Admin

Online security and YOU!

By
Real Estate Agent with Realty One Group SA116184000

I recently received an e-mail that was originated through ActiveRain from not only a spammer but a SCAMMER. Don't ya just hate those guys? If not for the fact that they are trying to pry my wallet open to take what they please they are simply insulting.

Why would anyone believe that an investor from England - wealthy widow no less - would actually want me - ME!? to handle her real estate investments in amerika (or so it was spelled by her affiable and capable assistant) Where in the heck is Donald Trump when you need him?

Don't ya just love it!?

Cracks me up.

So in appealing to my service provider for a solution to the ever increasing amounts of spam (scam), I found a very GOOD site for enlightenment on all sorts of spam, phishing and so forth.

Check out, http://onguardonline.gov/index.html 

It is an excellent site and also has a couple very interesting and intuitive games called "The Friend Finder' and "The Case of the Cyber Criminal" as well as a few informative videos. These are also very good tools to help your kids look out for internet predators. This site comes from their parent Federal Trade Commision's site: http://www.ftc.gov/

All of us have the ability to be taken advantage of if a scam is of any reasonable quality. Lucky for us, most scammers look and act and think the way they appear to us through the net. As Forrest says, "Stupid is as Stupid Does!" (I think he said that, didn't he?)

Oh, buy the way! after getting the message in my profile page (because ActiveRain is superb in providing the originating IP address), I clicked on the IP and found out that the Queen's assistant actually operates out of Africa! Go figure.

Hope this helps!

Joe

Show All Comments Sort:
Amy Roberson
RE/MAX Beach Towne - Melbourne Beach, FL

I just got one yesterday. What a lot of work for them to go through the comments!

Aug 14, 2008 07:45 AM
George Tars
PalmHomes LLC - Palm Beach, FL

do a reverse lookup on their IP address to find the country they are coming from ...

check this tool here http://whois.domaintools.com/

and enter the IP address in the box ... it will return the country ... again this is not a gurantee because SCAMMERS sometimes use Proxy servers to stay anonymous and that is extremely difficult to defend from as a web server admin ...

Aug 14, 2008 07:54 AM
Russ Ravary ~ Metro Detroit Realtor call (248) 310-6239
Real Estate One - Commerce, MI
Michigan homes for sale ~ yesmyrealtor@gmail.com

Thanks for the new site.  There are lots of scammers out there.  I don't pay attention to overseas buyers by email

Aug 14, 2008 07:56 AM
Abiud "Abi" Montes
EWM Realtors - Fort Lauderdale, FL

Join the club Joe.

I win a lottery everyday by e-mail that I did not even enter.

It gets to the point that it is funny. (Not really!)

I tell my friends all the time that I got an e-mail again and I am a winner.

Things are looking up! Yeah right! They had this on the News on how many people

get sucked in by these e-mail. It's a shame.

Aug 14, 2008 07:57 AM
David M. Childress
Howard Hanna Real Estate Services - Akron, OH
I would love to be your RealtorĀ® in Akron Ohio!

I, too, receive many "opportunities" to invest a foreigners money, oh, lucky me. The spelling is always bad but usually I play along until it is obviously a scam. (They will ask you for money eventually)

You never know when it could be real. Happened to a fellow agent and he made a great commission. They are buying real estate here due to the value of the dollar.

Aug 14, 2008 08:01 AM
Ilyce Glink
Think Glink Media - Chicago, IL
Best-selling author, award-winning TV/radio host.

It is certainly frustrating getting spam and scammers all day every day. It is just too bad that some people take advantage of the system.

Aug 14, 2008 08:08 AM