Ever came across a scheme purporting to teach you how to become a Certified Auction Listing Agent? They are work-at-home scams. Read on for more information.
Certified Auction Listing Agent scams work as follows –
They get the victim hooked on promises of profitable work-at-home opportunities. Some use long winded sales pages full of the usual garble about how someone became financially free and does not have to worry about bills and can go on long vacations etc. Others ask the victim to enter their ZIP code so the site can `search for jobs in their area` and are then forwarded to a long winded sales page full of the same drivel (regardless of the ZIP code entered. The `opportunities` are identical. The ZIP code does not even need to be entered)
The sales page will give the usual get-rich drivel of how nice it is to be rich and will usually include a rag to riches story of how many people have become successful using the so called system. The sales page will also go on to explain that these people are becoming rich by selling items on auction sites like EBay on behalf of other companies, usually Fortune 500 companies or other reputable businesses. These companies will apparently give the member large commissions for each item sold meaning members could potentially earn up to $75-$100 an hour!
Of course members can find out all the secrets to this money making techniques by paying the site operators a sign up fee and usually on going monthly fees.
Of course, like all get-rich-quick scams, the sales page is nothing more than deception and outright lies.
There are no Fortune 500 companies looking for people to sell their items on EBay. That is pure fabrication. Victims who sign up to become a "Certified Auction Listing Agent" are typically sent several things, including
- Information on setting up an EBay account and a PayPal account, which can freely be found on the Internet on numerous sites, for free.
- Tips on using EBay. Again, this information can be freely found many other places online.
- Fake certificates implying that the victim is certified to sell items on EBay. The certificates are fake and are not required to use EBay.
So in reality, members are actually paying [usually] extortionate fees on how to use EBay which anyone could do for free anywhere else, meaning essentially all the information is completely useless, and the vast majority of members will simply be unable to recuperate the initial sign up and monthly fees which are often in the hundreds of dollars.
Popular scams of this nature include Jennifer Johnson and HomeJobPlacement.org, or Elizabeth Jackson and workathomepositionplacement.org.
We strongly recommend avoiding sites of this nature as they are blatant scams designed to get as much money from their victims as possible.
Wednesday, 27 October 2010
Saturday, 23 October 2010
You Can’t Track Forwarded Email, Really!
Chain emails designed to simply waste people’s time are perhaps one of the most annoying types out there, simply because of the complete pointlessness to it. The creator of these emails had no financial or political motivation for it, rather just wanted to waste as many peoples time as possible.
One classic chain email that fits this description is the chain email that claims that forwarding it to so many people will result in some sort of action being taken, typically in the form of a prize or reward going to the person who forwarded the email. Some deviations claim that failing to forward it on will result in some action being taken.
It is one of the classic chain emails that have been circulating for over 10 years and is so effective because like many chain emails of this nature, it tricks the victim into sending it to multiple contacts and the victim has no way of knowing they are being tricked until after they sent the email and their promised reward doesn’t land on their doorstep a few days later.
Of course the victim could perform due diligence and research the email to confirm it is a ruse. There are many sites like ours that archive the most popular chain emails like this and dismiss them for the time wasting hoaxes that they are.
One of the early popular variants of this type of hoax is one veteran email users may very well be aware of and that is the rumour that former CEO of Microsoft Bill Gates was sharing his wealth with lucky email users who had to forward a specific email onto a certain amount of contacts. Some variants claimed it was because they were tracking an email tracing program. Some claimed Mr. Gates and Microsoft were working with companies like AOL and even Disney. Some variants even came equipped with arbitrary amounts of money and even pictures of people receiving checks. What they did have in common however is that they were all fake. Every single one of them.
Another popular example of this hoax is the chain email that claims that failing to forward a message onto a certain amount of contacts will result in that contact being removed from a specific service. Most Internet companies have had their own version of this hoax, including MSN, Yahoo, Live Communities, AOL, Facebook, Twitter and MySpace. The hoax will always assert that failing to forward a message onto at least so many contacts will result in the reader’s account being terminated. The typical excuse the message lends to justify this seemingly strange ultimatum is that the respective service is trying to clear up unused accounts and forwarding the message proves your account is still active. Of course services like the ones mentioned have more accurate and less intrusive methods of detecting inactive accounts, and of course all emails matching this description are again absurd hoaxes.
The reality is, you cannot track forwarded email. It is technically impossible to send an email and track who sends it, when they sent it, where they sent it, and who they sent it to. It simply cannot be done, even by an Internet giant like AOL or Microsoft. Additionally, even if it were possible, it would be considered by many, specifically privacy advocacy groups, to be a gross invasion of privacy.
