Lightning Storm Meets Volcanic Eruption!

On a lighter note, today I have discovered a ’scam’ currently circulating in e-mails, forums and in other blogs. The photographs claim they show a lightning storm with a volcanic eruption. I must admit they are quite spectacular photographs.

There has been many comments and discussions about the photos mainly saying that the photos are fake! Apparently the photos are indeed real!

The almost otherworldly sight of these two powerful forces of nature clashing with each other has caused some commentators to suggest that the images have been manipulated. However, the photographs are in fact genuine.

The photographs depict an eruption of the Chaiten volcano in Chile in May 2008. The volcano, which has been dormant for thousands of years, is located around 1300km south of Santiago. An article about the eruption published in The Australian on May 8th 2008 describes the event:

Tonnes of dust and ash from the eruption of the Chaiten volcano poured into the night sky just as an electric storm was passing overhead.

The resulting collision created an extraordinary sight as lightning flickered around the dust cloud in the fiery, orange glow of the volcano.

Several thousand residents were evacuated from the area and the plume from the eruption has left large areas of land covered in a layer of ash.

The information was provided by Hoax Slayer
The full story can be seen at ‘The Australian’

Avivah Litan from Gardner - Podcast

Avivah Litan is an information and security analyst at research firm Gartner,  he talks to Computer Weekly’s Warwick Ashford about the effectiveness of chip and pin bank card technology in combating fraud and the risks that may result from the introduction of faster payments.

Here it here! Avivah Litan

Telogram - “Strange Letters”

It has been brought to my attention that a company called Telogram has been sending out a variety of “strange letters”.

The one that was brought to my attention was sent to someone’s address but with their mother’s name on. The letter was enquiring about the address of their mum saying and quoting their last known address! She still lives at that address!

The letter then wanted them to phone a number to verify her mum’s personal details.  If no action is taken, they then quote as saying they “will be undertaking outbound telephone calls to various sources including neighbours to verify the information supplied is correct.”

Alarm bells certainly did start ringing when I heard this as I thought which company would ring the neighbours to check out your personal details? And how come the neighbours know this kind of information? Very strange!

I then began a search on Google and according to moneysavingexpert.com it is a scam. On further research I uncovered that

Telogram Ltd is a scam company run by Capquest Debt Recovery. Very fond of trying to make people pay debts that aren’t theirs.

This was found at consumeractiongroup.co.uk.

The company is registered with Companies House which the registered address is:

TELOGRAM LIMITED
9 Clarendon Place
LEAMINGTON SPA
CV32 5QP

However, the ‘jury’ is still out on this one as I have found that the number to ring could either be  a premium rate number, others have reported that it could be phishing for identity theft and others who think it is legitimate.

I would be interested for anyone with a similar story to share and submit it so we can try and shed some light on this!

“Million Dead in Chinese Quake”

Spammers are using the earthquake disaster in China to find new ways of spreading their viruses. It has been reported in Computer Weekly that the e-mail claims that an “earthquake measuring 9.0 on the Richter scale has hit Beijing, causing millions of casualties and putting the 2008 Olympic Games at risk”.

The e-mail also contains a link to a video but when you click on this link, the download of damaging malware Nuwar-E begins.

However, Sophos class this as a low threat, but it goes to show how low spammers will go to spread their malicious viruses.

NatWest Maintenance

Yet more e-mails are being sent out regarding banks requesting confirmation and verification. The latest one currently circulating involves clicking a link in the e-mail and following the steps to verify your online bank account.

There are many similar e-mails going around reportedly from banks either updating their databases and these are all aimed at one outcome only. Gaining your bank details.

Banks will never request personal information in this way and all e-mail concerning your bank should be treated with the utmost of suspicion. If in doubt, do not answer the e-mail but contact your bank directly if you have any concerns. Never try to contact them through links in e-mails.

Password Request From PayPal

There is an e-mail circulating saying that it has been “indicated that you have forgotten your password”. It then asks you to click the link to verify your e-mail address and other information.

If you get this e-mail or something on similar lines please delete it. Do not click on the link. It is a scam to gain your personal details.

I have contacted PayPal regarding this and their advice is to forward it to spoof@paypal.com. PayPal will then work their socks off to close the site down.

Radio Licence - Legitimate or A Scam?!

Today while listening to the news it was brought to my attention that businesses that play the radio now have to buy a licence. Basically, if you play music in the workplace you have to purchase a Performing Rights Licence,  which collects money on behalf of musicians.

I totally disagree with this, to me radio is a means of musicians marketing and selling their music, so not only are we overcharged for CD’s but also being charged again to listen to music that maybe we don’t like or simply we just put up with. If the radio didn’t exist musicians would find it extremely hard for a wider audience to hear their latest music. Obviously, this could be argued that we can download the music from the Internet, but isn’t this also illegal too?

ISP’s are supposed to be clamping down on music being downloaded illegally, which personally I think will be completely unmanageable. If people want to listen to music why should we be penalised? What happened to our entertainment licence? It seems to me if you want to be entertained you have to be prepared to pay a costly fee to do so.

