Breaking hearts and bank balances – organised criminals have defrauded West Australians out of at least $4.5million after starting relationships with victims online, according to figures compiled over the six months since August 2012.

WA ScamNet has received reports from seven victims of scams where COVID-19 was used in the plot to steal a total of about $68,000. 

Most of us when asked for urgent assistance by a friend or family member would say yes and that’s the answer scammers are banking on when they target people in ‘help me’ scams.

Wow, it looks like you have hit the jackpot and have won one of the three prizes:  Wrong! The “Super Prize” is actually a discount voucher worth $23 to purchase the “Miraculous Bark from the Tree of Makoo”.

ACP claims it has great news for you. Unfortunately, the only "great" news is that you are on a scammer's mailing list.

Your computer suddenly stops working and your screen is filled with a warning supposedly from the Australian Federal Police (AFP). It says you have been targeted because you have allegedly broken copyright laws during downloading, been viewing inappropriate content or accessed data illegally.

 WA consumers are receiving scam emails claiming to be from AGL, an energy company not currently registered to supply or sell electricity and gas in Western Australia. 

ANZ is to refund $5 million to about 25,000 basic account holders for incorrect charges. 

WA ScamNet has had a report of a phone scam where the caller claims to be from the Australian Government offering an ANZ refund. 

Scammers are using the ATO name to fleece thousands of dollars from victims.

WA ScamNet regularly receives reports about scam emails that claim to be from the Australian Tax Office (ATO). 

Usually the email’s offering a tax refund or it might be asking you to update your details by clicking a link – never do this as this is how the scammers will get your details.

There is a new malware (malicious software) scam going around which will arrive via your inbox as a fake AUSPOST email. The email entices users to click on the links to “print your shipping label for tracking". Doing this will download ransomware onto your computer.

We recently received a report about the loss of €300 Euro from the victim of a fake binary options trading scam - Absolute Finance Pty Ltd.

God help us from scam letters like this:

Listen to Adam's story about how he met (as was conned) by Evelyn.

Earn $3500 to $4000 a month by transferring money for this New York based “online-to-offline money transfer service”. WA ScamNet warns that the only thing you are likely to be promoted to is a “jail inmate”.

Saddle-up for another “Canadian prize award cowboy” letter.

This looks like another advance fee fraud email where scammers will ask you for money throughout the process for taxes or processing fees.  We have seen it all before and this one certainly raises several alarm bells.

We have a reported loss of $1350 in a phone scam where the caller pretended to be from Alinta Energy and threatened to cut off the power over an unpaid bill.

Consumer Protection is warning jobseekers to be wary of responding to adverts on classifieds websites, where the recruiter requires payment. It comes after a group of at least forty backpackers reported losing $120-$150 each and handing over secure personal details after responding to an online advert for fruit picking positions in WA’s South West.

A letter from someone claiming to be Amanda Kane, clairvoyant, says that she wants to help the recipient by making a generous offer. She claims she will send you a cheque for $39,000 plus the “Great Secret Wish Amplifier” called a “Divinor” and a magic necklace. All this for the “tiny sum” of $60. It does not take any magical powers to foresee you will not receive any money.

To participate, you need to follow a number of intricate steps. This still doesn’t mean you will win the prize though. In fact you actually only have a one in 125,000 chance of getting the money. So you are actually paying $33.49 to enter an overseas lottery!

Who is clairvoyant Amy Palmer? she a trademark of the marketing company, Promo Direct, who wants you to spend good money on useless numerological and other psychic paraphernalia.

Clairvoyant Angela Almera, from the Netherlands, is retiring and wants you to be the very last person she is ever going to help to become a winner. But when we did a search for her name on the Internet, the first item was a warning from the New Zealand Ministry of Consumer Affairs about her.

Angele and Angelina may call themselves the “two angels of light”. But WA ScamNet refers to them as the “evil duo of disappointment” because that’s all you will get if you respond to this letter.

“You are one of the 12 people whose vibrations match the secret” so says clairvoyant Angelique de Succes in a personally addressed letter. Hang on Angelique, what about the hundreds of other Western Australians you have sent the same letter to? Are they also part of the chosen 12?  Angelique can reveal to you the “most important secret in the world”. Why pay $65 to Angelique when WA ScamNet holds the key to this secret – it’s a SCAM.

Clairvoyant Angelo Da Vinco wants to protect you from worldwide danger and disaster – at a price of $56. But Angelo da Vinco, who will protect us from scamming fake psychics like you? This appalling letter is trying to scare you into handing over your money.

Anna Pfeiffer claims she is known as “Madame Luck” because of her uncanny ability to predict lucky lottery numbers. Anna has received some press coverage in England – but all for the wrong reasons. The press coverage relates to warnings issued by UK authorities about Anna being a psychic scam.

Antonio Divito claims the Divito Institute is the only institution authorised to distribute the famous “worry dolls” (magical dolls of happiness) of Guatemala for the princely sum of $46. Antonio Divito must be living in dream world because we found lots of websites selling the dolls for as little as $2 a set of six – including sites whose products are sourced from members of the Fair Trade Federation.

Email scammers calling themselves, Apple Sales Group, are promising people they can earn a quick and easy supplementary income of $1400 a week by working just a couple of hours a day. But the promise of easy cash comes at a cost.

If you think you have seen this unsolicited job offer before, you are right! Only one letter separates this latest money mule scam from the Ascot International (Finance Group) LLC money mule scam which bombarded our inboxes last month.

Ascot International (Finance Group) LLC is looking for energetic, reliable and honest people to carry out illegal activities. This unsolicited email is the latest money transfer/money mule scheme doing the rounds.

Chinese speaking scammers are telephoning consumers who come from Asian backgrounds, with the intention of cheating them into sending wire transfers of funds to bank accounts in Hong Kong.

The same pitch, the same website and the same scam. The only difference between Athens Financial Group Ltd and Israeli Brokerage Services Ltd is the name. The email is a reworked version of the Israeli Brokerage, Norway Consulting, Global Austrian Syndicate and UK Modulus Invest money laundering scams.

Previously WA ScamNet told you about a scam called "Payment Processing Bureau" whose mail address was PO Box 609, Elland, HX5 9DN, United Kingdom. Would anyone like to guess the return postal address for this scam...?

What a cheek! Cyber criminals aim to steal your identity by putting out an email confirming your “complaint” about identity theft!

Wouldn’t it be nice to be told you have won $200,000? Not if the email is from the Australian International Lottery Program. The only money you’ll see is the money you waste sending it to these scammers.

WA ScamNet normally warns Australian consumers about fraudsters trying to con people out of their money by using the names of UK and Spanish lotteries.

The Australian Taxation Office (ATO) has warned people about a fraudulent email being circulated that claims to offer a refund from the Tax Office. Thanks to Channel 10 for the footage.

AustroAmerican Jackpot is supposedly run by AustroCanadian Lottery. Never heard of it – nor has Lotterywest and it supposedly shares its Osborne Park head office with this outfit. 

WA ScamNet believes the Blacktacos Marketing Company is behind this latest scam involving the very generous Mr Smith who has set up a “Savings Investment Allowance” for the recipient who must claim the money.  And the first cheque is ready to be sent now!

Award Notification Commission suggests that you are the winner of one million dollars. They even suggest you seek advice from a financial professional on how to spend your windfall. Unfortunately, the only windfall you are likely to receive is a windfall of other similar misleading offers.

This Award Notification Service has been delegated the responsibility of contacting you regarding cash and prize awards totalling in excess of $600,324.50 for which your selection and eligibility has been verified and confirmed. Luckily the WA public are too wary to send money to a company in the UK on the basis of a tiny letter that doesn't even tell them what they'd be getting...!

What the Awards Allocation Bureau should have said up front is that there is a one in a million chance of winning the cash prize of $10,000.00 (assuming it exists).

The black-hearted Blacktacos are at it again, this time trying to peddle Richard Von Struck’s “Guaranteed Winnings Method”. Read the fine print and it states you have only “won” the chance to enter a competition where the first prize is $30,000.

"You are the person declared a winner in our giant cheque for $15,000 game," the letter from Bureau Général d'allocation des Récompenses (BGAR) states. If you send $50 (which you don’t have to do to enter the competition) you receive the “Extraordinary Gaming Method”, another worthless lucky numbers formula.

BIVR President Bernard Baker apologises for not sending you a cheque worth $103,917.39. Apparently it was refused because of “legislative reasons”. Is BIVR trying a different spin on the old “the cheque is in the mail” scam? Or are the scammers behind BIVR so contemptuous of their victims that they believe people will fall for any old nonsense?

Your phone rings and what do you know – it’s another telemarketer. This time the person on the end of the line is from Baida Group of Hong Kong. And if you just answer their three question consumer survey you could win an mp4 player! It’s a way to hook you in and begin grooming you in order to steal your money.

West Australians heading to Bali for a holiday are being warned about an elaborate gambling scam that’s led to many people losing thousands of dollars.

The popular television program Seinfeld coined the expression “put it in the vault” meaning to keep something a secret. Well, WA ScamNet wishes that Bank Vault would put its offer in the “vault” and stop bombarding Western Australian consumers with its silly offer.

You have just received an urgent email from your bank notifying you of fraudulent activity. If you receive an email call from someone purporting to be from your bank and requesting account and password details, do not respond. Immediately contact your bank. Do not use the telephone number the email has provided.

Your phone rings and at the other end is a caller from an organisation which claims to have audited your bank account or tax file and found you’re entitled to a reimbursement. Dozens of consumers across metropolitan and regional Western Australia have been reporting these unsolicited calls to WA ScamNet in June and July of 2010. Unfortunately thousands of dollars have already been lost.

The bland email from Barcelo Travel seems innocuous enough, containing only a few short sentences offering a job with a big salary. But this email is anything but innocent and is flooding inboxes around the world. You will probably receive a different version of this email depending on where you live.

Pyramid schemes have been around for a while but WA ScamNet has received recent complaints about a chain letter doing the rounds, which uses the global financial crisis as a way to convince people to take part.

Scammers trying to recruit money mules for illegal money transfer schemes are getting lazy!

Online shoppers need to be wary of fraudulent store pages operating on Shopify that advertise non-existent goods and falsely promise to donate proceeds to bushfire relief charities and animal rescue groups.

The ‘Winning Certificate’ from Bio Sana certainly gives the strong impression that you’ve won AU$14,000. Just send back the ‘Prize Demand’ to claim your special remittance cheque. Would you trust a company making these miraculous claims when they’ve been so devious about the prize win? Think twice about this one.

