Tag Archives: scams

Scam within a scam

Posted on by The Old Wolf

This one goes layers deep. Lately my inbox has been swamped with an endless stream of these, (and I’ve written about them before)

But they are still going out, and people are still biting and losing lots and lots of money.

The first red flag is “Congratulation!!” – State Farm would never make such an egregious grammar error.

So if you Get Started, you’ll be taking through an inane survey – doesn’t matter what you click, you’ll be “qualified” – and then told you only need to pay for Shipping and Handling and you’ll collect a fabulous reward.

Well, you’ve just given your credit card number to a bunch of unscrupulous scammers, and it may be used for all sorts of illegitimate purposes. But you’ve also agreed (as outlined in the “terms and conditions,” which nobody reads) to sign up for not one but three recurring services which will be very, very hard to cancel.

Terms and Conditions Agreement
By participating in the contest, you agree to abide by the following terms and conditions (“Agreement”). This Agreement details the membership pricing, benefits, and terms associated with the Daily Win Prize website (the “Site”). The Site is operated by the Site Operator (“we,” “our,” or “us”).
Membership & Benefits
As a thank-you for your participation, you’ll receive complimentary access to exclusive resources within our renowned Epic Read Online, known for its high-quality offerings. As a member, you’ll also enjoy valuable monthly benefits, including significant savings on a variety of products. You can cancel your membership at any time by contacting us, and all recurring charges will be immediately stopped.
VISA Card Members:
➽ Initial Price: $14.77 Continued Membership: $73.85 billed monthly (every 31 days)
By becoming a member, you’ll access exclusive benefits like substantial savings on a range of products. You can cancel your membership at any time by contacting us, stopping all recurring charges. Review the terms carefully before proceeding. If you have questions or need clarification, don’t hesitate to contact us.
Mastercard Members:
➽ Initial Price: $11.47 Continued Membership: $76.49 billed monthly (every 31 days)
As a Mastercard member, you’ll enjoy monthly savings and exclusive benefits. If you wish to discontinue membership, you can do so at any time. If you choose to continue, your recurring membership fee will be charged every 31 days at the specified rate. We recommend reviewing the full terms before proceeding. Feel free to reach out for additional information.
Cancellations & Refunds:
You have the right to cancel your order at any time. To do so, please contact our customer service at +8554185206, and we will issue a refund within 5-7 business days. You may also email us at support@tradestreamshop.com for assistance.
Risk of Loss:
All purchases made through the Site are under a shipment contract. Once items are delivered to the carrier, the risk of loss and ownership transfers to you.
Permitted Use of the Site
You are granted a limited, non-transferable, and non-exclusive license to use the Site for personal purposes only. Unauthorized use, including the following, is prohibited:Resale or Commercial Use: You may not use the Site for commercial purposes or resell any products.Content Misuse: Reproducing, distributing, modifying, or exploiting the Site’s content without written permission is not allowed.Reverse Engineering or Copying: You may not disassemble or reverse-engineer the Site’s features or content.Framing or Unauthorized Embedding: Framing or embedding any proprietary content without permission is strictly prohibited.
Intellectual Property:
The Site’s content, including text, graphics, logos, and trademarks, is owned by the Site Operator and protected by intellectual property laws. Unauthorized use of the Site’s content is prohibited and may result in legal action.
User Content:
You are solely responsible for the content you submit to the Site, including text, images, or other materials (“User Content”). By submitting content, you grant the Site Operator a royalty-free, non-exclusive, worldwide license to use your content for marketing, promotion, and other purposes. You agree not to submit any content that violates intellectual property rights or is unlawful.
Acceptable Use Policy:
When using the Site, you agree not to:
Submit Infringing Content: Content that violates the rights of others, including intellectual property rights.Engage in Harmful Behavior: Harassment, abusive language, or activities that disrupt or damage the Site or its users.Upload Malware or Spam: You may not upload viruses or unsolicited advertisements, or collect user data without consent.The Site Operator reserves the right to take action against any violations, including content removal or account suspension.
Third-Party Sites:
The Site may contain links to third-party websites. The Site Operator is not responsible for the content or practices of these third-party sites. Any use of third-party sites is at your own risk, and their terms and conditions apply.
Disclaimer of Warranties
The Site is provided “as is” and “as available,” without any warranties, express or implied. We do not guarantee the accuracy, availability, or completeness of any content or services provided on the Site.
Limitation of Liability:
We are not responsible for any indirect, incidental, or consequential damages resulting from your use of the Site. Our total liability for any claim related to the Site will not exceed the amount you paid to us in the past 12 months. Claims must be filed within two years of the event.
Indemnification:
You agree to indemnify and hold the Site Operator harmless from any claims arising out of your use of the Site, your User Content, or any breach of this Agreement.
Arbitration:
Any disputes between you and the Site Operator will be resolved through binding arbitration. Class actions are not permitted, and all arbitration proceedings will be conducted individually. You must provide notice of your intent to arbitrate 60 days in advance.
Termination of Agreement:
This Agreement remains effective while you use the Site. The Site Operator reserves the right to suspend or terminate your account for violations of this Agreement. Upon termination, all content associated with your account may be deleted.
Copyright Law:
We respect intellectual property rights and expect users to do the same. Unauthorized use of content on the Site will result in removal of infringing materials and potential termination of accounts.
General Provisions:
The Site Operator may update the Site and this Agreement at any time. Continued use signifies your acceptance of the most current terms.Invalid terms will not affect the remainder of the Agreement.This Agreement is governed by the laws of Utah.
Fitness App Trial Offer:
By using our services, you agree to participate in a 45-day free trial of the Fitness Elite Daily App. If you do not cancel before the trial period ends, ➽ you will be billed at the regular rate of $45.78 every 45 days. To cancel or modify your subscription, please contact +18886971512 or support@fitnesselitedaily.com
By accepting these terms, you acknowledge that you have read and understood the Agreement and agree to comply with all conditions stated above.

