SCAMSTERS INC.: July 2008

Google Massacre Scam: Go Or Not?

Posted on 3:41 PM comments (1)

Alright, so you woke up one day, checked your Swiss Bank Account, called your family office planner, had breakfast with your private client service wealth manager, got your tax accountant on the phone, and between three of you, you decided to invest your proceeds from your latest company’s Merger or Acquisition not into some dubious hedge fund or start-up biotech venture, but into financing Hollywood films because you figure you need the State tax Credits, the Federal tax write-offs, as well as a nice hedge of revenues from a few movies.

Now, this may not ring too well initially with your hedge fund manager neighbors in Connecticut or your oil and gas investor friends in Bahrain or Dubai, but aren’t these the same guys who are financing Hollywood blockbusters? And the only question for you, how do you get in the game without feeling like the Uncle of the film school student who wrote his nephew a $1,000,000 check for a film that starred his theater department classmates and ended up as a free download on youtube.com?

Source: ISFMA

Review Of Google Massacre Scam Right Now

Posted on 3:39 PM No Comments

Generating brand awareness and driving classified traffic to websites can financially drain any organization. The challenge increases manifold for non profit organizations, often limited by resources and marketing expenditure. Most non profit organizations need to prioritize spending and Online advertisement does not make it to this list, in most cases. What if they could rally Search Engines to accomplish this feat without spending a penny.

Philanthropy does not find many takers in the world of ‘for-profit’ organizations. This poses an acute fund raising problem for ‘no-profit’ organizations, as shortage of funds act as an embargo to their cause of existence - charity. Online exposure can provide impetus to the fund raising initiatives by promoting the websites meant to garner help and support. Within the past few years, Search Engines have warmed-up to the altruistic cause of supporting charity organizations.

‘Google Grants’, a charitable initiative by Search Engine giant Google, is a way of doing charity differently. The program awards free Adwords (pay per click) credit to eligible charities, to help them leverage the benefits of sponsored listings. The mission is to use Googles’ Internet marketing capabilities to support non profit organizations. Googles’ commitment reverberates in the statement made Sheryl Sandberg, “As a company we are interested in giving back to the community.”

Source: ISFMA

Rad More

No bribe, no business

Posted on 3:27 PM No Comments

For young Indians, reaping benefits of high economic growth gets embroiled in corruption and poor finance from banks.

A National Knowledge Commission survey has found that about 60 per cent of entrepreneurs faced corruption when they tried to start a new business. “Another hurdle was in accessing reliable information on registration procedures, finance and other schemes,” says the report submitted to the Prime Minister’s Office recently.

The respondents — from Delhi, Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Pune, Kolkata, Bangalore, Hyderabad and Chennai — also elaborated on the bribes they had to pay to get government clearances.

The survey said 13 clearances are required to start a new venture, which takes a minimum of 33 days. To obtain a licence requires 20 clearances taking 224 days while registering property requires six clearances taking 62 days. To overcome this, the commission has recommended a unique company number to get all clearances at one go.

As many as 61 per cent — who started businesses between 2000-07 — said they did not get a bank loan when they started. “There was a high perception among entrepreneurs that it is very difficult to get bank loans at the start-up stage while it becomes comparatively easy at the growth stage,” the survey said. As many as 63 per cent had to start their ventures with their own finances, while 22 per cent got loans. Only 20 per cent said getting loans at the start-up stage was easy.

The biggest motivating factor for becoming an entrepreneur was the willingness to be independent of the family and a job, the survey said.

Source: The Hindustan Times

Graphic example of phishing scam

Posted on 3:17 PM No Comments

Just in case there's anyone who still doesn't know how a phishing scam works, here's a graphic example.

Exhibit one looks like a message from eBay's payment system PayPal.

If you click on the link, you are re-directed to Exhibit Two. At first sight it looks like the Paypal website, but if you check the address at the top you'll see that the people who want your email address and Paypal password are hiding behind some obscure site with a German suffix.

The simplest way to beat the phishing fraudsters is to remember that no genuine organisation - from banks to utilities - will send emails asking you to provide personal details.

Investigation on cash-for-vote SCAM

Posted on 8:31 AM No Comments

Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee Saturday set up a seven-member committee to examine claims made by three Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MPs that they were bribed to stay away from voting on the confidence motion in parliament earlier this week.

The committee, to be headed by C. Kishore Chandra Dev, who also heads the house privileges committee, will go through the entire gamut of evidence and submit its recommendations by August 11, the scheduled opening of the monsoon session.

The BJP Friday filed a formal complaint with the speaker on the issue.

The complaint, filed jointly by Ashok Argal, Faggan Singh Kulaste and Mahavir Bhagora is said to have named Samajwadi Party general secretary Amar Singh as the mastermind behind the bribery scandal. Ahmed Patel, the Congress president's political secretary, too finds a mention.

The complaint recounts the sequence of events that culminated in the dramatic scenes that rocked the Lok Sabha during the discussion on the trust-vote.

The trio had alleged on the floor of the House that they had been offered Rs 3 crore each for abstaining during the vote.

During the fag end of the trust vote debate the MPs created a sensation by opening by leather bags containing currency notes of Rs 1000 denomination. Each alleged they were pay-offs given by the Samajwadi Party as bribe for absenting themselves from the trust vote.

Both Amar Singh and Patel have reiterated that they would quit public life if there was any evidence of them offering or giving money to any MP.

Source: TOI

Man held for smart card fraud

Posted on 8:49 PM No Comments

Taking advantage of the long serpentine queues at ticket booking counters at railway stations, Abdul Khalid Sheikh, 43, came up with an innovative idea to make a quick buck.

Sheikh, an electrician by profession, was arrested by the Railway Protection Force (RPF) at Mulund station on Thursday, for allegedly selling railway tickets to commuters using the ‘Go Mumbai’ smart card and charging more than the actual fare.

“We recovered Rs1,120, two smart cards, 10 refill receipts and two railway tickets from Sheikh,” said inspector Digvijay Singh, RPF, Mulund, adding, that the accused will be produced in court on Friday.

Acting on a complaint filed by a local journalist, Singh said that they laid a trap near the Mulund station booking counter.

Explaining the modus operandi adopted by Sheikh, Singh said, “He operated during the rush hour and would sell tickets to commuters and charge an additional Rs2 for each ticket. To avoid delay, commuters would also agree to pay the nominal amount. He was involved in this business since the last month.”

Besides this, Sheikh would also get Rs50 from Indian Railway for recharging his smart card with Rs1,000.

However, Sheikh refuted all allegations made against him. “I never charged more than actual fares for the tickets. I am doing social work by helping the commuters and not trying to cheat them.”

Source:DNA

Serial bomb blast at Ahmedabad

Posted on 8:33 PM No Comments

At least 19 people were injured when serial blasts rocked different parts of Ahmedabad on Saturday evening.
After the Bomb Blasts in IT capital of India, Bangalore two days back, its now Ahmedabad. Atleast 17 bomb blasts have taken place at various locations like Bapu anagar, Maninagar, Isanpur, Narol Circle, Narodha Patiya, Hatkeshkar and Hakar areas in 15 minutes of Ahmedabad today. Ten people have died in this shocking Ahmedabad bomb blast.

The bomb blasts have been triggered between 6:45 pm to 7:00 pm today. Bapu Nagar faced the first blast happened near Danmanthri Hospital. Bapu Nagar is a very crowded area anytime and is called the diamond city of India with a lot of diamond workers.

According to television reports, the first blast took place at 6.45 p.m. at Mani Nagar Chowk. The other blasts took place at Bapu Nagar, Saranpur Bridge , Sardar Patel Bazaar, Ishaanpur and Raipur .
Mani Nagar is the constituency of Chief Minister Narendra Modi.
A CNG bus was blown away completely during the blast in Sarkhej.

