Happy Mother’s Day!

So urgent they sent it twice! Cyber warning from James B. Comey

It never ends!  May is only 9 days old and the spam is rushing  in like mad.  Maybe the scammers are trying to take advantage of tax refunds or the ‘holy crap it’s summer’ rush for extra cash?  Or maybe this is just the same old mass email and hope someone falls for it thing.  Most likely that’s it.

James B. Comey (mflores@spyros.com.mx and nuno@telnet.com.br) wants to be sure I don’t trust just anyone when it comes to collecting my funds from overseas.  He knows that imposters are afoot and needs me to recognize that he is legit – which he isn’t.  He emailed me twice in one day, you know, in case I have multiple inheritances to collect.  Because I’ve got it like that.  Or something.

—

Subject:  STOP CONTACTING IMPOSTERS, CYBER WARNING

and

Dear Beneficiary, The Truth About Your Funds (Note:  Yes, two subject lines within each message).  

Federal Bureau of Investigation

Counter-terrorism Division and Cyber Crime Division

J. Edgar. Hoover Building Washington DC

JAMES B. COMEY,

 

Attention Beneficiary,

 

Records shows that you are among one of the individuals who are yet to receive their overdue payment from overseas which includes those of Lottery/Gambling, Contract and Inheritance. Through our Fraud Monitory Unit we have noticed that you have been transacting with some impostors and fraudsters who have been impersonating the likes of Prof. Soludo, Lamido Sanusi of the Central Bank Of Nigeria, Mr. Patrick Aziza, Bode Williams, Frank, Anderson, none officials of Oceanic Bank, Zenith Banks, Kelvin Young of HSBC, Ben of FedEx, Ibrahim Sule, Dr. Usman Shamsuddeen and some impostors claiming to be The Federal Bureau of investigation.

The Cyber Crime Division of the FBI gathered information from the Internet Fraud Complaint Center (EFCC) on how some people have lost outrageous sums of money to these impostors. As a result of this, we hereby advise you to stop communication with any one not referred to you by us. We have negotiated with the Federal Ministry of Finance that your payment totaling $5,900,000.00(Five Million Nine Hundred Thousand Dollars). will be released to you via a custom pin based ATM card with a maximum withdrawal limit of $15,000 a day which is powered by Visa Card and can be used anywhere in the world where you see a Visa Card Logo on the Automated Teller Machine (ATM).

 

We guarantee receipt of your payment. This is as a result of the mandate from US Government to make sure all debts owed to citizens of American and also Asia and Europe which includes Inheritance, Contract, Gambling/Lottery etc are been cleared. Below are few list of tracking numbers you can track from Delivery Company website to confirm people like you who have received their payment successfully.

 

Name: Mr. and Mrs. RANGANBAY: DHL Tracking Number: 2282232175 (www.dhl.com)

Name: Mr. Jalaludin: FedEx Tracking number 875777537332 (www.fedex.com)

 

To redeem your funds, you are hereby advised to contact the ATM Card Center via email for their requirement to proceed and procure your Approval of Payment Warrant and Endorsement of your ATM Release Order on your behalf which will cost you $285US only and nothing more as everything else has been taken care of by the Federal Government including taxes, custom paper and clearance duty so all you will ever need to pay is $285.00 only. (Note:  And you’ll never see that $285 or any funds supposedly coming your way.  This is designed to steal at least this much from you).  

 

Mrs. lIllian Prey (ATM Card Center Director)

Central Bank of Nigeria Central Business District,

Card astral Zone, federal Capital Territory,

Abuja.

 

ATM Card Center Director Mrs. lIllian Prey.

Official Email: atmpaymentcenter000111@gmail.com (Note:  Because the FBI uses Gmail)  

Do contact Mrs. lillian Prey of the ATM Card Center via his contact details above and furnish him with your details as listed below:

 

 

 

FULL NAMES: __________________________________

DELIVERY ADDRESS FOR ATM CARD: __________________

SEX: _______________

DATE OF BIRTH: __________________

OCCUPATION: __________________

TELEPHONE NUMBER: _____________________

EMAIL ADDRESS: _____________________

 

On contacting him with your details your file would be updated and he will be sending you the payment information in which you will use in making payment of $285.00 via Money Gram or Western Union Money Transfer for the procurement of your Approval of Payment Warrant and Endorsement of your ATM Release Order, after which the delivery of your ATM card will be effected to your designated home address without any further delay, No extra fee.

 

 

JAMES B. COMEY ,

DIRECTOR OF FEDERAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION

UNITED STATES IN COLABORATION WITH THE

DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20535

 

Note: Disregard any email you get from any impostors or offices claiming to be in possession of your ATM card, you are hereby advice only to be in contact with Mr. Tony Micheal the Director of the ATM card center who is the rightful person to deal with in regards to your payment and forward any emails you get from impostors to this office so we could act upon it immediately. Help stop cyber crime.  (Note:  Yes, help stop cyber crime.  Don’t fall for this crap.)

