The ConsumerScams.org team stumbled across this scam email in our inbox. Funny that OUR consumer scam reporting inbox received the scam message, not from a fellow consumer, but from the scammers themselves! They are making our job too easy.

In our screenshot below, note that we looked at the properties of the "click here" link. It appears to direct the user directly to an FTP site and auto-logon. Who knows what they send back to your computer at that point? Odds are it is a virus since they are using the FTP protocol. Do not click the link, and immediately delete the email!

Here's the scam email:

Ebay Scam Email

We thought we would take the time to post our investigation steps when analyzing potential scam emails. Recently we received the following email made to look like it was from E*Trade:

E*trade phishing email

To analyze this email, we go through the following steps:

Step 1: Examine the content of the email message. Notice the first warning sign, they are asking for us to click a link from the email and enter our account information. 9 times out of 10 this tells us it is a scam.

Step 2: Examine the properties of any links in the message. In the example email above, you can see we viewed the properties of the link to see that the destination URL is actually "upetrades.com". This is not their standard site, a definite warning sign. But let's investigate further...

Step 3: Next we checked out the destination site found in the link, upetrades.com. We do not recommend you take this step if you are at all suspicious from your findings in step 1 or 2. However, we are curious and decide to check out where this mystery URL takes us

We type in the url into our web browser (not clicking the link in the email) and come to the following page:

upetrades.com phishing site

As you can see, the site above looks pretty legitimate! The scammers went to a lot of trouble to make their phishing site look just like the real E*trade website. So how can we know for sure? Well, one step you can take is to call E*trade directly. Don't use any phone numbers on the phishing site, go directly to etrade.com and use a customer service phone number there.

Step 4: Check website ownership through whois.org. Another step we like to use is to verify the Who is information. Whois.org is a great place to look up who owns a domain name or website. We plugged in this phishing site and found the following results:

upetrades.com whois info

As you can see from the above whois.org results, the owner of "upetrades.com" is some guy in Florida who just registered the domain today! Also notice the domain name is only registered for one year. All these are sure signs that this is scam.

Step 5: Report this email to your ISP/email provider as a phishing scam email. They can then take the necessary follow-up steps to help make sure this scam is squashed before it gets any legs.

Car Shopping TipsIt is important to know your rights when buying a car, new or used. Plunking down thousands of dollars only to find you were sold a lemon is not good for the soul---or your stress level.

Fortunately, most states have laws in place to help protect consumers called Lemon Laws. Each state's lemon laws are different, so you will need to research your state's law to know your rights before heading to the dealer. We found a neat site that does a pretty good job compiling all the lemon laws from each state.

Knowing your state's lemon laws is just half the battle. Here are some other tips that can help you avoid problems when buying a car:

1. When buying a used car, be sure to take it for a test drive! Arrange an appointment with your local autoshop before you go see the car. Let them know you might be bringing a car by that you want checked out. Have your local auto shop spend 10-15 minutes looking it over. They can tell you a lot about a car just by looking at it.

2. Do you homework online beforehand. We always recommend checking out Edmunds.com. They not only offer reviews of both new and used cars, but you can also look up the "blue book" value of a car, and what you should be paying for a car from the dealership or a private party. Armed with this information, you can confidently walk into any dealership and give them the price you want.

3. Get a CARFAX report. For $24.99 you can buy a report that will show you the history of the car you are about to buy. Was it a rental car at one point? (Note: Historically, cars that were previously rentals can have more problems than those that were never rentals since they seem to get abused more). Was the car ever in an accident? How many owners has the car had over the years? All this information is extremely valuable in determining whether or not you should buy the car. Most dealerships will provide you with the CARFAX report free of charge. If they don't, ask for it. If you are dealing with a private party, you can take down the VIN number usually located on the dashboard. The VIN number is visible from looking into the windshield on the driver's side. You can then use this VIN number to purchase your own CARFAX report.Locate Your VIN Number

4. Avoid dealerships in highly congested cities and towns. Dealers that don't have any trouble getting customers to walk in are less likely to offer you a deal. Try going a little farther out of town to a more rural dealership. It may take a little more time, but we found that dealers who have less foot traffic tend to be more flexible on prices, and more friendly overall.

5. Don't fall for the dealer follow-up call. We have heard of this scam on more than one occasion. You buy a car, sign the papers and go home. The next day you get a call. The salesman screwed up the numbers. He needs you to come back and pay a few hundred more dollars, or it is going to come out of his pocket. Just tell them "No thanks.", and hang up!

Always remember to trust your instincts when buying a car. If you are uncomfortable, walk away. Dealers will try to give you the hard sell, threaten that the car won't be there when you get back. Just remember, there are plenty of other cars and dealerships out there. If you are not comfortable with one dealer, keep going to others until you find one that treats you right and offers the price you asked for.

Stop SpamEmail spam is a problem that plagues nearly every person online today. Spammers are getting more and more clever by the day, but fortunately for us, so is spam-prevention technology.

Here are some general tips to help cut down on your inbox spam:

1. Create a fake spam email address. This is a great way to reduce your exposure to potential spam sites. Each time you register on a site that you are not sure spams, simply register with your "spam" email account---a secondary email account you create just for registration purposes.

2. Use Google's Gmail! We have found their spam filtering software to be one of the best in the business. Every day our spam folder shows thousands of emails that never make it to our inbox. Best of all, their email service is free!

3. Don't post your email address on public websites or forums. Spam bots are constantly combing the net in search of email addresses. If you post yours on a forum, they will find it. A good trick many folks use is to simply talk out your email address. For instance you can post your email as "george at google mail". Most folks will realize what this means and can figure your real email out.

Also remember, never EVER buy, inquire, reply or call about any product or service that you received via an unsolicited email (spam)! They are almost always scams!

