — were the most common crimes in this category. The BP Gulf disaster added significantly to the number of phony job schemes.
2. Malware (Predicted as #2). This is the broad term for harmful software that installs on home and business computers to steal information, wreck hard drives, disrupt business activities and recruit computers into “zombie botnets” for sending out spaham (misspelled intentionally). Internet security specialists McAfee say they’ve identified 14 million unique malware programs, up by 1 million over the year as a whole.
1. Phishing and identify theft (Predicted as #1). The invasion by scammers of social networking sites, such as Facebook and Twitter, together with malware downloads (see above) kept this crime firmly in the top slot.
Changes for 2011
We don’t see much change in the running order of our Top 10 forecast for 2011, only, sadly, an overall rise in the number of incidents, especially those relating to social networking which are now used by around 30% of the global population, and a significantly higher percentage of Americans.
However, for the New Year, we’re merging work-from-home jobs with our economy-related scams to make way for a newcomer that we expect to grow significantly in the coming months.
This is “skimming,” which embraces a whole clutch of crimes including thefts from ATM machines and capturing of credit card information at restaurants, gas stations and other retail outlets.
We’ve previously reported on some types of this crime.
http://clicks.aweber.com/y/ct/?l=8JUKO&m=1bu4NGLMJWtWfo&b=3o.Ikm8gxAZaGtUfvS9TZA
Look out for more information in future Scambusters issues.
So, with that in mind, here’s our 2011 forecast of Top 10 Scams.
Predictions for the Top 10 Scams of 2011
10. Travel and vacations. Americans are still vacationing at home in the weak economy and amid safety fears about traveling to Mexico. But with the world economy still unsteady, scammers are more desperate than ever to catch out those who do journey abroad. Watch out especially for a huge ticket scam for the forthcoming London Olympics 2012.
9. Investment scams. Investors have become more cautious about Ponzi schemes, which draw in new money to pay earlier investors until the whole scheme collapses. But low interest rates will continue to push investors into high-risk and shaky projects. Expect also to see more computer trading programs
with dubious claims that they can “beat the market.”
8. Doorstep scams. With the Census out of the way, this crime drops two places, but bogus contractors, charity collectors, utility workers and others who knock at your front door bent
on crime keep it strongly in the charts. And, of course, a major natural disaster, such as hurricane, earthquake or floods, could push this higher.
7. Skimming. European banks report a huge increase in debit and credit card information theft, especially at ATMs that have been rigged either to collect card details or to trap the card so the crook can use it. Expect to see a similar trend in the US during 2011.
6. Bogus and fraudulent Internet sales. As mentioned above, this category now embraces bogus retail sites selling nothing but thin air, as well as online auctions and classified ads. We think this will be more than enough to push this category up one further place in our Top 10 scams list.
5. Lottery and gaming scams. We’ve also broadened this category to include online gaming scams, featured in an earlier Scambusters report. We expect to see significant growth in bogus gambling-related sites, and a continuing stream of phony lottery schemes.
4. Nigerian scams. In their report referred to earlier, PandaLabs points out that the latest version of the Nigerian scam claims that a compensation fund has been set up and invites previous victims to put in a claim. Then, of course, the scammer requests a fee before the supposed compensation can be released.
Nigerian crooks are also muscling in on the bogus girlfriend scam previously dominated by the Russians. Victims, befriended online, end up paying supposedly for airfares and other
expenses for their new but non-existent sweetheart.
3. Economy related scams. The economy is taking much longer to recover than hoped, so expect to see foreclosure and load modification scams to continue. Plus, as mentioned above, we now include work-from-home scams in this category.
2. Malware. As many as 60,000 new pieces of malicious software appear every day, says McAfee. The growing use of USB drives to store and transfer data may also contribute to the spread of malware.
1. Phishing and identify theft. The growth of malware mentioned above, coupled with hijacking of social networking accounts and more sophisticated hacking technology, means that identity theft will remain the Number One Internet crime for the foreseeable future.
Compiling our annual forecast of the Top 10 scams is not a pleasant task. Nor is being proved right about our predictions for the past year.
However, it does reinforce our determination to do everything we possibly can to reduce the impact of these despicable crimes. By highlighting the risks and publishing this top scams list, which we invite you to pass on to friends and relatives, perhaps we can do just that.
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Ethel: I saw your comment, but I doubt that Chas saw it. As I mentioned a few days ago, please keep your comments contemporary so that everyone can see and read them, by commenting on the most current day and referring to the blog that you are commenting on, if necessary. Thanks!
