Newsletter ArchiveSUBJECTs:Internet Fraud - Deceptive Marketing The Internet 800 Directory - http://www.inter800.com The Internet 800 Directory Newsletter This issue is for Friday, April 19, 2002 Table of Contents 01. Internet Fraud 02. Deceptive Marketing *01 Internet Fraud Last year, the amount of reported Internet fraud hit $17.8 million and who knows how much went unreported. In the cases reported last year, most people (70%) were first contacted by e-mail. This week I want to cover some of the different way these people can separate you from your money. --Financial Institution Fraud- This would include things like Credit card fraud and identity theft. The culprit obtains a victim's credit card, bank or other financial information and then represents himself as the victim. -Gaming Fraud- Just put up your money and you can’t lose, but somehow you do. Sports tampering and claiming false bets are two examples of gaming fraud. -Investment Fraud- Somehow, all these plans involve creating money with no effort through some income-producing vehicle that only they know about. Pyramid schemes and stock market manipulation are two types of investment fraud. -Confidence Fraud- Most of these scams prey on greed or a desire to get a really great deal. Auction fraud and non-delivery of merchandise are both types of confidence fraud. Also the Nigerian Spam Letter is another scam that would be classified under confidence fraud. What are some things you can do to not be cheated in the coming year? -If you are going to bid in an Internet auction, understand as much as possible about how an auction works. Know the obligations for both the buyer and the seller before you bid. eBay and other online auctions often provide feedback forums. Check the feedback history of the person you are buying from before bidding. -Before ordering on line, read the company’s policy statement regarding problems and returns. Be sure to find when delivery can be expected and warranty/exchange information for merchandise that you might want to return. -Learn as much as possible about the person or company, especially if the only information you have is an e-mail address. Do a web search and look for web sites regarding this person or company. Examine the feedback if any, and use common sense; if the person has a history of negative feedback, do not deal with them. -Try to obtain a physical address rather than merely a post office box and a phone number. Also call the seller to see if the number is correct and working. Send them e-mail to see if they have an active e-mail address. Be very cautious of sellers who use free e-mail services such as yahoo or hotmail. -Check with the Better Business Bureau from the seller's home area to see if there have been any problems with the seller before. If you have any thought or ideas you would like to share with me, please send them to Chuck Arning at chuck@inter800.com We’re Talkin’ Serious” Bone Suckin’ Sauce ! Winner: “Battle Of The Sauces.” Created in true western North Carolina style. Tomato based all-natural, sweetened with honey and molasses. Order your Box of six today for $39.99 +s/h. Toll-Free 1-800-446-0947 or online http://www.BoneSuckin.com *02 Deceptive Marketing I always try to be honest in both my business and personal dealings. Discounting the moral issue, my experiences have taught me that honesty is a lot easier than lying and is usually much more effective. Unfortunately, not everybody shares my view. Many businesses and individuals employ a wide range of deceptive, misleading, or flat-out dishonest business practices. I'd like to discuss a few of them now, with the hope of preventing you from being hoodwinked. Liars who pose as customers in order to get a decision maker to respond may be the stupidest marketers in the world. At least twice this week I've had a company contact me under the guise of prospective advertiser, only to find out they were really only interested in selling me THEIR service. How do they think somebody would respond to this approach? Personally, I get a little outraged and act accordingly. Another lie I see a lot of involves fake email. For instance, you receive an email that says, "thanks for lunch Bob". Being a conscientious citizen, you reply letting them know that you're not Bob and their email went astray. By doing so, you have just confirmed your working email address and been added to a spammer's list. There is a virus immunity lie making the rounds lately. The latest one I received looked like this: Klez.E is the most common world-wide spreading worm.It's very dangerous by corrupting your files. Because of its very smart stealth and anti-anti-virus technic, most common AV software can't detect or clean it. We developed this free immunity tool to defeat the malicious virus. You only need to run this tool once,and then Klez will never come into your PC. NOTE: Because this tool acts as a fake Klez to fool the real worm,some AV monitor maybe cry when you run it. If so,Ignore the warning,and select 'continue'. Obviously, the program being sent IS the virus. In this case, the horrendous grammar was an immediate tip-off, but not all of these are so poorly written. The suggestion that you ignore your anti-virus software's warning should also be a clue that something isn't right. Some of the lies we see today are the same lies illicit business folk have been spreading for years, The miracle sex pill and the amazing weight loss pill are popular examples. In the old west, I believe it was referred to as snake oil. These "alternative medicine" campaigns are particularly offensive because they are most effective on those that have legitimate medical problems. "Alternative" to scientific facts and principles is probably more accurate. Deception isn't used solely on adults. Some so-called childrens' web sites exist solely to collect marketing information. Mandatory registration is often required to use the site and the information gathered is used to market to children. Children are much easier to fool. Most don't understand the concept of banner ads and if they see a picture of Pikachu, they assume its a game and click it. I cannot emphasize enough how important it is to monitor your child's online usage and educate them to the tricks that may be used on them. Here are some "tip-offs" from the USPS web site: The offer sounds too good to be true. An unbelievable-sounding deal probably is not true. High-pressure sales tactics. A swindler often refuses to take no for an answer. Insistence on an immediate decision. Swindlers often say you must make a decision right now. You are one of a select group people eligible for the offer. Yeah, riiiiiight. Your credit card number is required for verification. Do not provide your credit card info unless you are making a purchase. A promise of a "money-back guarantee" means nothing if you are dealing with a scammer. Swindlers probably won't be around when you try to collect or will blame you for not being eligible for the refund or they may simply ignore you. The best defense is to not be suckered in the first place. Good luck and stay sharp. George Paul (http://gotollfree.com) The Internet 800 Directory 800-299-1879, george@gotollfree.com Vegas Vacation has the best rates on Las Vegas Hotel Rooms. Don't make a reservation without calling us first! Call 800-637-6442 or visit our ad in the Internet 800 Directory: http://inter800.com/02281174.htm Banners? Pay-per-click? Why not target your market with links or information placed in relevant content? The Internet 800 Directory Newsletter offers direct access to business people who are interested buyers. Advertising: Information on how to sponsor this publication: Call 800-299-1879 Thanks for taking to time to review our newsletter for this week. If you know of anyone that might benefit from receiving this newsletter, send them to (http://www.inter800.com/news800/ ) where they can subscribe. All Contents Copyright ©1995-2002 The Internet 800 Directory Subscribe To The Newsletter: |