According to preliminary investigative reports, the bombs were found in tiffins that were planted on bicycles.
Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh has condemned this cowardly act.
According to the Government, the blasts were of high intensity.
Meanwhile, a high alert has been sounded across the country, but particularly in Bangalore , Ahmedabad and Delhi .

48 have been injured in the blasts and have been admitted in the hospital. Awaiting further news. People can call 079-23246328 and 079-256301006900

Sample Email Scam Which I received

Posted on 11:37 PM No Comments

Boy Oh Boy!!!!
Finally I have received a mail which read "CONTACT OUR AFFILIATE COURIER AGENT FOR YOUR WINNING PACKAGE DELIVERY".
Ummmm now the Sub line made me suspicious and then did a google to clarify and nail the scamster...
My suggestion would be that if you receive any mails like the one below, is just GOOGLE a part of the mail. I copied the Address and found out that it was a "Nigerian 419 scam".

The Mail:

from	Gareth Longstaff
to
date		Fri, Jul 25, 2008 at 4:01 PM
subject		CONTACT OUR AFFILIATE COURIER AGENT FOR YOUR WINNING PACKAGE DELIVERY
mailed-by		newcastle.ac.uk

hide details 4:01 PM (7 hours ago)

National Sweeptakes Program.
52, Bridge Street,
Staines Middlesex,
TW18 4TP,
United Kingdom.

Customer Service/Claims Department
Reference Number: LSUK/2031/8161/04
Ticket number: 56475600545188

ATTN:

Good day to you and congratulation once more, we are in reciept of your
personal data. You might be wondering how you became a winner? All
participants
were selected randomly from World Wide Web site through computer draw system
and extracted from over 100,000 companies and your email was one of our ten
lucky winners that was why a notification mail was sent to you
informing you of
your winning.

On this note, I would like to inform you that your winnings have been verified
and prepared as a cheque which only you as the winner would be able to cash
regardless of where you are located, We have decided to send your winning
package via a secured and efficient courier service in accordance with your
request.

We have contacted our Agent in charge of your package delivery in our Courier
Company which is affiliated to FedEx Courier Service(FedEx) UK Office,
and have
directed/instructed them to pick up your winning package which contains your
certified cheque, winning certificate, consolation prizes and security
documents from the National HeadQuaters.

Do note, that sequel to National Sweepstakes Acts 249(n) of 1972 ammended in
July, 1996 to ensure the actual winning prize get to Winners, the Courier
charges cannot be deducted from your winning claims because your winning claim
is bonded by a hard cover insurance policy that gives only you, the winner
access to the prize money.

As regards the Courier FEE, the organizers has paid 50% of all winners
charges,
Hence you will be responsible for the remaining payment incurred in shipping
your winning package to you. The charges for the shipment will be detailed to
you by the Courier Service Agent, they will also detail to you all the
necessary information on how you will make the payment for the
delivery charges.

The cost of delivery is on the high side because of the necessary insurance
which have been taken on your parcel before it can leave the United
Kingdom for
your designated address.

Please contact and forward the following details:
FULL NAME:.........................

...............
RESIDENTIAL ADDRESS:....................
CITY:......................................
STATE:.....................................
ZIP CODE:..............................
COUNTRY:.................................
PHONE NUMBER'S ............................
REFERENCE NUMBER: (LSUK/2031/8161/04)

The Client Services Agent of FedEx Courier Service(FedEx) via his e-mail (
deliverybyfedex_customercare@live.com) for confirmation and he will
get back to
you as soon as your winning package is ready for delivery.

Mr.Harry Williams
Client Services Agent
Federal Express Courier Service.
Email: deliverybyfedex_customercare@live.com

Do not hesitate to contact this office via telephone or email if the need
arises.

Congratulations once again,

Mrs Helen Lancaster
Claims Agent.

Online National Sweepstakes.
Tel: +(44) 704 57 68591

This Mail goes on the "Wall Of Scam".....

For Latest news on Bangalore Bomb Blasts...

Posted on 6:58 PM No Comments

You can lon on to spy to track LIVE feeds on bangalore news across social media.
Or this Tiwtter Link.

The New York Times: Blasts Kill 1 in Bangalore(July 25, 2008)
Guardian Unlimited: Woman dies as bombs explode in Bangalore(July 25, 2008)
VOA: Serial Explosions Hit Southern Indian City(July 25, 2008)
Al Jazeera English: Bangalore hit by series of blasts(July 25, 2008)
Telegraph: Bangalore Bomb Blasts Kill One (July 25, 2008)
AFP: Two die as seven bombs explode in Bangalore (July 25, 2008)
Reuters: Seven Small Blasts Hit Indian IT City of Bangalore (July 25, 2008)
Times Online: One Dead and 15 Injured As at Least Five Bomb Explosions... (July 25, 2008)
Business Standard: Capital on High Alert After Bangalore Blasts (July 25, 2008)

bangalore blasts actual scenes (video)

Posted on 6:26 PM No Comments

I am currently monitoring the many feeds and news videos that are surfacing, stay tuned in the threads, this is panning out to be quite large, some eye witnesses have emerged with horific details and accounts of the events, several are now reported dead and many more injured, videos are spreading like wild fire online

bomb blast in Bangalore today - witness accounts

''I was in the office, we suddenly heard a huge sound and rushed to the spot. By that time one person was hospitalised by the police,'' said Rajasekhar, an MNC executive from one of the blast sites.

''The first blast happened at 1.15 pm. One person died and three others had been injured,'' said a witness from Anepalya.

''I shuddered at what I saw. It was a gory sight. There was this person lying in a pool of blood. And there were splinters all around. It was quite an unnerving experience,'' said Seema.

''I was totally panic-stricken by this deafening sound that I heard. When I went out there was chaos and commotion all around me,'' said Ken.

''I saw this person who had been injured and groaning for help. We immediately rushed him to the hospital,'' said Nalini.

Serial bomb blast Rocks Bangalore

Posted on 6:11 PM No Comments

Eight Low Intensity blasts rock the IT City Bangalore in a span of 20 to 30 minutes.

It is assumed that the bombs used had a timer device on them.

The blasts apparently injured 6 people and killed one lady who was waiting for a bus. The injured have been taken to Malya Hospital.

Presently the traffic is normal in Bangalore. There have been reports of telephone lines being jammed.

The authorities have made it clear that the IT industry was not the target.

The authorities have no idea at the moment of the suspects behind the blasts, or that any more blasts are planed ahead. They however advise the citizens to go about their normal lives. There have been no organizations or individuals named, the investigations are on and we can expect more clarifications soon. The police have said that the blasts were intended to cause panic.

The first blast took place at Raja Ram Mohun Roy circle at around 1320 hrs IST.

The explosions shook Sirjapur Road, Nayandhalli, Madiwala checkpost, Adigudi, Rajaram and Raja Ram Mohan Rai Circle.

All the blasts took place with 15 minutes of each other.

Bomb disposal squads have been rushed to the blast sites and telephone network have been jammed to stop the spread of rumours.

According to the police gelatin sticks were used in the blasts.

Bangalore Police Commissioner Shankar M Bidari said, “We are monitoring the situation and request all residents to continue with their normal routine. The bomb squad and explosives experts are on the spot. We will deal with the situation.”

Voting after scam 'improper'

Posted on 8:17 PM No Comments

The Speaker should have deferred the trust vote and begun a fast-track investigation into the sensational, first-of-its-kind allegation of bribes being paid to MPs to make them breach the party line, constitutional experts said.

The waving of wads of notes in Lok Sabha during the debate on the confidence motion moved by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has cast a long shadow on parliamentary proceedings, the experts said, adding that the Speaker should have put off the vote pending an inquiry despite there being no provision for such deferment.