Ai-Shi: Of course. I only wish you the best. Congratulations!
Zen Lill: You and me both. Whenever I think of moving, the only place I want to live if not somewhere else other than California, and really just the Bay Area, it is overseas either in Europe or SE Asia. I could use a change. If he had his druthers, Doug would go right now.
In regards to us having a little chat, I have clients all week, so the best time to reach me will be in the later afternoon or the evenings. So give me a try whenever it works for you. It would be nice to catch up. The “clear” hasn’t hit us up here yet, but it is damn cold.
Have a great Sunday everyone! Peace out.
PS. I know I have been a tad lazy in getting my blog out before 9:00 AM. The holidays are over, but I haven’t quite gotten back into my normal routine. Thanks for your patience.
Lastly, greed over a great story is surfacing from my “loyal”(?) readers. With all this back and forth about who owns what, that appears on my blog, let me reiterate that all material posted on my blog becomes the sole property of my blog. If you want to reserve any proprietary rights don’t post it to my blog. I will prominently display this caveat on my blog from now on to remind those who may have forgotten this notice.
Gratefully your blog host,
michelle
Aka BABE: We all know what this means by now :)
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January 2nd, 2011 at 5:14 pm
Oh man you had to go and mention southeast Asia : ) I didn’t say it bc I miss it there so bad I don’t even want to talk about it anymore. My druthers would be yesterday hahaha…!!
Will call when I can this week, I’m sure we’ll connect at some point.
Luv, Zen Lill
January 2nd, 2011 at 5:42 pm
Live It Up a Little! Health Rules You Can Break
Susan M. Love, MD
David Geffen School of Medicine
Few of the so-called rules for healthy living — such as exercise every day and get annual checkups — are supported by scientific evidence.
Yet millions of Americans feel guilty if they don’t follow these and other specific dos and don’ts.
The fact is that people at either extreme in their health habits (those who totally neglect their health and those who behave obsessively about it) tend to be less healthy than those who occupy the middle ground.
What’s hype and what’s healthy…
HYPE: ANNUAL PHYSICALS
Healthy people who see a doctor for an annual checkup every year are, on average, no more likely to avoid disease than those who never get annual checkups.
The bottom line is that annual physicals do not change health outcomes. I advise patients with existing health problems to see a doctor regularly to review medications, track changes in symptoms and so on.
(Check with your doctor about how often you need to see him/her.) People without health problems can safely avoid the inconvenience and expense of yearly visits.
That said, some regular screenings are recommended even if you are otherwise healthy. Blood pressure, for example, should be checked every two to three years and cholesterol, every five years.
HYPE: EIGHT HOURS OF SLEEP
A good night’s sleep usually is defined as eight hours of continuous rest. The study most often cited in support of this was conducted in 1993 and focused on 16 volunteers who spent 14 consecutive hours in bed in a darkened room.
At first, the volunteers slept an average of more than 12 hours a day. After a few weeks, most reduced their sleep time to seven-and-a-half to nine hours.
The researchers concluded that the volunteers slept a lot at first because they were typical sleep-deprived Americans who needed to catch up and that the seven-and-a-half-to-nine-hour range was the optimal amount of sleep.
But the study really only indicates how much people will sleep when they have nothing else to do. If you get less sleep, is your health going to suffer?
Most studies that connect sleep loss with illness have focused on people who get only four hours of sleep or less for several consecutive nights.
Other studies show that people who get six or seven hours of sleep each night live longer than those who get eight hours or more.
What’s right for you? Listen to your body — and don’t worry about getting the same amount each night. It’s fine to get more sleep on some nights and less on others.
HYPE: EXERCISE IS EVERYTHING
Millions of Americans are obsessive about exercise. They feel guilty if they miss their workouts or give up exercise altogether when they find that they can’t live up to an all-or-nothing ideal.
People who are fit clearly are healthier than those who aren’t, but this isn’t the same as saying that everyone needs to exercise for 30 to 60 minutes most days of the week.
Proponents talk about studies that show that people who exercise have lower rates of heart disease, cancer and other diseases.
What they neglect to mention is that most of these studies are observational — they track behavior over time, usually through the use of questionnaires.
Observational studies are good for developing hypotheses, but they don’t distinguish cause and effect.
Maybe people are healthier because they exercise… or maybe people exercise because they’re healthier to begin with. The evidence is not clear.
This is particularly true for younger adults, who typically incorporate a lot of natural movement into their daily lives, from chasing after young children to working in the yard and cleaning the house.