Western Australian’s are being targeted with spam emails and links to a website offering a bitcoin trading software which promises to makes $2440 per day.  The email and website say they will realease as few as  500 licences for the software, creating a sense of urgency.

The Blacktacos mail orders sales company is one of the most prolific serial scammers known to WA ScamNet.WA ScamNet have nicknamed the company the “black-hearted Blacktacos” because it brazenly sends out the same type of scam under more than a dozen different names. It preys on people’s vulnerabilities by promising riches beyond their dreams in return for a small amount, typically around $50.

Dear Blanche Calmette, clairvoyant When reading the future, did you predict that Western Australian consumers would send their letters from you to WA ScamNet? We think your letter is about developing a “sucker list” to sell to other mail order sharks. But you already knew that.

We have had reports from customers about the website appliancesdeals.com.au, which is bogus, even though it appears legitimate.

We have had reports about the website www.marinebazaar.com.au, which is bogus even though it appears legitimate at first glance.

Tibetan Buddhist monks emphasize spiritual growth over material wealth or gain. So why would a genuine Tibetan monk try to sell you a prayer wheel solely designed to make you a multi-millionaire through games of chance?

Scammers are circulating spam emails purporting to contain links to websites with information on the recent Boston explosions, but in fact contain links to malicious content that may infect and allow scammers remote access to your computer.

While the passing of celebrities or other breaking news stories prompt most of us to turn on the TV, search the internet and text or call friends, scammers swing into action to take advantage of our thirst for information.

Getting an expensive piece of jewellery just as a reward for shopping is an incredible offer.  Much too incredible!

Seeing the recent bushfires is horrifying for most of us and we just want to help somehow. But unfortunately scammers see it as an opportunity to impersonate charities, or create fake charities. 

How do you spot a fake website? The reality is they can look really professional and may have copied official logos, high quality images and even stolen an ABN from a real business. One sign of a fake site can be a recent copyright date but scammers may also put an older copyright date to fool you.

Monetary compendium kings Carter, Hammond and Pierce have become so well known as scammers that they are now sending out letters under the initials C.H.P.

CAMSE have declared you a unique winner of $22,500. WA ScamNet suggests you are not unique in this instance because the scammers behind this ruse have sent countless unique people across the world the same cheque, with the same false promises.

The black-hearted Blacktacos mail order company are at it again, using the name CDM or Club of the Millionaires.

The United State’s Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) is warning computer users to delete any unsolicited email purportedly coming from its public affairs office.

The mysterious multimillionaire Mr X knows quite a bit about you, according to the C.I.D.P. letter. WA ScamNet does know the identity of Mr X and we are prepared to share it with you – at ABSOLUTELY NO COST. Mr X is actually an imaginary character created by the infamous Blacktacos, a mail order sales company.

Scammers are taking advantage of fears surrounding COVID-19 to deceive victims into handing over their money and/or personal information, so it’s important to be extra vigilant. 

CPBR (Legislative Bank Payments Commission) announces that you will receive a payment for "$50,000 minimum by cheque in your name". One thing is for sure: if you respond you will receive other misleading  letters just like this one.

The black-hearted Blacktacos is trying to con you out of your money with the N. Kingston method. It’s a shame that the Blacktacos don’t abide by their own moral charter because scamming money out of innocent people by making false representations is both reprehensible and illegal!

This is the genie of all scams. It’s just a shame we can’t rub the bottle and make it disappear.

WA consumers are being warned not to become involved in a diamond related pyramid-trading scheme emanating from Canada, which is operating in WA.

The “Canadian prize award cowboy” is a one-trick pony – using the same ploy of a $10,000 prize win to trick you into paying $40 for junk jewellery.

Scammers are offering compensation for a car accident in an attempt to obtain personal information from victims.

WA ScamNet  is warning consumers and businesses to be on the look out for carbon price scams.

Beware of fake French Bulldog website Caredez Farm

Carter, Hammond and Pierce from Canada are holding a portfolio amount worth $1,491,600 addressed to you. If you send off your $30, all you are likely to receive is a list of lotteries and competitions you can enter. The CHP letter is all smoke and mirrors. It talks about monies which you are eligible for, not monies you have won.

Scammers love to threaten that you will miss out on money if you don’t respond immediately.

Cash Affiliates & Disbursements have an appropriate acronym “CAD” because the people behind this letter are cads.

Cash Alert LLC (CAL) claims time is running out for you to be a potential winner of $1,100,000. So how does it explain the fact that seventeen other companies are plugging the same scam, use the same terms and conditions, and have similar mailing addresses in Fort Langley, British Columbia, Canada?

You receive a letter with the bold headings “Urgent message from financial director “ and “Notice of intent to deliver cash”. The letter looks like an official invoice complete with a stamp, bar code and ID number. But looks can be deceiving. This letter is nothing more than a ploy to get you to spend your hard earned cash on a competition that will not be judged for a year.

Want to earn $3500 to $4000 a month, working from home, for an international online-offline money transfer service? Not if it is illegal, you don’t! So-called “company” Cash-Transfers Inc is recruiting money mules to be involved in illegal money laundering schemes.

This scam is as redundant as its name "Cash-telegram Delivery Service". Yes, your life would change if you had won $2,000,000. But that is not what you will get for your $20. All you will get is a report detailing free sweepstakes or competitions you might be eligible to enter.

The ‘Notice of Property Resolution’ from Cash/Asset Management Services says you are one of a limited number of international consumers in a cheque/merchandise incentive offer. A similar scam letter doing the rounds from International Payments Centre also lists the same address. We don’t believe it is a coincidence.

If you get a call from someone saying they want your help to catch a scammer and need you to pay, hang up – it’s a scam!

While on social media or using the internet, you may have seen pop-up advertisements for expensive electronics being offered at ridiculously low prices, for example, an iPad for ten dollars. But don’t be fooled, beware.

Consumers have paid for a puppy either via a website or by responding to an online classifieds advertisement only to find out the whole thing’s a fraud.

A WA consumer, who sent off their money to Carter Hammond and Pierce, received a cheap photocopied booklet listing web-based sweepstake and prize giveaways. The consumer was ineligible to enter the sweepstake offering $1 million but could be in the running to win a bottle of intestinal cleanser! Second prize was $5 off a bottle of intestinal cleanser!

 So, what do you do when someone tells you that you have won a prize in a competition you did not enter? (a) Send your credit card details to someone you have never heard of before in another country? OR (b) Send the material post free to WA ScamNet?

Scammers pretending to be Centrelink staff have potentially fleeced thousands of dollars from Western Australians. 

Bryce Andrew Weede, director of Chase Wilton & Weede, is pleased to inform you in his letter that his records show that you have been assigned a payment code and are the designated recipient of a guaranteed cash payment. He even provides you with a return envelope so you can claim your prize. But if you read the fine print, using the return envelope waives your right to the cash prize!

These days, it pays to be extra vigilant on social media. Like-harvesting, or like-farming as it is also called, is a scam perpetuated throughout Facebook and features bogus pages designed to do nothing more than “harvest” your likes.

A fake online questionnaire claiming to be from popular chemists are doing the rounds. People receive a link to the survey, which may even appear to be sent by a friend or family member.

Don’t be taken for a ride by C.A.R (Cheque Award Reservation Centre).

An email purportedly from the Chairman of “Chevron Oil Company” in South Africa has been received by consumers with what seems a lucrative business proposition.

According to Christie, you have been selected to be the recipient of “Special Grand Celestial File of Fortune and Good Luck called Good Fortune at the click of the fingers”. Fine print conditions inside the envelope make it clear that the aim is to promote and sell the company’s products. 

“Blazing luck at “chance” games ... Entrancing magic for found again love … Dazzling financial success in every domain … Cosmic protection against harmful influences ... Power of supreme influence over beings, things and destiny.” Be warned that this is only one example of a Claire Bonhuer letter. There may be other letters peddling similar useless lucky charms and paraphernalia. Don’t be taken in by this letter. It’s just a scam.

Columbus-Partners Inc claims to be an online-to-offline money transfer service with headquarters in New York City. It claims there are five openings to assist in creating a virtual local presence. This is an illegal money mule or money transfer scheme which has a very nasty sting in its tail.

Which bank is now being connected to an email scam – the Commonwealth Bank.

Scammers are pretending to be Commerce officers in email and phone scams.

Get a great job, even if you can't write a proper English sentence.

An email arrives confirming your order for a lap top computer or other product or service. The email attachment provides further details of your order. Hang on! You haven’t ordered a laptop. You click on the attachment to find out more information, fearing that somebody has stolen your credit card information to place the order. And that’s exactly what the scammers are relying upon

NOW READ THE INFORMATION ON THE BACK you  put in a claim agreeing to participate only in the sweepstakes and agree that your name, address, and photo can be used for promotional campaigns Your odds at winning the $10,000 is 1:5,000,000 You must answer a mathematical skill-testing question in order to be declared a winner, (that’s once you have beaten 499,999,999 people to the prize)

If you’ve showcased your business at a trade show or exhibition lately – BEWARE!

WA ScamNet has identified the re-emergence of ‘FairGuide’ - an on-line directory scheme targeting businesses that have recently taken part in trade shows around Australia.

Contest America Publishers makes it sound all too easy – answer a simple question and you could win thousands of dollars. But is it worth paying money to enter a contest outside Australia’s jurisdiction, which offers a relatively small prize which will not be awarded for up to two years? You might be better off trying your luck with Australian Lotto or buying your own puzzle book! 

Cornerstone Financial Group is a recycled version of the Goode, Walker and Company scam.

The email proclaims it is the "best job opportunity of the month". Your new boss is “a dream to work for”, fair, caring, and organized. Ask yourself whether this caring, supportive boss will bail you out of jail when you are arrested for money laundering?

WA ScamNet advises you to “deep-six” this letter because you will not be a rich person by wasting your money on scams. All you will get for your money is a list of sweepstakes you can enter.

Countess Maria Romanova has your best interests at heart, or so she would have you believe. Countess Maria describes her luck and fortune secret as infallible and “guarantees” the accuracy of her predictions, or your money back.  But don’t rely on it. Take Maria’s advice and the only thing you can be assured of is that you won’t see your money again

A credit card scam can come in many forms. For example, scammers may use spyware or some other scam to obtain your credit card details. A scammer might steal or trick you into telling them your security code (the three or four digit code on your card) and then make purchases over the internet or the telephone. If they know your PIN, they could get cash advances from an ATM using a ‘cloned’ credit card (where your details have been copied onto the magnetic strip of another card).

Crown Imperial Imports claims to have a large package waiting to be delivered to your door. It contains a 61-inch Sony big screen television; or a $2,741 bank cheque; or a Sharp microwave; or other items. All you have to do is pay the $24.95 “release fee”. You will probably end up with some junk jewellery worth far less than the $24.95 release fee you paid.