So if you’re average Joe or average Jane, you’ll see charges on your credit card account for $122.27 every month unless you call to cancel, and those charges will repeat, and repeat, and repeat until you get wise and manage to get past the phone agents who are trained to deflect your cancellation request, and who are very, very good at what they do.

Be safe out there. Don’t click on these solicitations. Don’t give your credit card number out unless you’re on a secure website and know who you are dealing with.

I hate scammers with the fury of a thousand blue-hot suns.

Another scam to watch out for

Posted on by The Old Wolf

As the internet becomes ever more complex, scammers become ever more creative. I hear far too many stories of even computer-savvy people being taken in by fraudsters, and losing substantial sums of money to these jimakplons.¹

Here’s one that I encountered recently and dove down the rabbit hole to see where it would lead.

This was a Facebook post that appeared on someone’s company page. It looks pretty realistic, as though it actually could have come from Meta. I was intrigued enough to follow that link (Kids, don’t try this at home).

I did this on my mobile device, which is less susceptible to desktop viruses. (Not totally immune, but safer.) This landing page looks OK on the surface, other than that Meta – or any other legitimate company – would not use “linkup . top” as a domain name, seen at the top of the screen.

Not sure? This is what I got when I visited that website from my home computer:

Hmm… that’s a pretty good indicator that you don’t want to be anywhere near this website, because you are likely to get bad software (ransomware, trojans, key-loggers, etc) injected onto your computer. But for the sake of public education, here we go:

Also claims to be from Meta, but again the URL at the top of the screen is “old . ruvix . com,” which Malwarebytes blocks as a Phishing site.

Second screen, where they scammers begin to gather your information, starting with that highly-coveted birthdate, and a phone number.

No matter what the victim enters, they get this screen, ostensibly to obtain their Facebook UserID and Password. No matter what is typed, an error message is given saying that the password was incorrect, and asks for the same information again. It does not matter what is entered – the second try will always succeed.

This is a fairly new one on me. Unless I’m dealing with a Nigerian scammer, I’ve never had a phishing website ask for a picture of my ID. OK, I’m game:

I’m sure the scammers had fun with this one. (I obscured the SS Number just in case it was real – scammers can use the Social Security Numbers of dead people just as easily as living ones for their nefarious purposes.)

At this point, the page actually returns you to a real Meta page, and the scammers trot off happily into the sunset to use the victim’s information for whatever evil they have planned.

Be oh, so careful out there. Practice safe computing, and protect your vulnerable loved ones.

The Old Wolf has spoken.

Footnotes

¹ To call someone a “jimakplon” in Benin is a terrible insult to one’s parents. It was defined thusly over at “Friends of Bonou”:

Question: Actually this reminds me: it is also true about an insult that Europeans would find laughably mild and that is really serious in Benin: it is when you are accused of being impolite: You loose face totally if you are insulted like that, apparently: Why?
Answer: Ah. It is because “Impolite” is a translation of a Fon word, “jimakplon.” = “Ji” means “born,” “ma” means “not,” and “kplon” means “teach.” So what “jimakplon” really means is “born but not taught.” You were born into this world but didn’t receive any social education. So this is serious because it is an insult against the parents of the person you’re talking to: “Impolite” is a slur on the parents of the person you’re insulting, who didn’t give them a social education, and this is a BIG face loss!

It’s a term I find entirely appropriate to describe these ignorant scammers.

Stung again

Posted on by The Old Wolf

I really, really need to stop ordering things from Facebook-promoted ads. I’ve written previously and copiously about the nature of promoted posts on Facebook, and thought I had learned my lesson; some of these things are pretty enticing, though. Well, shame on me.

But as a word to the wiser-than-I, my latest escapade with a Chinese merchant, one who – not unlike most of them – have all the ethics of a starving honey badger.

