July 28, 2009
Millionaire Contest and Twist on Vehicle Sale Scams
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Millionaire Contest
There is a fraudulent email circulating, allegdly from The Oprah Winfrey Show, notifying you of your nomination for the 'Oprah Millionaire Contest Show.'To participate, you are requested to mail your contact information such as full name, address, telephone number, and e-mail address. Verified contestants are then required to purchase airfare and a ticket to attend The Oprah Winfrey Show, as well as complete a forthcoming contest form containing personal questions.
As a contestant you are then promised a seat for The Oprah Winfrey Show and asked to provide your responses to the personal questions for a chance to win a million dollars.
You should always be on the alert for unsolicited e-mails. Do not open unsolicited e-mails or click on any embedded links, as they may contain viruses or malware. Providing your personally identifiable information will compromise your identity!
If you have been a victim of Internet crime, please file a complaint at www.ic3.gov.
Vehicle Sale Scams take a Military Twist
The FBI is receiving reports of people who have been victimized while attempting to purchase vehicles through the Internet.The victims find attractively priced vehicles advertised at different Internet classified ad sites. Most of the scams include some type of third-party vehicle protection program to ensure a safe transaction.
The victims then receive convincing e-mails from the phony vehicle protection program, and are then directed to send either the full payment, or a percentage of the payment, to the third-party agent via a wire payment service.
No vehicles are ever delivered.
In a new twist, scammers are posing as members of the United States military. The fictitious military personnel in the scam have either been sent to a foreign country to improve military relations, or they need to sell a vehicle quickly and cheaply because of their upcoming deployment to either Iraq or Afghanistan.
You are advised to do as much due diligence as possible before purchasing vehicles advertised online.
Remember - always watch for scams!
Steve