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An Email with the Subject "Scamdex, Internet ScamBusters Newsletter #316, 12-31-08" was received in one of Scamdex's honeypot email accounts on Wed, 31 Dec 2008 01:01:44 -0800 and has been classified as a Generic Scam Email. The sender shows as "Scambusters Editors" <reply@scambusters.org>.
The email address was probably spoofed. Do not reply to or contact any persons or organizations referenced in this email, or follow any URLs as you may expose yourself to scammers and, at the very least, you will be added to their email address lists for spam purposes.
<>~<>~<>~<>~<>~<>~<>~<>~<>~<>~<>~<>~<>~<>~<>~<>~<>~<> Internet Scambusters (tm) The #1 Publication on Internet Fraud http://www.scambusters.org By Scambusters Audri, Jim and Andrea Issue #316 December 31, 2008 <>~<>~<>~<>~<>~<>~<>~<>~<>~<>~<>~<>~<>~<>~<>~<>~<>~<> Note 1: Easily change your subscription information by clicking the link at the very bottom of this newsletter. Note 2: Please share this newsletter with 3 or 4 of your friends or colleagues who you think will benefit from it. Hi Scamdex, Wow, it's hard to believe that today is the last day of 2008. And it's almost as hard for us to believe how long it's been since we did a subscriber Q&A issue. So, that's how we'll end 2008. Today we'll answer these three subscriber questions: - How do I stop getting all this phone spaham on my cell phone? - Did I win any of this money? - Can I earn extra income working in my home? But first, we urge you to take a look at these top articles from our other websites: Answers to 7 of the Biggest Questions About Still Life Fine Art Photography: An Interview With Jo Whaley http://www.7photographyquestions.com/audio-podcast/ What Every Parent Needs to Know Before Plunging into a Prepaid Credit Card for Teens http://www.creditcardwhizkid.com/2008/10/what-every-parent-needs-to-know-before-plunging-into-a-prepa.html Can You Buy a Home In Today's Real Estate Market? http://www.consumertipsreports.org/can_you_buy_a_home_in_todays_real_estate_market.html Weird Chocolate Gifts http://www.extremechocolate.com/weird-chocolate-gifts-take-one.html And now for the main feature... <>~<>~<><>~<>~<><>~<>~<><>~<>~<><>~<>~<><>~<>~<><>~<>~<><>~<> How do I stop getting all this phone spaham (misspelled intentionally)? <>~<>~<><>~<>~<><>~<>~<><>~<>~<><>~<>~<><>~<>~<><>~<>~<><>~<> Question: I keep getting phone spaham -- text messages on my cell phone. I haven't subscribed for a texting plan with my provider and I keep getting charged for these spaham messages. What's going on? Is there anything I can do? Answer: Yes, fortunately, there are some things you can do. Phone spaham is easier to deal with than email spaham. Now, although it's illegal to send solicitations to cell phones, with an estimated 200 million cell phones in the United States alone, that's a victim pool too rich for scammers to avoid. So, you do need to protect yourself. First, don't respond to texts you receive on your cell phone based on the belief that they're coming from someone you know. They often do come from scammers. So, simply don't reply. In fact, sometimes by responding, you're agreeing for a product or service that you don't want -- and you may be inadvertently agreeing to a relationship with the spahammer, which means they can then continue to spaham you. That's because the CAN-SPAM act does not cover "transactional or relationship" messages -- basically notices that you've already agreed to receive. And if you've previously responded to a text message, sometimes you've created this relationship so that CAN-SPAM no longer applies. Second, guard your cell phone number. Never give it out, especially on websites offering freebies, like supposedly "free" ringtone downloads. These sites often harvest cell phone numbers for spahamming. Third, if you get what you believe is a spaham text message, save it and notify your service provider. Most providers are aware this is a problem and will work with you to remove the charge. Finally, you can ask your provider to completely disable ALL text messaging services on your cell phone so you don't get any text messages. This won't work for everyone, but if you don't use text messaging, it may be a good option for you. <>~<>~<><>~<>~<><>~<>~<><>~<>~<><>~<>~<><>~<>~<><>~<>~<><>~<> Did