Scam Alerts and Media Releases
18 September 2007
Valuation fraud
warning
Mortgage lenders are being urged to check the validity of valuations
after a number of banks in Auckland and other regions were presented
with fraudulent or fictitious property valuation reports. One
valuation was altered by several hundreds of thousands of dollars
from the original value, said New Zealand Institute of Valuers
president Blue Hancock.
"Another was a totally fictitious report on a made-up company
letterhead," said Mr Hancock, who warned lending institutions to
ensur they sighted original documents and checked the credentials of
the valuer and firm providing the report.
In one crafty case, legitimate phone numbers were provided to "aid"
banks in checking. However, lenders dialling them got an
answering-machine request to leave names and numbers and were told
their call would be returned.
"Valuers carrying out property valuations for the public are
required to be registered, hold an annual practising certificate and
be a member of the New Zealand Institute of Valuers," Mr Hancock
said.
A valuer's registration can be checked by accessing the Property
Institute's website and following the
Useful Links to the New Zealand Gazette. The site also provides a
search of members' details under the "Membership Services" Find a
Member section. 10 August 2007
CUSTOMS WARNS OF
E-MAIL SCAMNew Zealand Customs Service is warning Kiwis who have purchased
goods over the internet about an e-mail scam asking them to pay
"Customs" fees or duties before their goods will be released.
The scam e-mails are sent to Hotmail accounts after people have
purchased goods over the internet.
Customs Group Manager Investigations and Response Paul Campbell says
that Customs does not contact importers about duties or GST payable
on goods by e-mail.
The e-mails are written in poor English, contain incorrect
information regarding Customs, and are not sent from an official
Customs e-mail address. "If Customs has detained goods pending payment of duty or GST, we
will always contact you in writing by mail. "Buyers should beware of any suspicious e-mails, and take care when
purchasing over the internet," Campbell says. For more information,
visit New Zealand Customs Service
website. 22 May 2007
New Zealand victims of a
global pyramid scheme are today being sent their compensation from a
U.S. $20 million fund set up to compensate victims worldwide. SkyBiz
offered the opportunity to earn thousands of dollars a week by
recruiting new ‘associates.’
The U.S. Federal Trade Commission
prosecuted SkyBiz as a pyramid scheme, and earlier this year reached
a $20 million U.S. settlement with the scheme’s promoters.
21 February 2007
Prizes and lotteries
International Lotto Commission
8 February 2007
Australasian Consumer Fraud Taskforce survey 2007
The Australasian Consumer Fraud Taskforce is a group of 18
government departments, including the New Zealand Ministry of
Consumer Affairs and the Commerce Commission, whose aim is to work
together to reduce the incidence and impact of frauds and scams, and
to create a yearly co-ordinated information campaign for consumers
timed to coincide with Global Consumer Fraud Prevention Month.
The Taskforce would like to know about any scams that you have
received and how you have responded to them. Gathering this
information will help to improve the prevention, detection,
investigation, and prosecution of scam offenders.
Your participation is entirely voluntary. If you'd rather not
complete the survey then simply close this page.
If you would like to participate, it should only take you a few
minutes to complete the
survey.
Please only complete the survey once.
Your individual responses will not be disclosed to any third parties
and will only be used for statistical analysis. The aggregated
results will be available later in the year from
http://www.aic.gov.au/
This survey is being carried out by the Australian Institute of
Criminology, a taskforce member.
23 January 2007
Prizes and lotteries
Enalotto
Ford Annual Promotion
21 December 2006
Ottawa, December 13, 2006 -- The Competition Bureau announced
today that Tom Taylor, 60, of White Rock, B.C., was ordered to pay a
record fine of $225,000 and perform 100 hours of community service
for offences under the lottery and gaming provisions of the Criminal
Code of Canada.
24 November 2006
"Spanish" and "Dutch" lottery letters
and emails
Euro Lotto Stakes SL
Europe Dynamic Fund International Lottery
European Lottery Guild
Advanced Fee Fraud Scam
Contract Payment committee, Paul
Robinson 30 October 2006
Prizes and lotteries
Biotal
2 October 2006
0900 Fax back Scam
A NSW company Consumer First Pty Ltd sends out faxes under the
heading “Government
& Police Disposal Sales”.
Be aware that call costs are $6.30 per minute GST inc. and it can
take 6 to 9 minutes to receive the 14-page guide.
This
link takes you to information that was posted by the Western
Australian Department of Consumer and Employment Protection in
November 2005 regarding the fax.
22 August 2006
Prizes and lotteries
Europe Dynamic Fund International Lottery
Lottery Euro syndicate
Randolf's Estate
7 August 2006
Police team-ups beat Nigeria's scammers [external website]
As part of BBC World Service's series on Intercontinental Cops,
Jenny Chryss explores how investigators from London and Lagos have
linked up to combat corruption and fraud in Nigeria.
28 July 2006
Prizes and lotteries
Honda Lottery 2006
Lotto Catalunya
Maître Paul Ritter
NZ Lotto
NZ International Lottery
South African 2010 World-Cup Bid
23 June 2006
UK – OFT warns of fake cheque scam
Consumers warned against lottery 'fake cheque' scam
The OFT is warning consumers not to respond to a new type of
lottery scam targeting the UK which uses counterfeit cheques to try
and convince recipients that their promised win is genuine.