This one of many Amazon listings for the item we ordered, although we bought from a company named “blueorxy” – clearly a randomly-generated name. They’re still out there, and I would trust them as far as I could throw a Steinway piano. As soon as we ordered, we started getting notifications from a supposed tracking company; the notifications ended on December 10, and from then nothing was heard.

The package finally appeared on 15 January, with the following label:

The label shows clearly that it was shipped directly from China. The whole series of notifications from “shipping@24hservice.vip” was a bunch of computer-generated nonsense. We paid nearly $40.00 for a cheaply-made, cheaply painted resin piece of garbage that isn’t worth $3.95.

When I tried complaining about the quality and shipping deception, I got this from their auto-bot (no hope of contacting a real person):

～Uh-oh. I sincerely apologize for giving you an unpleasant shopping experience. Please trust your first choice. This product has a high sales volume in our company and has several advantages:

First: The price is high cost-performance.
Second: Customer evaluation is good.
Third: The buyback rate is high.
So it is a better choice to keep it.

Sorry you are not satisfied with our products.
Will it be possible to give others as a gift?
They are superior in quality and reasonable in price.
They have been in top-seller in our company for many years.
Under the circumstance that we did not send the wrong goods, we cannot provide you with return and exchange services.
If you need to return or exchange, we need to report and verify your problem to the after-sales department, which will take a long time.

Therefore, we recommend that you keep this item.

Thank you for your understanding.
Yours sincerely,
Customer Service Team

In other words, “We’ve got your money, sucks to be you.”

The level of dishonesty and deception from Chinese vendors is breathtaking in scope. Learn from my mistakes, and stay away from all Facebook promoted posts or anything that looks like it’s sold directly from China. Amazon, too, is a nest of fraud and trickery, thanks to thousands of illegitimate sellers, and Amazon is not doing anywhere near enough to combat the problem.

The Old Wolf has spoken.

An absolute flood of scam emails

Posted on by The Old Wolf

Today I’ve had 17 emails [Edit: over 100!] with basically the same solicitation appear in my inbox. And they are still coming. Sorted by section, here’s what they look like:

[TL;DR: If you get one of these, don’t respond. They will send you a link to your “personal account page” which contains a trojan, probably ransomware.]

Email Title:

It’s a pleasure to meet you, I’m Manager Kenneth Jackson D id vvne6
It’s a pleasure to meet you, I’m Manager Paul Green V id sikb2
It’s a pleasure to meet you, I’m Manager Jason Perez Y id kdfl5
It’s a pleasure to meet you, I’m Manager Jason Perez Y id kdfl5
It’s a pleasure to meet you, I’m Manager James Walker L id aezi2
It’s a pleasure to meet you, I’m Manager Christopher Garcia Q id icte9
It’s a pleasure to meet you, I’m Manager John Nelson Q id yyaa9
It’s a pleasure to meet you, I’m Manager George Miller Y id wlvj1
It’s a pleasure to meet you, I’m Manager James Moore M id apja5
It’s a pleasure to meet you, I’m Manager Paul Perez H id yflf5
It’s a pleasure to meet you, I’m Manager Kevin Davis P id rllh4
It’s a pleasure to meet you, I’m Manager Jason Scott B id vair6
It’s a pleasure to meet you, I’m Manager Charles Martinez C id pffv3
It’s a pleasure to meet you, I’m Manager Kenneth Clark T id yzhe7
It’s a pleasure to meet you, I’m Manager Brian Rodriguez V id kmni9
It’s a pleasure to meet you, I’m Manager Richard Lee S id klhi8

Sender:

Courtney Waide courtneywaide5@gmail.com
Marina Members membersmarina743@gmail.com
Erinn Pichard picharderinn@gmail.com
Kaylee Ricca kayleericca@gmail.com
Lahoma Hamil hamillahoma@gmail.com
Farrah Loter farrahloter@gmail.com
Ladonna Fought foughtladonna@gmail.com
Lakeesha Irestone lakeeshairestone@gmail.com
Thi Manis manisthi82@gmail.com
Caroline Keets carolinekeets@gmail.com
Earlie Farrer farrerearlie@gmail.com
Michelina Schomaker schomakermichelina@gmail.com
Dalene Shropshire daleneshropshire@gmail.com
Lue Luckenbach lueluckenbach@gmail.com
Felicity Survis survisfelicity@gmail.com

Salutation:

Good afternoon program client id kfet6114b
Greetings program client by number ejzc8095h
Hello member id xnzn4252w
Greetings partner by number zdar4054i
Hello program client by number xoyl4179p
Hello user id zhim7333n
Hello member id biex4965z
Greetings user No. xedp9085j
Greetings member id zvme5736c
Greetings member No. pezx1857k
Greetings program client No. dodp1543s
Hello program client id lquy5745m
Hello partner by number lluy7602m
Good afternoon program client by number jirz1269g
Greetings user by number opsu7619t
Greetings user No. epxl6557y

Email Body:

Yours Registered Check / Registered Account / Registered Main / Registered Invoice will be closed in 12:42:32 hours [or some other time]. Balance of your invoices 38,469.49 [or some other number]. Please contact us via return email and we will provide you with help
for withdrawal savings / receipt savings. If you would like to keep your account active,
please contact us in a return email.