Companies do not give away free prizes for forwarding emails. Companies do not remove people from their service for not forwarding emails.
This means that any email that comes into your cyber mailbox claiming it needs to be forwarded on so that some action can be taken you will know straight away that the email is a silly, time wasting ruse, and you can delete it from your inbox and save everyone on your contact list some time.
One classic chain email that fits this description is the chain email that claims that forwarding it to so many people will result in some sort of action being taken, typically in the form of a prize or reward going to the person who forwarded the email. Some deviations claim that failing to forward it on will result in some action being taken.
It is one of the classic chain emails that have been circulating for over 10 years and is so effective because like many chain emails of this nature, it tricks the victim into sending it to multiple contacts and the victim has no way of knowing they are being tricked until after they sent the email and their promised reward doesn’t land on their doorstep a few days later.
Of course the victim could perform due diligence and research the email to confirm it is a ruse. There are many sites like ours that archive the most popular chain emails like this and dismiss them for the time wasting hoaxes that they are.
One of the early popular variants of this type of hoax is one veteran email users may very well be aware of and that is the rumour that former CEO of Microsoft Bill Gates was sharing his wealth with lucky email users who had to forward a specific email onto a certain amount of contacts. Some variants claimed it was because they were tracking an email tracing program. Some claimed Mr. Gates and Microsoft were working with companies like AOL and even Disney. Some variants even came equipped with arbitrary amounts of money and even pictures of people receiving checks. What they did have in common however is that they were all fake. Every single one of them.
Another popular example of this hoax is the chain email that claims that failing to forward a message onto a certain amount of contacts will result in that contact being removed from a specific service. Most Internet companies have had their own version of this hoax, including MSN, Yahoo, Live Communities, AOL, Facebook, Twitter and MySpace. The hoax will always assert that failing to forward a message onto at least so many contacts will result in the reader’s account being terminated. The typical excuse the message lends to justify this seemingly strange ultimatum is that the respective service is trying to clear up unused accounts and forwarding the message proves your account is still active. Of course services like the ones mentioned have more accurate and less intrusive methods of detecting inactive accounts, and of course all emails matching this description are again absurd hoaxes.
The reality is, you cannot track forwarded email. It is technically impossible to send an email and track who sends it, when they sent it, where they sent it, and who they sent it to. It simply cannot be done, even by an Internet giant like AOL or Microsoft. Additionally, even if it were possible, it would be considered by many, specifically privacy advocacy groups, to be a gross invasion of privacy.
Companies do not give away free prizes for forwarding emails. Companies do not remove people from their service for not forwarding emails.
This means that any email that comes into your cyber mailbox claiming it needs to be forwarded on so that some action can be taken you will know straight away that the email is a silly, time wasting ruse, and you can delete it from your inbox and save everyone on your contact list some time.
Friday, 22 October 2010
Facebook Pedophiles - Real Threats or Viral Hoaxes?
Facebook, inevitably, has become one of the most prolific platforms for not only genuine threats but also viral hoaxes as well. This means that when the unavoidable rumours start to spread across the social networking site, it can be hard to determine where they are true, false, or a little of both. It is made increasingly difficult by viral hoaxers starting false rumours about true topics, but changing key details to make their rumours extremely alarmist and urgent, meaning unaware and uninformed Facebook users are more likely to pass that hoax on.
One particular type of hoax, with endless variants is the currently prolific Facebook pedophile rumours which seem to continually spread across the social site panicking children and parents alike. Is there any truth to all of these Facebook pedophiles, or is it someones sick idea of a joke?
The answer isn't a simple Yes or No.
The sad fact is that sex offenders have and do use Facebook, and there have been reported incidents where such offenders have met their victims online, like in the incident in 2009 in the UK where sex offender Peter Chapman met and killed a girl he met on Facebook. This is a stark reminder that even a famous site which promotes the sharing of friends and other innocent activities is used as a platform for sick individuals to use to recruit victims.
But do real life incidents like these mean we should or need to pay any credence to viral rumours warning of random groups or people who apparently prey on children?
The many different types and variations of warnings that caution people against apparent pedophile threats on Facebook are in their thousands, and millions of Facebook user has seen some type of these warnings at some point during their activies on Facebook. The fact is however, that to our knowledge, literally none of these viral rumours have ever actually related to a real or genuine threat, because in nearly all cases, the rumour was both senseless and illogical.
