Don't Get Scammed By E-Mail Hoaxes - September 2003
By Kelly Embleton

Most of us are trying to control the amount of spam e-mail we receive in our inbox daily. It seems to be out of control and is frustrating when only 5 out of the 150 e-mail messages in your inbox are not spam. I am willing to bet that at least half of your junk mail contains e-mail scams and hoaxes. Scams sound believable and may be tempting. If you are not cautious, you could find yourself in a lot of hot water.

You should be cautious of any messages about making money, requests for bank account information, passwords and credit card numbers … these messages are probably scams and hoaxes. Simply delete these messages when you receive them or block the e-mail addresses using your spam control filter if you have one implemented. Also, do not send these messages to anyone else.

Definitions:
SCAM: A fraudulent business scheme; a swindle
FRAUD: A deception deliberately practiced in order to secure unfair or unlawful gain
HOAX: An act intended to deceive or trick

Common Types of E-mail Scams and Hoaxes
a) Information Verification - messages request verification of e-mail addresses, credit card numbers, passwords and bank PIN numbers.
b) Stolen Credit Card - these messages can sound very believable. The message states that someone has been using your credit card to make fraudulent purchases and they need to verify your info.
c) Show Me The Money - These messages usually state that someone overseas desperately needs your help in retrieving money that is being held in another country. If you spend money to help them, they will share the money with you when retrieved. A common example of this was the Nigeria e-mail scam that lured in thousands of people into spending a tonne of money.
d) Work From Home - messages contain opportunities for you to stay at home and work and earn $$. There are some legit companies like this but they rarely e-mail these opportunities to you.
e) Credit and Loans - messages state that your credit can be repaired and you can receive loans and credit cards with huge dollar limits. Block and delete these messages, all the spammers want is your financial information.
f) Business Opportunities - messages try to obtain personal information in order for you to start your own business and make tonnes of money right away.
g) Lose Weight and Diet Right - these messages try to sell you supplements and pills to loose weight and diet correctly. Most require you to order so if you do, now they have your payment info and who knows if these products even exist.
h) Investments - investment schemes guarantee high rates of return without risk.
i) Free Vacations - most messages state that you have won a free vacation to some tropical island. They want you to send them your information and a fee to book the trip that doesn't even exist.

Detection & Prevention Tips

• Legit companies and institutions will not ask for your social insurance number, bank PIN code, and financial information in an e-mail where it is unsafe and not secure.
• Be sure to check the return e-mail address against the address the message was sent from. Scams and hoaxes don't normally have the same return and sent e-mail address.
• Don't give out your e-mail address on a site if you are not familiar with the site or if there is not a Privacy Policy available on the site.
• Be wary of e-mails that greet you as an old classmate, relative or friend.
• Don't reply to junk mail, even if it has a link to remove you from their mailing list. Simply block this e-mail address using your spam filter.
• Don't fill out online forms on sites for free goods or contests that you are not familiar with or are not credible.
• Don't forward on "chain-letter" messages to your friends.
• Do not open any e-mail attachments if you are not familiar with the sender.

Be extremely wary of e-mail messages like the ones mentioned above. Nine out of ten times these messages are scams and hoaxes. Don't be lured into e-mail scams and hoaxes, they can quickly lead to problems and financial disasters.

Resources

• Froogle, at www.froogle.google.com, is a new service from Google that makes it easy to find information about products for sale online. By focusing entirely on a product search, Froogle applies the power of Google's search technology to a very specific task: locating stores that sell the item you want to find and pointing you directly to the place where you can make a purchase. If you sell products online, make sure you are listed in Froogle.

• Guitar Books Plus is your best guitar resource! Guitar Books Plus carries over 1,400 guitar books, CD-ROMs, DVDs, software and videos on guitar technique, guitar instruction, guitar customization and repair, guitars of past and present, bass technique, amps, guitar guides, playing guitar, guitar legends, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, vintage guitars, guitar lessons and more! Visit this site today at www.guitarbooksplus.com.

• Yorkville Sound is proud to represent the products of Gibson Musical Instruments on an exclusive basis in Canada. This includes Gibson Guitars, Epiphone Guitars, Original Acoustic Instruments and the rest of the Gibson family. Visit www.gibsonguitars.ca to find out all the latest information.

• The Montreal Drum Fest will be taking place on November 7-9, 2003. For more information on the show, visit the Web site at www.montrealdrumfest.com.

• MyOwnMusic.net is a place where independent artists and musicians, striving to gain exposure, share information and utilize resources, can connect with, and support one another. This resource is located at www.myownmusic.net.

• Musician's Health, located at www.musicianshealth.com, is an educational Web site devoted to the understanding and the explanation of musician's injuries, along with guidelines regarding injury prevention, optimizing your musical performance, and for achieving an optimum state of health.