According to the BBC article music at work improves productivity but millions of businesses are illegally listening to it. What about the small business that does not have customers listening to it? What about radios in cars that blast music out for everyone to hear it? What about the neighbour who plays music while having a BBQ?

Is this a scam? I would like to listen to your views on this!

Do not reply to 0709 numbers!!!

If you receive a text message or missed call with the prefix 0709 PLEASE do not call it back! Should you call it back the call could last up to 5 minutes and cost you a fortune! 0709 numbers are charged at premium rates and can cost up to £50 per minute and it isn’t illegal to do this!

Pass on the message to your friends and colleagues about missed calls to 0709 numbers.

ATM Thefts

It has been brought to my attention that a new ATM scam has surfaced. This is a pure confidence trick and preys on the vulnerable when they need help the most.

Here’s how it works:

The ‘thief’ pretends to use the ATM quite innocently. Looks like an ordinary citizen trying to use the ATM service.

What the ‘thief’ is actually doing is placing a ‘trap’ in the ATM to ‘capture’ the next user’s card. Sound familiar? Well wait for the next part!

The ‘thief’ may be with someone who acts as a lookout to ensure there isn’t any possible eyewitnesses around.

The innocent user then puts their card in the ATM and the card is mysteriously confiscated.

The user is then confused and asks ‘What’s happened to my card?’

Here the cavalry comes to help (in other words the ‘thief’ who has tampered with the ATM) they pretend to help but all they are doing is trying to get the user’s PIN number, now that the ‘thief’ has captured the card.

The ‘thief’ convinces the user that they can retrieve the card if they press the PIN at the same time as ‘enter’ and ‘cancel’. THIS DOES NOT WORK! All the ‘thief’ is doing is taking note of your PIN number.

After several attempts the user decides their card has been confiscated and leaves the ATM machine.

The ‘thief’ then goes back to the ATM machine and not only retrieves the card but also has the PIN number that the user has unknowingly given.

The ‘thief’ then wipes out the user’s bank account!

The trap is made of XRay film, which is now the preferred material as the colour is the same as the slot on the reader. The trap is then inserted into the ATM slot. The ends are folded and glued in order to stick better to the slot. Once in place this is almost impossible to detect by innocent ATM users. Slits are made in the sides of the trap which prevents your card being returned. When you have given up and decided your card has been confiscated, the ‘thief’ then takes out the film containing your card and also the contents of your bank account.

When using ATM’s always check to ensure that the ATM has not been tampered with and look for any signs of the film tips. If at all unsure do not use the ATM. If you suspect the ATM has been tampered with or you have been a victim please report it to your bank as soon as possible.

Bill Gates Giving Away Money?!!!

I received an e-mail today from a trusted friend of mine of which claimed that Bill Gates was sharing his wealth!!
Here’s what it said:

“This thing is for real. Rest assured AOL and Intel will follow through with their promises for fear of facing a multi-million dollar class action suit similar to the one filed by Pepsi Co against General Electric not too long ago.

Dear Friends; Please do not take this as a junk letter. Bill Gates sharing his fortune. If you ignore this, you will repent later. Microsoft and AOL are now the largest Internet companies and in an effort to make sure that Internet Explorer remains the most widely used program, Microsoft and AOL are running an e-mail beta test.

When you forward this e-mail to friends, Microsoft can and will track it (If you are a Microsoft Windows user). For a two week time period.

For every person that you forward this e-mail to, Microsoft will pay you $243.00 and for every third person that receives it, you will be paid $241.00. Within two weeks, Microsoft will contact you for your address and then send you a check.

Regards

Charles S Bailey General Manager
Field Operations
1-800-842-2332 Ext. 1085 or 904-1085
or RNX
292-1085

It further states:

“I thought this was a scam myself, but two weeks after receiving this e-mail and forwarding it on, Microsoft contacted me for my address and within days I received a check for $24,800.00. You need to respond before the beta test is over. If anyone can afford this, Bill Gates is the man.

It’s all marketing expense to him. Please forward this to as many people as possible. You are bound to get at least $10,000.00. We’re not going to help them out with their e-mail beta test without getting a little something for our time. My brother’s girlfriend got in on this a few months ago. When I went to visit him for the Baylor U/T game, she showed me her check. It was for the sum of $4,324.44 and was stamped ‘Paid in full’.”

This e-mail continues further but I just got bored of it!!

Firstly, Bill Gates has better things to do than a stupid ‘e-mail marketing campaign’!!

I googled this e-mail and guess? It is a scam!! It is one of the biggest hoax e-mails circulating the Internet. These have been around for a good while now but come in different formats but all claiming that Bill Gates is giving away his ‘hard earned’ cash!!

As for tracking e-mails that’s rubbish too!! Not only would it be breaking and violating privacy issues but I think Bill Gates’s Inbox will be pretty full without having to respond to all these other e-mails!!

I find it quite amusing (also annoying!!) that so many people fall for this kind of hoax and although I feel it is not too malicious as it isn’t a virus but that it reflects how desperate some people are to earn ‘easy money’!!

As my mum always says to me “You don’t get ‘owt for nowt”!!