Crown Imports, also known as Crown Imperial Imports, has been doing the rounds for years. They claim you are the recipient of one of the major items listed - from big TVs to cash, cameras, computers, and jewellery. Just send off your $30 or $40 release fee. But it's all a sham. What you are more likely to receive is some cheap, low quality product such as jewellery or a leather wallet set which will be worth far less than the money you send.

The Internet is an increasingly popular way to buy and sell goods. Many scammers are becoming more sophisticated, targeting these transactions with bogus claims for Customs fees.

Scammers are contacting people by text message (SMS) and email claiming to be DEMIRS or DMIRS.

Don’t fall for an inheritance scam – instead be the beneficiary of this WA ScamNet advice…Scammers are pretending to be a law firm to try to convince you to take part in a bogus scheme to access money left behind by a deceased person who shares your surname.

From the city famous for gambling, Las Vegas, comes the latest con to rob you of your money by making you believe that you have won millions of dollars in prizes.

Like several other advanced fee frauds, scammers use the death of individuals to rope in consumers to part with their hard-earned savings.

This is a 'remake' of similar chain letters under the names Edward L Green, David Stein and Paul Collins. This chain letter claims to be from David Rhodes and that you can turn $218 into $78,185 within 80 days.

Internet scammers have no shame!  Now they are targeting the disabled, in particular the deaf in our community, with promises of a huge Lotto win.

Nigerian authorities have arrested a man who allegedly defrauded the late Jette Jacobs from WA in a romance scam.

The SMS says “Sum1 paid me to kill you. get spared, 48hrs to pay $5000. If you inform the police or anybody, death is promised... E-mail me now: killerking24@yahoo.com". Do not respond. Delete. Same goes for the email which begins with “YOU ARE ABOUT TO DEATH” in the subject box. Both are cruel hoaxes like the Hitman scam previously named by WA ScamNet.

This pint sized scam has a pretty big punch!   This small slip of paper looks like an official parcel delivery document but it is nothing more than a scam.

A number of phone calls have been received in regards to a possible email scam appearing to be from the Department of Human Services.

Consumers are being warned not to book a ticket on Departure Central Inc, the latest incarnation of the 1980s illegal airplane pyramid scheme.

An email purportedly from the desk of entrepreneur Dick Smith seeks payment agents to assist his company in dodging Australian tax laws. 

Digital Worldnet claims it has a package awaiting shipment to you.

You have been confirmed to receive the “full syllabus amount” of $1,200,000. This is the same offer made by 17 other scams operating out of three PO Boxes in Fort Langley, BC, Canada.

It is a dream for many people to win the ultimate jackpot in a lottery or just a small slice. Many scammers, including Direct Payment, pray on these dreamers.

Direct Riches claims it’s not a sweepstake, lottery, chance promotion or telemarketing.

Scammers pretending to be from legitimate businesses are cold-calling people and promising savings of 20-40 per cent on their household bills.

Scammers are targeting young people in Aboriginal communities in Western Australia through the social networking service Divas Chat.

Djima is a self professed clairvoyant of money based games and is urgently asking you to send him money. Don’t reply to this scam, if Djima really does exist his visions of financial gain are probably of his own wealth from unfortunate people falling for his tricks.   If you have purchased a Radiant cross then take him up on his offer to buy it back and let ScamNet know how you go. 

Cold callers are asking for a ‘fee’ to keep you on the Do Not Call Register. The callers claim they are from the ACMA’s Do Not Call Register and ask for your credit card details.

WA consumers are warned not to buy from ‘back of van’ salesmen operating in the Perth metropolitan area and WA's regions.

Scams pitched at businesses and community groups included invoices for advertising that had not been ordered. The latest twist were invoices to "renew" registration of Internet domain names - for only double the real price.

This outfit sends your "certification of prize payment certificate" offering you US$5,000 for a mere US$26 processing fee.

Donna Esmeralda has an impressive stash of cash to give to you but first you must send her money.  It begs the question – if she does have some money to send why doesn’t she just take out the $49 fee she requires and send you the rest?

If you read the fine print, the real purpose of the correspondence is to sell you a “Magical Talisman for attracting wealth”, which offers a “source of inexhaustible riches” The reality is you are being sold a worthless trinket for an inflated price and the promised cheques never arrive.

Door to door sales

Telemarketing can be annoying but it is a legitimate marketing practice. However consumers need to be alert to scammers who use it to try and deceive you.

Consumer Protection is warning WA householders about door to door art sellers after three salespeople were intercepted last week by Pinjarra Police.

Financial security is something we all want with enough cash to buy the car, house and wardrobe full of designer clothes.

Drop4Sale is doing the rounds via email, targeting Australians and New Zealanders as the company claims to be hiring in both countries in a rapid global expansion. But don’t be fooled – the only thing that is expanding is the coffers of the scammers behind this guise.

Cash, cars, cameras, computers, compact discs, camcorders - E-Global Enterprises claims you qualify for one of these fantastic prizes.

You’ve just received a notification that someone has sent you an e-greeting card. Don’t be tempted to open it! Scammers have jumped on the popularity of free electronic greeting or post cards, using them to infect your computer with malicious software.

“Ealid Recruiters” are fleecing job seekers of their cash for supposed police checks and uniform rental.

These pithy catchphrases, contained in the email subject area, are being used to hook you into a money transfer scheme using the name EcoLife Company. WA ScamNet would like to add its own catchphrase to this: “Participate in this scam and spend time in jail”.

Mr de Valles’ four-page diatribe from Geneva has the familiar promise of love, money and happiness ever after. This is an all too familiar theme.  We predict that all you will get for your money is some coloured stones.

Email lottery scams operate under various names including infra-pay.com, Sponsor Bingo Loterij Agency, SKY Lotto and Euro (Eurosport) Raffle Draw. The emails claim that your email address was entered in a lottery and you have won big money. To claim the money you must email the person listed at the end of the letter. Promoters often use the legitimate names of lotteries conducted in other countries.

Scammers claim they have created a video of the recipient watching adult content and threaten to send it to their social media contacts if they are not paid a sum of money.

This is another product promotion campaign under the guise of a contest to win $15,300 or jewellery.

The United Arab Emirates might be a rich country but we doubt that even the Emirates can afford to give away millions of dollars in a free lottery competition.

Hundreds of Western Australian businesses received official-looking letters threatening dire penalties for failing to have Employment Protection Australia's 'Place of Employment First Aid Supply.'  So what's the problem?

Job-seekers should be wary of scammers targeting them with illegal money laundering schemes disguised as work opportunities.

Generous Western Australians wanting to donate to victims of the Kimberley floods are being alerted to watch out for scammers who set up fake charities.

Esmeralda Wicca, from Switzerland, promises she can supply the numbers needed to win Lotto.Like all psychic scams, Esmeralda claims to have had a vision which revealed your name and address. She makes no mention of the mailing list where she really got your name.

An angel appeared to Dutch clairvoyant Esperanza and told her to take a pilgrimage to the holy place of Saint-Jacques de Compestelle. WA ScamNet has its own guardian Angel that, free of charge and without obligation, advises you: “Don’t pay $35 for a stone and a false promise”.

Don’t let a scratch card scam ruin your New Year.

Misspellings often spell a scam and that’s certainly the case with the “massage” (we think that should be message) from Euro Millones International Lottery.

Apparently Euro-Lottery have been running a major promotional campaign in Australia and their computer system chose 1,500 people to be part of their first draw as part of their campaign. How nice of them to enter you into a contest you never asked for.

“Congratulations. Your name was attached to a ticket which drew the Euromillion lucky numbers. You have won EUR 667,248.26 in the second draw category.” But WA ScamNet can advise that the only thing you have won is a chance to lose big money in an advance fee fraud.

European Lottery Guild is offering you an opportunity to cash in on three of Europe’s most “spectacular multi-million-Euro Lottos: the official state lottos of France, Spain and Germany”.

In a sneaky attempt to retrieve your personal details and of course, your money, the European Prize Allocations Commission wants you to believe you have a real chance at winning thousands of dollars.

Eva Lorca brings you a prize that doubles your winnings! WA ScamNet contributors have guessed that if misleading mail like this was sent from Australia, the sender would be prosecuted. So they send it post free to WA ScamNet instead. Well done, and thank you!

If you've received a full colour letter complete with this charlatan's photo telling you the astral conjunction is foretelling a fortune heading your way, keep your $65 and spirit the letter to us so we can share the good news with her that we are still watching.

International sporting events and concerts featuring international artists bring scammers from around the world out of the woodwork attempting to profit from the excitement surrounding major events. Bogus ticket sellers, sometimes offering travel/accommodation packages as well, have caught many sporting and music fans in their web of deception.

WA ScamNet is working with the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission to try to track down the scammers behind these letters, scratchies and the associated website. A similar version has been seen over East under the name Aviats Travel.

The FBI has sent you – YOU – an email claiming it has been monitoring your Internet use and you have accessed a number of so-called illegal sites.It wants you to open an attachment and answer a list of questions. Do NOT open this attachment because it contains variants of the W32/sober virus

Scammers are hoping to score a goal with this email claiming to be from the Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA).

Social networking sites aren’t always as friendly as they seem. While they can help you meet new people online, catch up with the latest goss and find friends from long ago, some of these sites are also targeted by scammers trying to make money out of you.

A Facebook Messenger scam attempts to trick users into providing personal information or be affected by malware and other dangerous cyber threats.

If you receive a call out of the blue claiming to be from ‘WhatPhone’ offering a free mobile phone with a cheap contract then hang up – it’s a scam.

WA ScamNet warns three consumers have lost more than $2,000 between them to scam site weberbbqstore.com.au which has all the hallmarks of a fraud

In October 2019, consumers received calls offering great mobile phone plans with a cheap contract offered by mobilecitii at www.mobilecitii.com website. It required a driver’s licence number and Medicare number to sign up. The fake website was set up to appear to be the legitimate mobileciti website and to draw victims to a legitimate-looking website. 

Scammers posing as NDIS providers are calling and requesting personal information and banking details.

WA ScamNet has received reports about a number of fake websites selling cheap outboard motors.

Do NOT buy anything online from GardenOutdoorSales.com.au, the website is a front to steal money.

A fake email is doing the rounds, pretending to be from PayPal. It leads people to believe they've been paid by a buyer of their goods, but in fact they haven't.

WA ScamNet has received a report about a fake wesite, aquarium center, claiming to sell heavily discounted aquariums and accessories with further reductions offered for payment by bank transfer. Goods were ordered but not received.