—-

So many lies, so little time.  Report this message as spam and fraud to your email provider.  Don’t believe it, ever.

Until next time, peace.

Pro tip: exclamation point abuse will not make spam seem legit

Spammers and scammers amaze me sometimes.  They are slimy idiots and brilliant at the same time.  They can draw people in like no one else.  Just wow.  Check out this message from (not really) General Abdul Aziz al-Shallal (using the email address test@test.com).   If I was desperate enough, I might believe it and follow up.

—

 

Subject: VERY URGENT!!! (Note:  You know, because all caps and multiple exclamation points mean this is real)

Greetings,

I apologized using this medium to reach you for a transaction/business of this magnitude, but this is due to Confidentiality and prompt access reposed on this medium. In unfolding this proposal, I want to count on you, as a respected and honest person to handle this project/transaction with sincerity, trust and confidentiality.
Let me use this opportunity to introduce myself briefly to you. I am General Abdul Aziz Jassem al-Shallal. One of the general that defected from the Syrian Army.


My office monitors and controls the affairs of sensitive institutions including some financial post in my country concerned with foreign contract payments as well..
I am the final signatory to any transfer or remittance of funds moving within banks both on the local and international levels in line to foreigncontracts settlement. I have before me, list of funds which could not be transferred to some nominated accounts as these accounts have beenidentified either as ghost accounts, unclaimed deposits or over-invoiced sum e.t.c. before I defected.


Now listen carefully please. I write to present you to the federal government that you are among the people expecting the funds to betransferred into their accounts. On this note, I wish to have a deal with you as regards to the unpaid certified contract funds.
I have every file before me and the data’s will be changed into your name to enable you receive the fund into your nominated account as thecontractor/beneficiary of the fund amount $20 Million U.S.D.


It is my duty to recommend the transfer of these surplus funds to the  government treasury and reserve accounts as unclaimed deposits. I have the opportunity to write you based on the opportunity that the funds was release to my office which I have made deposit into three countries France , United States and Britain namely.

Among several others, I have decided to remit this sum following my idea that we have a deal/agreement and I am going to do this legally.  (Note:  Nothing about this is legal or legitimate.) 

MY CONDITIONS AS FOLLOWS.

1. You will give me 70% at of the total sum as soon as you confirm the total fund in your designated account. 25% will be for you for while 5% should be set aside for any miscellaneous expenses. (Note:  If nothing else raises your suspicion, this should.)  

2. This transaction must be kept highly secretive as I am still in service to avoid public notice and all correspondence will be strictly by email for security purposes. We will talk on phone partially if any warrant for that.

3. There should be no third parties as most problems associated with fund release are caused by your agents or representative.
If you agree with my conditions, I will intimate you with the procedures to enable me fix your name on the payment schedule instantly to meet the mandate and vital information for you to receive the funds legally from the bank in which country funds has been safely deposited.

I hope you don’t reject this offer as this great opportunity comes but once in one’s entire life.

——-

So many red flags in this one!  Have you received it?

Until next time, peace.

 

C. S. Aluminium Corporation fake job lead

Once again, a fraudulent job lead came my way.  Once again, I’m sharing the message and pointing out the red flags.

—–

From:  C. S. Aluminum Corporation (hunter@dankov.lipetsk.ru)

Subject:  Rep Needed Urgently 

C. S. Aluminium Corporation.
17 Tong Lin Road, Hsiao Kang
District, Kaohsiung 812,
Taiwan, R.O.C.
Website: csc.com.tw
REF:CSC/REP/887

Good day,

I am Mr. S. T. Chang, President of C. S. Aluminium Corporation. We need a
reputable person,company/firm to serve as our payment
collection agent in America,Canada.We are ready to discuss terms of
payment if
you are interested.

Note: It won’t disturb your present job, as  its  going to be on part time
basis

Warmest Regards
Mr. S. T. Chang

—–

Red flags:

• Mr. S. T. Chang’s email address is hunter@dankov.lipetsk.ru.  If C.S. Aluminum is in Taiwan, why would the company president use an email address based in Russia?
• ‘Payment Collection Agent’ position should always make you pause.  The company location, salary, and list of duties should be clear and not suspect.
• The note claiming the position will not disrupt your present job is suspect.  How many legitimate employers make that statement from the beginning?
• If the message shows up in your spam folder with a warning message, it’s very unlikely the job is legitimate.

Be safe and smart, people.

Happy birthday, guys!

Happy birthday to my daughter (20 on the 24th), husband (January 26), and baby brother (January 26)!

Photo credit: Idea go

Party on, guys!  Love you all!