Online Dating Scams
Online dating is becoming more popular as the Internet becomes a second home to many singles around the world. If you are looking to dive in or just get your feet wet in the online dating world, there are a few common scams you should be aware of:

1. Spammers roam dating sites in search of email addresses to fill their mailing lists. Be wary of someone who wants you to share your email address right away. Tip: Create a new "fake" email address to use when registered on the site, or when sharing your email with others. This helps protect your real inbox and identity from spam.

2. If you need to specify a phone number, be sure to use your cell phone number. It is not as easily traceable back to your home address and adds a layer of protection.

3. The send money scam. One of the more common international scams is for singles (presumably from other countries) to join dating sites to meet someone.  At some point they then ask you for money so they can come see you. Don't send money to someone you have never met in person, particularly from another country! Even if they proclaim their love for you. Just walk away.

Remember, online dating can be a lot of fun and it really does work, but you need to be careful. Don't give out too much personal information. Drive yourself to the date so you don't need to give your home address and meet in a public place. Most importantly, trust your instincts. When something does not feel right... it probably isn't.

Safe Online ShoppingSharing your credit card number online can be a huge risk these days. Luckily, credit card companies know this and are working on solutions to help make online shopping a little safer.

One such solution most credit card companies offer is the ability to generate temporary random credit card numbers for each purchase you make. You can specify the amount or limit of the temporary card number, along with the expiration date. Then the credit card company will issue you a random virtual credit card number that is only good for that purchase. If it gets lost or stolen, your real credit card account is protected since you never have to reveal that card number.

MBNA (Bank of America) offers a tool called ShopSafe that does just this. You can download a program to your home computer or laptop, or simply log on to their website. From there, you can create a new, temporary credit card number whenever you need one. You can also use their online tools to manager all your virtual card numbers.

Many other credit card companies offer similar services as well. It's a great way to have peace of mind when pulling out the credit card online. Give your credit card company a call and see if they offer something similar. If they don't, it might be time to find a new credit card company that does.

Work From Home ScamsWorking from home is a dream many folks share. Unfortunately, online predators are aware of this and target consumers looking to make the jump from the office to the home.

We've got some tips for helping you avoid work-from-home scams:

1. Never reply to any e-mail solicitation you receive regarding a work-from-home job opportunity.

No matter how good it sounds, unsolicited e-mails are almost always either a scam, or not worth the investment. Companies that use spam e-mail marketing tactics are usually not the type of company you want to work for or buy from.

2. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is!

Ignore offers that claim you can make a $1000 a week just by putting in a few hours with no training or investment. The business world does not work that way! The only person making money in these scenarios is the scammer selling you the get-rich-quick kit. Just walk away.

3. Do your homework online.

If you do stumble across what you think might be a decent work-from-home job opportunity, be sure to do your homework online. Search Google for any history you can find on the company and/or program they are offering. If it is a scam or a rip-off, odds are you'll digg up some dirt online.

If you do start your own business working from home, remember that it takes a lot of hard work and sweat to be successful. Most start-ups don't make it past their first year, so you must find a niche market or need and work hard to fill it. Stick to something you are passionate about, it will make your chance of success that much greater.

And remember, nothing ever comes easy when starting your own business... so don't believe any offer or program that claims to make it so...

Good luck!

Email Urban LegendThis is an old one, but we still see it popup every now and then from unsuspecting co-workers forwarding it around the office.

The scam: You get an email forwarded from a "friend" that says Microsoft, AOL and Intel are testing out a new email program. If you forward the email to as many folks as you can you will get paid:

When you forward this e-mail to friends, Intel can and will track it if you are a Microsoft Windows user for a two week time period. For every person that you forward this e-mail to, Microsoft will pay you $203.15, for every person that you sent it to that forwards it on, Microsoft will pay you $156.29 and for every third person that receives it, you will be paid $17.65.

Conclusion: This is an urban legend. There is no such email tracking technology, nor will you ever receive any money from Intel. Do your friends and family a favor and just delete it.

Fake Check ScamsThe US Post office has issued a warning regarding a new check scam originating from Nigeria.

The scam involves fake bank and cashier's checks. Officials say the scam involves sending out fake checks to recipients and then trying to persuade victims to deposit the funds and wire part of the money back to the con artist before the fake checks are discovered.

Some common scams involve fake lottery winnings. Victims will receive the check in the mail and be asked to deposit and and wire back a small sum to cover fees. Once the check bounces, the victim is out the amount they wired back to the con men. 

A very similar scheme plays out on eBay.  "Buyers" agree to buy your item but lo and behold they only have a cashiers check to pay for it.  The cashiers check happens to be well over the amount for the item so they send the check to you and ask you to please cash it and refund the rest of the money.  They instruct you to keep a little for yourself and wanting to make a little extra, you agree. The check, of course, turns out to be fake and if you have already shipped your item, you're out of luck!

Another tactic scammers are using is to find apartment rental ads in the papers and online. They respond saying they want to reserve the apartment, send a fake check, and ask for "some" of the money back due to a sudden change in their financial situation. 

Check out FakeChecks.org for more information.

On their website, they attempt to associate quotes from MSNBC and CBS News regarding colon cancer stats to their product. This is misleading, as those news companies do NOT endorse this product.

The scam: If you sign up for the 15 day trial, you won't receive the product for almost a week, which leaves you 7 days to try it. If you fail to contact them and return the product during that 7 day window, they automatically send you 2 more months worth and charge your credit card $78.
Reports from around the web cite difficultly in contacting for cancellations. Since they offer no phone number and only an email address.

Some were successful in getting a partial refund. Most were not.

Our advice... steer clear of this product.

Colon700