Signature:

Support Thomas Johnson W
Sincerely, the assistant Michael Carter N
Sincerely, the assistant Donald Anderson P
Sincerely, the assistant George Miller T
Helper Kevin Rodriguez S
Sincerely, the assistant Steven Allen X
Sincerely, the assistant George Evans J
Helper Charles Baker S
Helper Ronald Thompson R
Assistant Kenneth Williams L
Helper Thomas Hall T
Assistant Richard Phillips D
Support Christopher Martin F
Assistant Steven Evans J
Support Mark Williams S
Support Daniel Clark M

I responded with “Please tell me what this is about?” The return email was:

Thanks for the answer. Please go to your personal account
http://simp.ly/p/[obfuscated]

I tried two different times, and got the same result each time:

Visiting this website would probably have loaded drive-by malware onto my computer, most likely ransomware.

Edit: Today’s crop of spam:

Some of these have included the following crudely-crafted attachment:

Be very cautious about emails like this. Protect your loved ones by educating them about safe computing practices. Make sure all your computers have robust anti-virus progams on them; the number of scumbags out there is increasing daily.

The Old Wolf has spoken.

Beware of Facebook Ads

Posted on by The Old Wolf

This is a broad generalization, but based on results and statistics, it’s not an unfair statement. An overwhelming preponderance of Facebook advertising leads to scammy sites that promise one thing and deliver another, or which take your money and deliver nothing at all. I’ve written about this before, but another one crossed my screen today.

Interestingly enough, the link (sent to me by my wife) leads to the general website which has all sorts of “amazing deals” but which makes no mention of the product above.

Amazon has the same item… for almost a thousand dollars.

And this “auntpump” website is offering you two of them for $30.00? You can bet this website has been set up by unscrupulous scumbags with all the ethics of a starving honey badger. I’d bet a bowl of wonton soup it’s being operated from China.

Be very, very careful with anything you see advertised on Facebook. Never click on Facebook ads directly. Do a web search and locate the company directly, and make some inquiries before sending money to any firm that advertises there, because Meta will happily take advertising dollars from anyone with two coppers to rub together without the slightest effort to verify their legitimacy.

The Old Wolf has spoken.

The supplement industry is out of control

Posted on by The Old Wolf

“Research has recently discovered an incredibly effective way to shrink your prostate,” trumpets the landing page. “We don’t know how long this video will be up, the medical industry sure does not like it… watch it now while you can.”

Well, just because I am concerned about prostate issues, I did watch it. But now I want that hour of my life back. The first thing that annoyed me is that there’s no progress bar, so you can’t skip to the money shot at the end. You have to watch the. whole. thing.

So I did. And here’s this guy dressed in a doctor’s coat, spewing the awfullest marketing drivel I have ever heard, mostly involving scare tactics about what could happen if your enlarged prostate is not treated, and how ineffective / painful / inconvenient / expensive traditional treatments are.

For years, the good doctor (I looked him up, and find absolutely no hits on Google for his name) “wrecked his brain” [sic] regarding a better solution, and after 40 minutes or so of frightening you into thinking you’re going to die, finally introduces his own “Prostate well-being formulation” which is affordable and effective.

The remainder of the video discusses all the ingredients at length and makes significant claims for all of them. (Yes, the official website includes the standard “Nutritional Miranda” popularized by Orrin Hatch, to wit:

“Statements made by Mediamap Limited, PhytoThriveLabs and Fluxactive Complete have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. The FDA does not evaluate or test herbs. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any illness or disease.”

but it’s well-hidden in a separate disclaimer page. And, this product is nothing more than a compendium of herbs (a formula “based on decades of science”), not one of which has any tested and proven effect on prostate health.

But hey, we’ve got over 60,000 customers, so it’s got to be good, right? Right?

Some of the claims made during the course of this video imply:

  • Stop prostate cell growth
  • Reduce insulin levels
  • Cayenne, Vitamin E
  • Rare and powerful anti-inflammatory effects
  • Bulletproof your prostate
  • Rejuvenate your DNA, reduce arthritis
  • Enhance blood flow
  • Increase ability to pee
  • Increase sexual function – transform you into a MAN as well
  • Increase libido and quality of erections.
  • Nerve tonic
  • Add years if not decades to your life expectancy
  • Regain your dignity (Today is your last chance!)
  • Feel a surge of energy you haven’t felt in decades
  • Repair inflammation and cellular damage over time
  • Achieve the prostate of a 20-year-old

Then comes the financial pitch. “I don’t care about money, says the good doctor. “I just want to help people.” Customers have told me they would pay thousands of dollars for a single bottle. 🐂 💩

“For a limited time (scarcity) this is the largest discount I’ve ever offered. Buy the multiple-bottle discount packages. One-time offer! Buy the multi-pack today to avoid future disappointments and price increases. Order at least three bottles! But if you don’t want [horrible symptoms], take advantage of our 6 bottle package! Make the right investment in your health. Act NOW while supplies last, because we may discontinue production any day now if we can’t make this great formulation. (scarcity) If you don’t, you’ll be hooked for life and pay large money for treatment, including that $30,000 surgery. The longer you wait, the greater your risk of complications like Urinary Tract Infections, Testicular Tumors, and a whole host of others. Time is running out! Buy this Product. Make the Right Decision! I’m not trying to scare you, these are real risks of doing nothing.

