To open or not to open

This e-mail came over the weekend - well written, good English, apparently genuine. Except that Google Mail, i.e. gmail, does not send these kind of messages. We didn't click on the link because common sense told us not to. So use your common sense and bin it.

WARNING: ARE THESE 'BOGUS PLUG-INS' BEING SOLD IN SPAIN?

(Photo: UK Trading Standards Authority)

(EXCLUSIVE) An article in The Guardian last year pointed out that the claims about these plug-in devices claim to save users anywhere between 15% and 40% on energy bills, but actually pose a risk of fire and electrocution. They were being sold over the phone by 'rogue fraudsters targeting older people', it said. (See similar reports on BBC, Moneywise, and the UK Trading Standards Authority (TSA), the source of the original warning.)  Various trading standards authorities in Britain had received complaints about them; one of these came to the conclusion that the companies involved in these scams are not actually located in the UK and that the call centres they use are based abroad and the appliances appear to be distributed by a number of individuals in the UK. Among the companies mentioned in the article are 1 Stop Marketing Solutions, ITC Development Corp, Power Saver, and Athico Ltd, but the fraudsters could be using other names as well, according to the TSA. There is no way of knowing whether these or any other such companies are operating in Spain, but there seems to be a surge of these so-called 'energy-saving' devices appearing in the English-speaking press in Spain, often in full page colour ads. We did come across a Spanish forum about Power Saver, though, with much the same derogatory comments as we mention below.>>>

Watch out for this scam!

We got this from one of our Gmail e-mail accounts. It looks good but we are pretty paranoid about these things so we went to Google Help, where we posted some of the content of the e-mail, plus the address it had come from, starting it with ''Is this a scam?" In less than forty seconds we had the following reply  Yes! This mail is scam. Mail from Google only comes from @google.com domains, e.g. googleemployee@google.com. How's that for the internet?! Anyway, if you get one -and in our experience Gmail is the best in protection, but not invulnerable, like everything else- trash it immediately!

GIBRALTAR (Press release) The Royal Gibraltar Police has received information to the effect that a Credit Card scam is currently being carried out on members of the public in Gibraltar. The scam involves the victim receiving a telephone call from somebody claiming to be from Microsoft. The victim is then informed that there is a serious virus on their computer and that they have a programme which will remove it for a standard fee. The caller, who calls himself James Smith then asks for the credit card and personal details. Once they have this they are able to use it to make illegal purchases on the Internet.The RGP says it wishes to bring this to the notice of the public. Microsoft, a reputable company, would not call up and ask for credit card details in such a manner. The RGP urges members of the public not to give out any information regarding their credit cards to anyone who they do not know.The RGP also wishes to highlight the need to protect personal data relating to credit cards. Documents such as account statements and even transaction slips will contain card details, which the fraudsters can use to scam their victims. Therefore due care should be taken when disposing of these types of items to prevent them coming into the hands of criminals.If any member of the public requires advice on this matter they can contact the Financial Crime Unit of the RGP on telephone No. 20072954.

Property Registries fraud

SPAIN The College of Property Registrars has issued a warning of an Internet fraud using the name and image of the college. In the 'Subject' box appears 'Registro de la Propiedad' and -the giveaway- a sender address (registradores@reg.org). The email tells the receiver that it is imperative that they register their property, giving a false data base address and referring to a false new law. The College says that this e-mail is not, nor has anything similar even been issued by them and is best eliminated by the Spam or Delete button, but on NO ACCOUNT CLICK ON ANY LINKS. These ask for personal and banking details, and we know what can be done with these. If your Spanish is not up to much, please contact someone who understands enough to help.

One of the reasons we like Gmail

Click to enlarge

This e-mail just came in. See the notice at the top of it? That's one of the reasons we like Gmail. No, we're not trying to sell you anything, but as a general rule, those of us who are, shall we say, under-teched, and don't always remember to update our anti-virus, etc., we get some protection from our e-mail service provider. In any case, it's an interesting scam: One Adam George, supposedly out of a Lagos, Nigeria (a haven for scammers, indeed) pharmacy -whom we've never heard of, ever- wants to order a whole lot of medication from us, who are not in the pharmaceuticals business at all, at all. We're going to fall for it, are we? Many do, that's why they keep trying ... But Gmail tells us not to provide any personal information. Thanks, Gmail, and Adam George, go fry!

This a scam - be warned and do NOT respond!

This came in this morning, read (click it to read) and be aware! "I received the following email reportedly from Microsoft  demanding verification of account details or be shut down....THIS IS A SCAM for those hackers to steal personal info...it is not new and I think MSN are aware of it, although  I could not find any means to report it to them." Thank you, Phil, for the item!

If you rent accommodation, and even if you don't, beware of this scam

We had the e-mail below twice in two days. Aside from the obvious ungrammatical English, th return e-mail address (a business would be likely to have its own domain, though in this case there is such a company in the US, not in Londonderry) and the fact that we're not a hotel or anything like, everything else could be genuine. However, when we googled the name of the signatory, one Dr. Hoffman, we came across a site called Anti-Fraud International (image), a forum in this case that soon put us on the right track. See the scam e-mail below, but DO NOT call any of the numbers or use any of the info it contains>

Oh, yeah? Watch out for e-mails like this one!

Typical example of fraudulent e-mail. Check grammar, spelling, punctuation, etc. And if it sounds too good to be true, it is!

Good day, First, let me introduce myself once more, I am barrister Collin Shands . I am married and
a father of four children. I am a senior advocate here in Malaysia. My jurisdiction is Civil Law and Property Consultant. Though my proposition was rather self-explanatory but for purpose of clarity, let me use this medium to further brief you, particularly on the modus of actualizing this laudable project. My contacting you does not suggest that you are biologically related to the deceased,i will fix up your name as the next of kin as the lawyer to convince the Bank that a relationship exist between the two of you by extension of family lineage., the death certificate and other documents regarding this transaction will be sent to you in due time.and all i have been avoiding is all about scam in the internate. (There's more, lots more!)>

WARNING! 'New' e-mail scam in progress

We received this e-mail supposedly from Marshall Gillibrand, whom many of us in Jimena know and have in our contact list. This is a scam: someone has got hold of his address and is using it to send out this message, (click image to enlarge) similar to the one that used another friend's e-mail, and which we reported here. All you have to do is delete it but DO NOT reply under any circumstances.

Geoff Hurst caught up in Spanish property deal scam

Football legend Sir Geoff Hurst is apparently caught up in a Spanish property scandal. The British press quotes him as being "full of remorse" and having been allegedly "used and abused" by the Royal Marbella Group, for whom he became a spokesperson and project ambassador. Hurst told the High Court on Monday that he had been deceived by a "cynical scheme" to con investors. Sir Geoff and his wife Lady Judith were apparently cheated out of an investment of almost €700,000 by the British business people behind the company, which he was also hired to promote. In the promotion for the project, Hurst, who appeared or allowed his name to be used in brochures and a DVD, was quoted as saying that he had found partners "who won't let me down." In five hours of testimony in the High Court, he admitted he had been "foolish." (See whole story on CampoPulse.)

Gas scam - again!

(E-mail) I was told this morning that there are fake REPSOL inspectors around again. Yesterday they managed to intimidate an English lady into paying them a few hundred euros for so called inspection and adaptations in her house!! Too often, for not speaking Spanish the crooks get away with it. Could you post something on the blog, urging people to ask for NIE numbers, official ID (easy to fake), etc., that should scare them off, and if it doesn't, nobody is obliged to have them do the work, they can contact their own plumber, electrician etc. There is always time (plazo) to have the work done.