Scammers Targeting Craigslist Users

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Robert Siciliano Identity Theft Expert

Craigslist scams are in full force. Fox news reports scams targeting online car buyers. The crooks spend about a hundred dollars on a junk car and get a title. Then they steal a similar car and advertise it for sale on Craigslist. This is a form of auto identity theft too. They then take the VIN plate or vehicle identification number plate out of the junk car and put it inside the stolen car.

Meanwhile Fox News also reports adoptive parents are being scammed on Craigslist . A mother from Massachusetts was horrified when she saw an ad on Craigslist of her 7-month-old son up for adoption! Reports said that someone alerted the mother to her son’s photo on Craigslist.

The baby involved in this online adoption scam is named Jake. The ad, which involved his photo, said: “A CUTE BABY BOY READY FOR ADOPTION. HE IS VERY HEALTHY”. When the mother responded to the ad, she got a response saying her son was in an orphanage.

The mother said the photo was taken from her family’s blog.  Ive said in the past when posting to social media sites don’t give away specifics. Don’t post your address, date of birth, kids’ names, pets’ names, phone numbers, or any account numbers or financial information of any kind. You really shouldn’t even post childrens’ photos online.

The mother said her son wasn’t being harmed, but felt he was violated. She alerted the FBI and the scammer had also been removed on Yahoo.

I spoke with Jeffrey A. Kasky, Esq., renowned adoption expert from OneWorldAdoption.com. He said “Families who hope to adopt a child are frequently medically unable to have children for themselves.  As such, they look at adoption opportunities from an emotional rather than a logical perspective, and are therefore more vulnerable to scams. What would tug at your heartstrings more than thinking that this beautiful little boy was stuck in an orphanage halfway around the world?  “All you have to do is wire us $300 now, then more and more and more, and he can be yours…….”

Scammers are lower than that black smelly stuff in a sewer.

No matter what you are selling or buying you must know who you are dealing with on Craigslist. When we were young, our parents told us not to talk to strangers. Strangers are not yet part of our trusted circle. So don’t trust them! There’s no benefit to paranoia, but being a little guarded can prevent you from stumbling into a vulnerable situation.  Since predators use online classifieds to lure unsuspecting victims, you should find out as much as possible about strangers who contact you, or when you contact them. Use Google or iSearch.com to investigate names and email addresses and phone numbers.

Whenever possible, deal locally. People who cannot meet you in your town are more likely to be scammers. And even when you do meet in person, you should be wary.

Never engage in online transactions involving credit cards, cashier’s checks, money orders, personal checks, Western Union, MoneyGram or cash, that require you to send money to a stranger in response to money they have sent you. This is an advance fee scam.

I- ID pre meeting. Get their name and cell phone number so you can use free iSearch.com and look for their name in social networks. If you see anything suspicious then cancel or check further Intelius.com

N- Never meet in private. Meet at a public location that involves lots of other people. The more eyeballs the better.

T- Trust your gut, and don’t discount any troubling feelings you might have about your meeting. If anything seems wrong, then it IS wrong. Cancel if necessary.

E- Enlist a friend Whenever possible, bring along a someone. There is strength in numbers. Predators thrive on isolation. By paring up, you reduce the chances of being attacked.

L- Look street smart. Don’t wear expensive jewelry nor provocative clothes. Scarves and loose fitting clothing give attackers something to grab. Wear shoes you can run and kick in

I- Intelius can help Using a product like Intelius.com allows you to do a criminal check before meeting.

U Unaware creates risk. Unfortunately there is risk in meeting someone you don’t know.  Being guarded can keep you from getting into a vulnerable situation.

S- Stay in communication Make it known to your spouse or a friend where you are going and when you will be back. Have them on your cell phone while you are meeting.

Robert Siciliano Identity Theft Speaker discussing all kinds of scams on TBS Movie and a Makeover

Scams Happen to Smart People Who Do Stupid Things

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Robert Siciliano Identity Theft Expert

Most people are too smart to fall for a Nigerian 419 scam. But plenty of smart people fell for Bernie Madoff’s investment scams. Madoff was far more subtle than your average scammer. But in this day and age, people ought to be more alert to potential scams than ever before. And yet this wolf in sheep’s clothing was able to bilk so many investors. So it looks like we aren’t as savvy as we should be.

The root of the problem is the sheer number of scams. There are investment seminars, smoke and mirror charities, phishing emails and even text messages. I got a “phext” (phishing text message) from “r.yahoo.com” that said, “changed secret question, log in to update, or text HELP or to end STOP.” Naturally, this raised my suspicions, so I did an online search which led me to a forum discussion of this particular scam. Apparently, any response to this text message would have allowed hackers to access plenty of proprietary data.

A prominent security and privacy researcher emailed me to describe an attempted Craigslist scam:

“Robert, so, I registered on Craigslist and posted our above ground pool for sale. Within minutes got a reply from someone asking some basic questions (most of which could have been answered if they had read the advert). Their reply to my answers raised an immediate red flag. This individual claimed to be from Miami and was willing to write me a check for the full amount, plus shipping charges for their shipping company that would pick up the pool. In other words, I deposit a check (in context it seemed to be either a business or personal check, either way I would have had to wait for it to clear) and when it clears, I keep my asking price and give the difference to the shipping company when they arrive to pick up the pool.

I’ve ceased communication with this individual, but this just stinks to high heaven. First, if it is their own shipping company, why should I have to pay them? Second, no way I’m going to deposit this check into my account and risk having my bank info show up on their statement. Third, why would someone in Miami (above ground pools aren’t all that popular down there, it seems to me) want to pay to have a used above ground pool shipped all the way from New England? Fourth, I’m just nervous about stuff like that anyway.

Ever heard of/encountered that kind of situation before?”

This is an advanced fee scam! Now, since I am obsessively screaming about this stuff all day, I can see this coming from a mile away, as did my friend. But those who are less tuned in to the variety of potential scams might easily fall victim to this type of crime.

Financial troubles are forcing people to seek out new opportunities. When we are searching for jobs or attempting to sell our belongings online, or simply spending more time using social networking sites, we become more susceptible to the latest scams. But the biggest danger is our own egos and our complacency, as we foolishly believe that we are all too smart to become victims.

According to The Wall Street Journal, many scam victims are pretty smart. Three recent studies showed that victims of investment fraud tend to be better educated and have higher incomes than nonvictims, and that most have been investing for a decade or more. Because they are so confident in their own judgment, they fail to seek out professional advice.

Years ago, the Better Business Bureau conducted a test in which they planted a man dressed in normal street clothes outside a store during the holiday season. They gave the man a plastic pumpkin and a bell to ring. He spent twenty minutes ringing the bell, and during that time, people kept dropping money into the pumpkin. When the people were questioned, most believed that they had just donated to the Salvation Army, simply because the man was ringing a bell. Like Pavlov’s dogs, they opened their wallets.

Criminals aren’t any smarter than we are, but they know how to capitalize on our stupidity. You need to take steps to protect your own identity, because while you are smart enough to inform yourself about these issues, you can’t prevent some company from stupidly compromising your sensitive personal data. Prevent new account fraud by getting a credit freeze. Go to ConsumersUnion.org and follow the steps for your particular state. This is an absolutely necessary tool to secure your credit. In most cases, it prevents new accounts from being opened in your name. This makes your Social Security number useless to a potential identity thief. And invest in Intelius Identity Theft Protection. Not all forms of identity theft protection can be prevented, but identity theft protection services can dramatically reduce your risk.

Robert Siciliano, identity theft speaker, discusses various scams on TBS’s Movie and a Makeover.