Senior advocate Rajiv Dhawan and constitutional expert Subhash Kashyap spoke on record favouring deferment of the trust vote. Another top-rung senior advocate and even a law officer of the UPA government agreed with them, but requested that they should not be identified.

Among the experts spoken to by TOI, the lone dissenting note was struck by former attorney general Soli Sorabjee, who said that the Speaker was under no legal or moral obligation to defer the trust vote because the attempt to bribe the MPs was nullified by its disclosure much before the vote.

Dhawan agreed partly with Sorabjee. He said: "True, there is no rule which provides for an occasion that could warrant deferment of a confidence motion." But he put in a strong caveat: "If the MPs who are levelling bribery charges show prima facie proof of corruption that hits at the root of the constitutional and parliamentary process, the Speaker should take a call on it. As in the case of cash-for-query, where the Speaker had taken the decision to expel the guilty MPs, he has to take a decision. He must investigate the complaint and take a decision before proceeding with the trust vote." The Speaker had not yet announced his decision to go ahead with the vote when Dhawan made this observation.

A top law officer of the UPA government, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said that there was no legal provision under which a confidence motion could be deferred. But another law officer felt that there should be a thorough inquiry into it by the Speaker, who should have taken a call on deferring the trust vote on account of the enormity of the allegation.

Senior advocate K K Venugopal said the incident showed that Indian politics was at the "bottom of the barrel" and "it is very clear that no amount of amendment to the Constitution or the 10th Schedule (anti-defection law) can stand in the way of political immorality or dirty politics".

Another constitutional authority, who did not want to be named, agreed with Dhawan. He said: "There were two alternatives before the Speaker. He should have suspended the vote on the confidence motion, held an inquiry right through the night — either through the privileges committee or through his nominees — and given a ruling whether the allegations were prima facie true or false before resuming the vote on trust motion."

"If the allegations were prima facie true, he, as in the cash-for-query incident, should have suspended the bribe givers, if they were members of Lok Sabha. But if the allegations were found to be false, then the MPs who made the charges should have been suspended. It is really difficult and as all parties had agreed to proceed with the confidence motion, the Speaker had no option but to go ahead with it."

Kashyap was more straightforward in his comment that the Speaker should have started a fast-track investigation into the sensational allegations on the floor of the House through the privileges committee. "The committee, after a thorough probe, for the purpose of finding the prima facie truthfulness of the charges, should have given a report to the Speaker in the shortest possible time. On that basis, the Speaker should have given a ruling on the issue and could have then proceeded with the trust vote."

Source:TOI

Bribe Money Allegations Rock Lok Sabha

Posted on 8:06 PM No Comments

The Lok Sabha witnessed high drama when a Bharatiya Janata Party member shocked the House by walking into the well with a bag full of currency notes, which he claimed was given by a Samajwadi Party leader in return for his support in the trust vote.

Amidst a flutter, Deputy Speaker Charanjit Atwal adjourned the House briefly, leaving members surcharged.

Trouble broke out when Ashok Argal, a BJP member from Morena and some others took out wads after wads of currency notes to substantiate their claim that horsetrading had taken place and heavy cash was used to "purchase" MPs for the trial of strength.

Looking at the press gallery, the BJP members alleged that an SP leader promised three of them Rs 3 crores each, of which Rs 1 crore was paid in advance.

Meanwhile, Speaker Somnath Chatterjee met leaders of political parties on allegations of MPs being bribed for the trust vote.

Leader of the Oppposition Advani claimed that the three BJP MPs -- Ashok Argal, Faggan Singh Kulaste and Mahavir Bagora -- were offered Rs 3 crore each and were handed over Rs 1 crore each in advance.

Terming the incident as a breach of privilege, Advani said the MPs were given the money for abstaining from voting during the trust vote.

"In my own whole life I have not come across such a sad event. We had received information yesterday and today. This is shameful," he said.

Advani noted that he had hinted about horse-trading in his speech on Monday while some Left members openly spoke about such things in the House.

He said three BJP MPs came to him on Monday saying they were offered Rs 3 crore each for "only abstaining" during the voting. "Rs 1 crore was given in advance and the rest was to be given later," he claimed.

"They asked me whether they can produce the money in the House. I said it is normally not allowed. But the kind of scandal it is I thought the House will at least be adjourned," he said.

"But as the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha scandal, it is not a small thing and it is related to Parliament. It is a case of corruption. Whoever had given, whoever tells them to abstain, this is the breach of privilege," Advani said.

He said the incident should be taken "very seriously".

Advani also said he would not name anyone and "I would let them name themselves."

Meanwhile, BJP president Rajnath Singh demanded the resignation of Dr Singh following allegations by three of his party MPs that they were offered money by a Samajwadi Party leader to abstain from voting.

"After this incident, the PM has no right to continue in the chair, he should resign," Rajnath Singh said referring to the incident in which a BJP MP displayed wads of notes before the Lok Sabha claiming that it was offered by a SP leader to abstain from voting.

The BJP has been saying that Congress and its allies have been pressurising its MPs to either vote for the UPA government or abstain from voting, Rajnath Singh said.

"This is shameful and unfortunate in the history of Parliament. This has happened for the first time in the history of Independent India. Congress has sullied the image of the country in the world with this act," said Rajnath Singh.

While saying that the trust vote should continue, Rajnath Singh hurriedly added that the speaker should examine the tapes of the sting operation carried out by a TV channel.

Rajnath Singh, however, refused to comment on a query on whether the entire thing was doctored or planted.

Indian Parilament Trust Vote CASHGATE SCAM

Posted on 8:02 PM No Comments

India was witness to one of the most crucial political battles in Indian history. July 22, the D-Day for the Manmohan Singh led union government that faced the litmus test on the issue of nuclear deal, was interspersed with thrill, nail-baiting finish, allegations, frenzied emotions, animated political personalities and high-voltage drama.At the end, the union government succeeded in saving its skin, not before going through a tiresome grind.

For the last few days, Indian politics and nuclear power agreement had managed to hog the headlines in all types of media. Political pundits and bookies were busy calculating numbers, making mental calculations about possible permutations and combinations and the level of commitments to party ideologies individual members have and the possibility of leaders changing their stand at the last minute in the name of national interst. The media had also identified some of the leaders who it said, were on the fence and might jump any way at the crucial juncture.

On the D-day, Lok Sabha saw an animated drama set into motion by the BJP, which claimed that three of its members were offered cash amounting to three crore rupees each for being absent during the trust vote. Three of the MPs belonging to the NDA who said that they were offered lure in the form of the above sums by Samajwadi party's Amar Singh and Ahmed patel of Congress for favouring the union government by staying away from casting their votes, brandished wads of currency notes they said they received from these leaders. They produced the entire cash amount said to have been received by them in the Lok Sabha and raised slogans against SP, Congress and UPA.

BJP chief and opposition leader in the Lok Sabha Advani launched a scathing attack on the UPA government, terming the said lure as an act smacking of 'Immoral' 'Unethical' 'Unjustified' and 'Illegal' ways to which the UPA can stoop to, to save its government from collapsing.

What he however failed to recollect, was that it was his party which has been at the helm in Karnataka since a few weeks, which offered ministerial berths to independents irrespective of their capacities, to conjure up a majority in the legisltive assembly here. The BJP, through the mining lobby, has been able to wrest five of the opposition legislators too into its fold by offering them ministerships and chairmanship of the government run corporation. If these legislators could change hearts and loyalties and come into the party fold duly 'accepting the ideologies and principles of the BJP' in exchange for power and money, why can't the members of parliament follow suit? This is a pertinent question the BJP has to answer. If the act of the state BJP was not 'bribe', what else can it be termed?