The video claims to offer a 60-day risk free money-back guarantee, even if you return empty bottles. But! The official return policy (also buried in a totally non-obvious link) says:

“All items purchased online can be returned within 60 days after they have been received by you. We accept returns of all unopened items within 60 days of receiving them for a full refund minus any shipping fees.”

So I would suggest you might have a hard time returning empty bottles for a refund, even if the product did nothing for you.

But wait, there’s more!

  • Act right away and complete order in the next 5 minutes, get the Fast action Upgrade Kit (questionable digital documents that cost them nothing)
  • Biohacking secrets ($97.00) – hack your mind and body with modern techniques
  • Supercharge your body ($97.00) – Charge your immune system, best exercises, foods to adopt
  • Includes 20 helpful videos
  • 1-day detox miracle guide – ($67.00) – only need to use it once a month. Flush out the toxins. Designed to flush out all heavy metals and other toxins. ¹
  • 10 ways to turbocharge your Testosterone ($67.00)

More disclaimers:

Results will vary. But these ingredients will have same effects on everyone. Guaranteed. This remedy will work for you. Absolutely. But you have the 60-day money-back guarantee. “The information presented on or through the Website is made available solely for general information purposes. The Company is not making any warranty about the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of this information. Any reliance you place on that information is strictly at your own risk. The Company disclaims all liability and responsibility arising from any reliance placed on those materials by you or any other visitor to the Website, or by anyone who may be informed of any of its contents.”

In other words, “Let the buyer beware.”

So what’s in this miracle formulation?

  • Ginseng
  • Vitamin E
  • Ginko Biloba
  • Oat Straw
  • Vitamin B3
  • Hawthorn
  • Muira Puama
  • Epimedium Saggitatum
  • Tribulus
  • Catuaba
  • Damiana

All of these ingredients are claimed in various places to have all sorts of health benefits. None, if any, have been rigorously scientifically proven with double-blind, randomized, placebo-based trials. But the herbal supplement global market is a $30 billion affair, and far too many producers want a slice of that pie regardless of how effective their products are, and as long as they include the “nutritional Miranda,” the FDA can’t touch them.

It’s hard for the average consumer to get accurate information about any given product. Go to google and type in “Fluxactive Complete scam or legit” and you’ll get pages and pages of things like this… all placed by affiliate marketers. The bottom line of these pages is “Buy this product now so that I can get a commission on the sale.” And these are the top results, thanks to black-hat SEO techniques which have essentially ruined searches on the internet.

Even YouTube is awash with deceptive videos:

And there are literally pages of these, each posted by affiliate marketers. Each one of these claims to show that FluxActive Complete is a scam, but in the end they recommend that you purchase the product through their affiliate link, hoping to make a commission on the sale.

From a product analysis website in India:

“There’s a lot of attention around Fluxactive, so is it a fraud or a real health supplement? At this point, it’s uncertain. What is known is that the product has not yet been subjected to scientific testing, and some users have reported negative consequences after using it, such as a rash and nausea. While Fluxactive Complete may be beneficial to some people, it is not a full health care and should be treated with caution.”

The sad part of this whole deal is that there are virtually thousands of herbal nostrums, placebos, and nocebos² being marketed in this way. Until the nutritional market can be appropriately regulated, which means repealing Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act, Nutritional supplements need to be treated like drugs, not food. Sadly, the lobbying effort to preserve this status is massive, given the quantities of money to be made on vitamins, minerals, herbs, and other supplements.

The sad part of this whole deal is that there are virtually thousands of herbal nostrums, placebos, and nocebos² being marketed in this way. Until the nutritional market can be appropriately regulated, which means repealing Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act, Nutritional supplements need to be treated like drugs, not food. Sadly, the lobbying effort to preserve this status is massive, given the quantities of money to be made on vitamins, minerals, herbs, and other supplements.

The bottom line: Be careful out there, and make good choices with your health. Don’t waste money on compounds that are advertised in this manner. Consult your doctor. If this were really an effective way of treating enlarged prostates, the medical machine would be all over it.

The Old Wolf has spoken.

Footnotes

¹ Heavy metal poisoning is treated with chelating agents such as:

  • Dimercaprol.
  • Dimercaptosuccinic acid (succimer).
  • Ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA).
  • Penicillamine.

