Hoaxes, Spams & Scams

IMPORTANT NOTICE:
This section of Cyber Top Cops is no longer maintained and has been replaced by the SHPAMEE Project.

The purpose of this section is not to list every possible hoax, spam or scam e-mail, but to educate users on how to identify them, by looking for certain characteristics and using a little common sense.

The following articles provide some insight into the problems and dangers of e-mail scams, hoaxes and spam and how to avoid them:

• Smelling A Hoax A Mile Away By Using A Little Common Sense: A step-by-step explanation how to identify a hoax.
• Protocol Against Spam: Taking a look at some of the methods used to prevent spam from landing in our inboxes.
• Don't Become A Victim Of Identity Theft: Prevent your identity from being stolen
• Cyber Crime Made Easier Through Impersonality: The reasons why it so easy to commit cyber crime
• The Dangers Of Chain Letters And Petition Lists: These popular e-mails are not as harmless as you my think.
• The Key To Beating Spam: Ways of treating and preventing spam contamination.

The examples listed below should give you a good idea of what the most common hoaxes, spams and scams look like.

Hoaxes and Spams

• Chain Letter Spam & Hoaxes
• Malware Spam
• Stock Market Spam

E-mail Scams

• Advance Fee Fraud
  • 419 Scams a.k.a Nigerian 419 Scams
  • Lottery Scams (Common examples)
• Phishing Scams / Web Forgery
  • Amazon Phishing Scams (Common examples)
  • Banking Phishing Scams (Common examples)
  • eBay Phishing Scams (Common examples)
  • Home Loan Phishing Scams (Common examples)
  • IRS Phishing Scams (Common examples)
  • PayPal Phishing Scams (Common examples)
• Other Miscellaneous Scams
  • University Degree Scams and Diploma Mills

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Phishing Scams

MillerSmiles.co.uk - The webs dedicated anti-phishing service :: Scam Alert Service

Halifax E-mail Verification - Halifax
Thu, 17 May 2012 10:00:02
DEAR CUSTOMER,Your Halifax Account security validation has expired,this maybe as a result of wrong or incomplete dataentered during the last update.It's strongly required that you should validate yourAccount Ownership Security on the link below.CLICK HEREThank you for helping us serve you better.Customer ServiceHalifax Bank. ...

NatWest Account Management - National Westminster Bank
Thu, 17 May 2012 07:00:01
Valued NatWest Customer, You have an incoming payment slated for your account. We are unable to process this payment to your account as your details cannot be verified. We recommend that you verify your account details to avoid service interruption. Please follow the link below to resolve immediately CLICK HERE Thank you for banking with us. Current Account Manager 2012. National Westminster Bank ...

Payments are pending on your Halifax account - Halifax Bank Of Scotland
Thu, 17 May 2012 10:00:01
Valued Customer, You have an unconfirmed payments pending on your account, Please verify your account information for payments to be approved. Follow the link below to continue, ACCOUNT VERIFICATION NOTE: You are strictly advised to match your information correctly to avoid service suspension. Thank you for banking with us. 2012. Halifax Bank Plc ...

[Norton Anti]NatWest - New Security Measures - National Westminster Bank plc
Thu, 17 May 2012 09:00:01
YOUR ONLINE BANKING ACCESS HAS BEEN RESTRICTEDThis occurs when recent transaction are not fully verifiedlog on to your online banking to remove all restricted access placed on your accountLOG ONRegardsNational Westminster Bank plc...

Your santander account has been blocked - Santander Bank
Thu, 17 May 2012 08:00:02
Valued Customer, Online banking access to your accounts has been blocked for your security. This message has been sent to you from Santander Bank because your account has been accessed from a blacklisted location or device. Our monitoring team safeguards your account when there is a possibility that someone other than you is signing on. Your access would be restored when you verify your account information correctly. Please follow the link ...

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