Offering cash for not voting against the union government and offering bribes in terms of power and positions to MLAs is one and the same. Both fall under the 'bribes' cateogory inspite of efforts being made to coat the acts in a jugglery of high sounding words to look them as legitimate. It is really hard to believe that the BJP which is well versed with the act, kicked up ruckus in the Lok Sabha on a similar issue but in a different situation.

If any other party was surprised and infuriated by such developments, perhaps it could have been digested.

If the BJP can bribe independent and oppostion MLAs to save its government and welcome them into the party fold, then why does it gets agitated and cries hoarse when it finds that some other political outfits have owned the same strategy to save themselves from being marginalised?

This 'cash for abstention' incident (God knows whether this is a genuine allegation by BJP) shows, that none of the political parties in the country work for the welfare of the people and the country, but their struggle is always for their own survival.

One is not very much sure about the genuineness of the alleged 'cash for abstention' scam that occured at New Delhi'. At the same time, there must be something that fuelled the furore. There cannot be flame without fire!

But the people are sure of one thing. A political party can not play two political cards in two different situations. The BJP cannot have one policy at the state level and another at the centre. If something is unethical at the state level, it should naturally be construed as unethical at the national leavel too.

Perhaps, very few politcal pundits will take 'cash for favour' blame levelled by BJP seriously, as it neither has any authentic evidence in its possession, nor will it be of any help in changing the political scenario in the country.

As BJP blamed the UPA for bribing its MPs for staying away from voting during the trust vote to save itself from the ignonimity of having to rsign, the media from around the nation put forward a few questions to the BJP, for which answers are still awaited.

From which bank the money in question was drawn?
How this money was bought inside the parliament?
How come BJP MPs did not choose to register any complaint with the police or exposed it to the media?
Why BJP preferred to break this news only in the parliament?

Perhaps, by the time we get the answer, it would have lost its relevance and the people would have forgotten the entire episode, making it totally redundant.

Indians cautioned about fraudsters in West Africa

Posted on 7:51 PM No Comments

Instances of many Indians getting cheated by fraudsters based in Nigeria have come to notice. The victims of such frauds have lost money, suffered physical harm and death etc. The fraudsters operate through countries in West Africa like Ivory Coast, Ghana, Benin, Togo, Senegal and Burkina Faso.

This scam usually begins in the form of an e-mail sent to many target recipients making offer of attractive payoffs, while forging local Ministry’s letterheads. If the victim agrees to the deal, the fraudster will send one or more false documents bearing official government stamps, and seals. These scamsters often mention false addresses and use photographs taken from the internet or from magazines to falsely represent themselves. Subsequently, they project some transaction costs to be paid by the victims, always keeping the promise of an imminent large transfer of money. The fraudsters keep convincing the victim that the money they are currently paying will be covered several times over by the payoff.

Many operations are professionally organized in Nigeria, with offices in neighboring countries having fax numbers and other contact details of local government offices. Such fraudster can often lure wealthy investors, investment groups, or other business entities into scams resulting in multi-million dollar losses. There are other fraudsters who are part of less organized gangs or are operating independently. Even they are able to convince gullible middle-class individuals and small businesses, and can milk hundreds of thousands of dollars from such victims.

By the time the victim realizes that there is no money in store for him anywhere, he may have sent thousands, even millions of dollars of his own/borrowed money to the fraudster via an untraceable or irreversible means such as wire transfer.

During the courses of many schemes, fraudsters ask victims to supply bank account information. Fraudsters often request that payments be made using a wire transfer service like Western Union and Moneygram. The real reason is that wire transfers and similar methods of payment are irreversible and untraceable. Telephone numbers used by fraudsters tend to come from mobile phones. Such phones are changed once these are traced.

The Indian mission in Ivory Coast has cautioned against such anti-social and criminal gangs so that innocent Indians may not be hoodwinked into losing their life and savings/livelihood in the most unsuspecting treacherous means.

Source: Press Information Bureau-India

Karnataka government Forest Scam

Posted on 6:39 PM No Comments

Reward the corrupt.Punish the righteous.This has been the ‘philosophy’of the Karnataka government,especially when it comes to promotions and transfers in the forest department.

Recently, the BJP government transferred a conservator of forest (Vijay Kumar Gogi) and a DCF (Biswajit Mishra) from the Bellary division. Their crime—Seizing 30 trucks which were illegally transporting Rs 100 crore worth of ore from the reserve forest. Even more blatantly, allegedly at the behest of the thriving mining lobby, it posted a conservator of forest (Manoj Kumar Shukla) who has a Lokayukta inquiry against him. His commendation—giving duplicate permits for mining. Strangely, Gogi has been left high and dry. “Gogi did a magnificent job in reducing mining activity in Bellary. He recovered ore worth Rs 100 crore only to be discarded by the government. To pile on his agony, it hasn’t given him a posting yet,” a forest official said. “By doing so, the government has sent out a wrong signal to the officers in the department. They would rather close their eyes and let miners and poachers have a field day,” the official added.

Manoj Kumar isn’t he only blue-eyed boy of the B.S. Yeddyurrappa government. Take the case of conservator of forests, G.A. Sudarshan. He has five inquiries against him for giving permission to illegally fell 2450 trees in the Madikeri division. He had disdainfully violated a Supreme Court order (IA 548 in WP202/ 1995) which had banned tree felling in protected areas.

Based on the report of the Central Empowered Committee (CEC) which assessed the damage wreaked by Sudharshan’s high-handedness, governor Rameshwar Thakur had suspended the errant officer in April 2008. Despite his dubious record, the government, allegedly at the insistence of Virajpet MLA G.A. Bopaiah, reinstated him in the Madikeri division, much to the chagrin of senior officers in the department.

In another startling shuffle, the government transferred deputy conservator of forests, Dr R. Raju from the Chamarajnagar division. Reason—he had dared to recover encroached forest land from powerful estate owners, including the Birlas and the TVS group. Instead of applauding an officer who had recovered vast tracts of forest land, the government rapped him on his knuckles, packing him off to the social forestry division in Kolar. As an afterthought, it posted him to the Bandipur wildlife division. “The government should not transfer officers without consulting or taking the heads of departments into confidence.

Hopefully, this government will correct itself and do better than the ones before it, so that administration runs smoothly,” said former PCCF S Parameswarappa, who had confronted Chief Minister S. Bangrappa, when he chose to violate the Forest Act. “When people of dubious record are posted in critical habitats, their interest will be to make money. You can’t expect them to protect the forest and its wildlife. “Honestly, when the BJP government came to power we hoped that things would change for good. But it has disappointed us. Only the label has changed. Otherwise, it is old wine in old bottle, said K.M. Chinnappa, a former range forest officer who took voluntary retirement allegedly due to political harassment .

Moga fake passport scam

Posted on 10:42 PM No Comments

A high level probe in the infamous Moga fake passport scam was going on war footing by the five members of special Investigation Team led by DSP Jaspal Singh.

The team had already gone through the record of 226 passports alleged to be forged one and issued during the year 2006-07 by allegedly tampering with the official record and forging of the ceritificates of birth and education by three police head constables posted in the passport verification branch here.

As per the FIR lodged on a complaint by one social worker with the Moga police on July 13, six persons were involved including three head constables Jaswinder Sing, Ranjit Singh and Gurdyal Singh, Balwinder Singh, a clerk of Moga Municipal Committee attached to issuing of birth and death certificates, a postman of Moga head post office and Superintendent of Regional Passport office Didar Singh at Chandigarh.

All these six persons in alleged connivance with each other used to tamper records, forge documents regarding age, education and address proofs and even these policemen were found using fake and forged Police verification record.