Consumers need to be careful about which online retailers they use after at least two cases where people ordered barbecue equipment that never arrived.

Warning from WA ScamNet about a fake website selling cheap second-hand caravans.

WA ScamNet has received reports about two websites claiming to sell discounted second-hand farming machinery with products paid for but not delivered.

WA ScamNet have received five separate reports from consumers who lost money after receiving a call from a company offering cheap holiday accommodation.

Text messages and Facebook advertisements are attempting to lure consumers into prepaying fees for a fake loan from Quality Financial Services.

WA ScamNet has received a number of reports from consumers who have tried to purchase massage chairs, mobility scooters and children’s scooters from various websites, and never received the products.

WA ScamNet is warning consumers about fake online stores on Facebook featuring the latest mobile phones for sale at heavily discounted prices. 

Money mule recruiters who promote fake job offers via email are now turning to newspapers and other media outlets to run advertisements.

This is an example of a fake website

Two fake websites selling power tools were recently reported to WA ScamNet. The websites claim to sell discounted power tools with items ordered but not delivered.

A WA woman has lost more than $10,000 in an online romance scam after a fraudster used stolen social media images to pose as a ship captain called ‘Thomas Steve’.

This is an example of a fake website

This is a fake website

This is an example of a fake website

This is a fake website

This is an example of a fake website

This is an example of a fake website

This is an example of a fake website

This is a fake website

This is an example of a fake website

This is an example of a fake website

This is an example of a fake website

This is an example of a fake website

WA ScamNet is receiving increasing reports of scammers impersonating staff from Amazon and its streaming service Amazon Prime.

The calls and messages are a phishing scam to try to lure consumers out of their banking and personal information.

WA ScamNet has received reports about fake advertisements for rental properties that attempt to scam you out of your rent and bond money.

WA ScamNet has received a number of reports about fake websites claiming to sell discounted shipping containers that are never delivered after payment is made.

Sample of a fake website

Sample of a fake website

Sample of a fake website

Sample of a fake website

Sample of a fake website

"Is that you?"  Victims receive a text message with a link from a random number about a video. The aim of this scam is to obtain sensitive data or to install malware on the device.

Western Australians in search of the bargain of the century could be scammed by fake websites that cleverly copy legitimate enterprises. Consumers need to be wary of ‘great deals’ offered via internet searches or pop-ups as scammers hope to catch victims out when impulse buying on the promise of a super bargain.

Businesses are often targeted by scammers hoping that busy firms may sign invoices without checking their authenticity. Sometimes these fake invoices are for a listing in a publication which the business hasn’t ordered.

Texts supposedly from a son or daughter tell parents that their phone has been lost or damaged. Messages received usually start with ‘Hi Mum’ and continue to say they are in urgent need of money.

Overseas visitors on working holidays and Australian's travelling on a 'gap year' are the target of fake offers of employment at farms and wineries.  

Global US freight company FedEx is the front used by overseas scammers to relieve recipients of amounts up to US$300 in this Advance Fee Fraud.

"This office takes pleasure in notifying you that you are a guaranteed cash prize recipient in the Fedder & Brothers Partnership's International Cash Sweepstakes, and we urgently request that you return the enclosed Form 2719, bearing your personal Cash Claim Number BX321 0730044484 immediately, allowing us to rush your cash prize to you by International air post."

We have seen scam emails aleging to be from the FBI before.  This time an email from Professor Charles C Soludo, who we believe is actually the Executive Governor of the Bank of Nigeria, is the start of an elaborate four-part advance fee fraud scam. The first part of the scam tells recipients they have a contract/inheritance payment of US$5 million waiting to be transferred to them via automatic teller machine.

Sounds to good to be true... It is...The fine print (which has been reproduced below) says that this will enter you in the draw for the check and that this promotion is purely aimed at attracting customers' attention to various goods...the worst part of the fine print says that if, for some reason, the draw has to be cancelled, the organisers don't owe you anything.

This is a typical overpayment and purchase order scam. The scammers come up with some reason for you to charge the credit card for an amount greater than the value of the stay. They will then request the balance be sent to a third party, such as a car rental agency, or returned to the scammer.

If something is too good to be true, then it probably is! This is just another money transfer scheme. FinServ are actually recruiting "money mules" to accept fraudulent transactions in their accounts.

Money mule recruiters have come up with a new hook to get you involved in illegal money laundering - pretend it's to do with charity work.

People seeking jobs with flexible work conditions, such as working from home need to watch-out for job scams that attempt to steal your money, rather than make you any.   

The Fort Langley mob is an audacious and misleading lot.

Answer a question and hand over your money.

Firstly, you are DEFINITELY not a person to IMMEDIATELY receive a CHECK for $30,000 and you have to send $60.00 to cover administration and delivery.

6 December 2019

Fraudulent ‘French Bull Rehoming’ website which claims to re-home French and British bulldog puppies.

 The fine print for this offer is in grey on the inside of the envelope! Wow! The promoter apparently expects 50,000 responses from nine countries. There is one each of a car, a kitchen and a savings account to be won. But everyone who enters wins the “cruise” (six hours each way) plus eight nights’ accommodation – but is responsible for airfares to and from Florida.

The letter warns that this promotion may be under different creative presentations. Dare we suggest the following names which all offer “sweepstakes reports” with Fort Langley return addresses.

A range of scams involving bogus psychics and clairvoyants are flooding letter boxes with the only guarantee about the receiver’s future being that they will be out of pocket if they respond.  The various scams offer to give the lucky recipients winning lottery numbers, good luck charms to improve financial fortunes and ways to unlock the secrets of winning games of chance. But not for free of course!  All scams suggest a payment of good faith ranging from $29.90 to $100.

Gabriel claims to be an extra-lucid clairvoyant with paranormal phenomena. He personally knows your situation and has foreseen great monetary wins – but only if you purchase his magical talisman and good luck charms. In fact, you are just a name on a mailing list.

If you wake up to a letter in the post saying “you have definitely been declared the only person to have won $107,600.00”, sorry but your dreams of winning big money haven’t come true.

WA ScamNet received a recent report from a lady who lost $109,000 to a scammer after using the match.com dating website. After starting up an online conversation with David71, he said his name was George Baranoski and asked her to chat with him on Facebook rather than the dating website. 

The great Australian dream of winning Lotto is what these scammers are banking on. If you are going to play lotto then stick with the government regulated system in Australia. Profits from the Australian lotto system go to legitimate charities that help fellow Australians and  not into the pockets of scammers.

Scammers are using images of Federal Treasurer Josh Frydenburg to lure consumers into a cryptocurrency con that falsely claims to have made millions of dollars for thousands of Australians.

"I am instructed to tell you some news that will amaze you and fill you with joy. You and I will be the only ones to know why you have deserved this Gift of Life."

Scammers are demanding gift cards for unpaid tax debts or payment of government fees for visas or grants.

  Scammers use Trojan and key logging viruses to capture customer online banking details. They need Australian bank accounts to launder the money through. Once you receive the money, you take your cut and pass the rest to a pre-arranged overseas destination.

An email arrives in your inbox claiming that a major electronics manufacturer is trying word-of-mouth advertising to introduce its products.This is a hoax email. There are various versions of this email offering electronic goods, crates of champagne, gift vouches and even cash.

You’ll need a magnifying glass to read the fine print which states that this letter does not contain any firm offer to claim a prize. It is an advertising document presented in “an appealing manner” and the object of the game is to promote the sale of the magic fortune crystal.

If you were sick of the Swiss Invest email clogging up your email inboxes then brace yourself for Global Austrian Syndicate (GAS).

If you can’t con them once, then try conning them under a different name – that should be the motto for the scammers behind the Global job/wdajob.com email.

On 20 and 23 April 2004 the United States Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) arrested the principals of a New York company for money-laundering and conspiracy in connection with the illegal promotion of the El Gordo lottery.  This case started with an enquiry from Western Australia and led directly to the creation of WA ScamNet!

Global Wealth Reporters claim you have the opportunity to receive up to $2,005,944. It doesn’t matter what version of the letter you receive. All you will get for your money is a booklet containing lists of prize draws, lotteries, contests and other promotions you can enter. Is this really good value for your money?

Global Win Office of the Netherlands claims you have won a cash prize in a lottery with a jackpot of $60,000.

GlobalIndusty Finance Group claims to be a finance company looking for part-time financial contractors. It claims you can earn between $1000 and $2000 a week. All you need to do is provide your bank account details.This is just another money transfer scheme. GlobalIndustry is actually recruiting "money mules" to accept fraudulent transactions in their accounts.

T Weston, the messenger of your happiness, writes from the Netherlands to advise you that they have $242,500 exclusively reserved for you that can be transformed into cash in just 24 hours. Will you receive your personal file?  Will it include $242,500, the key to future happiness?  Or will you have just spent $29.00 to contribute to the future happiness of someone you don’t know from the Netherlands?

Don't be taken in by the Goldrush Sweepstakes Release (GSR) letter - its just "fool's gold".

Goode, Walker & Company claimed to be acting on behalf of “Worchester Jewelers, London, England” who operated a Worldwide Publicity Sweepstake. The best you are likely to get for your $31.97 is junk jewellery worth a fraction of the cost of the processing fee.

An offer of paid work for typing from your home computer can be very tempting, but beware – it could be another scam to actually take money from you!

 An Eden Hill man has been convicted for a second time and fined a total of $10,000 for promoting and taking part in an illegal pyramid scheme.

Graeme John Eddington, who operated under the business name Living Polarbear Style, was fined $5,000 each on two charges of participating in a pyramid scheme and attempting to induce another man to participate in the scheme. Mr Eddington was also ordered to pay Court costs of $5,886 in the Perth Magistrates Court on 11 January 2013.

Three types of communication have been used in this elaborate scam involving a text message, a bogus website and an overseas call centre.

Greenery Holiday out of Malaysia have rebranded in an attempt to scam again.

Like a rich spicy dish, some scams keep repeating.  A Canadian based group,  Greenfield Associates claim to offer the lucky recipients of their unsolicited letters a cash award of US$10,000 or, if you’re prepared to wait a little longer, ten annual payments of US$1,138.71.

WA ScamNet has shut down a fake website and social media account that claimed to sell German Shepherd and Rottweiler puppies, but left buyers out of pocket and without a dog. 

“This is an official notice from the International Cash Payment Centre. Do not disregard. Read carefully. Acknowledge promptly,” the letter from Greystone Financial Services reads.

Gros Lot Gagner claims you are the unique prize winner of a cheque for $22,500.

Reports of an international facebook lottery scam featuring a ficticious officer have been received by WA ScamNet.

