Internet Fraud Tell-All (1)

It goes by many names nowadays, Internet Scam, Yahoo-Yahoo, 419, Catching-a-Maga, GEE.......whichever name it is called in your locale, the general undertone to it is CRIME.

Defining this term Internet Fraud is as easy as drinking water or blinking cause of its frequency. I remember watching BBC One's [Hustle](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0379632/) as a teenager years back, it was a show that centred on the activities of a group of con artists who specialise in "long cons", extended forms of deceptive frauds that require greater commitment, but offer higher rewards than simple confidence tricks. Using this as a yardstick, one can simply define Internet Fraud as the running of the schemes of Mickey Bricks, Albert Stroller, Ash Morgan, Stacie Monroe & Danny Blue on innocent internet users and bystanders.

For those of you who didn't catch a glimpse or an episode, *Internet Fraud* is simply duping someone of his or her property over the internet.

It is a very lucrative line of whatever genre of profession it is for the evil hearted, the Victor Lustigs of our time hiding behind the 12 inch screen of a cheap device somewhere. These Victor Lustig wannabes can't dream of selling the Eiffel Tower to anyone but they pose a very huge threat to our collective income, leeches nibbling on the society's pursue.

To the normal bystander, these are just football predictions and nothing more, but to an overly optimistic risk taking gambler, they are much more more than predictions, they are his gateway to financial breakthrough. 'Fixed Games, WOW!'

This is how they get their suckers - these scams are carried out by playing on the greed of unsuspecting gamblers by using prediction sites analysis that have an almost perfect track record to bolster their profiles on social media or on their websites. They almost always get their first 3-5 risky but also very FREE FOR CONFIDENCE (some deliberately spell it as WRONGLY to make you feel they are part of one Italian Match Fixing Mafia) 3-5 predictions right using sites like [WhoScored](www.whoscored.com), [Statarea](www.statarea.com) etc., once they can amass a large following of unsuspecting gamblers who want to bet their way into good fortunes, they stop posting free tips and some start demanding for exorbitant prices for these '100% tips' while some make meagre offers say like $150 per tip of 350 'sure odds'. Once you pay, that's all you'll ever hear from them again, they'll either block you or delete their social media account. You can find them on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook, they usually usually use name like Mafia tips, 100% Galatarsary Fixed, Sokol Sadiku etc.

The first, and rarest (although it does occur) of these is called the Card Not Present or “CNP” scam. Swindlers record the numbers on cards offered for sale, then periodically check to see if the cards bearing those numbers have gone “live”. By “live” we mean that the cards were sold, activated and had a monetary value added to them. When they find cards that have, they use them to make online “card not present” (aka “CNP”) purchases. Using the gift card this way allows the scammer to drain them of their cash values before their intended recipients can use them.

This doesn’t work on all gift cards, however, just the ones allowing “card not present” situations such as online transactions. While a scam artist can in many cases easily physically access gift card numbers by prying the card from its packaging and putting it back once the number is written down, it’s not not easy to hide the fact that the cards’ PIN number is now visible. Once the covering has been scratched away it can’t be put back. Ironically, the packaging itself can conceal that the card has been tampered with.

If you then purchased one of these cards, the fact that it had been tampered with and its PIN number coating removed might go undetected until its recipient attempts to use it! Many people don’t understand the importance of the PIN number anyway, so a scratched off PIN coating might not raise any alarm. We suggest that consumers only purchase cards stored in secure locations that make tampering difficult. We can’t let that piece of advice go without letting you know that store clerks have also been known to engage in this scam. So purchasing gift cards stored under lock and key may reduce your chances of being ripped off but it won’t guarantee protection from this scam.

Whether you choose a gift card from a store display or have a clerk hand it to you, always take the time to examine both side of the packaging before paying for it. Better yet, remove the packaging before you leave the store. If you can see the PIN number or detect signs of tampering, don’t pay for the card or ask for another. Let the store’s management know why. If the card can’t be used for online or “card not present” purchases you don’t have to worry as much because the thief would need the card in hand to use it.

I'll talk about more dubious schemes, the Nigerian Scam and its newest trends in my next post about Internet Fraud. Stay Woke.