Senior Superintendent of Police, Moga said that the investigators had already visited the Regional Passport office, Chandigarh four days back and were going there within a day or two find further information regarding the issuing of fake and forged passports from there.

Source:The Hindu

Election watchdog’s plea

Posted on 4:15 PM No Comments

The coming general elections to the Lok Sabha do not forecast a bright future if the composition of the present one is any indication.
There are 120 MPs with criminal cases against them out of 543, which amounts to 22.1 per cent. Among the major parties, the BJP has 29 MPs with criminal records, the Indian National Congress (INC) 24, the SP 11, RJD 8, CPM 7, BSP 7, NCP 5 and CPI 2.
According to the Association for Democratic Reforms and partner NGOs from All India Election Watch Network, the number of cases of serious crimes is 333, with several MPs having multiple cases.
In terms of violent crimes like murder, attempt to murder, robbery, dacoity, kidnapping, theft and extortion, rape, other violent crimes like assault using dangerous weapons or causing grievous hurt, the Samajwadi Party leads with 80 cases, followed by BSP 43, BJP 17, INC 16, RJD 9, CPM 5, CPI 1, NCP 2. Other crimes like cheating, fraud, forgery, giving false oaths to public officials ,the figures remain revealing at BSP 23, RJD 22, INC 21, BJP 11, SP 11 and CPM 6.
Consequently, the All India Election watch network has, in a statement here, urged all political parties to put up cleaner and more capable candidates for voters to choose from. The Election Watch will disseminate MP and candidates information regularly right up to the time of the general elections.

Source:The Statesman

God bless your credit card

Posted on 9:33 PM No Comments

God's blessing would last only two minutes and it would create 500 churchgoing millionaires or even billionaires - all they had to do was use their credit cards to pay $1 000 in offerings to televangelist Benny Hinn.

Pastor Tommie Ferreira of the AGS Church in Johannesburg was so upset about the "blessing" that, after a week, he wanted to know who of the donors actually had become millionaires.

Ferreira told Rapport he did not mean to bring about Hinn's downfall.

He merely wanted to know if any of the hundreds of churchgoers who donated amounts of up to $1 000 (about R7 500) to Hinn's Miracle Crusade last week Saturday had now become millionaires.

About 18 000 people streamed to the Coca-Cola Dome in Randburg to hear Hinn's message of healing and miracles.

Ferreira, who is a keen choir singer, voluntarily sang in the Miracle Crusade's choir.

He said one of Hinn's American guest speakers, Pastor Todd Koontz, spoke about financial burdens and said 500 audience members would receive "an exceptional blessing".

"He said the service would yield millionaires and billionaires within 24 hours.

"Everyone had to donate $1 000 because an exceptional blessing rested on $1 000."

Koontz apparently really had the congregation scrambling when he said, "This blessing will be poured out for only two minutes."

Had credit-card machines

Ferreira said: "People stormed to the front - poor people, rich people, people from all sections of our society."

Hinn's co-pastors apparently had credit-card machines ready with which they could take donations.

"He (Koontz) said God would bless the people's credit cards and they would be able to rule over South Africa with their money.

"Eventually there were no fewer than 1 000 people who made such donations."

According to Ferreira's calculations, Hinn must have collected millions of rands with these donations - perhaps more than R7m if each of the 1 000 church-goers donated $1 000 in the hope of becoming millionaires.

Furthermore, after Koontz's collection of the $1 000 donations, Hinn collected general donations.

Ferreira said: "It makes my hair stand on end."

He said he could not live with his conscience if he did not speak to others about this possible trickery.

Still collecting money

"I'm not attacking them (Hinn and Koontz). It just really gets my goat when people make unfounded claims and then they're off with these people's money."

Dr Sarel Smit of the AGS church Lofstad in Hursthill, Johannesburg, who supported Ferreira as he spoke to Rapport, was equally worried about the method by which Hinn collected donations.

"Especially at a time like this when there is dire need, people run the risk of losing their faith in the Lord in this way. God will provide for your needs, but not your greed."

Rapport spoke to an employee in Hinn's South African office in Durban who said on Friday morning that they were still busy collecting money.

"We've had a very good reaction from last weekend," said the employee, who asked not to be named.

He said that before the collection of the $1 000 donations, Koontz had delivered a message about "you reap what you sow".

"Americans always talk in dollars. If some of the churchgoers believed that they would not be blessed, then they should not have given their money.

"The church-goers did not have to give $1 000. If they couldn't afford it, then they could've given less. And, some of them did.

Will build an orphanage

"Pastor Todd (Koontz) spoke of good seeds. If you don't actually sow them, you'll never have a good harvest."

The employee told Rapport that Hinn's congregation soon would build an orphanage in South Africa.

Hinn's South African office feeds about 1 000 children in Durban daily.

Rapport asked for a recording of Koontz's sermon, but Hinn's office said they could only provide one in four to six weeks.

Source: 24.com

Immigration still searching for missing Indians

Posted on 9:53 AM No Comments

Three of the 39 who disappeared en route to World Youth Day in Australia spoke with officials in Auckland on Thursday about their involvement in a visa scam.

It is understood some of them paid up to $NZ17,000 to a middle man in India.

The men say they have not tried to cheat the immigration system. They say they are victims, having paid a lifetime's worth of wages for visas they thought would help them start a new life in New Zealand.

The men say they borrowed from money lenders to pay for the visas and fear for the safety of their families and themselves if they are forced to return to India.

Immigration officials say they are continuing to work with the Indian community to find and talk with the other 36 runaways.

SC directs Ketan Parekh application be listed before chamber judge

Posted on 9:51 AM No Comments

The Supreme Court directed the application of former leading stock broker Ketan Parekh, seeking exemption from surrender, to be listed before a chamber judge.

Seven people including Ketan Parekh, Hiten Dalal, S K Zaveri, Navin Chandra Parikh and three officials of CANBANK Financial Limited (CANFINA), a subsidiary of Canara bank, were convicted and sentenced to one year rigorous imprisonment by a special judge on April 1. The Bangalore branch of CANFINA was defrauded of Rs 47.7 crore.

The special judge, however, suspended the sentence till July 31 to enable the convicts to go in appeal.

The matter was mentioned before Chief Justice K G Balakrishnan and Justices P Sadhasivam and J M Panchal seeking exemption from surrender. The bench, however, directed the application to be listed before the chamber judge of the Supreme Court. Ketan Parekh is seeking bail in the case.

On 15th July, the apex court had refused to extend time for Ketan Parekh to pay Rs 26 crore to Madhavpura Cooperative Bank, which was defrauded by him in connivance with the CMD of the Bank to the tune of Rs 1000 crore.

CBI is likely to arrest him in Madhavpura Bank scam as his release on bail was conditional, subject to the timely payment of instalments to the bank by him. He has already repaid Rs 370 crores to the bank and according to the bank Rs 579 crore still remain outstanding against Ketan Parekh.

CANFINA scam had taken place in 1992 and in 2001 SEBI had debarred Ketan Parekh from dealing in stocks in the share market.

Source:UNI

Indian 'guru' faces charges of fraud, drugs and rape

Posted on 2:58 PM No Comments

UPDATED NEWS:

These are the detail on the CBI's official website with the case file number A-177-2-2003.

Like every GOD-MAN in our country this man, more popularly known as Swami Amrita Chaitanya too has a crime behind his great fortune including his Shantiteeram guest-house functioning in Kochi.

He is the first Malayalee criminal under GOD-MAN skin to go international.

Read some of the initial reports about this Malayalee from at these links

We haveTwo fraud & Criminal persons in same name - Santosh Madhavan.