No one thinks of these activities as exercise, but people who do them usually are pretty fit.
After age 50, when people are less active in general, regular exercise makes more sense.
People who exercise most days of the week do have a lower risk for heart disease, and they’re less likely to get diabetes. Exercise also can help alleviate insomnia and depression.
HYPE: THIN IS BEST
Are you worried about your weight? Most American adults are. Yet there’s little evidence that people who are moderately overweight are more unhealthy than those with slim physiques.
Even if you’re heavier than you would like to be, the odds that you can lose significant amounts of weight are against you.
New research indicates that every individual is born with a genetically programmed weight range, give or take 10 to 20 pounds.
You might hover at the lower end of that range when you’re watching your diet. You might drift toward the upper end around the holidays or when you’re on vacation.
But most people stay roughly within their natural range, regardless of how much or how little they eat or whether or not they exercise.
Of course, if people eat much too much for way too long, even those who are naturally slender can blow the ceiling off their weight range and become obese, which can lead to serious health problems, including diabetes, heart disease and cancer.
Whether you’re naturally slender or rotund, your goal should be to stay roughly in the middle of your natural range.
The danger is at the extremes. People who are too heavy or too thin tend to die sooner than those in the middle.
HYPE: FREQUENT MAMMOGRAMS
More is not better. Most US health agencies advise women to get their first mammogram at age 40 and then have them annually.
Some doctors recommend a “baseline” mammogram at age 35 just in case a surgeon needs a reference point at some time in the future.
This is reasonable advice for some women, but not for all women. Speaking as a surgeon, I can attest that doctors almost never consult a baseline mammogram.
It’s true that annual mammograms in women over age 50 can reduce the death rate from breast cancer by 30%. Young women are different. Their overall risk from breast cancer is low, and their denser breast tissue makes mammograms less effective.
Also, mammograms have their own dangers. Younger women face higher risks from radiation than older women.
And those who get mammograms every year in their 40s face a 20% to 56% risk of getting a false positive, a reading that suggests a problem when in fact no problem is present. This can lead to unnecessary biopsies or surgery.
For most women in their 40s who do not have a family history of breast cancer, a mammogram every two or three years is fine.
If you do have a family history of breast cancer, however, you should have mammograms annually after the age of 40.
Personal interviewed Susan M. Love, MD, clinical professor of surgery at David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. She is president of the Dr. Susan Love Research Foundation and one of the country’s leading specialists in women’s health.
She is author of Dr. Susan Love’s Breast Book (Da Capo) and coauthor, with Alice D. Domar, PhD, of Live a Little! Breaking the Rules Won’t Break Your Health (Crown). http://www.dslrf.org
January 2nd, 2011 at 5:46 pm
Thank you Michelle for wishing China well. We love you here too.
January 2nd, 2011 at 6:54 pm
I like this one.
===========
A family is at the dinner table.
The son asks his father, ‘Dad, how many kinds of boobs are there?
The father, surprised, answers, ‘Well, son, there are three kinds of boobs:
In her 20’s, a woman’s are like melons, round and firm.
In her 30’s to 40’s, they are like pears, still nice but hanging a bit.
After 50, they are like onions’.
‘Onions?’
‘Yes, you see them and they make you cry.’
This infuriated his wife and daughter so the daughter said, ‘Mum, how many kinds of ‘willies’ are there?
The mother, surprised, smiles and answers,
‘Well dear, a man goes through three phases.
In his 20’s, his willy is like an oak tree, mighty and hard.
In his 30’s and 40’s, it is like a birch, flexible but
reliable.
After his 50’s, it is like a Christmas Tree.’
‘A Christmas tree?’
‘Yes – the tree is dead and the balls are just for decoration
=====================
January 2nd, 2011 at 9:43 pm
A shuttle craft from the Climate came in low and cloaked over Arkansas and was hit by couple thousand birds. The craft’s defense mechanism activated and killed them all.
The US scrambled their stealth craft to intercept. We captured one and let the other two escape.
This is to let interested parties know that we will release plane and occupants(pilot and gunner) after we have safety cleared the area.
We will leave the area when we complete our mission in three more days.
Maz
January 3rd, 2011 at 7:15 am
I read about those birds, Maz. Do you mean to call the ship Climax or no?
January 3rd, 2011 at 8:43 am
[...] and what about these birds dropping out of the sky? For those of you interested in what Maz posted, here’s a video of Beebe, [...]
January 18th, 2011 at 11:57 am
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