There has been a rash of Internet frauds perpetrated by offshore Porno websites in Great Britain. Marks are selected from ‘casual encounter’ ads appearing on Craig’s List and a few other sites. This fraud is presented here in detail.

Here’s How These Scammers work:

The fraud begins with a response to an ad on Craig’s List and, at least initially, appears to be a legitimate response from an interested party. The first response looks like this:

** CRAIGSLIST ADVISORY — AVOID SCAMS BY DEALING LOCALLY

** Avoid:  wiring money, cross-border deals, work-at-home

** Beware: cashier checks, money orders, escrow, shipping

** More Info:  http://www.craigslist.org/about/scams.html

Hey!  Just checking if the ad is real. I was very interested. Please get back to me as soon as possible.

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This message was re-mailed to you via: pers-5gywq-1438659929@craigslist.org

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If you respond to this ad (NOT RECOMMENDED) Here’s what comes next:

Hi  (your name), glad to hear you’re real! I’m interested in hearing more about you and possibly us, hehe. How does that sound? (your name), it’s Tuesday and I need to find someone quick. I hope you are the one.  I have one concern though. Before we go any further I’d like to make sure you’re at least eighteen. I am a little uneasy about

meeting up  with  someone who I haven’t check’d out. My friends use a

service that verifies that men are ok to meet and are of age.

So (your name), I’m at the site now and they generated a link for me to send to you:

http://www.vernow.com/?=1068

You will be able to see my pic on there too. I have more pics for

you, but only after  you verify your age. Btw, older guys is a

turn-on. As soon as you  do  it,  will  e-mail  u  my  phone  number and we’ll make plans. I

promise… thky  for  understanding.  I hope to be talking on the phone with you soon! Later.  (Some grammar corrected for easier readability).

Now, if you click on the blue link she supplies, you will be taken to a website called:

Vernow.com

Someone you met online has sent you here to verify your age. Vernow.com is a service that helps you verify the age of anyone you come in contact with online, FOR FREE.

Step One – Please Verify Your Information

Please wait while we verify your information.

Click the Submit Button below when you are finished!

Your friend, Jennifer Bensen is online and waiting to receive the confirmation email that we will send once you finish this last step!

Sender’s Details

Note from Sender: Hey, thank you for verifying your age for me. My friend uses this site all the time and says it helps her feel safer. I’ll feel more comfortable talking dirty and sending you my *other* pics once I receive confirmation that you are at least 18. You never know who you’re chatting with online! I’m glad you understand my prediciment and I hope to talk to you soon. I’ll email you once this site sends me the confirmation email that you’ve verified. xoxoxo – Jennifer

Name: Jennifer Bensen Gender: Female Age: 20 – 30 City: N/A State: N/A Zip: N/A Area Code: 562 Request Sent: Wed, Oct 28, 2009

Testimonials (show)

“Vernow.com was so easy to use and kept me safe when chatting with men online. I am confident that I am speaking with an adult every time I use Vernow.com”

Mary G. Saratoga Springs, NY

“These days you can never be too safe. Vernow.com is extremely easy to use. All I have to do is send a link to a guy I’ve met online and Vernow.com takes care of the rest. After he verifies his age, Vernow.com alerts me via email. My potential date and I can be adults and not worry about what we talk about. Thank you Vernow.com!”

Jessica F. Boise, ID

“When I posted a personals ad to Craigslist for the first time I was bombarded with responses. Even guys who sent pictures and claimed to be 18+ didn’t convince me. I use Vernow.com every time!”

Jim M. Cincinnati, OH

“You never know who you’re chatting with online. Age is a huge concern for me that’s why I use Vernow.com.”

George L. Fresco, CA

“The internet is filled minors. You would be stupid not to protect yourself with Vernow.com. It only takes a few minutes of your time and might even save your ass one day!”

Kelly J. Tallahassee, FL

© Vernow.com 2009 | All Rights Reserved

Filling in this simple form and pressing NEXT brings you to a page that

Asks you again to submit your credit/debit card info for age verification purposes only. (DON’T EVEN CONSIDER IT UNLESS YOU WANT TO THROW AWAY SOME HARD EARNED MONEY!!)

Once you do submit that info, you will receive a confirmation telling you that your info has been accepted. It looks like this:

(YourName),

Member ID:      34134089

Cost:           $0.00 (NOTE THIS)

Your membership has been activated.

Site name:      Amateur Site HD

Members URL:    http://www.maingateway.com/lockdown/159/

Username:       gg9pbke7u

Password:       hx3mneg3q

Any charges appearing on your credit card statement will be discretely billed as: WEB-FEECHECK.COM

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Have questions? Need help? We are here to help 24/7.

Web Site: http://www.web-feecheck.com

E-mail: help@web-feecheck.com

Toll Free: 888-811-2544

Should you click on the www.maingateway.com link above, you will immediately be taken to a porno website that you probably didn’t expect on their sign-in page. The pictures of videos offered are NOT reproduced here. However, at the very bottom of that page, there is the name and address of the owner in the U.K.:

Perkindale LTD
15 RoseberryTerrace
DH85RT Consett
United Kingdom

By now, the realization that you’ve been had hasn’t settled in quite yet. You may even write to Jennifer again and ask, “what’s up with the porno stuff?” Don’t be shocked. You’ll never hear from her again!! In about an hour, you will discover that your bank account or PayPal account has been charged for $37 +. This lovely-looking lady that was falling all over her e-mail to get with you is nothing but bait—a “shill” for the U.K. folks in Consett. Your only hope now is if you saved copies of all this documentation and file a fraud claim with PayPal. But it will take time.