Well the First Santosh Madhavan, who is a brother of Trikesh Kumar Madhvan, wanted by Mumbai Police for the criminal case registered against him in J.J.Marg Police Station, Mumbai in 1993, on the charges of possession of sophisticated weapons and smuggling of illegal weapons, U/s 3(3),(5) and 5 of TADA , r/w 3,25 (a) Arms Act. On 25th Sept. 1993, Mumbai Police arrested an accused for illegally possessing a sophisticated loaded pistol. During investigation, some more accused including Trikesh Kumar Madhvan, brother of Santosh Madhavan, were arrested and more arms and ammunitions were recovered at their instance. Trikesh disclosed the name of Santosh Madhavan as one of the main conspirator along with other wanted accused. Santosh Madhavan along with his accomplices hatched criminal conspiracy to commit terrorist act with the use of sophisticated fire arms with the intention to adversely affect communal harmony. A red corner notice was got issued against him in accordance with CBI’s request to Interpol and he was arrested at Abu Dhabi (Press release issued by CBI in internet at www.cbi.gov.in/pressreleases/PRelease2004/p2jan4.htm ).

Then the Second Santosh Madhavan known as Swami Amritachaitanya & Ali Kanu Saifudeen cheated a woman in Dubai and Interpol issued a red corner notice against them in accordance with Dubai police’s request (http://www.interpol.int/Public/Data/Wanted/Notices/Data/2004/68/2004_1568.asp ).

Due to CBI’s irresponsibly and ignorance or political and financial influence, CBI used First Santosh Madhavan’s (brother of Trikesh Kumar Madhvan) photo and date of birth for Second Santosh Madhavan (Swami Amritachaitanya) in CBI’s Interpol wanted list. This shows how CBI is foolish and handling Interpol alerts and notices. For hiding CBI’s faults and irresponsibility, they mislead even Interpol. As a result Second Santosh Madhavan (Swami Amritachaitanya) who is a big fraud and criminal escaped from Interpol wanted list.

Missing India pilgrims included Hindus, Muslims

Posted on 2:46 PM comments (1)

Melbourne: The 39 Indian "pilgrims" , who came to New Zealand on the pretext of seeing the Pope during World Youth Day celebrations in Sydney but have gone missing, were not all Catholics but included Hindus and Muslims.

New Zealand Sikh Society spokesman Daljit Singh, who was in contact with some of the missing pilgrims, said the Indians claimed to be victims of an immigration racket and were charged thousands of dollars by an agent in India on a false promise of permanent residency.

Two of the men, Singh said, he had spoken to were not even Catholics.

"They are from all over India and every community. There are Catholics, Hindus and even one or two Muslims," Singh said, adding he was upset by the group's behaviour, which he felt reflected badly on the Indian community in New Zealand.

Some of the Indians were seen wandering around Queen St in Auckland, approaching people of Indian descent for advice.

The men had visas valid till August 5 or 6 but had to take a Sydney-bound flight yesterday, Singh said, adding he was planning to arrange a meeting between the Indians and immigration officials to encourage them to return home before their visas expired.

Catholic communications director Lyndsay Freer said the pilgrims had gone through a vigorous selection process in India, which would have required "serious dishonesty" to circumvent, New Zealand's One News TV channel reported.

"It's really disappointing that World Youth Day, which is a wonderful celebration for young Catholics, appears to be used for a scam," she said.

The church had passports of 33 of the men and the absconders would have few options, Freer said.

"They can't go anywhere ... except to ground," she said

New Zealand Catholic churches have been hosting 4000 pilgrims in the run-up to World Youth Day. The pilgrims are then supposed to head on to the event in Sydney which will conclude on Sunday.

About 2,200 Indians were reportedly given 30-day visitor visas to spend time in New Zealand beforehand.

Source:PTI

BBC probe uncovers illegal Indian immigration network

Posted on 2:43 PM No Comments

London: A network of people, which allegedly provides illegal immigrants of Indian-origin, mostly Punjabis, forged or stolen identity papers and help them secure a job in Britain has been exposed in an undercover BBC investigation.

The network, which operates in the west London suburb of Southall which has a large population of Punjab-origin, allegedly exploits hundreds of illegal immigrants from India through cheap housing, faked documents and poorly paid, often dangerous jobs.

The BBC report showed the facilitators speaking in Punjabi, collecting money for illegal services provided and handing over the key identity documents such as passports and the National Insurance card.

During the investigation, widespread unlawful job practises, squalid housing, and a thriving trade in fake documents were uncovered. More than 40 houses packed with illegal immigrants were identified in one square mile of Southall, the report said.

"The young, mostly male Punjabis are not here lawfully and, although most know the risks, they have few legal rights. They are surrounded by forgers, criminals and ruthless employers," it said.

A team of BBC's undercover reporters met and filmed a man who called himself 'Vicki', who was open about the fake documents he could obtain, and boasted about servicing customers in Sheffield, Bradford and Coventry.

Vicki told reporters that he could get people into the country on lorries, known as donkeys, organised by what he called his "man in Paris", and how he could provide a fake "original" passport that had been "checked" to beat security at a UK airport.

The Indian illegal immigrants, known within the network as 'faujis', find work in Southall but often at rates below the national minimum wage.

The report mentioned the case of a 'fauji' being employed for 12-hour days, six days a week at 150 pounds, or about two pounds an hour.

Last week, the London Mayor, Boris Johnson, announced a raise in the living wage for London to seven pounds and 45 pence per hour, which is 35 per cent higher than the national minimum wage.

"This hidden community is an open secret -- landlords take on tenants, employers want cheap and uncomplaining labour, while the criminals trade in people's lives.

"Once the undercover reporters infiltrated this closed community, it was clear how easy it is to remain invisible. One clear fact remains: the scale.

"In just one square mile, hundreds of illegal immigrants, scores of multiple-occupancy houses, and people dealing in fake identities, employment and fraud. A criminal network that is out of sight," the BBC reported.

A similar investigation into international human smuggling involving Punjab-origin illegal immigrants in UK and Europe was highlighted in a stark documentary titled Door Kinare (Shores Far Away) by noted Indian film-maker Savyasaachi Jain.

Source:PTI

Immigration scam: 3 Indians to meet NZ officials

Posted on 2:35 PM No Comments

Melbourne: Three of the 39 Indian pilgrims, who have disappeared on their way to Sydney to see the Pope at the World Youth Day celebrations, are likely to meet New Zealand immigration officials on Thursday and provide leads about the alleged immigration scam, New Zealand Sikh Society said.

"We have contacted about 15 missing pilgrims and are in talks with them to come forward and discuss options of their stay in the country. However, as of now we have been able to convince only three to provide the facts to the immigration officials," Daljit Singh, spokesman for New Zealand Sikh Society told PTI over phone.

The missing men were not Sikh but from various religions, he said, adding we are working with immigration officials to get to the bottom of the alleged scam and find out who all were involved.

The Sikh community, in New Zealand, was also spreading the message for other lost pilgrims to come forward.

"I tried to convince them (on Sunday), they need to leave to Sydney but they were telling us that they came to stay here and the guy organising from India took their money and said 'you can stay (in New Zealand) forever'," Singh said.

Source:PTI

SECURITY TIPS for not gettin SCAMED!!!!

Posted on 2:26 PM No Comments

SECURITY TIPS COMPILED:

1.Safety tips to avoid Identity Theft

Here are some safety tips to protect you from ID theft:--

Never disclose personal information to anyone you do not trust.

Do not provide your information until and unless you are sure about the caller. If in case of doubt you call them using the bank phone number.

Remember that banks always ask for specific characters like last 4 digits of your card or SSN not your entire card number or SSN for verification.

Ensure that your personal documents are always secure. Your personal documents include your bank account details, credit cards, driving license, plastic cards, card receipts, financial statements and even utility bills.

Periodically peruse your bank statements to check for any transactions that have occurred without your knowledge.

