By Jack Donovan
The man came in with a puzzled look and asked for a Western Union money transfer form; I gave how the form and he started to fill it out. He seemed confused but filled it out and handed it to me. He was sending $400 dollars to a man in Nigeria. After the information was punched into the computer, a test question was needed. I asked the man what the test question was going to be. He gave me a puzzled look asking “what the hell is a test question” That’s when I realized that this could be a possible scam. I asked him if he knew the person that he was sending the money to, he said that he didn’t, and his voice became shaky. He went on and explains that he had received an e-mail from a man asking him to receive and sends the money back to him; he would then be able to keep 10% of the money he received. This is called money washing and it’s one of many major scams that many people end up falling for.
“People are just looking for away to get free money” Says Josh Green, employee at Foodmaster “because of that, people can be stupid” Internet scams are still in this day and age a major problem. Many people are scammed every day with the prospect of free money. The increases of communication technology is what is causing people into being tricked into giving up information or money to people they don’t really know.
Online scams are aimed at tricking people into giving out sensitive information and or money. They are very convincing most of the times and they have a number of tricks to make you think you are getting a good deal. The internet is a great place to get information about anything you want, and it’s also the prime location to take money away from you. Spam mail is the most common form of scamming people there is. John Goodwin, a student from Whitman Hanson high school is a victim of spam mail. “I use to try and enter contests online all the time” he laughed saying “I never won any of them but now I have had to change my e-mail address a number of time because I have been bombarded with spam e-mail” He went on to say that “I have never given out any information that might come back to haunt me but I can see how people could believe that it was legit.” Spam is a major problem with e-mail providers, and some offer better protection from spam then others.
People that respond to the phony e-mails can receive a very quick answer from the scam artist. They will explain tom you that what they are doing is very legal and it’s a legit way to make some extra money, this of course is false. Many e-mails may be sent to one another until the unsuspecting victims is comfortable enough to make the move and follow the instructions of the scam artist.
The major target group for scam artists is the elderly. The elderly are more likely to be scammed because they are generally less knowledgeable about current technology then younger generation. The elderly are also more likely to give money to different charities, but these also could be a scam to take money from the old. They see an e-mail that looks legit and they send money or personal information to the unknown individuals and them losses and become victim to a scam artist. Many of the elders feel that they won’t be scammed because they feel they can spot phony information. Margret Ryan an 89 year old women from East Bridgewater said “I have never been afraid of being scammed” she says, “I don’t have much money as it is, so what could they possible take from me”.
A common scam that involves sending e-mails back and forth from one another is an inheritance scam. The scam artist sends an e-mail to you that you have earned a prize inheritance from a long lost family member. Then you e-mail them back asking how much it is and what you have to do to get it. The scam artist is a pro at making you think that they are legit, so he or she tells you that you have to send some money for legal fees and mailing fees, and then you will get the money that is supposedly guaranteed to you. People that would believe this same are usually tight for money, and when they hear that they have inherited some money they see is as a dream comes true.
Trying to convince people that they are being scammed can be a donating task. The prospect of free money distorts their reason, and that the main goal of the scam artist. When they come in to the store determined to send the money and they can’t understand that money transfer agents are just doing their job protecting them from losing their money. Agents are required to inform the Western Union Company of any suspicious activity that they might see. They are also required to judge the situation before sending the money. If they feel that the person is trying to pull something, or if the transaction seems suspicious, an agent cannot put the transaction through. There is also for some counties, a test question that is required, this helps stop any transaction that is questionable from occurring.
“I can usually tell who is being scammed after the first couple of minutes of someone filling out a Western Union form.” Says Nancy Abrams book keeper at Foodmaster “They are usually new to western union and have very confused looks on their face”, she said with a smirk “Then when I see where they are sending the money, I can usually tell for sure”. Western Union is a money transfer system that allows someone to send money all across the world. They have a number of different forms for sending money to different places. The company is very concerned about people using the service for less than legal purposes. They have a whole division that is dedicated to stopping people using the service from scamming people. Agents are constantly given news letters telling about the latest threats and what to watch out for.
A representative from The Western Union Money Transfer Agency stated that they have a whole section working on learning the latest types of scams. “Keeping people from using are services for illegal purposes” The agent also stated that agents on the front lines are the best way to be able to detect and stop an illegal transaction using their system.
Countries are also trying to stop scam artists from working in and outside their countries by having companies such as Western Union follow strict guide lines that most are indorsed. An example is the country of Mexico; Mexico is very concerned about the amount of fraudulent money that is sent in and out of the country. Mexico will actually suspend all or most money wiring services for days if there is a spike of illegal activity being sent in and out viva money wiring. This creates a major hassle for people that are trying to receive or send money to love ones in foreign countries.
There are many types of internet scams flooding the World Wide Web. They can range from giving out your e-mail address and personal information to companies to taking money from you and stealing your identity. The scams range from cable descramblers, to get rich quick scams that require you to send money to make money.
A Melissa D. sent an e-mail to me saying “Dear Jack Donovan, please activate you $500 gift card” this is a very popular type of scam. When you receive this e-mail you think that you have just made out big, but when you look at what you have to do, you quickly realize that it’s just a scam. What Melissa D. wanted me to do was to fill out a bunch of information about where I lived and how I could be reached. Then in order to get the gift cards I had to register and pay subscriptions on three different services, each one being about 10 dollar a month. This can add up quickly if you don’t unsubscribe to them immediately, and there’s no guarantee that you will even be able to get any gift card from them. When trying to respond to the e-mail, there was no response from them back. Then a few hours later I got a response from a man named Mike, and he said that I had won a $500 target gift card, and I just had to enter information in a form and I would get it. Once again this was an attempt to try and get money and information out of me.
You can report suspected scam attacks to a verity of different government and privately run programs that’s aim is to stop scam attacks form happening. The Internet Crime Complaint Center is the place to visit in order to report a crime taking place viva the internet. All you have to do is fill out a form and explain what you think is going on, and then you leave it in their hands. The ICCC is a government runs an agency that deals with many types of crimes that occur on the World Wide Web, from scams to stopping internet predators.
The government in the early part of the 2000s was trying to fight internet scams. They had started many different websites to inform people and keep them from falling in to the hands of scam artists. The sites now days seem to be abandoned buy the creators. After trying many times to e-mail the site creators I received no response at all. Not only did I never get a response from the websites, I got e-mails back saying that the address did not except anymore. Scams have not gone away, but the resources that had been in place so people could learn and fill out complaints have been abandoned. People will continue to be scams on the internet; the crooks continue to come up with new ways to get money from your pocket.
As the increases of technology increases more ways to communicate to one another also increases. Scam artist have proven time after time that they can adapt with the times. In the age of increasingly advanced technology cyber crime is becoming more and more popular. People can easily make something look real and make out with $100s of dollars, so being cautious about what you put online is a must. With the economy the way it is, saving money is top priority for many people. The scam artist knows this so they are going to try to take full advantage of people. Online shopping has doubled over the last 10 years and there are many great deals to be found, but there are also deals that only work out for the dealer, or the scam artist .Following a simple motto can help protect you from ending up as a victim to some same artist in another country, As Nancy Abrams says “If it sounds too good to be true then it probably is” “there is no such thing, nor will there ever be free money”
Leave a Comment so far
Leave a comment
English 280: The Journalistic Essay 