Fake Email Message Reminders Requesting Outstanding or Overdue Money

Scammers or cybercriminals are sending out fake email message reminders claiming that the recipients owe outstanding amounts of money or their account balances are overdue. The email messages below are samples of some of the fake email message reminders that are being sent by scammers or cybercriminals, to trick their potential victims into infecting their computers with viruses or spyware, by opening malicious attachments and visiting malicious websites. Potential victims may also be tricked into sending money, personal or financial information. Therefore, recipients of the fake email messages or similar ones, are asked NOT to respond to or follow the instructions in them.

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Fake Email Message Reminders Requesting Outstanding or Overdue Money

The Fake Email Messages Requesting Outstanding or Overdue Money

From: Jan Quinn QuinnJan02@viettel .vn
Date: 29 April 2016 03:00:50 BST
To: "lauram7@sky.com" lauram7@ sky.com
Subject: RE: Outstanding Account

This is a reminder that your account balance of $7304.35 was overdue as of 28 April 2016. Enclosed is a statement of account for your reference.

Please arrange payment of this account today or, if you cannot make full payment at this time, please contact us to make a payment arrangement that is mutually acceptable.

Regards,
Jan Quinn
Chief Executive Officer
Have a nice day

From: Elisabeth Mosley <MosleyElisabeth647@ plastimark.com.au>
Date: 29 April 2016 15:36:18 BST
To: "lauram7@sky.com" lauram7@ sky.com
Subject: Second Reminder - Unpaid Invoice

We wrote to you recently reminding you of the outstanding amount of $4568.93 for Invoice number #FC1014, but it appears to remain unpaid.

For details please check invoice attached to this mail

Regards,
Elisabeth Mosley
Group CEO

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Note: Some of the information in samples on this website may have been impersonated or spoofed.

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April 29, 2016 at 11:41 PM by
Fake Email Message Reminders Requesting Outstanding or Overdue Money
info

Received from an anonymous user via email:

"I did not get an e-mail but I did get a phone call from number 415-363-0184. The caller said that she was Officer Nikki Johnson from the office of the Internal Revenue. She informed me that I had to go to court of get arrested if I did not pay what I owed the Internal Revenue Office.

I asked her what she was talking about because that I know I owe money to the IRS but that I has asked to make payments and was waiting to hear from them. Shen then said that they had already tried to deliver two letters to me and that I had not responded so that if I did not pay it now I would get arrested. I then asked her what address did they try to deliver the letters and she responded by asking me for my address, I then told her that she should know what address they delivered it to. She then told me that she could prove that they delivered it because she had a picture of my front porch.

I told her that I had not received any letters from the IRS. She then got a little frustrated and said that they had not gotten any response so that I would have to got to court or pay the money. I then asked her where and when I should show up for court and then she ignored my question and said that I should be at my home address because she was going to send someone to arrest me. I then hung up on her.

There has been a message on my phone from the same woman several times after that saying exactly the same thing like it is a recording of some sort urging me to call back or actions will be taken against me. I have not returned any more call."

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Online Threat Alerts Security Tips

Pay the safest way

Credit cards are the safest way to pay for online purchases because you can dispute the charges if you never get the goods or services or if the offer was misrepresented. Federal law limits your liability to $50 if someone makes unauthorized charges to your account, and most credit card issuers will remove them completely if you report the problem promptly.

Guard your personal information

In any transaction you conduct, make sure to check with your state or local consumer protection agency and the Better Business Bureau (BBB) to see if the seller, charity, company, or organization is credible. Be especially wary if the entity is unfamiliar to you. Always call the number found on a website’s contact information to make sure the number legitimately belongs to the entity you are dealing with.

Be careful of the information you share

Never give out your codes, passwords or personal information, unless you are sure of who you're dealing with

Know who you’re dealing with

Crooks pretending to be from companies you do business with may call or send an email, claiming they need to verify your personal information. Don’t provide your credit card or bank account number unless you are actually paying for something and know who you are sending payment to. Your social security number should not be necessary unless you are applying for credit. Be especially suspicious if someone claiming to be from a company with whom you have an account asks for information that the business already has.

Check your accounts

Regularly check your account transactions and report any suspicious or unauthorised transactions.

Don’t believe promises of easy money

If someone claims that you can earn money with little or no work, get a loan or credit card even if you have bad credit, or make money on an investment with little or no risk, it’s probably a scam. Oftentimes, offers that seem too good to be true, actually are too good to be true.

Do not open email from people you don’t know

If you are unsure whether an email you received is legitimate, try contacting the sender directly via other means. Do not click on any links in an email unless you are sure it is safe.

Think before you click

If an email or text message looks suspicious, don’t open any attachments or click on the links.

Verify urgent requests or unsolicited emails, messages or phone calls before you respond

If you receive a message or a phone call asking for immediate action and don't know the sender, it could be a phishing message.