Dispose of financial statements, card receipts and other personal documents with utmost care. Tear or cut into pieces any such documents before trashing them.

Keep the authorities informed if you have lost any personal item. For example, report a stolen credit card.

Raise an alarm if you receive a telephone call or letter saying you have beenapproved or denied credit for accounts you know nothing about, or you receive a credit card statement for an account that you never opened.

While paying by credit card, never let it out of your sight. Raise an alarm if the card is being swiped more than required, or if it is being scanned.

In case of a change in address, ensure to notify the correct address to all recipients who send you statements to your address.

2. Safety tips to avoid Phishing

Here are some safety tips to protect you from phishing:--

When you receive emails claiming to be sent by banking institution asking you to enter your account details, DO NOT do so! Your bank already has your details and clearly would not want them again.

Check if the email that you receive has your name spelt correctly. Fraudsters simply try to guess your name by your email address. DO NOT open emails that have your name spelt incorrectly.

Check the email to see if it is addressed to your name. Fraudsters never personalize emails, they will refer you as “Dear Customer” or “Dear Valued Customer” because they send emails randomly to a million email addresses and they even don’t know that you have an account with the bank. Your bank or ecommerce company on the other hand will refer you with your name.

DO NOT respond to emails that seem like they are sent from your bank. Some of the claims made in these emails may be the following:
1. You are to receive a refund,
2. The bank is trying to protect you from a fraud
3. The bank needs some security and maintenance update on your account as asks for your
account details.

If you receive such email always check back with your bank directly or speak to the customer service representative of the bank.

NEVER enter your credit card details and password in a website which you suspect is not genuine.

DO NOT share your account details, password, or credit card details with anyone who you do not know or trust.

DO NOT open unsolicited emails.

It is a good practice to type in the URL of your bank yourself, or bookmark it if the URL is difficult to remember. DO NOT follow links to a banking website from another website or email.

Verify a website’s URL carefully before you provide your login details on any web page.Fraudsters create fake websites that have URLs closely resembling the original.

Log in to your accounts regularly and look for account transactions that you do not recognize.

DO NOT send your account details and/or password over an email to anyone.

3. Safety tips to avoid Card Fraud

Here are some safety tips to protect you from credit card, debit card, and ATM skimming fraud:

Credit Card

Always check your monthly bank statements for any suspicious transactions,

Shred the financial documents with care

Do not store your personal and credit card information on the computer

Do not write the PIN number down.

During the online transactions, check if the web address starts with HTTPS, which ensures the encryption of all important data.

Never delay to report a lost credit card as the repercussions can be highly disastrous.

Close the account that you suspect is being hit by the fraud.

Thoroughly check the authenticity of the firm, the website, or any other transactional society where your money would be flowing through.

Never give away your personal information over the phone unless you are sure of the person the other end.

Take a pause before venturing into any kind of online transaction and decide upon the authenticity of the transaction.

Debit Card:

When you key in your PIN number at an ATM, make sure that you sufficiently obscure the keypad from being viewed by an onlooker.

NEVER let the merchant take your debit card out of your sight. There is no need for him/her to do so, unless he/she intends to do something unlawful.

Secure your debit card physically by storing it at a safe place.

NEVER write your PIN number at a place where it can be seen by someone who you do not intend to show it to.

ALWAYS shred the receipts from merchants that you no longer require, especially when you have paid for using your debit card.

If you do not receive your debit card or PIN number from the bank within a reasonable amount of time after requesting one, check with the bank when it was sent and when you should expect to receive it. It may have been picked up by someone else in transit.

When at an ATM, make sure that no external devices are attached to the ATM machine and no wires are hanging around.

Check your account statements carefully for transactions that you may not have made.

Using ATM machine and Point of Sale:

Safeguard your credit cards and ATM cards at all times.

Never let these cards out of your sight

You swipe a credit card only once, if it’s being swiped more than once, you need to question this action.

If you notice something suspicious about the card slot on an ATM (like an attached device), do not use it and report it to the responsible authorities.

Never trust your ATM card and credit card PIN numbers to strangers.

Beware of your surroundings while withdrawing money at ATM centers. Do not crumple and throw away the transaction slips or credit card memos: read them, make a mental note of the details and then, either tear them or shred them to trash them.

Periodically check your account balances on Internet or by requesting your bank or credit
card company to send you statements to ensure that no transactions are happening behind
your back.

While entering any personal identification numbers, use your discretion to shield the keypad so
that your hand movements are not very visible and you enter your passwords secretly.

4. Safety tips to avoid Online Fraud

Here are some safety tips to protect you from online banking fraud and online auctions fraud:

Online Banking

DO NOT leave your personal documentation at places where it can either be picked up or viewed by anyone who does not need to see them.

DO NOT log in to your online account from an insecure computer network.

When accessing your bank’s Web site, check that the URL is correct and that you are not becoming a victim of phishing.

DO NOT key in your online banking account login details at a website about which you are not sure.

NEVER follow a link in an email which claim is from your bank. Type in your bank’s URL in the browser yourself. DO NOT open any attachments in those emails.

When available, use alternative methods to enter account login details. For example, some banks allow you to click on an on-screen keyboard when logging in and avoid key presses altogether.

DO NOT give your account details over the phone, unless you have initiated the call to a bank’s service center.

Scan your computer periodically to ensure that no spy ware or key logger is installed.

Keep your antivirus software regularly updated

DO NOT respond to emails that ask you to enter your bank account details in any way.

DO NOT send personal information and bank account details over email.

Online Auctions

Be aware of phishing. Verify that you are receiving emails from the correct source and that you are logging in at the correct website.

When making payment, prefer using your credit card over online transfer. Using a credit card give you the opportunity of a chargeback in case the transaction turns out a fraud. Use debit card, wire transfer, or money order only when you trust the seller.

Use reputed escrow services. An escrow service mediates a buyer and a seller. They accept money from buyers and release them to a seller only when the buyer confirms that the product was received to his/her satisfaction. But be wary of sellers or buyers who themselves pose as an escrow service to cheat the other—a buyer posing as an escrow service gets a product released without making payment, or a seller poses as an escrow service to trick the buyer from making a payment.

Check for feedback and rating of the buyer, which most online auction website provide.

DO NOT entertain emails received from outside of the auction website mentioning that the highest bidder has withdrawn and you are now entitled for a product. They veer you off the auction website and you lose any protection that the website may provide.

NEVER make a deal with a seller outside the auction. Although they sound lucrative, you are at a very high risk of being cheated.

READ the auction website’s terms and conditions, buyer protection policy, refund policy before making a transaction. Here, they list in how many days the order will be fulfilled, what if the product you receive is not the same as what was advertised, and so on. Also check that the policies are fair on both buyers and sellers.

Check if the product you are purchasing has appropriate warranty and documentation with it. If not, make sure that you intend to purchase it without that protection. Check if shipping and delivery is covered by the seller or if you have to bear those costs.

Check that you are not purchasing a product that you are not allowed to possess lawfully.

BE WARY of products that offer revolutionary results. In most cases, they are fraudulent claims.

DO NOT respond to emails that ask for your personal information, such as your log in details or credit card details.

READ the online auction website for feedback on the seller and a rating that they give to sellers and buyers. Most online auctions rate the sellers and buyers based on their transactions’ feedback.

READ the product features and the model number that you intend to purchase. Verify these with what is being advertised by the seller.

When giving your credit card details or your debit account details at a website, check that the

Internet connection you are using is secure. Look for a lock at the bottom or https (an‘s’ appended to ‘http’) in the address field of your browser. These indicate that the connection is a secure one.

Avoid making a transaction if anything in the auction seems suspicious to you.