The moral here is: If something seems too good to be true on the Internet, it undoubtedly is. Your money is now in their pockets and you can’t do anything much about it!

NOTE: These scams abound on the web. They will play on your lust, naivety or anything else they can think of to get you to fill-in that form. DON’T!!

AGE VERIFICATION THAT REQUIRES YOUR FINANCIAL INFO IS ALMOST ALWAYS AN OUT-AND-OUT SCAM!

TWO TYPICAL E-MAIL SCAMS ARE SHOWN BELOW. THE FIRST SCAM HAS A DUAL PURPOSE: TO COLLECT YOUR PERSONAL INFORMATION AND TO STEAL YOUR MONEY. ANY CHECKS OR MONEY ORDERS DEPOSITED FROM THIS SOURCE WILL BE EITHER FORGERIES OR NSF. YOU WILL LOSE YOUR MONEY AND MAY EVEN BE SUBJECT TO CRIMINAL PENALTIES. YOUR BANK ACCOUNT WILL ALSO END UP BEING CLOSED. IF THIS SCAMMER FINDS ONE SUCKER FROM EVERY 100 E-MAILS HE SEND OUT, HE WILL BE AHEAD FINANCIALLY.

NEVER RESPOND TO THIS TYPE OF E-MAIL OFFER. IT IS NOT REAL!!

Good tidings to you as you read.

Please permit me to write you irrespective of the fact we have not met before.

I got your contact through network online hence I decided to write you. I would be very interested in offering you a part-time paying job in which you could earn up to $7,000 a month as extra income. Opening an account would have been my best choice if I was not working on a deadline that must meet a 24 hour turn around time, other options are not on my side due to time, money, and requirements.

This is why I am offering a part time opportunity to someone responsible who can supply prompt assistant and service.

JOB DESCRIPTION:

Work as my payment assistant in charge of collecting and processing the payments from the associates.

1. Receive payment (inform of money orders/checks) from my Clients/Associates.

2. Cash the Payments at your Bank

3. Deduct 10%, which will be your percentage/pay on Payment processed.

4. You will then forward the balance via Western Union Money Transfer according to my instruction.

REQUIREMENT:

18 years or older.

Responsible, Reliable and Trustworthy

Available to work a minimum 3-4 hours per week.

Able to check and respond to emails often.

Easy telephone access.

IS THIS LEGAL? YES

It is very legal, Doing this job is 100% safe and legal. I would be glad if you accept my proposal for an opportunity to make up 10% of each transaction completed.

YOU WOULD BE REQUIRED TO ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS.

====================================================

HAVE YOU HANDLED LARGE FUNDS, HOW MUCH AND HOW SUCCESSFULLY?

Please reply via email with complete information as requested:

A. NAME:

B. STREET ADDRESS (NOT P.O BOX):

C. CITY:

D. STATE:

E. ZIP CODE:

F. COUNTRY:

G. MOBILE NUMBER:

H. AGE:

I. SEX:

J. OCCUPATION:

K. E MAIL:

All replies should be sent to: dr.collins.smith@gmail.com

Regards,

Dr Collins Smith.

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HERE IS ANOTHER SCAM OUT OF NIGERIA WHICH MANY CONSIDER ‘WORLD SCAMMER HEADQUARTERS’. IT SPEAKS FOR ITSELF. TO RESPOND TO THIS WOULD BE A SERIOUS MISTAKE INDEED! NOTE THE TYPOGRAPHICAL ERRORS AND POOR GRAMMAR IN THIS E-MAIL MESSAGE

Bank of Englan/UNITED NATIONS 2009 COMPENSATION

From Foreign Payment Director,

Barclays Bank of London.

Mr. Ronald Mark

E-mail {compensationoff_0@live.com}

ATTN: SCAMMED VICTIM/ 1 MILLION BENEFICIARY.REF/PAYMENTS CODE: 06654 1 MILLION USD.

This is to bring to your notice that I am delegated from the United Nations to Barclays Bank of London to pay 100 Nigerian 419 scam victims $1 Million each, you are listed and approved for this payments as one of the scammed victims, get back to us as soon as possible for the immediate payments of your $1 Million compensations funds.

On this faithful recommendations, I want you to know that during the last UN meetings held at London, England, it was alarmed so much by the rest of the world in the meetings on the lose of funds by various foreigners to the scams artists operating in syndicates all over the world today. In other to retain the good image of the country, the British Prime Minister is now paying 100 victims of this operators $1 Million USD each this is because British is the father of Nigeria since they are the colonel father and they gave Nigeria independent, Due to the corrupt and inefficient banking systems in Nigeria, the payments are to be paid by Barclays Bank as corresponding paying bank under funding assistance by the Bank of England.

According to the number of applicants at hand, 80 beneficiaries has been paid ,half of the victims are from the United States, we still have more 20 left to be paid the compensations of $1 Million each. Your particulars was mentioned by one of the syndicates who was arrested in Lagos, Nigeria as one of their victims of the operations, you are hereby warned not to communicate or duplicate this message to him for any reason what so ever, the US secret service is already on trace of the criminal.

For more vital information, please

visit:http://home.rica.net/alphae/419coal/news1jul.htm.

You can receive your compensations payments via any of the both options you choose, DRAFT, PAYMENTS or WIRE TRANSFERS, I shall feed you with further modalities as soon as I hear from you at my private email address :

{compensationoff_0@live.com}

Yours faithfully,

Ronald Mark