Spam, Scams and Frauds
What is spamming?
Spamming is the unsolicited bulk emailing of commercial/sale messages.
The Department of Internal Affairs (DIA) has etablished an Anti-Spam Unit to investigate complaints about spam from the public and act against New Zealand spammers.
See www.spam.govt.nz
Common scams sent by spam email
Get rich quick schemes - offering opportunities to earn thousands of dollars a week, but your earnings may be dependent on selling the scheme to others.
Nigerian fee scam - this age-old scam offers you a percentage of millions of dollars in exchange for letting the sender use your bank account to transfer the funds out of where they are currently held. The Nigerian letter has many variations. For more information see http://www.consumer-ministry.govt.nz/scams/scamwatch_nigerian_scams.html. An American perspective is available at http://www.scambusters.org/NigerianFee.html. New Zealand IT commentator Bruce Simpson describes his experience with this scam at http://www.aardvark.co.nz/daily/2001/0517.shtml. If you have never received a Nigerian fee scam email see http://internet-fraud.com/internet-fraud/ for examples.
NEW! IMPROVED! fee scam - new versions of the Nigerian scam feature authors ranging from deposed African leaders to Afghan refugees to an alleged U.S. commando http://www.wired.com/news/business/0,1367,53115,00.html.
Prize notifications - you are told you have won a prize in a lottery you haven't entered. But, you have to pay money to the operators before they will release the money. For more information see Ministry of Consumer Affairs' Scamwatch
Internet auction scams - where buyers use stolen credit card numbers to buy high price items. Sellers may also try selling a lot of items at once then take the money and run. In many cases the fraudster is based overseas. See Consumer's Click 'n Buy report on online auctions.
Phishing - Phishing attacks use 'spoofed' e-mails and fraudulent websites designed to fool recipients into divulging personal financial data such as credit card numbers, account usernames and passwords, social security numbers, etc. By hijacking the trusted brands of well-known banks, online retailers and credit card companies, phishers are able to convince up to 5% of recipients to respond to them. See Anti-Phishing Working Group.
What to do with spammed scam mail ?
- Check the Ministry of Consumer Affairs' Scamwatch service to see if there is a warning about that particular scam. If there is, delete the message.
- Don't reply. A reply only serves to confirm that your email address is active and ready for further "offers".
- Notify the spammers Internet Service Provider (ISP). If spamming is against the ISPs policy for email account holders, the ISP may sanction the sender.
- Notify your own ISP or IT support. They may be able to advise you about whether filters can be placed on your email programme to stop such emails.
Resources
- Ministry of Consumer Affairs Scam Watch! has up-to-date information on scams running in New Zealand.
- London Metropolitan Police Fraud Squad Fraud Alert provides further information on known frauds and scams.
- Commerce Commission deals with matters regarding misleading or deceptive conduct under the New Zealand Fair Trading Act.
- New Zealand Serious Fraud Office provides information on "large" frauds.
- Test your computers defenses
- Scambusters warn about scams on auction sites
See also
- Netsafe, the New Zealand Internet Safety Group, has information for kids, parents, schools and more.
- The New Zealand Police E-crime Unit focuses on electronic crime detection and investigation.
