Online Scams Up, Credit Card Hacks Down

from the worrying-about-the-wrong-thing dept

Everyone is always worried about having their credit card stolen online, but a new study says that might be the least of their problems. Plenty of other online scams are increasing, mostly in the auction fraud category, while stolen credit cards are decreasing. Also, if you happen to be planning to commit online fraud yourself, you should probably know that credit card thefts seem to give the lowest returns. You're better off doing a Nigerian email scam, which has the highest payoff (amazingly enough). I guess, for that scam, you just need to find one rich sucker and milk him. Besides, it's not like I'm receiving enough Nigerian email scam emails each day. I think we need a few more. The report also suggests that the increase in e-commerce fraud may be a boost to "brand name" online retailers like Amazon - who most people trust.
Hide this

Thank you for reading this Techdirt post. With so many things competing for everyone’s attention these days, we really appreciate you giving us your time. We work hard every day to put quality content out there for our community.

Techdirt is one of the few remaining truly independent media outlets. We do not have a giant corporation behind us, and we rely heavily on our community to support us, in an age when advertisers are increasingly uninterested in sponsoring small, independent sites — especially a site like ours that is unwilling to pull punches in its reporting and analysis.

While other websites have resorted to paywalls, registration requirements, and increasingly annoying/intrusive advertising, we have always kept Techdirt open and available to anyone. But in order to continue doing so, we need your support. We offer a variety of ways for our readers to support us, from direct donations to special subscriptions and cool merchandise — and every little bit helps. Thank you.

–The Techdirt Team


Reader Comments

Subscribe: RSS

View by: Time | Thread


  • identicon
    The Pyro Beastial Necrofeliac, 7 Jun 2003 @ 9:14pm

    No Subject Given

    Or maybe we're just taking a break. Ever think of that? hmmmm?

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 7 Jun 2003 @ 11:52pm

    my response for one I just got 2-nite

    Dear Mr. Malo, I believe you and I had a precipitous meeting at the recent
    conference http://www.j-walk.com/blog/docs/conference.htm
    Please write back if you remember our meeting and with the details for the
    monetary transfer
    Regards
    XXX
    ----- Original Message -----
    From: tammalo55@netscape.net
    To: Sent: Saturday, June 07, 2003 10:40 PM
    Subject: personal

    Date: 03/06/08

    Dear Sir,

    I am Engr. Tambo Malo, a native of Cape Town in South Africa and I am an
    executive Accountant with the South Africa Department of Mining & Natural
    Resources. First and foremost, I apologized using this medium to reach you
    for a transaction/business of this magnitude, but this is due to
    confidentiality and prompt access reposed on this medium. Be informed that
    I
    got your enviable credentials/particulars from the internet.

    I have decided to seek a confidential co-operation with you in the
    execution of the deal described hereunder for the benefit of all parties
    and
    hope you will keep it as a top secret because of the nature of this
    transaction.

    Within the Department of Mining & Natural Resources where I work as an
    Executive Accountant and with the co-operation of four other top
    officials, we have in our possession an overdue payment bills totaling
    Twenty - Six Million, Four Hundred and twenty six Thousand U. S. Dollars
    (US$26,426,000.00) which we want to transfer abroad with the assistance
    and
    co-operation of a foreign company/individual to receive the said fund on
    our
    behalf or a reliable foreign non-company account to receive such funds.
    More
    so, we are handicapped in this circumstance, as the South Africa Civil
    Service Code of Conduct does not allow us to operate foreign account hence
    your importance in the whole transaction.

    This amount (US$26.426m) represents the balance of the total contract
    value executed on behalf of my Department by a foreign contracting firm,
    which we the officials over-invoiced deliberately. Though the actual
    contract cost have been paid to the original contractor, leaving the
    balance
    in the tune of the said amount which we have in principles got approval to
    remit by Telegraphic Transfer (T.T) to any foreign bank account you will
    provide by going through the Justice Ministry here in South Africa for the
    transfer of rites and privileges of the former contractor to you.

    I have the authority of my partners involved to propose that should you
    be
    willing to assist us in the transaction, your share of the sum will be 25%
    of the US$26.426 million, 70% for us and 5% for taxation and miscellaneous
    expenses. The business itself is 100% safe and risk free, on your part
    provided you treat it with utmost secrecy and confidentiality. Also, your
    area of specialization is not a hindrance to the successful execution of
    this transaction. I have reposed my confidence in you and hope that you
    will
    not disappoint me.

    Endeavor to contact me immediately through this email address, whether
    or
    not you are interested in this deal. If you are not, it will enable me
    scout
    for another foreign partner to carry out this deal. I want to assure you
    that myself and my partners are in a position to make the payment of this
    claim possible provided you can give us a very strong assurance and
    guarantee that our share will be secured and please remember to treat this
    matter as a very confidential matter, because we will not comprehend with
    any form of exposure as we are still in active Government Service and
    remember once again that time is of great essence in this business. You
    can
    also contact me with this email address

    I wait in anticipation of your fullest co-operation.

    Yours faithfully,

    Engr. Tambo Malo.

    link to this | view in chronology ]


Follow Techdirt
Essential Reading
Techdirt Deals
Report this ad  |  Hide Techdirt ads
Techdirt Insider Discord

The latest chatter on the Techdirt Insider Discord channel...

Loading...
Recent Stories

This site, like most other sites on the web, uses cookies. For more information, see our privacy policy. Got it
Close

Email This

This feature is only available to registered users. Register or sign in to use it.