Watch out for fake gym and fitness websites, classified adverts, and social media pages operated by scammers.

12 worried Western Australians have sent in copies of HD International Legal Consults letters to WA ScamNet regarding "a beneficiary opportunity" to claim 40% of $37 million US.

Con artists posing as employees and senior executives of the Hang Seng Bank are trying to rope you into becoming a ‘partner’ in a business transaction.

This is a Canadian sweepstake, posted in bulk from Singapore.  

Hauser, Gottesman & Associates claim a dossier of cash and prizes worth $2,365,603 has your name on it. This is the same offer made by 17 other scams operating out of three PO Boxes in Fort Langley, BC, Canada.

For a token $29.90, Helena Bright, a graduate of the renowned World Institute of Applied Para-Psychology and a flash medium clairvoyant since birth, promises you will win so much money you will not know where to put it! You have been chosen. Helena might have a heart of gold in wanting to pay her mate a slice of the action, but we reckon you would be better off leaving this scam well alone.

Hemstead, Rosen & Cornwell (HRC) have the grand title of identification and claims facilitator whose role is to identify people who have won prize money. HRC state they will refund you money if you are dissatisfied with the report and will take your name off their mailing list. WA ScamNet suggests you take up their offer - it's the only worthwhile statement in this whole proposal!

Western Australians are receiving email notifications from Heritage Lottery International, United Kingdom, that they have won a cash prize. This email is an advance fee fraud email scam. If you respond, the scammers will start asking you for thousands of dollars in payments to release the money.

Home theatre hi-fi audio equipment is being sold from the back of vans in the Perth metropolitan area. The equipment is branded "Denmark Audio" with sales people claiming it was left over from a "job" and they were told not to bring it back (to their office). Stickers inside the equipment seen by Consumer Protection officers indicate the equipment was manufactured in China.

A fake company calling itself Higgins Trust Group is trying to obtain job seekers’ bank account details by offering employment in administrative roles.

We recently received a report in relation to a job seeker who received an email from “Hilton Metropolitan Hotels Australia” (info@hiltonmetropolitanholtels.com) offering her a job at Double Tree by Hilton. 

Hispanic Classic Lotto Program claims you are the winner in an international promotions program. You are entitled to claim €546,924. This is an advance fee fraud and if you respond, you will be asked to send money to pay for fees and charges to access your winnings. The scammers may also use your personal details for criminal activity – including accessing your bank account.

Scammers have reached a new low with this vicious scam that threatens to kill people unless they give in to demands and pay thousands of dollars to an alleged assassin.

Consumer Protection has received complaints from consumers who are being woken up in the early hours of the morning by overseas time-share touters.

This scam relies on banks taking time to clear an overseas cheque so that the provider is not alerted to the fraud until after they have “refunded” the difference.

Unsolicited emails claim you have been pre-approved for a home or credit loan at a very low interest rate. It does not matter if you have a bad credit rating or history. It only takes 60 seconds to fill out the form, the email states. It then asks you to click onto a link. Ignore these emails. It is a scam.

Your aura is in chromatic depression and only psychic soul mates Honorine and Gerald can help. What is chromatic depression? WA ScamNet has never heard of it but apparently it has something to do with the aura losing colour and becoming totally transparent. Poor aura! Obviously this is another useless psychic scam. WA ScamNet doubts that Honorine and Gerald actually exist.

WA ScamNet is warning WA travellers about a sophisticated new scam related to accommodation bookings that could risk turning their dream holiday into a nightmare.

The certificate from Huntington Prize Reports notifying you of $900,000 in cash and awards is worthy of being framed – as a prime example of a scam!

Days before Hurricane Katrina slammed into the Gulf Coast of the U.S., fraudsters began registering Katrina-related websites hoping to profit from an anticipated outpouring of charitable donations for storm victims.

This puppy scam hits victims twice!  It advertises for husky or pomsky puppies but then also hits up the buyers for additional fees for insurances, vaccines and shipping.

I.M.M.A Financial Services wants you to join their list of winners.It claims you are the winner of $15,000.With all the effort these scammers have put into the slick presentation letter, you would think they could come up with a better name than “the International Institute of Anonymous Billionaires”.Maybe they are hoping that if everybody falls for this rubbish, they will become billionaires themselves!

The Holocaust is being used as a lure to steal money from the greedy in this version of an advance fee fraud scam.

Does learning the secret to unlock $377,000 sound tempting? Well, for most people it does. But don’t get sucked in to Igor Palputin’s “vision” to make you rich in less than 37 days

The great Australian dream of winning Lotto is what ILS is banking on. ILS may have seven good reasons for you to send off your winning scratch cards or your credit card details but WA ScamNet has plenty of reasons to advise you not to.

The Fort Langley mob are at it again, this time under the name IPD.

You are the winner of the Grand Prize of AUD 90,000 - Guaranteed! That's the hook. Hang on! The line above the headline says, "If your number is the winning number, we'll be able to announce: You are the winner … "That's the line. Where's the sinker?  The letter from the Prize Distribution Department, the "Personal Winner's Notification" or the "Last Notice to Respond to this AUD 65,000 Message!" tells you that: You have not actually won a prize

Promo Direct Ltd and ISS are masters of the postal scam.

You have been invited to join “The Secret Community of Money from Sumer” which apparently will result in you receiving a “shower of money that rains into your life”. If you send off your money, the only “community” you will be initiated into is the “Community of Scam Victims”.

Immediate Wealth has been sending personally addressed letters to our WA ScamNet contributors notifying them of their $30,000 Prize Entitlement Papers.  At least the contest rules advise that you could be sent additional offers and their mailing list is shared with other firms. Beware!

Imperial Imports claims that its official judges have selected you as a "cash award recipient in the US$10,000 Cash Award International Sweepstakes".  Of course the real aim behind this mail out is to flog you the pen set for US$40. Is the pen set really worth the money? We doubt it!

Ignore this email. Impex Consult Financial Consulting Group want to exploit you, not employ you!

This company is kindly informing consumers that they have been authorised to receive an RCA 65" television valued at US$4,500 and they can receive it as easily as sending the liquidation fee of just US$29.95.Switch off this offer and keep your money as the close typed small print on the reverse of the form tells you in a round about way that you've got "buckleys" of getting anything even close to $29.95US in value, never mind $4,500US.

Promo Direct are in the running for the 2007 “Stupidest Scam Name of the Year” Award with their latest offering – Independent Fund for the Distribution of Unclaimed Wins.

A European publishing company, first identified by WA ScamNet in 2006 continues to invite you to submit an ‘update’ of your business details for the Australian section of an international CD-ROM and Internet directory.

Instant Cash project coordinator Jason Braun has a part-time position in his company to facilitate financial transactions. Don’t let the company’s slick website fool you, this is just another money transfer scheme.

We all know looks can be deceiving and this letter is not an exception to the rule. An exciting piece of mail is delivered to your letterbox with AUS$19,200 CASH emblazoned in bold capitals across the envelope.

Some cases you can count yourself lucky for someone always helping you to financial freedom - but if you have the team at IER (or IEF) on your side your luck has turned sour!

Winning a brand new Range Rover valued at $110,800 as a prize is certainly fantastic news – if it were true!  The vehicle, or its cash equivalent, is being offered in the latest lottery prize scam circulating by mail.

It’s a puzzle why International Award Payment Centre persists in misleading consumers into entering its competitions by claiming they have already won.

International Awards Bureau (IAB) has $10,000 up for grabs.Take away the flowery language and what have you got? "Swarovski" is a brand of glass crystal and garnet is a semi-precious stone. A one-carat garnet costs about $5. And white gold plating is, well, plating that will rub off in time.

A well presented personally addressed letter informs you are holder of a unique $100,000 cash payment number. Read the details carefully and you’ll discover you haven’t actually won $100,000, just the chance to enter a sweepstake to win $100,000 if you send in your details.

How much would you be willing to pay for the title of ’International Professional of the Year’?

Wouldn’t you love to become a member of an exclusive billionaire’s club? Unfortunately you won’t get there by responding to this scam letter.

International Cheques Clearing House is writing to people to advise a guaranteed US$10,000 payout is still pending.The real aim of the letter is to get you to take up the ‘Class A’ jewellery offer. Since when do genuine diamonds sell for US$34.95? It’s more likely to be genuine crystals and the whole jewellery set is probably not worth much more than your postage costs.

Just fill out claim form number C11.7US, pop it into the envelope that you have to buy a stamp for, and a share of $133 million US will be on its way to you - NOT. Inspector number #17 who personally seals the envelopes will be looking for another job as WA ScamNet will continue to expose their scam.

When you’re on a good scam, stick to it.  That seems to be the motto of the con artists behind this latest Rossi Milano wallet rort.

A mysterious benefactor offering you money sounds like something out of a Charles Dickens book, but it’s one of the latest postal scams doing the rounds.

International Express Awards (IEA) boldly tells you they are not another “junk mail” letter or a form letter.  IEA may claim their letter is an official awards communication but we know its just another scam letter.

A certified and guaranteed cheque for $57,000 is all yours, according to the official looking document from International Fund for Cash Gains (IFCG). Mandatory? Guaranteed? That’s not what the fine print says. It clearly states this letter is an “advertising document” and IFCG “underlines the fact that the document does not contain any firm offer to be eligible for a prize”.

International Leather Shop maintains you are the recipient of a cash award of “up to” US$10,000 in the International Publicity Sweepstakes. This mail-out is just about flogging leather goods through the mail. If you really are interested in getting a Fernando Dalie product – check the Internet where we found at least one site selling the same product without the hogwash.

Consumers are receiving emails and letters claiming they have won money in the La Primitiva or Primitiva lottery, promotion or sweepstake. Advance fee frauds are very sophisticated operations and the operators are experts in convincing victims that they are legitimate.

The letter from Ontario, Canada notifies: Misleading advertising material like this, if published in Australia, would attract the attention of consumer protection agencies. Customers would be able to get help with any claim.

"We need your instructions regarding a shipment bearing your name and address." Sometimes the most valuable part of a transaction like this is your name and address (not the jewellery!) Your particulars can be sold to similar companies for their "sucker lists". It is up to you to guard your personal information from misuse.

International Shipping Depot claims they are holding a package worth US$540 for you. why would you want to pay for something you have not seen? You probably will get a product but we do not think it will be genuine. Be aware that this offer is also being peddled on the Internet.

Send $49.95 to International Special Offers in the UK to get a watch (brand unknown) with a diamond chip on its face, but no warranty that you can enforce locally if things go wrong.