.Heavy metal poisoning cannot be treated with herbs, minerals, or other “natural” remedies, despite many such claims.

² A nocebo is a treatment that has negative effects upon the patient rather than the desired benefit.

Paypal Scammers still at it

Posted on by The Old Wolf

Got this text message early in May (and I’ve had a couple of others since… these things seem to go in waves as scammers share ideas around.

Just look at the URL that you’re supposed to use to log in: “Erwanbikes”? It’s a real website in India, supposedly for renting bicycles. Either someone has embedded malicious code in a subdirectory of their website without their knowledge, or they are actively involved in the scam. There’s no way of knowing.

Either way, if a communication came from PayPal, the address to go to would be something at

PayPal.com

and not some random website. Be careful if you get messages like this and never click on the link unless you know or can tell where it has taken you.

If you’re curious, here’s where the rabbit hole goes:

Note the bogus (i.e. not PayPal) URL. Now they want your information.

Never provide information like this to an unknown entity. SS Number? Mother’s Maiden Name? Run away fast!

If someone wants your credit card information and you don’t know who they are, you’re being scammed.

Once you’ve given the bad guys access to your financial information and your credit card number, you are redirected to the legitimate PayPal website. Then watch your money disappear. Please don’t be taken in by criminal activity of this nature, and watch over your vulnerable loved ones.

The Old Wolf has spoken.

Stung by a Facebook Scammer

Posted on by The Old Wolf

Edit: Another example encountered by a friend of mine has been added at the end. Related: Intellectual Property Theft.

Back in August of this year, I ordered something that looked very interesting from an ad that appeared on my facebook wall, by a company called acfantasy:

“The Grand Orrery model of the solar system depicts the correct relative orbital speeds of the planets plus relative orbital movement of Earth’s moon. Historically, a Grand Orrery showed only the “naked eye” planets out to Saturn, as they were developed in the early 18th century.”

Beautiful product advertised

It looked gorgeous and intricate, and I thought I would love to have this on my desk. The total charge to an outfit called “acfantasy” was $48.06.

What I received today, after a wait of two months (shipped, of course, from China) was this:

Fecal replica – nothing moves

To say that I was stunned by the duplicity would be an understatement. True, I actually got something – a lot of these Chinese wankstains will take your money and not bother to ship anything at all – but sending out a cheap piece of scrap metal like this, which is not worth 49¢ let alone $49.00 is stunning in its audacity.

The company has a website (acfantasy.vip) and a contact email; I sent multiple requests for replacement with the advertised product or a full refund, but never heard anything back.

I have ordered things from Facebook ads before and been pleasantly surprised by what I would consider adequate quality and value for the money; this one certainly falls into the “Chinese businesses with all the ethics of a starving honey badger” column.

Facebook needs to do much better in vetting its advertisers. There are far too many scammers out there, about which I have written elsewhere. Despite being careful, I got burned this time. These people can sit on a very fragile glass cactus.

Edit: Sadly, I got stung again by a company called scypg, shortly after writing this; something else I had ordered before the bogus orrery had come.

What I ordered.
What I received.

Cheap-ass bait and switch. Advice found on reddit is excellent; I will definitely not purchase directly from ads found on social media any longer.

Edit: I also emailed this company several times. They finally wrote back telling me that they were sorry I had ordered the wrong product (i.e. selected the wrong option or something). I told them I didn’t. They wrote back a couple of times offering me a 15% or a 5% discount to try to keep me happy. There was no response to my last email telling them that I still wanted the advertised product or a full refund.

From Reddit, confirmed by my own experiences:

“LPT: Never buy items advertised on social media newsfeeds. The majority are either scams, bait and switch, or “Wish” quality products.

Social media sites almost never provide resolution. Instead of following the link in the ad, search for the item independently and buy from legitimate vendors.”Social media advertisements are frequently bots or institutional scams.

It typically results in:

1. Paypal scam where they charge your card multiple times and you end up having to request a new card number.
2. Bait and switch, where you follow the link for one thing and end up ordering something completely different.
3. Low quality item to begin with.

Think “wish” quality products…. Social media sites almost never rectify the issue, and often if you check back later the comments section indicate several hundred other people were scammed (and some fake reviews left as well!).

If you see something you want, search for it independently outside of social media and purchase it on a legitimate vendor. Never follow the link directly from social media.”

“Unsold Amazon Pallet”

This was shared by a friend who got bitten by one of those between-post Facebook ads. He was supposed to get a 50-piece “Unsold Pallet from Amazon” for roughly $60.00 The implication was that there would be DeWalt, Makita or Milwaukee tools (as their photos show), and this is what came. Not a single DeWalt, Makita or Milwaukee tool to be seen.This post from Politifact and this post from Snopes highlight this kind of scam.

An example of this kind of advertisement:

Be very careful out there. A lot of highly disreputable people want your money, and don’t care how they get it.

