February Scam Alerts (IC3)

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The Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) has released a list of scam alerts for February.  Have you had an experience with any of these?

Social Network Misspelling Scam

I recently attempted to log on to a popular site and was redirected to a page claiming I’d won two free round trip plane tickets. I quickly realized I had typed the web address incorrectly, and although the page claimed to be this social networking site, it obviously was not.

IC3 says this is common:

Misspelling the domain name of [a social networking] site would redirect users to websites coded to look similar to the actual website. The website users were redirected to answer three or four simple survey questions. Upon answering those questions, users were offered a choice of three free gifts. Multiple brands were observed as being offered as gifts, including gift cards to retail stores and various brands of laptops.

Read more about fake online receipt generators and malicious code found in .gov e-mails here.

Related posts:

Current Internet Fraud Trends

BBB Alert: On-line Shopping? Watch Out for Fake Phishing Emails That Pose as Fed Ex, UPS and DHL

Before You Complete That Online Survey¦

 

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Written by

Beth was Director of BBB Services and wrote for the consumer education blog from 2008 to 2011. Beth also managed projects of the Tri-State Better Business Bureau Foundation, including the Student of Integrity Scholarship and senior citizen education programs, and she worked with local charities as a part of our charity reporting service. You would also find her on Twitter and Facebook @tristatebbb.

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