Take for example the most common type of Facebook warning, that advises people not to add or speak to a certain Facebook profile, because that person is actually a pedophile looking for victims. For those who are familiar with the evolution of social networking hoaxes like this, you'll know that it actually is a spin-off to the early "hacker warnings" that plagued Yahoo, AOL and MSN messenger users over a decade ago. These warnings would caution people against adding certain contacts for fear that they will "hack your computer", "delete your files" and other pseudo-jargon nonsense.
In reality, these newer pedophile warnings suffer the same logical flaws as their hacker predecessors, in that if there was any real truth behind the message, then it is likely, if not inevitable that such offending accounts would be shut down by the respective service, and any continuing messages warning of such a threat would thus be immediately outdated. Pedophile rumours have the additional flaw that if they were true, presumably the person or persons who first suspected the profile in question would not only report the offending profile to Facebook, but also to the police.
Lets take a look at one popular pedophile message that did the rounds in 2010.
This rumour warned of alledged pedophile Thierry Mairot who tried to talk to children about sex on Facebook. It became extremely popular in late 2010 and at the height of its popularity our site ThatsNonsense.com was getting several thousands hits regarding the hoax every single day.
But looking at the message logically, the message would have the reader believe that the person who created the message either -
a. knew the profile belonged to a sex offender, but decided not to report the account to either Facebook or the police, rather employ a viral rumour to warn others about him.
b. Did report the account to Facebook and the police, who decided not to pursue the complaint and left the profile free to continue to recruit children.
Both assumptions are rather unlikely, since anyone who is aware of a sex offender recuiting children on the Internet would report it to the police, and the police would always investigate straight away, since the allegation is extremely serious. However for the warning to be valid, the reader would have to assume that the profile Thierry Mairot was still active, so would have to believe the far fetched theories we outlined above. Of course looking logically at the message, we have to conclude it is a hoax, the creator never reported the account to the police because there never was such an offending account. The above viral message has seen many different variations, usually the only significant detail ever being changed is the name of the supposed pedophile. Additionally, the messages are never backed up with any credible evidence or source.
Other Facebook rumours relating to Facebook pedophiles include warnings of certain Facebook groups run by pedophiles in an attempt to either recruit victims or steal photos of children. One such popular example includes -
Not only does this face the same flaw as the example discussed earlier, in that any genuine group run by pedophiles would be reported and inevitably shut down, this specific rumour also gives itself away in that joining a group doesn't put your photos at risk, like the message implies.
Additionally, messages warning of groups like this beg the question of how the creator of the message actually found out about the groupand it's intentions.
To summarise, it is critical for Facebook users, especially children, to take extreme caution on the Internet and Facebook. There are real threats out there, and practising simple procedures such as always being alert, never adding friends who you do not know to your Facebook profile and never meeting strangers from the Internet should be enough to make sure you stay safe on Facebook. However passing on these vicious, baseless rumours only serves to waste peoples time, diluting a serious issue, and possibly ruining the lives of the people who share the names "outed" in the hoax messages.
Pedophiles on Facebook are a real threat, but viral rumours about them will always be unfounded hoaxes.
One particular type of hoax, with endless variants is the currently prolific Facebook pedophile rumours which seem to continually spread across the social site panicking children and parents alike. Is there any truth to all of these Facebook pedophiles, or is it someones sick idea of a joke?
The answer isn't a simple Yes or No.
The sad fact is that sex offenders have and do use Facebook, and there have been reported incidents where such offenders have met their victims online, like in the incident in 2009 in the UK where sex offender Peter Chapman met and killed a girl he met on Facebook. This is a stark reminder that even a famous site which promotes the sharing of friends and other innocent activities is used as a platform for sick individuals to use to recruit victims.
But do real life incidents like these mean we should or need to pay any credence to viral rumours warning of random groups or people who apparently prey on children?
The many different types and variations of warnings that caution people against apparent pedophile threats on Facebook are in their thousands, and millions of Facebook user has seen some type of these warnings at some point during their activies on Facebook. The fact is however, that to our knowledge, literally none of these viral rumours have ever actually related to a real or genuine threat, because in nearly all cases, the rumour was both senseless and illogical.
Take for example the most common type of Facebook warning, that advises people not to add or speak to a certain Facebook profile, because that person is actually a pedophile looking for victims. For those who are familiar with the evolution of social networking hoaxes like this, you'll know that it actually is a spin-off to the early "hacker warnings" that plagued Yahoo, AOL and MSN messenger users over a decade ago. These warnings would caution people against adding certain contacts for fear that they will "hack your computer", "delete your files" and other pseudo-jargon nonsense.