A recent scam we’ve uncovered at WA ScamNet uses the name of one of the world’s most respected and largest police investigative agencies, Interpol, to try to trick people into parting with large amounts of cash.

An overseas company is looking for partners to assist them in investing millions of dollars in Australia. You could stand to profit by as much as 35% of the initial investment. Sounds too good to be true – it certainly is!

Some investment seminars may try and convince you to follow high risk investment strategies, such as borrowing huge sums of money to buy property. Others promote investments that involve lending money on for no security—or with other risky terms. While investment advice can be legitimate and beneficial, it is important to look carefully at what an investment scheme or seminar is offering. Attending an expensive seminar or investing in the wrong kind of scheme can be costly mistakes.

If you reply to this email, the scammer will string you along with some story about needing money to pay off corrupt officials or to transfer the money out of the country. They usually start off requesting small amounts of money, and the requests gradually get larger as the victim becomes entangled in the scam.

The Luck of the Irish has fallen upon you via email.  Be careful of engaging in any form of interaction with people you don’t know asking for money.   Never believe you have won money from a competition overseas that you did not enter let alone someone using a hotmail account.

Add a dash of GAS and a pinch of Norway, and you’ve got the latest money mule scam called Israeli Brokerage Services.

Scammers posing as electronics retailer JB Hi-Fi are sending SMS messages claiming there is a ‘giveaway’ that expires soon – but be warned, it’s nothing more than a phishing exercise to get hold of your credit card details.  

The latest rort that overseas scammers are trying on WA small businesses is a swindle involving accommodation bookings for supposed conferences being arranged by someone claiming to be Jim Owen from the Jim Owen Agency in London.

Oh, hang on, the Association for the Control of Efficacy of Clairvoyants certainly sounds very impressive and official all that’s pretty meaningless when you think about it. Anybody can get this kind of stuff printed up – crests and stamps and signatures and all, marked as being from an association that doesn’t exist. So don’t be fooled. The creation of an impression of being ‘official’ and legitimate is a standard trick of scammers.

You are one of four people Swiss Astro-numerologist Johann Christensen has chosen to pass on the secret of great wealth.  If Johann knows the valuable alchemic secret and is such a generous soul, why does he need to charge $32 to share it with you? That’s right. This is another pesky psychic scam.

John Latimore Wainwright loves the word definite. WA ScamNet can definitely say this is a scam and you are not the only one that has received this offer.

At WA ScamNet we didn’t need a crystal ball to know that we’d be naming and shaming another clairvoyant scam; even though we’ve issued warnings about 90 or so previously. A number of copies of a letter and voucher from Joseph von Jalan have been sent to Consumer Protection by concerned Western Australians who felt vulnerable members of the community may be duped; WA ScamNet agrees.

Dutch star clairvoyant and cosmetologist Julie Haley has chosen you to receive the CristAnandaMagic, a crystal that contains the secret treasures of Ma Ananda Moyi, an Indian woman saint. Fine print at the bottom of the certificate to be returned to Julie states:  “Julie Hayley is not a real person, but a trademark of ‘Calypso’ and the offer made is a commercial proposition.”  Well surprise, surprise!

A US-based publishing house called Jupiter Group is behind a number of clairvoyant scams arriving in mailboxes across Western Australia. 

Promoters of a fraudulent tax scheme are targeting residents in Kimberley communities with the promise of a large tax return, prompting a warning by Consumer Protection and the Australian Taxation Office (ATO). 

More scams target Kimberley flood victims via social media.

A letter from Kingston & Strathmore is recycling a scam last seen in 2007 when Imperial Imports offered the same shonky deal.

Don’t let kitten scammers get their claws into your money. It’s a new version of the age-old puppy scam. Scammers advertise a puppy or kitten for sale in the classifieds either in newspapers or online, usually providing an email address as a contact point. The animal being advertised is often a popular breed and the asking price is lower than the market value. The seller requests that payment for a crate and shipping of the kitten or puppy be sent by wire transfer. Sadly the animal never arrives and Consumer Protection has received reports of monetary loss from many heartbroken would-be pet owners.

Krysto De La Tour has been extremely busy. This self described ‘jade-eyed clairvoyant’ and medium, operating out of Switzerland, is a prolific letter writer, and he has been targeting Western Australians with predictions of true happiness, success, and unimaginable luck! Without needing to access either your money or personal details, WA ScamNet can also predict your future.  Respond to this persistent shyster, and you’ll be ripped off.

Do you believe in the tooth fairy, Santa Claus or the Easter bunny? If not, you shouldn’t believe in The Assembly of Angels on earth either.

“Congratulations. You have just been selected as one of the most motivated people amongst tens of thousands who most want to change their life and push luck and the chance to their limits.“Congratulations. You have just been selected from one of the suckers’ lists to receive a worthless offer that won’t change your life and will only leave you poorer.”

Consumers are receiving emails and letters claiming they have won money in the La Primitiva or Primitiva lottery, promotion or sweepstake. La Primitiva and El Gordo are legitimate Spanish lotteries, not sweepstakes, and are endorsed by government. But the letters and emails that consumers receive are fake and commonly known as advance fee frauds or Nigerian scams.

Lady Mary swears that you will be the only winner of the Super Jackpot of $6 million dollars on a set date. It’s a shame she has sent out exactly the same letter to countless other people. Maybe we are all meant to share in lots of $6 million jackpots!

Just imagine your luck when Laure Athol sends you a personal cheque declaring you the grand winner of $22,250, “the sole grand winner” plucked from the 20 million plus population of Australia. WA ScamNet doesn’t have a crystal ball or psychic powers but believes it is quite plain to see the cheque for $22,250 Ms Athol promises she has written out for you is non-existent.

Scammers are doing their homework on Government law enforcement agencies and copying logos and job titles in order to dupe people into sending them money.

Reports received in the last two weeks indicate that a man with an Italian accent, going by the name of Mr Antonio, has been selling jackets, which he claims to be leather and made by the designer Giorgio Armani.

This offer popped up on fax machines all over town saying it had taken America by storm, had changed lives and could be used to:

Lise and Rose claim to be two “enlightened sisters” of the world of clairvoyance. We think they are two “enlightened sisters” of the world of scams.

This type of scam appears to have emerged during COVID-19 when live stream events have become more popular due to social distancing restrictions.

Well-known English football club Liverpool has had its name and reputation hijacked in a number of email scams.

Loria Peterson is going to guide you, shoulder you and help you for 122 days – for free all Loria Peterson needed to perform this scam ritual is a computer, a printer, a mailing list, credit card facilities and a vulnerable consumer.

Western Australians must be a lucky lot judging by the mountains of emails landing in our inboxes proclaiming we have won the lottery or an international promotion. The emails use various names and logos to hook you in. Some emails copy legitimate government lottery logos to add legitimacy to the scam.

This is just another Fake lottery scam. Save your money don't send it to these scammers!

An email using the Lotterywest logo and other unauthorised images has been received by many WA consumers advising them of a bogus Lotto win.

“Not long ago, if you remember, you were experiencing a feeling of injustice or anger which overwhelmed you,” writes medium Louise Eridan. It’s a shame this is another work of pure fiction by the mail order sales company Blacktacos.

Professional looking websites and advertisements are being used to lure prospective employees in the construction industry, but it's a scam. 

 Don't get infected by Marcher malware which is targeting Android devices. 

Madame Arachnea's spider ensnares your winning lottery numbers - or you will be condemned to hell for ignoring the letter. Naturally, this psychic spider did not foretell how many of Madame Arachnea's letters would be sent to WA ScamNet.  Or maybe the spider tricked her with its own web of deceit?

Madame Soleil was a famous French astrologer but the clairvoyant Madame Soleil, who is currently writing to consumers offering 11 exceptional miracles, is not the real Madame Soleil . This is a typical psychic scam full of fake predictions and empty promises.  Be warned that there may be other variations of this letter.

"Protection, Wealth, Joy in Life and Happiness as well as Good Fortune!"  All you have to do to secure the privileges of the Great Secret is return the acceptance form along with $49. Be in no doubt the Grand Master Zhandler is indeed a grand trickster!

Swiss clairvoyant, astro-medium and numerologist Magdalena has a number of different spiels which she uses to try to scam you out of money.

Consumer Protection has named eighteen different  advanced fee fraud scams identified in over 100,000 letters seized earlier in 2013.

Back in 2006 Mala Devi had just come back from the famous ‘Kumba-Mela’ pilgrimage with the only 17 Bracelets of the Sages with 14 magical powers left.  You don’t have to be a clairvoyant to predict that this is a scam.

Indian clairvoyant Mala Devi has returned from the famous Kumba-Mela pilgrimage with the 17 remaining Bracelets of the Sages with 14 magical powers. It’s a shame that the bracelets can’t protect you from shysters like Mala Devi!

You’ve just won 150,000 US dollars!  It is second prize in a lottery being conducted by the Malaysian Starize Travelling Group as a promotion, and joy of joys, your “scratchie” has turned up trumps. But then, so has everyone else who has contacted WA ScamNet about the eight page glossy travel brochure with its accompanying lucky lottery ticket inside.

Poor Marc Smiths. He has won millions with his lucky Glistening Golden Coin. This is a very ham-fisted attempt to con you out of your money by trying to empathise with your circumstances while, at the same time, trying to illicit sympathy for the plight of the Smiths family. This so-called “battler-made-good” even lets you pay your $50 by credit card! How many people do you know have a credit card facility?

Maria is a typical psychic scam who uses threats and the promises of money to get you to hand over your dollars. New Zealand’s Ministry of Consumer Affairs is also warning its consumers to steer clear of Maria Rosa.

Maria’s letter offers ‘a fairy tale life’. Maria gives an absolute guarantee and offers a refund if you are not completely happy within four months. Do you believe in fairy tales?  Maria is one of many overseas companies who send these types of letters in bulk.  Send them in to us and keep your money in your pocket.

Maria de la Vega claims to be an internationally recognised clairvoyant and grand master of occultism. But WA ScamNet believes Maria is just a figment of the fertile imagination of the scammers behind the black-hearted Blacktacos mail order company.

Marie Callas claims to be a clairvoyant, medium, numerologist, specialist in astrology and tarot, dowser, author of numerous books and articles, mage, spirit. But Marie has forgotten one important title – prolific psychic scammer.

How lucky are you? WA ScamNet suggests not very lucky if you reply and to Mrs Desperance’s request for help to her Swiss address, probably linked to her Swiss bank account.

If $9000 would help offset today’s high interest rates and fuel prices, read on. The operators of this scam push hard and fast, telling the reader they are one of two confirmed final recipients. But, Markham, Donnelly and Associates are drawing people into a game of chance, as the small print on the back states.