The mailing from the 'Australian Lottery Corporation' states that
the recipient has won $750,000 but must first pay for taxes and
insurance. Recipients are advised to call an agent for more
information.
A $4,880 cheque personally made out to the recipient, and allegedly
drawn on a reputable American bank, is also attached to the mailing
as part of the alleged winnings to cover the 'necessary payments'
the consumer needs to make. The cheque is in fact counterfeit but
can take up to six weeks to work through the banking system. The
consumer could be liable for any funds they spend while waiting for
the cheque to clear.
Experience from similar scams suggests that victims could lose
thousands of pounds if they send off money to claim their
'winnings'.
Christine Wade, OFT Director of Consumer Regulation
Enforcement said:
'Lottery scams have been around for a number of years but the use of
a counterfeit cheque is a worrying development. Scams are becoming
increasingly more sophisticated and everyone needs to be on their
guard.'
There are several warning signs consumers should be aware of if
they receive a mailing or telephone call telling them they have won
an international lottery:
- you can't win a lottery unless you have entered
- legitimate lotteries don't ask you to pay taxes, custom
fees, insurance shipping or handling or any other fee before
receiving your 'winnings'
- you will often be asked to send money upfront to the
perpetrators by money transfer.
Anyone who is contacted about a lottery win and suspects it may
be a scam can call Consumer Direct for clear, practical advice on
08454 04 05 06 or visit the scams area of the
OFT website [external site] or the
Consumer Direct website [external site].
Notes
- The Australian Lottery Corporation mailing uses an address
in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. A North American contact
telephone number is also given.
- The OFT is continuing to work closely with the Canadian and
US authorities to tackle lottery scams.
- Consumer Direct is a telephone and online consumer advice
service funded by government and managed by the Office of Fair
Trading. It offers consumers clear, practical and impartial
advice and information.
- The OFT ran a campaign on Canadian lotteries (see press
release 156/03) and previously issued Consumer Alerts about
lottery scams - see UK Consumers targeted by Canadian lottery
scam (December 2003) and Spanish lottery scam hits Britain
(December 2004).
30 May 2006
More than 565 people in North and
South America and Europe have been
arrested as part of “Operation
Global Con” – the largest and most
far-reaching multinational
enforcement operation ever directed
at mass-marketing fraud schemes, the
Department of Justice announced
today.......
29 May 2006
Prizes and lotteries
Euro Tri Lottery
"Spanish" and "Dutch" lottery letters
and emails
Euromillones Loteria International
17 May 2006
Whakatane police advise that car yards in the region have been
hit over the last two months by Cheque Overpayment scams.
The scam involves an overseas buyer purchasing a vehicle. They
send a cheque for considerably more than was agreed and then ask for
the difference to be sent by international money transfer. Once the
transfer is made the scammer then cancels the original cheque and
the car yard is left out of pocket.
Due to the scammer residing in an overseas location, there is
very little that can be done to recoup any money sent.
This scam highlights the need for consumers and businesses to be
cautious when using international money transfers such as Western
Union to pay money to people they do not know personally. People
should also note that even though a bank account can show money as
being cleared funds, in reality it can take up to 28 days for an
international cheque to clear. This gives the scammer plenty of time
to complete the ruse.
13 April 2006
Prizes and lotteries
Games Pro UK
Irish Lottery Programme
Newcastle International
19th Arctic Winter Games
Clean Lottery International
Christian Welfare Organization
Inorbit Lottery Promotion BV - Random Mac-Lotto
UK National Lottery
UK Oversa Lottery
"Spanish" and "Dutch" lottery letters
and emails
La Dulle Miel
Free Lotto International
Belgische Lottery Agency
World Bank Cashout Lottery
Swedish National Lottery
The Programmer Charity Foundation
30 March 2006
Protect
your PIN
17 March 2006
Phishing for
your funds
13 March 2006
Why a “Get
Rich Quick” scheme will only ever cost you
money
10 March 2006
Astrology/Psychic Scams
The Nuova Tech Society
Prizes and lotteries
Atlantic Promotions Intl
"Spanish" and "Dutch" lottery letters
and emails
Samerica Charitable Firm
Liverpool Football Club Lottery
Internet Europa Lingo Program
2 March 2006
Won a prize
in a lottery you didn’t enter? It’s a scam
24 February 2006
"Spanish" and "Dutch" lottery letters
and emails
Mega & Euro Million Lottery Commission
Match for Cash
22 February 2006
Trans-Tasman
taskforce takes up the fight against scams
10 February 2006
Astrology/Psychic Scams
Marcus von Ring
Smaranda
Prizes and lotteries
Harris & Witherspoon
Irish Lottery
U.K. NATIONAL LOTTERY
US MEGA JACKPOTS
WinAll
"Spanish" and "Dutch" lottery letters
and emails
International Program- International promotions/Prize award
department
LOTTERIA DEL MUNDO SWEEPSTAKE, S.L.
New Hope Lottery International
Nigerian Letter" Scam
Danve Osborne
Mr Kwaku Nortey
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