Internet Scams

For a few years there have been scams circulating the Internet. Most of the scams seem to be coming from Nigeria, but they can come from anywhere. The scam usually has someone with a lot of money and they need your help (the recipient of the email). For your help, they promise, literally, millions of dollars to be transfered to your personal bank account. The original versions of the scam appear to be almost illegal. You (the recipient of the email) where to help the requestor get $55 million dollars out of Nigeria (for various reasons). Over the last few months, Titus 2 has been receiving similar scams, but now the have the Christian slant to them. We are posting these emails here, as they originally came to use, poor grammer, punctuation and spelling included, to prevent others from falling into this trap. Traditionally, the scammer will ask for your bank account number to transfer funds....unfortunately, the transfers are OUT of your account and not into it.

As with anything on the Internet, be EXTREMELY cautious when giving out personal information, especially financial information! Make sure you know who is receiving the information and how it will be used.

Here is a scam, that isn't an Internet Scam, but a phone scam:

• Credit Card (Visa/Master Card)

Here are some examples of the scams - the titles below are the subject lines in the emails:

• FOLLOW UP
• donation!!!!!!!!!!!!!
• HELP US OUT PLEASE
• my humble donation

A few more received during the Month of March 2003

• God,s Work (punctuated how the sender sent the email)
• From Musa
• inheritance right
• inheritance right (2nd note)
• Urgent information (inheritance right - 3rd note)
• kingdom investment - Version 1
• kingdom investment - Version 2

Still more received during the Month of April 2003

• DONATION FOR GOD`S WORK.
• Business Assistance Needed In Good Relationship.
• information

They keep coming...more during May 2003

• God revelation
• YOUR TRUSTEE AND INVESTMENT SERVICES
• INFORMATIONS
• DONATION TO THE WORK OF GOD
• Soliciting For Business Venture And Partnership
• RE: YOUR HELPING HAND NEEDED
• Time To Sow

More in June 2003

• soonest reply!!!!!!!!!!!
• Funds for the poor
• Dear Beloved in Christ
• private and confidential,please respond
• DIVINE WILL
• Urgent
• SEE ME THROUGH

They keep-a-coming - July 2003

• Dr Samuel Womba
• Dr Odili
• Treat With Urgency
• Need your Attention
• Award
• Calvary Greetings
• Help Them

More and More scams keep coming....We have tried to eliminate the duplicates and many of these scams come from different email IDs with slightly different approaches to get your money. These are from August 2003

• God's Work
• God's Blessing
• Mr. Willaims
• Urgent and Profitable
• Your Kind Attention

The scams dwendled down this month since we implemented our new contact page, but they still find their way to us. These are from September 2003

• Request
• I Need Your Help To Invest

These are from October and November 2003

• Final Notice
• Urgent Partnership Request
• Trustee
• Mrs. Mariam Abacha (Widow)
• I Need Your Assitance (This is the sender's spelling)
• Hello
• Confidential Assistance Needed
• Please Read! this was on the news (The emails title....completely FALSE)

Here are some scams we received during the first few months of 2004:

• Information (Emails says it is from PayPal - it is not!)
• Please Reply Urgently
• Mrs. Umoval Sankoh
• Oscar Aregwesola
• From George

Here are some scams we received during the last part of 2004:

• Congratulations!  Congratulations!
• Hi (Forwarded by one of our visitors)

Here are some scams we received during 2005:

• Private And Urgent

These groups of emails play on the fact you "may" have a long lost relative in a foreign country who has left you a lot of money. Yes, these are too good to be true.

• Death in your family #1
• Death in your family #2
• Death in your family #3
• Death in your family #4
• Death in your family #5
• Death in your family #6
• Death of a long lost family friend

I've won the lottery!!! Oh, another scam :(

• Lottery Scam

This next group of scams are called Phising scams. The email pretends to be from a legitimate company, probably from a company you do business with, but when you click on a link in the email to verify your confidential information you are taken to a bogus website. On the website they may just ask for account information or much more like name, address, social security number, etc. If you get an email which may or may not be from a legitimate company, always verify account information by entering the website address into your browser yourself (or from a favorite link) and not from a link in an email. Also, you can double check the web address in the browser to make sure it is going were you think it should. Keep in mind, the fraudulent website will look exactly like the real website. However, the web address they cannot fake.

• PayPal Notification
• U.S. Bank Notification
• eBay: Confirm Your Details To Avoid Service Cancellation
• Ebay Notification: Possible Account Theft
• Charter One Bank: Account Update
• Official information to all SouthTrust Bank Clients
• Suntrust Online Security Message

With all of these scams they sound too good to be true....and they are!

You can also file a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission to report this type of SPAM/Scam. Their web address is: http://www.ftc.gov or send them an email at spam@uce.gov

Another site to check out for various scams and hoaxes is:
http://www.truthorfiction.com

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