Dr. Shirley's Email Resources

Spam, Viruses, Hoaxes, InterNet Scams

 

Spam counter-measures

When you receive spam, do not reply to it, or bother asking the sender to delete your email address from its list. Doing so will only confirm to the spammer that yours is a valid email address with someone who reads the messages - the spammer will then sell your addy to many other spammers, and you will receive yet more spam.
Instead, make sure that the headers of the message are shown in full - most email programs give you several options as to how much of the headers you want to show. Then read the headers to find out which email provider the spammer is using, and if there is a different addy for the "reply to". Also check the message to see if it is directing you to go to some web page - make a note of the provider for the web page, and include them in your complaint. Then forward the whole message, and the complete header, to the abuse department(s) of the email provider(s) and the web site provider, with a request that they deal with the spammer. Abuse departments usually have an email addy such as abuse@yahoo.com, abuse@hotmail.com, etc - just substitute the word "abuse" for the part of the sender's address before the @, and forward the message to them. I usually put "Spam", "porn spam", "Nigerian Scam Spam" etc, in the subject line, so that the abuse department knows what the complaint is about.

Helpful Sites

Nigerian ScamSpam, Advanced Fee Fraud, 419 Letters, Widows of Dead Dictators

"Nigerian Scam" - you may receive an unsolicited fax, email, or letter concerning Nigeria or another African nation, with either a money laundering or other illegal proposal - some widow of a dead dictator wanting to smuggle money, a bank operator who has "discovered" a dormant account; a fake lottery award - there are many possibilities, and they are all merely hooks to get some poor gullible to reply. Once contact has been made, you will eventually be asked to help with a Fee, or some other way of parting you from your money or possessions. Don't be a Gullible. This is one of the largest industries in Nigeria, and seems to be run by the same people who run the government of Nigeria.
Most 419 letters and emails originate from, or are traceable back to Nigeria. However, some originate from other nations, mostly also West African nations such as Ghana, Togo, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Ivory Coast ( Cote D'Ivoire ) etc. In most cases 419 emails from other nations are also Nigerian in that the "Home Office" of the 419ers involved is Nigeria regardless of the source of the contact materials.

What to do when you receive Nigerian ScamSpam - Report It

Stamp Out Spam
Stamp Out Nigerian ScamSpam
Report all examples you get
Stamp Out Nigerian ScamSpam

For those in the UK : - contact your local constabulary's fraud squad or commercial crimes unit. Each constabulary throughout the UK has a dedicated officer to whom you should forward such communications under the title of "West African Organised Crime"
You should not, under any circumstances, reply to the scamspammers. If you have entered into communication with the scamspammers, have met them or sent them money, you should contact the National Criminal Intelligence Service (NCIS) at victim@spring39.demon.co.uk or by telephone on 020 7238 8012.

From 419 Coalition Web Site :
What To Do If You Receive A Nigerian Scam/419 Letter

  1. DO NOT RESPOND TO THE 419 SOLICITATION
  2. Notify your Own Nation's National Law Enforcement Agency and your Own Nation's Foreign Office
  3. File a Complaint with the Nigerian Embassy or High Commission in your nation
  4. File a complaint via email with the Central Bank of Nigeria - their email is info@cenbank.org
  5. If the contact from the 419ers was via email: write their email provider at their "abuse" address (abuse@yahoo.com, abuse@onebox.com etc.) and include the 419er message with its headers; complain about the 419 message; and ask that the account be shut down. You may also file complaints with watchdog type services such as Spamcop to try and get the 419ers email accounts shut off by whatever ISP they are using - Spamcop and similar services will parse the headers of the 419 email and try to see through forged information etc. to get back to the actual origin of the 419 email.
  6. Some 419ers give different email addies in the body of their mail than the one they sent from. You should complain to "abuse" at those email providers as well

Additional Country-Specific Instructions - United States
The United States Secret Service continues to be tasked as the primary US law enforcement agency in dealing with Advance Fee Fraud (419) matters. US Citizens or Residents with No Financial Loss are asked to email 419er documents to the United States Secret Service at 419.fcd@usss.treas.gov where they are archived for future data-mining. Only No Loss reports are to be sent to this email address. Due to the sheer volume of materials received, USSS does not respond to submissions to this address.

Other helpful Sites

InterNet Hoaxes

Chain-letters, dying children's last wishes, warnings telling you to delete files from your computer, messages claiming that if you forward the message Bill Gates will send you $1,000,000. We all get them - but PLEASE don't pass them on. If in doubt as to whether or not a message is genuine, check with one or two of the hoax sites before doing whatever the message tells you to do. And don't delete any files on your computer just because some idiot sends you a message telling you to do so.

Viruses

Helpful Sites

 

Copyright © 1999 Shirley J. Rollinson, all Rights Reserved

Dr. Rollinson

PO Box 70
Clovis
NM 88102

Last Updated: June 30, 2017

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