It appears renting out dragons' eggs can be a good little earner; but remember, if it looks too good to be true...it probably is!

Like so many other scams, Zholtan creates a sense of urgency by telling you to reply within 24 hours or you forfeit your chance to be part of the lucky 444. If you participate, by paying up to $125 as a “small symbolic contribution”, Zholtan will not only send you your personal “visionary” numbers but also the precious “Magic-Lotto”, a crystal ball on a stand especially “programmed to unblock [your] chronic bad luck on the lottery”

Maetre Norbu and his mini-me evil sidekick Sonam are sending out a poisonous letter designed to scare you into sending money.

An email from the famous McDonald’s restaurant chain and the promise of some cash for completing a simple customer survey – it’s no wonder consumers are falling for this scam.

Mega Money is a Scam andinvites you to enter a bogus competition.

“No cold calling, no selling to family and friends, no door to door sales! Just sales support for our growing company.” That’s the pitch used in an email purportedly from Mercury Industries.The pitch should actually read: “No cold calling, no selling to family and friends, no door to door sales! Just an illegal money transfer scheme which could land you in hot water”.

Peruvian-born Michelle Alby, from Holland, claims to be one of the greatest clairvoyants of all time and that her gifts are recognised by the scientific community. Do not respond to this letter. It is just another psychic scam. Some scams, like this one, try to scare you into parting with your money. At the end of the day, you will be handing over $98 for hot air and a cheap gold-coloured chain.

The Microsoft International Lottery Board letter claims that you have won a major prize in a competition run sometime ago. It claims that due to a mix up of numbers, the results were not released until recently.

It’s arguably the most reported scam Consumer Protection’s ever seen: we’ve had calls from hundreds of people in WA who’ve been phoned by scammers posing as Microsoft engineers.

The phone rings and at the other end of the line is a scammer claiming to be from Microsoft, wanting to gain access to your computer and personal details, and worse still charge your credit card for the privilege.Now to add insult to injury, victims are being targeted a second time

Update 4th October 2012 : Global action busts scammers posing as Microsoft

Joint action between three international regulators has thwarted a massive global phone scam, with US authorities this week winning court orders to close down and freeze funds of imposters posing as Microsoft employees offering to fix PC viruses. Read more

This is a typical psychic scam letter. Mikael (we doubt that such a person exists) does not know you personally. He has got your name from a mailing list. You are just one of the hundreds of thousands of people who have received the same letter. Do not fall for this sham. If you respond and send off your money, the only thing you will receive is more psychic scam letters.

 If you are a Western Australian and participate in this scheme, you will be chased by Consumer Protection, required to sign undertakings (or face prosecution) not to participate in the scheme and made to refund any money you have made

A lucky gambling genie will make all your financial dreams come true, according to the wizard of gambling Milka Petrovna. Forget the lucky gambling genie, if you respond to this letter you will be opening a Pandora’s box of other scams.This scam has a Swiss return mailing address of CH 1172 Bougy Villars. Can’t somebody grant our wish for all psychic scams to disappear!

Feel lethargic, tired and irritable or need to shed a few kilos like the TV show Australia’s Biggest Losers? Natural medicine specialist Dr Martinet of Mineralis, Switzerland has just the tonic you need. Clearly we believe all of these claims to be false and designed to part you from your money. Our advice, do not get involved in this scam.

A warning has been issued to the public not to deal with Peter Noel Anthony Sorensen and the business entities Construction Mining & Resource Media and Mining & Resource Media.

During June and July 2012 Consumer Protection has seen an increase in reports of recruitment scams using offers of employment in the WA mining and resource industry.

Scammers are using Facebook, online classifieds and fake recruitment websites to get in contact with victims. 

Miss Celeste from Holland claims to be an authentic clairvoyant and “specialist in desperate cases”. The only thing that Miss Celeste is a specialist in is deception.

Miss Malinda also wants to send you your “Complete and Confidential Personal Lunar Revolution Astrological Forecast” which will bring you luck, money and everything you need for complete happiness. The cost is $53. Sounds wonderful until you read the conditions, sneakily printed on the inside of the envelope containing your letter.

WA ScamNet has been warning consumers about the dangers of wire transfer since the scam warning website was originally launched back in 2002. Up until now the predominant service misused during scams targeting Australians has been Western Union. However several recent reports (July 2011-March 2012) received by Consumer Protection and investigated by WA ScamNet have involved a service called Ukash.

The promise to disperse more than a US$1m in cash prizes to a select few direct mail recipients is nothing more than a big hoax.

Luckily they all read the Official Rules that told them they had not actually won any money yet, but were invited to enter a draw for the $9,000.00 grand prize, with the odds of winning it being 1:150,000. Like we all don't get enough junk-mail already… If it looks too good to be true, it probably is…!

Money transfer schemes are the latest so-called “working from home” scams to hit our email inboxes. The schemes claim to offer you a commission simply for receiving money into your bank account and then transferring it out again. There are laws against money laundering. Is the money worth the risk of prosecution and a criminal record?

This pathetic letter is a load of codswallop! Why does she need to charge you money if she can use the formula to win up to $5 million herself? With $5 million, she could set up a real charity foundation and help the needy rather than scam money off people. The reason she is chasing you for money is that the formula doesn’t work!.” This is a typical psychic scam. Don’t waste your money on this rubbish!

"$1,000,000 VERIFIED, CONFIRMED, PROOF POSITIVE", the letter from Monies Advisory proclaims in capital letters. Unfortunately, the only thing that will be in your hands is a cheap booklet detailing a list of sweepstakes and other competitions you might be eligible to enter. The total prize pool of the competitions is more than $1,000,000.

Clairvoyant Monsieur Patrick clearly did not foresee a WA ScamNet warning in his own future when he decided to peddle his ‘psychic powers’ to Western Australian consumers.

There’s a parcel addressed to you waiting for collection.  It’s apparently filled with designer goods.   All you have to do is pay the delivery costs.What you would receive for your money isn’t known, but it would be wise not to expect much.

They require a reservation fee from you of US$29.95 (approx $56 Australian) which actually buys you a piece of worthless junk jewellery and ensures whatever details you have provided them will be sent on to other offers...probably also scams.

A warning for WA job-seekers – don’t fall victim to overseas scammers who use mystery shoppers as money mules.

Job adverts for mystery shoppers or survey agents have been appearing in recruitment sections of WA newspapers lately (February 2013) BUT it’s no secret to Consumer Protection that the scheme is a scam.

Opportunistic scammers are attempting to trick people into giving personal information to potentially steal their money or identity.

NAAC is no different. Despite the impression given that you have won big money, you have won nothing! You have to enter the competitions (which have a total prize pool of $768,000) to win anything. Ask yourself, why should you pay money to find out about competitions that you can enter for free?

So what have you won? From the fine print: "The cash award eligibilities consist of the disbursement of various opportunities for fully vested eligibility to win over US$196,103.11 in cash awards." We don't know either.

Similar scam to the International Awards Treasury. Our contributors have told us they have never won money in the sweepstake and the jewellery they received was junk jewellery. The only thing you can be guaranteed of is receiving more and more of these offers.

An old trick in a brand new disguise is starting to infiltrate the inboxes of email accounts and  WA ScamNet fears that some well intentioned people might get themselves into trouble.

WA ScamNet  warns consumers with English as a second language, to beware of scammers who call, speaking in your native language and requesting money.

Hearing about bushfires, floods, cyclones or earthquakes makes most of us want to give but for scammers it’s an opportunity to take.

Nelchael, of Switzerland, claims a cheque in the amount of $340,000 will be given to you, in your hands, next month. Nelchael claims he seldom proposes this type of intervention. Try telling that to the thousands of others who also received this mass mail-out. This is a typical psychic scam. None of our contributors have ever received a big lotto win after sending money off to a psychic scam. All they have received is useless trinkets.

Net Direct Electronics claim you are a cash award recipient in the US$10,000 International Sweepstakes. So what are the chances you will get the US$10,000. No WA ScamNet contributors have ever reported receiving the grand prize. The best you can hope for is US$1.

The Nigerian Government is going to compensate victims of Nigerian scams to the tune of US$150,000 each, the email claims. If only!

Note to scammers: If you want to hoodwink people into your illegal money laundering scams then at least proof read your emails.

On first reading, the personally addressed letter seems to proclaim that you are a winner of a major cash prize ($13,200 and upwards). Of course, you haven’t actually won the money, just the opportunity to enter a competition to win the money.

Small business proprietors reported receiving unsolicited telephone calls to renew their listing in the Northwest WA Business Directory or the Southwest WA Business Directory.

The Norway Consulting Group unsolicited email and website looks sleek and professional but very familiar. That’s because it’s just another template used by scammers trying to recruit money mules to transfer illegally gained money.

We can safely predict that the Dear Friends who send $20 to Nostradamus will not have $20. We further predict that they will get lots of mail saying that, for various fees, they can find out if they have already won prizes in overseas lotteries they have not entered. Just amazing! Funny how Nostradamus and his Oracles didn't predict how so many of their Dear Friends would react to a combination of fear and greed - by sending their special invitation to WA ScamNet.

A fake parcel claim notification, to alert you to $48 worth of jewelry awaiting pick-up, has been turning up in mailboxes in Western Australia. Australia Post is aware of this and aims to intercept the scam mail on our behalf at its sorting facility at Perth airport, however we know some cards are in circulation across WA.

The Nuova Tech Society, Neo-Tech Society, The NT Society, Neo-Tech Publishing Company Inc and Nuova Tech Publishing Company are one and the same. Same Nevada USA address, same telephone and fax numbers.

You have won one of three prizes – a Mitsubishi Montero, a Toshiba 32” Flat Panel HD LCD television or an envelope containing a cash value of $800. Ask yourself why you need to pay $54 to redeem a prize you have won.

It’s a bit rich to call your company “Grand Millionaire Winners Office” when the grand prize is only $30,000.

ORGG should stand for “outrageous rip-offs guaranteed” because this latest offering from Blacktacos is nothing more than a guaranteed rip-off.

A scam letter from an organisation called ORPB in the Netherlands awards consumers $100,000 for the small sum of $45. Funds can be remitted by a draft made payable to “NCS” or by credit card to a post office box.

Do not be sucked in by the suggested urgency; a requirement for you to respond within 10 days. Also ignore claims there has been a special selection process declaring you as the ‘only’ winner. Truth is, the same letter has probably been sent to thousands of others and you’ll never receive any money in return. But at $30 back for every person who falls for it, you can work out what motivates OTEP, or whoever the senders really are.