If you are cheated on any product purchase, be sure to post a note on the online auction website and let them know personally.

Romance Scams:

Fraudsters pose as beautiful girls and enroll themselves in various dating and social networking sites. Novice users not aware of this ploy get attracted to them by seeing some fake pictures/videos and contact them. Fraudsters then exploit them to the maximum extent like:

Claiming that they are in deep financial trouble and would like you to support them with some money.

Claiming that they need money as he/she wants to come to US and marry her/him.

Get bank accounts from them for transferring stolen money making them money mules.

Use their address to send bill pay check (sent from compromised accounts) and asking them to cash the check at their bank account and forward the cash to them.

Using their address to send purchased goods bought by stolen cards and then asks them to forward to their country as most of the online shops do not send goods overseas.

Users need to be careful when comes to dating scams because it is an emotional loss apart from a monetary loss. They might lose trust on the Internet and people altogether.

If you are interested in dating an online partner you need to verify the partner carefully before you begin the relationship. If the partner is based overseas, then make sure to call them and verify the phone number and address of the place given by the partner. Because most of the fraudsters even though use a US or UK phone number, they use the forwarding feature of these numbers and stay overseas.

5. Safety tips to protect your Computer

Here are some safety tips to protect you from Key loggers, Trojans, and spy ware:

As a common practice do not open suspicious or unsolicited emails (spam emails). Delete them from your Inbox.

Even if you do open a spam email, under any circumstances do not click on any links, or open/download any files attached to them.

Make sure that you have very good anti-virus software installed on your computer that not only protects your computer from viruses but also from unwanted programs. And make sure you update any latest versions to that software.

Make sure that you have automatic updates / firewall turned on and regularly download the security patches if you are a windows user.

Be very wary when you access websites that provide free downloads (such as music, serial keys, adult content, games, movies etc). They may install harmful programs without your knowledge.

Do not use software on your computer that auto-completes online forms. This can give internet scammers easy access to your personal and credit card details.

While downloading files from the internet make sure it is from a known or reputed source. If the file is an executable application (for example, if the file name ends with “.exe”), make sure you know exactly what it will do.

If a pop-up screen appears on your screen and prompts you for an action (for example if it asks you to ‘Agree’ or ‘Accept’ something), then be sure to read the text in the pop-up screen and any terms and conditions carefully and only when you are sure of the safety should you take an action.

PF scam: SC issues notice to Centre

Posted on 2:17 PM No Comments

A Supreme Court bench headed by the Chief Justice of India looking into allegations of corruption against judges in the Ghaziabad Treasury provident fund scam has issued notices to the Centre, the Chief Secretary and the Home Secretary of UP seeking their response in the case.

The apex court will hear the petition for probe against the judges on August 1.

News Channel NDTV had broken the story of a clerk in the government treasury siphoning off around Rs 7 crores from provident funds with the collusion of district judges who were posted in Ghaziabad district court.

The clerk named 26 judges, including a SC judge and sitting and retired high court judges.

The Chief Justice first held an in-camera hearing on Monday, but later the bench decided to hear the petitioners in an open court.

The Chief Justice has allowed the Uttar Pradesh Police to send a questionnaire to the judges involved.

Source:NDTV

Investigating authorities on trail of IPO scamsters

Posted on 2:10 PM No Comments

The Enforcement Directorate has filed a complaint before the Adjudicating Authority under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act against some of the accused in the IPO scam. These accused entities’ shares have also been attached, said an ED official.

The IPO scam is related to certain entities cornering IPO shares (in 2003-2005) reserved for the retail category by using fictitious demat accounts. These demat accounts were then ultimately transferred, through key operators, to the financiers of the scam. The financiers made their gains on the first day of listing of these shares.

Investigations

“We believe that some of the shares were passed on to the ultimate financiers and even sold in the market. We are tracking the trail of how the money could have flown,” said the ED official.

There are now several investigating authorities throwing the dragnet around the accused and their assets related to the IPO scam. SEBI, the securities watchdog, is itself in the midst of an enquiry into the intermediaries, key operators and financiers in the scam. The board has frozen several of these entities’ demat accounts and also debarred the accused from transacting in the equities market.

An income tax official said that department was looking into “all the persons” involved in the scam and examining their I-T returns. It is believed that the I-T department has also sounded out SEBI on attaching the accounts of some of the accused.

The Central Bureau of Investigation has already filed a charge-sheet against 22 accused in the IPO scam in a Mumbai Court. However, the CBI charge-sheet is against intermediaries and key operators, and does not mention the financiers, said sources.

The officials from the ED and IT department said they would be investigating all the entities related to the case, including the ultimate beneficiaries or the financiers. However, it would be difficult to crack the “layering” in the scheme of things (locating the ultimate financier), said an official close to the investigations, reports The Hindu Business Line.

Passport scam: Security agencies on high alert

Posted on 1:27 PM No Comments

An investigation into a scam involving the procurement of passports using fake documents is all set to open a Pandora’s box. Going by the details that have emerged till now, the racket may well land many officials in police, passport office, health and post departments in trouble. Also, fearing that these passports may be used by anti-social elements to flee the country, the security agencies have been put on high alert.

Though the investigation is still underway, as many as 226 passports have identified as having being issued on fake addresses and identities. After registering a criminal case against seven persons, including three cops, a superintendent of regional passport office at Chandigarh, a postman, a travel agent and an employee in civil surgeon's office, the Moga police have approached the regional passport authorities for further probe. During the two-month police investigation, it came to light how some employees in various government departments had been minting money by forging the documents required to acquire a passport.

‘‘Some of the people who got the passport with the help of the accused were facing criminal cases,'' said Moga district police chief Ashok Batth. The probe exposed the modus operandi used by police constables Jaswinder Singh, Ranjit Singh and Gurdial Singh, posted at Moga police passport branch, who - in league with Didar Singh, a superintendent in regional passport office, Chandigarh - prepared passports for people who were facing difficulty in getting them due to various legalities.

The three cops roped in an employee of the civil surgeon's office for preparing fake birth certificates. A house was taken on rent for providing the address of all applicants and the postman on duty was bribed against raising any objection. Whenever any person with a dubious past wanted to get a passport, a travel agent would reportedly contact him, which was followed by the entire process.

"Not only the police, but even officials of CID branch conduct an independent enquiry to verify the credentials of the applicant. Thus, we are trying to find out about the officer from the CID who gave clearances to these passports," said Batth.

Source:TOI

Students Show How to Cheat via YouTube

Posted on 9:59 AM No Comments

Academic cheating and dishonesty have long been a problem. But with YouTube students have discovered a new avenue for actually promoting such fraud.

Liz Losh, a rhetorician at the University of California at Irvine, notes that there’s now a genre of videos that combine cheating advice with a “do-it-yourself aesthetic.”

She flagged one of them Wednesday on her blog. It shows a student using a scanner and photo-editing software to make a cheat sheet on a Coke bottle.

Of course, the deception works only if students can have beverages with them when they’re sitting for exams.

Sports enthusiast duped 2.5 lakh.

Posted on 9:53 AM No Comments

BANGALORE/BENGALURU: A sports enthusiast was duped of around Rs 2.5 lakh by a website through which he booked tickets to travel to China to watch the Beijing Olympics.
The victim had come across a website which claimed to arrange travel tickets for those, who were keen to watch the Olympics.

The complainant paid around Rs 2.5 lakh to procure the tickets but only to find that he had been duped.

"We are investigating the case and are trying to trace the persons behind running the website", Police Commissioner Shankar Bidari said.

The commissioner warned sports enthusiasts to be wary of 'fly-by-night' tour operators and to verify the credentials of those with whom they deal.

He urged people to book tickets through reputed travel agencies or through those whose credentials had been verified.

Source:(PTI)