Spammers make me giggle

You know, I don’t know many people who couldn’t use and extra few dollars.  I don’t think I know anyone who’d fall for offers like these.

Li Zoahang (zzaohangz@kimo.com) wants my help –

I’m Li Zaohang, and I work with Bank of China.
I need your assistance in moving a sum of $28.370 Million Dollars from my Bank.
Kindly get back if interested.

Wow, really?  Sad attempt at scamming.  Where’s the imagination?  The enticement?  Sorry, throwing a huge dollar amount at me isn’t enough reason for me to consider giving you my information or breaking the law.

Michael McNeill (ppc@snru.ac.th) went with the tried and true soldier stationed abroad approach –

I am Sgt. Michael McNeill, a US Marine Sgt. Serving in the 1st Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment. I am presently in Afghanistan. I have summoned up courage to contact you for an assistance to evacuate some cash eighteen million dollars (18,000,000.00) to the States or any safe country.

SOURCE OF MONEY:
Some money in various currencies was discovered and concealed in barrels with piles of weapons and ammunition at a location near one of the Taliban Caves during a rescue operation and it was agreed by all party present that the money will be shared among us.

I will provide you with more details upon the receipt of your response.

Respectfully,
Sgt. Michael McNeill
United States Marine Corps.
Afghanistan

Sigh.  We all know that looting is a possibility in any wartime, but yeah, no thanks.

Gillian and Adrian Bayford (info@usa.net) want to just give me money.  With the Google Management Team’s approval –

We are Gillian and Adrian Bayford. My wife and I won the biggest Euro Millions lottery prize of £148 Million GBP and we just commenced our Charity Donation and we will be giving out a cash donation of £1,500,000.00 GBP  to 5 lucky individuals and 10 charity organizations from any part of the world. To verify the genuineness of this email, check this web page; http://news.sky.com/story/972395/148-6m-euromillions-jackpot-winners-named Your email address was submitted to my wife and I by the Google Management Team and you are therefore approved £1,500,000.00 GBP

Congratulations & Happy Celebrations in Advance.

Oy.

So, what goodies have you received this week?

Happy Halloween!

Get your trick-or-treat on!  Pass out candy!  Ooh and ahh over the parade of costumed cuties arriving at your door.

Do you celebrate?  We do.  We love everything about it.  One of these days we’ll decorate the way we want.

We love our neighborhood, but hate that so few kids come around.  It can’t be the candy – we pick up good stuff.  We even separate the nut-based candies from the rest.  No lollies or cheap stuff here.  And no judgement about trick-or-treater’s ages.  If you’re in costume,you get candy.

We hope we see a lot of traffic because we have a lot of candy.  If not, I’m sending a bunch with hubby to work.  I so don’t need it staring at or calling me name,

Ultimate Blog Challenge is almost over

What happened to October?  It feels like it just started.

I decided to take part in the Ultimate Blog Challenge to help me get back on track and post more often.  I’ve learned a few things about myself.    

• Yes, I can post 31 posts in as many days.  Some days were post-free, but I made up for them.
• 31 posts in 31 days may be too much for me on a regular basis.  Between work and other blogs, my brain shuts down and my creativity wanes.
• I need to keep a notebook handy so I can jot down ideas.  I used to do it regularly and feel out of habit.
• I really need a pain remedy that doesn’t knock me out.  But I already knew that.

Another good thing about the challenge was the challengers.  I found new blogs to follow and enjoy them. I’ll keep reading into November and beyond.

Did you participate?  What did you learn?

About my work – freelance food writer

People ask me about what I do from home, so I figured I’d share with a little more detail.  First up. food and freelancing. 

I love food.    I love eating, cooking, reading about, and playing with food.  I collect cookbooks and menus.  I love finding new twists on favorite recipes.  I love seeing the look on a loved one’s face when they enjoy something I prepared for them.

I wanted to find a way to do what I love and make money with it.  While searching for a new telecommuting position, I stumbled across a listing for Examiner.com.  I always wanted to write, so I decided to take the plunge.  After all, I had nothing to lose. They liked me, so I became Charleston SC’s Vegetarian Examiner.  I get to play with food more and write about it,

Homemade veggie soup – vegan, quick, and cheap. A standard in cooler months.

From Crazy Sexy Kitchen – a yummy salad of almonds, sunflower seeds, and veggies.

Chickpea Burgers from Grilling Vegan Style. Loved them and so did the omni hubby.

 

If you want to try your hand at writing, consider becoming an Examiner, too.

Finding my passion and finding a way to make it part of how I make my living was important to me.  It’s standard advice for those looking for the right business.  Or anyone looking for peace.  Find your bliss and embrace it.

What’s your passion?

For you

I know you’re scared.

You may feel alone.

Know that even when I’m away from you, I’m by your side.

We all are.  We love you.  We have your back.