I win any of this money? <>~<>~<><>~<>~<><>~<>~<><>~<>~<><>~<>~<><>~<>~<><>~<>~<><>~<> Question: I am getting a series of emails talking about money I have won. I would like to know if this is for real. Answer: We have to admit that we are surprised every time we get an email from a visitor to the Scambusters site asking us this question. And we get dozens of people asking this every week! No. You did not win the Swiss, French, British or any other lottery. It's a scam. Two things to note: (1) If you didn't buy a ticket, you can't win. This is a general rule to remember. (2) It's illegal for a US citizen to participate in a foreign lottery. Although details may differ slightly from email to email, the basic scam remains the same. You can read more about this and other lottery scams here. http://www.scambusters.org/foreignlottery.html During tough economic times, people are more susceptible to these type of scams. Don't fall for them. <>~<>~<><>~<>~<><>~<>~<><>~<>~<><>~<>~<><>~<>~<><>~<>~<><>~<> Can I earn extra income working in my home? <>~<>~<><>~<>~<><>~<>~<><>~<>~<><>~<>~<><>~<>~<><>~<>~<><>~<> Question: I'm a stay at home mom and I'd like to start earning a little extra money by working at home. I'm interested in [company name omitted] but I wanted to check with you first. It only costs $49 but they say that you can earn up to $2,000 in the first week. What do you think? Answer: Sadly, the Internet is full of these work from home and make a gazillion dollars schemes. They all pretty much fall into the same category -- TGTBT (Too Good To Be True). You have to use your own good judgment here and know that if they are making claims that you will make ridiculous amounts of money per week (for doing next to no work) it's almost certainly a scam. And always remember the #1 Scambuster Rule for work at home jobs: NEVER pay for the chance to get a job. There are thousands (perhaps even tens of thousands) of work at home scams out there. Check out this article on "10 Tips on Avoiding Work At Home and Home Based Business Scams" before you proceed with any work at home offer. http://www.scambusters.org/work-at-home-jobs.html That's it for today, but we'll be back next week -- in 2009 -- with another issue. Wishing you a very Happy New Year. 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"If you are ready to make the most of your life, and really want to live your dreams (and become a millionaire in the process), Pam's the one to help you do it!" --J. Hill, Producer, Director, Writer, Hollywood, CA ~~~ "I've been a financial consultant for over twenty years, and I have helped lots of people make lots of money. I've never seen a better overall plan for personal and professional success than 'Turning Dreams Into Dollars: 5 Steps to Becoming a Self-Made Millionaire.' "In my business, clients would pay thousands of dollars for this type of information, and, believe me, it's really worth millions." --B. Duncan, Financial Consultant, Las Vegas, NV Visit now to find out how you can make YOUR dreams come true... http://scambusters.org/a/wealth.html ----------==========**********O**********==========---------- ===== About Internet ScamBusters - Administrivia Copyright (c) Audri and Jim Lanford. All rights reserved. To subscribe, visit: http://www.scambusters.org/ To remove yourself or change address options visit: http://www.aweber.com/z/r/?TAwMjEyctMzsDKyMjAystEa0LIyMLAzs7A== (you might have to copy and paste it into your browser) This will take you off the ScamBusters list. To send us feedback, do NOT click 'Reply.' Instead, please use our Feedback Form located at: http://www.scambusters.org/feedback.html The information we have on file is: Your name: Scamdex Your email: mark@scamdex.com Please do not send vacation notices or other autoresponders to us. This may take you off the Scambusters list. Scambusters is a public service from Jim and Audri Lanford. Since Scambusters is a public service and we receive thousands of emails, we cannot answer individual emails. For more about our privacy and legal policy, see http://www.scambusters.org/privacy.html Lanford Inc. 197 New Market Center, #115 Boone, NC 28607 To unsubscribe or change subscriber options visit: http://www.aweber.com/z/r/?TAwMjEyctMzsDKyMjAystEa0LIyMLAzs7A==