The Old Wolf has spoken.

Fake Celebrity Endorsements for CBD Oil

Posted on by The Old Wolf

This kind of thing enrages me.

It’s been going on for a long time, and it continues to spread via social media. And today I’m looking directly at Facebook, which seems happy to take advertising money for all sorts of spurious enterprises (see my earlier post about Chinese bottom-feeders trying to sell counterfeit Morgan dollar collections).

Today this showed up as a “promoted post” in my Facebook feed (on my Android, it should be noted; I use FBP on the desktop and almost never see an ad there):

“After loosing temper” was my first red flag. Great Mogg’s titanium teeth, people, learn the difference between “loose” and “lose.” But it turns out that the page you get to has nothing to do with the stated headline.

(I don’t even know if Artsy On knows anything about this. They seem to be selling books, but I frankly don’t have the time or energy to do a deep dive into their website metadata. It’s possible someone added a malicious link to their website and is using it to redirect to the seller’s page.)

If you hover, the link is listed as:

https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.artsyon.com%2Fnews%2Fsure-behavior-in-relationships%3Ffbclid%3DIwAR0Eo2af2kqkNJ8wqg1r0znQUTBKBTppmYUUHlhPBCxsfeItT5-w-09plxI&h=AT3mQSgsZBHLOkDAcI5TvCnUi8Opo0H2VaNwgjOkDCux-vqA3ARB5yZCMYO2TrYwQCO27hJYRa-V5TlZb-7AqHj99md2idlAXWQPEdGr5fnTiiwixBIQ-VYwDkD_n4ZoYZN6pJx1YHCUlVw8sw&__tn__=%2CmH-R&c[0]=AT1LTRiOQCEjWHJNeZZWjDGzl-JQb5g2dv6dpRIQ88dt95O3_J5A8Nx9fYhP83_8pfh2lyUdHNERTrLBoFJS0OodULx3TpYYlYArzXUaK5mZu57pzJEchT7XuPycn7SgbE5oo3vixHXKTiJgX3gbgclfew

although the first bit about Facebook is invisible. But if you click the link, it takes you to:

https://flower-halibut-tb68.squarespace.com/news/sure-behavior-in-relationships

which is a farticle (fake article) implying that Whoopi is endorsing or promoting this garbage called Cheyenne Valley CBD Oil:

The advertisement is designed to look like a Time Magazine article. It’s not. And Ms. Goldberg does not promote or endorse this product. At all. In any way. The whole thing is made up out of whole cloth as an affiliate marketing scam to get you to the marketing page for this questionable product. ¹

The second paragraph in this scammy advertisement reads like this:

“When I started this whole thing back in 2020, it really was just a part-time passion project and a way for me to give back. After being given so much, I figured there was no better time to make Cheyenne Valley CBD Oil available to everyone, as it can help thousands of people experience life pain-free and live much happier lives.”

But in this article from healthmj, we see a very similar quote:

“This was a really, really difficult decision for me. When I started this whole thing back in 2015, it really was just a part-time passion project and a way for me to give back. Now here we are almost five years later, and Green CBD Oil has steadily grown into a full-fledged business that’s helped thousands of people become pain-free and much happier. My line gives me a chance to do something bigger than music, and I knew I would regret it for the rest of my life if I let that opportunity pass me by.”

Blake Shelton doesn’t endorse any sort of CBD Oil. Neither does Tom Hanks, for that matter, and he says so in no uncertain terms. These bottom-feeders will use anyone’s name to get people to their sales page. Once you get there, it’s the same tired old format that I’ve written about multiple times:

Of course, this is just the hook; buried deeply in the Terms and Conditions which almost nobody ever reads, is the catch:

Important Notes

Failure to cancel within the trial period will result in our subscription program and further charges.

The trial begins the same day you order. It doesn’t begin when you receive the trial in the mail.

Applicable sales tax may be applied to all charges.

We allow only 1 trial purchase per household.

As part of ordering a trial, you agree to join a recurring membership plan. You can modify your subscription anytime by contacting us.

This is not a free sample offer. We only offer as a trial, which turns into a subscription or individual bottles.

The most efficient method of contacting us is through care@buycheyennevalley.com. Please provide your name and phone number and we will get back to you as soon as possible

The trial period begins on day of order. To clarify, it does not begin when you receive the product.

By placing your order today you’ll be shipped a 30 day supply of Cheyenne Valley CBD Oil for only $6.89. This gives you the opportunity to try this remarkable product so you can come to a decision for yourself if this is the right product for you. If you are dissatisfied with the product, you must call 8774388714 within 14 days trial plus 3 days shipping (total of 17 days) from today to cancel your membership and avoid being charged of $99.89, which is the full price of the product. If you are satisfied with the product, you need do nothing else and upon the expiration of the trial period, you will be billed $99.89. The total monthly subscription charge of $99.89 includes shipping and handling for the full cost of the product. Thirty days after your trial period ends and every thirty days thereafter, we will send you a fresh monthly supply at the low price of $99.89 per until you cancel your membership. There’s no obligation and you may cancel your membership at any time by calling 8774388714 or by sending an email to care@buycheyennevalley.com. The trial period begins from the day of ordering the product.