In reality, these newer pedophile warnings suffer the same logical flaws as their hacker predecessors, in that if there was any real truth behind the message, then it is likely, if not inevitable that such offending accounts would be shut down by the respective service, and any continuing messages warning of such a threat would thus be immediately outdated. Pedophile rumours have the additional flaw that if they were true, presumably the person or persons who first suspected the profile in question would not only report the offending profile to Facebook, but also to the police.
Lets take a look at one popular pedophile message that did the rounds in 2010.
ATTENTION...To all parents whose children have a profile on facebook. There is a man trying to get in contact with children to talk about sex. His name is Thierry Mairot. Please copy and paste this onto your wall and warn all ur friends! Please everyone Moms and Dads ...repost an...d get him off of Facebook! Parents, Grandparents Aunts, Uncles and Cousins! EVEN if you have NO kids
This rumour warned of alledged pedophile Thierry Mairot who tried to talk to children about sex on Facebook. It became extremely popular in late 2010 and at the height of its popularity our site ThatsNonsense.com was getting several thousands hits regarding the hoax every single day.
But looking at the message logically, the message would have the reader believe that the person who created the message either -
a. knew the profile belonged to a sex offender, but decided not to report the account to either Facebook or the police, rather employ a viral rumour to warn others about him.
b. Did report the account to Facebook and the police, who decided not to pursue the complaint and left the profile free to continue to recruit children.
Both assumptions are rather unlikely, since anyone who is aware of a sex offender recuiting children on the Internet would report it to the police, and the police would always investigate straight away, since the allegation is extremely serious. However for the warning to be valid, the reader would have to assume that the profile Thierry Mairot was still active, so would have to believe the far fetched theories we outlined above. Of course looking logically at the message, we have to conclude it is a hoax, the creator never reported the account to the police because there never was such an offending account. The above viral message has seen many different variations, usually the only significant detail ever being changed is the name of the supposed pedophile. Additionally, the messages are never backed up with any credible evidence or source.
Other Facebook rumours relating to Facebook pedophiles include warnings of certain Facebook groups run by pedophiles in an attempt to either recruit victims or steal photos of children. One such popular example includes -
ATTENTION !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!do not join the group that runs currently on facebook with the title 'becoming a father or mother was the greatest gift of my life' This isa group created by pedophiles whose aim is to access yourphotos!!!!!!!!!!!! Please rotate this post to all Your Friends on Facebook.
Not only does this face the same flaw as the example discussed earlier, in that any genuine group run by pedophiles would be reported and inevitably shut down, this specific rumour also gives itself away in that joining a group doesn't put your photos at risk, like the message implies.
Additionally, messages warning of groups like this beg the question of how the creator of the message actually found out about the groupand it's intentions.
To summarise, it is critical for Facebook users, especially children, to take extreme caution on the Internet and Facebook. There are real threats out there, and practising simple procedures such as always being alert, never adding friends who you do not know to your Facebook profile and never meeting strangers from the Internet should be enough to make sure you stay safe on Facebook. However passing on these vicious, baseless rumours only serves to waste peoples time, diluting a serious issue, and possibly ruining the lives of the people who share the names "outed" in the hoax messages.
Pedophiles on Facebook are a real threat, but viral rumours about them will always be unfounded hoaxes.
Thursday, 21 October 2010
Welcome to the ThatsNonsense.com Blog
Hello and welcome to our blog.
This is brand spanking new blog for our anti-scam website ThatsNonsense.com.
If you have never visited our site before, you can do by clicking here.
If you're unfamilliar with us, ThatsNonsense.com launched in August 2009 with a relatively small site providing information on the most popular type of scams out there. Since then, it has grown into one of the largest sites online pertaining to cyber scams and hoaxes.
We have launched this blog in an effort to keep our readers updated and informed more regularly on this popular blogging platform. We also have a monthly newsletter which you can sign up for by clicking here.
We hope this blog will help keep people safe online, and also provide an entertaining and informative read for all that choose to follow us.
Kind Regards
ThatsNonsense.com
This is brand spanking new blog for our anti-scam website ThatsNonsense.com.
If you have never visited our site before, you can do by clicking here.
If you're unfamilliar with us, ThatsNonsense.com launched in August 2009 with a relatively small site providing information on the most popular type of scams out there. Since then, it has grown into one of the largest sites online pertaining to cyber scams and hoaxes.
We have launched this blog in an effort to keep our readers updated and informed more regularly on this popular blogging platform. We also have a monthly newsletter which you can sign up for by clicking here.
We hope this blog will help keep people safe online, and also provide an entertaining and informative read for all that choose to follow us.
Kind Regards
ThatsNonsense.com
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