Be careful with links and new website addresses

Malicious website addresses may appear almost identical to legitimate sites. Scammers often use a slight variation in spelling or logo to lure you. Malicious links can also come from friends whose email has unknowingly been compromised, so be careful.

Secure your personal information

Before providing any personal information, such as your date of birth, Social Security number, account numbers, and passwords, be sure the website is secure.

Stay informed on the latest cyber threats

Keep yourself up to date on current scams by visiting this website daily.

Use Strong Passwords

Strong passwords are critical to online security.

Keep your software up to date and maintain preventative software programs

Keep all of your software applications up to date on your computers and mobile devices. Install software that provides antivirus, firewall, and email filter services.

Update the operating systems on your electronic devices

Make sure your operating systems (OSs) and applications are up to date on all of your electronic devices. Older and unpatched versions of OSs and software are the target of many hacks. Read the CISA security tip on Understanding Patches and Software Updates for more information.

What if You Got Scammed?

Stop Contact With The Scammer

Hang up the phone. Do not reply to emails, messages, or letters that the scammer sends. Do not make any more payments to the scammer. Beware of additional scammers who may contact you claiming they can help you get your lost money back.

Secure Your Finances

  • Report potentially compromised bank account, credit or debit card information to your financial institution(s) immediately. They may be able to cancel or reverse fraudulent transactions.
  • Notify the three major credit bureaus. They can add a fraud alert to warn potential credit grantors that you may be a victim of identity theft. You may also want to consider placing a free security freeze on your credit report. Doing so prevents lenders and others from accessing your credit report entirely, which will prevent them from extending credit:

Check Your Computer

If your computer was accessed or otherwise affected by a scam, check to make sure that your anti-virus is up-to-date and running and that your system is free of malware and keylogging software. You may also need to seek the help of a computer repair company. Consider utilizing the Better Business Bureau’s website to find a reputable company.

Change Your Account Passwords

Update your bank, credit card, social media, and email account passwords to try to limit further unauthorized access. Make sure to choose strong passwords when changing account passwords.

Report The Scam

Reporting helps protect others. While agencies can’t always track down perpetrators of crimes against scammers, they can utilize the information gathered to record patterns of abuse which may lead to action being taken against a company or industry.

Report your issue to the following agencies based on the nature of the scam:

  • Local Law Enforcement: Consumers are encouraged to report scams to their local police department or sheriff’s office, especially if you lost money or property or had your identity compromised.
  • Federal Trade Commission: Contact the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) at 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357) or use the Online Complaint Assistant to report various types of fraud, including counterfeit checks, lottery or sweepstakes scams, and more.
  • Identitytheft.gov: If someone is using your personal information, like your Social Security, credit card, or bank account number, to open new accounts, make purchases, or get a tax refund, report it at www.identitytheft.gov. This federal government site will also help you create your Identity Theft Report and a personal recovery plan based on your situation. Questions can be directed to 877-ID THEFT.

How To Recognize a Phishing Scam

Scammers use email or text messages to try to steal your passwords, account numbers, or Social Security numbers. If they get that information, they could get access to your email, bank, or other accounts. Or they could sell your information to other scammers. Scammers launch thousands of phishing attacks like these every day — and they’re often successful.

Scammers often update their tactics to keep up with the latest news or trends, but here are some common tactics used in phishing emails or text messages:

Phishing emails and text messages often tell a story to trick you into clicking on a link or opening an attachment. You might get an unexpected email or text message that looks like it’s from a company you know or trust, like a bank or a credit card or utility company. Or maybe it’s from an online payment website or app. The message could be from a scammer, who might

  • say they’ve noticed some suspicious activity or log-in attempts — they haven’t
  • claim there’s a problem with your account or your payment information — there isn’t
  • say you need to confirm some personal or financial information — you don’t
  • include an invoice you don’t recognize — it’s fake
  • want you to click on a link to make a payment — but the link has malware
  • say you’re eligible to register for a government refund — it’s a scam
  • offer a coupon for free stuff — it’s not real

About Online Threat Alerts (OTA)

Online Threat Alerts or OTA is an anti-cybercrime community that started in 2012. OTA alerts the public to cyber crimes and other web threats.

By alerting the public, we have prevented a lot of online users from getting scammed or becoming victims of cybercrimes.

With the ever-increasing number of people going online, it important to have a community like OTA that continuously alerts or protects those same people from cyber-criminals, scammers and hackers, who are every day finding new ways of carrying out their malicious activities.

Online users can help by reporting suspicious or malicious messages or websites to OTA. And, if they want to determine if a message or website is a threat or scam, they can use OTA's search engine to search for the website or parts of the message for information.

Help maintain Online Threat Alerts (OTA).

Fake Email Message Reminders Requesting Outstanding or Overdue Money