Address the return package to:
PO Box 15911, Tampa, FL 33684

Everything about these scammy, barely-legal offers is based on lies. The celebrity endorsement, publication by a major company (TIME magazine, in this case), the price of the offer, the claim of “extremely high demand” and “limited stock,” all of the supposed endorsements from “satisfied customers” – it’s all lies. All lies.

So even if you take the bait, bite the hook, get reeled in, and pay $100 a month(!) for a tiny bottle of who-knows-what, what kind of quality do you think you might be getting from a company that resorts to such reprehensible tricks to get your business? I wouldn’t use it if you paid me a Benjamin.

Protect yourself from scams and don’t give your money to any company that does business this way. And please educate your loved ones who may be vulnerable to such tactics.

And Facebook, take note. Stop accepting ads from this kind of scammer. It makes you look worse than you already do.

The Old Wolf has spoken.

Footnotes

¹ In the interest of full clarity:

For several years, Ms. Goldberg was a partner in a website called Whoopi and Maya, which was focused on providing high-quality medical cannabis to women as a relief for menstrual cramps. When she and her partner came to a parting of the ways, the business was dissolved.

There are rumors that she may be involved in launching a new cannabis-related enterprise. Whether this comes to fruition remains to be seen. All that said, she does not endorse this scummy “Cheyenne Valley CBD Oil” and never has.

As for me, I’m looking forward to seeing her as Guinan in the 2nd Season of Star Trek: Picard.

The Nigerian Scam is still alive

Posted on by The Old Wolf

Oh, those unclaimed trunks of money…

In my spam box six days ago:

Steven Owen
Deputy Director Of Finance,
(Administration,Operations)
Richmond International Airport
1 Richard E Byrd Terminal Dr,
Richmond, VA 23250, United States
Email: stevenowen.005office@gmail.com

I have very vital information to give to you, but first I must have your trust before I review it to you because it may cause me my job,so I need somebody that I can trust for me to be able to review the secret to you.

I am Mr. Steven Owen,(Deputy Director Of Finance & Administration) here at the Richmond International Airport, Virginia.
During my recent withheld package routine check at the Airport Storage Vault, I discovered an abandoned shipment from a Diplomat from Africa and when scanned it revealed an undisclosed sum of money in a Metal Trunk Box weighing 210kg approximately $25,500,000.00 ($25.5M) The consignment
was abandoned because the Contents of the consignment was not properly declared by the consignee as “MONEY” rather it was declared as personal effect to avoid interrogation and also the inability of the diplomat to pay for the United States Non Inspection Charges which is $4,500USD. On my assumption the consignment is still left in our Storage House here at the Richmond International Airport, Virginia till date. The details of the consignment including your names, your email address and the official documents from the United Nations office in Geneva are tagged on! !! the Trunk box.

However, to enable me confirm if you are the actual recipient of this consignment as the assistant director of the Inspection Unit, I will advise you provide your current Phone Number and Full Address, to enable me cross check if it corresponds with the address on the official documents including the name of nearest Airport around your city. Please note that this consignment is supposed to have been returned to the United States Treasury Department as unclaimed delivery due to the delays in concluding the clearance processes so as a result of this, I will not be able to receive your details on my official email account. So in order words to enable me cross check your details, I will advise you send the required details to my private email address for quick processing and response. Once I confirm you as the actual recipient of the trunk box, I can get everything concluded within 48hours upon your acceptance and proceed to your address for delivery.
The Requested Information is to ensure that no mistake or error is occured and should be forwarded in the manner stated below:

Your Full Name:…….
Your Complete Address:…..
Name of City of Residence:…..
Closet Airport to your City:……
Direct Telephone Number:…..

Lastly, be informed that the reason I have taken it upon myself to contact you personally about this abandoned consignment is because I want us to transact this business and share the money 70% for you and 30% for me since the consignment has not yet been returned to the United States Treasury Department after being abandoned by the diplomat so immediately the confirmation is made, I will go ahead and pay for the United States Non Inspection Fee of $4,500 dollars and arrange for the box to be delivered to your doorstep Or I can bring it by myself to avoid any more trouble but you have to assure me of my 30% share.

I wait to hear from you urgently if you are still alive and I will
appreciate if we can keep this deal confidential. Please get back to
me via my private Email (stevenowen.005office@gmail.com) for further directives:

Best Regards
Mr.Steven Owen

The email came with a form to fill out, which clearly was never completed:

These are just as fraudulent now as they were during the days of the fax machine. NEVER send money or private information to these scumbags. Delete their emails and move on with your life. There is no money waiting for you, and if you communicate with these people you stand to lose money or your identity or both.

The Old Wolf has spoken.