It says, or is a variation of: Congratulations you’ve won 3rd prize of our company promotion with cert No.K4361, contact us ASAP or else your prize will be cancelled OCD company: **-****-****.

If you want to join a Canadian Lottery syndicate, send $47.95 to Scarborough, Ontario. While you are at it, ask why literature from the

creates the misleading impression that failing to respond means waiving your right to valuable property being held at their office. Don't worry, we will.

We are very concerned about attempts to get you to invest in overseas lotteries and sweepstakes.There is little hope of getting your money or doing anything about it if you don't!

The incredible Olivia Roy, a clairvoyant of Lausanne in Switzerland, sent a bunch of our loyal WA ScamNet contributors the front pages of a future newspaper. Each had the headline naming that person as the winner of more than 30 million dollars.

As athletes train and London gears up for hosting a global sporting event, there’s another group busy at work in the run up to the Olympics 2012 – scammers! Don’t let these fraudsters play games with you and your hard earned cash.

Consumers looking for loans online are again being stung by paying fees or insurance charges upfront to scammers who have stolen the identity of legitimate credit providers.

 It is possible to buy almost anything over the internet these days. Unfortunately, scammers can use the anonymous nature of the internet to rip off unsuspecting shoppers. Scammers can pretend to be selling a product—often very cheaply—just so they can steal your credit card or bank account details. Similarly, they may take your money but send you a faulty or worthless product instead—or even nothing at all.

Students are being warning about an online blackmail scam, whereby scammers are trying to extort money from students visiting essay chat forums. Scammers gain personal information and create spoof emails from universities in order to trap students into paying up big bucks.

Online car sellers are being targeted in an elaborate scam involving bogus buyers and fake PayPal transactions. 

Car enthusiasts are falling victim to professional conmen advertising non-existent performance and prestige cars on legitimate “for sale” websites.

Whether it’s a sponsored post in your social media feed or a pop up advertisement while you’re browsing the web, offers of ‘free trials’ or ‘samples’ are a common sight for internet users. WA ScamNet warns online consumers to be aware of the fine print when accepting a so called free trial.

Consumer Protection has issued an alert after many West Australians desperate to get a loan have been duped by online loan scams. Some of the scammers are stealing the identity of legitimate online money lenders, adding to the confusion of consumers.

Do not place orders with the website directonlinedeals.com.au or onsalemarketdeals.com as WA ScamNet investigates if the website is fraudulent.

Opportunities Unlimited Publications Inc appears to operate an unlimited number of contests judging by the number of letters forwarded to WA ScamNet by our contributors.

The Organisation Centre of Financial Gain (O.C.F.G) should be renamed Organisation Centre of Fraudulent Gains or Scammers Inc.

Wow, you are the unique and exclusive Great Beneficiary of the exceptional sum of $47,500.Read the fine print and you’ll find that this is a promotional offer for the booklet “Recipes to easily win $100.00 to $500.00 per day on the lottery without leaving your home”.

Kinesiologists and other healthcare providers should be on the lookout for a scam in which a client makes a booking by email and then requests reimbursement of an apparent overpayment.

Turf companies are being targeted by scammers who pay upfront for turf using stolen credit cards (or credit card details that have been unlawfully obtained), before changing the order and asking for the money to be ‘refunded’ to bank accounts they control.

If you receive an email or a letter in a similar vein claiming you have won money in an overseas lottery you have never entered, do not respond. This is an advance fee fraud also known as Nigerian scam.

Overseas Subscribers Agents are ticket sellers for super lotteries such as Euromillions and USA Mega Jackpot.“Be advised that there are deceptive operations that have recently engaged in criminal activities that have misled and materially harmed numerous people, creating scepticism that affects legitimate operations such as OSA and others.”

Fake online vintage car sellers. WA ScamNet has received a report from a buyer who lost $13,000 to scammers after agreeing to buy a 1953 Holden FJ Ute from a UK seller posting on a legitimate website.

A WA consumer, who sent off their money to Carter Hammond and Pierce, received a cheap photocopied booklet listing web-based sweepstake and prize giveaways. The consumer was ineligible to enter the sweepstake offering $1 million but could be in the running to win a bottle of intestinal cleanser! Second prize was $5 off a bottle of intestinal cleanser!

Scammers are getting around a common security feature used by organisations to prevent unauthorised access to your personal information. 

Paloma Summer – what a lovely name. Paloma is of Spanish origin meaning dove. Unfortunately, there is nothing dove-like about Paloma Summer, the so-called medium and specialist in the secret science of numbers and lunar magic.

When Pam met Romano on an online dating website, her life changed drastically. Only not in the way she'd hoped. What seemed like the beginings of a dream relationship quickly turned into a nightmare, when over the course of a few months Pam lost over $100,000, and Romano disappeared forever.

Mobile phone users are being warned to watch-out for a new sophisticated parcel delivery scam that addresses the victim by name and is phishing for credit card details.

Pat Griffin isn’t very original it seems. You see the illegal scheme he is trying to peddle to Western Australians is nearly identical to another bunch of schemers including Edward L Green, David Stein, Paul Collins and David Rhodes.

For years, the most common pyramid scheme investigated by Consumer Protection has been a chain letter called the "Paul Collins letter." It says it's all perfectly legal. So why do they need made-up names and PO boxes? Sadly, many of the people who follow the instructions find that the only response they get is from a Consumer Protection Investigator. Instead of a $20 note there is a letter about a $20,000 fine.

The Paul Richmond letter is a pyramid selling scheme and illegal in Western Australia.

Paul Ritter says your name is already on a cheque for $12,800 but WA ScamNet is quite convinced it is not.

47-year-old Paul from East Bunbury was defrauded out of $10,000 over several months after responding to a Facebook friend request from organised criminals posing as a female wanting a romantic relationship.

Consumers wanting to sell second-hand goods on online platforms are warned to watch-out for Pay ID impersonation scams when organising payments.

Pyramid scheme operators are promoting the use of the legitimate online payment system, PayPal, to perpetrate their illegal activities.

The email states that you need to confirm your PayPal information by going directly to a website listed or to click on the link attached.This is a typical phishing email sent by fraudsters in an attempt to collect sensitive personal or financial information from you.

Payment Facilitation Services may have US$279,238.00 waiting for you. That's the amount on the unsigned "cheque." Just send a $26 documentation fee to Harold Wunderman. What's so hard about subtracting the fee and sending you the rest?

The most curious element is the fact that it uses the exact same return address as the Award Notification Service. So who is running these two offers out of the same post box...?

Payment Reporting Systems would have you believe that you are eligible for cash payments worth $5,822,052.63. but has a return address shared by other similar scams - Shannon Airport House in Ireland. Payment Reporting Systems will provide a refund if you are not satisfied (and who wouldn’t be!) and a means of getting off their mailing list. Why not give it a go.

You open the letter and there is a fake cheque for US$10,000 with your name written on it. WA ScamNet contributors, who have participated in these types of promotions in the past, have received jewellery that is more at home on the shelves of a $2 Discount Shop then in jewellery shop.

Alarm bells should ring if a supplier of services or goods contacts your organisation to provide new bank account details for you to pay them.

Property buyers and sellers need to be suspicious of any email appearing to be from their real estate or settlement agent asking for a payment of money or advising of a change in bank account details. This could be the work of scammers. 

Beware of fake websites and social media accounts that claimed to puppies, leaving buyers out of pocket and without a dog.

The phoney prophet who profits, disgraced US televangelist Peter Popoff, is back peddling false promises for cash.

Western Australians are being warned about out-of-the-blue phone calls from scammers pretending to represent a government or other well-known organisation and asking for money.

A phoney fraud alert is similar to a phishing scam. It can come in the form of an email or a phone call claiming to be from your bank or financial institution. The scammer will usually tell you that your credit card or account has been cancelled because it was involved in criminal activity, or because they suspect your card or details have been stolen. This is a trick to get you to given them your account details.

Don’t confuse Power Lotto Online Promo Program with Western Australia’s own Lotterywest Powerball. Powerball is a legitimate lottery run by Lotterywest, which operates lotteries in Western Australia with profits going back to the community. Power Lotto Online Promo Program is an advance fee fraud scam with profits going straight into the scammers’ pockets!!!

It may seem like all your Christmases have come at once, receiving an overseas letter in the mail saying that you could inherit money from a businessman with the same last name as you.It is important that you do not contact Mr Martinez or send money. Don’t be the next victim

Why can't this "sponsor" simply advertise their "offers and items" to Western Australian consumers like yourselves the way the vast majority of legitimate traders do...? We'll ask them on your behalf...

It doesn’t get much cheekier than this – an overseas directory listing scheme has tried to con WA’s Commissioner for Consumer Protection via email.

Consumers are receiving emails and letters claiming they have won money in the La Primitiva or Primitiva lottery, promotion or sweepstake. La Primitiva and El Gordo are legitimate Spanish lotteries, not sweepstakes, and are endorsed by government. But the letters and emails that consumers receive are fake and commonly known as advance fee frauds or Nigerian scams.

UK law firm Robert W. Soon & Associates are delighted to inform you that you are a beneficiary of the estates of the late Princess Diana, the Princess of Wales. Princess Diana tragically died in a car crash in 1997. And eight years on, this law firm claims you are a beneficiary and you did not even know that you were related to royalty.

Targeting the Commissioner for Consumer Protection Anne Driscoll for an internet scam may not seem like the brightest idea, but then scammers are not often accused of being smart or honest.

As usual the devil is in the detail. The terms and conditions begrudgingly reveal, There is "no firm offer"; and Only one final grand prize of $25,200 or a piece of valuable jewellery; The Grand Winner’s name, address, photo and voice can be used in advertising without compensation; and Reduction cheques (secondary winners) of $2,520 are valid exclusively for the purchase of an esoteric product called "Centuries-Old Protection of the Grand Masters’.

Prize Giveaway Inc claims to be an “authorised” referrer and can direct you to cash entities who can pay sweepstake prizes.You’ll probably find you are ineligible to enter some competitions. Some prize giveaways are run by legitimate retailers wanting to promote their business. Other competitions are conducted by direct marketing companies to get your personal information for mailing lists. Always ask yourself whether the prize is worth you being on yet another mailing list!

“Here, Made-Out to You, is Your Completion Document regarding Payout of the Monies now underway in accordance with the Appointed Issuance dates. This is the same offer made by 17 other scams operating out of three PO Boxes in Fort Langley, BC, Canada.

stay sharp. Don't fall into the trap of sending your hard earned cash in the hope that you will receive a new car or a massive cash payout just by solving a simple puzzle, and always remember: ...if it looks too good to be true, it probably is...!

The fine print reveals that all you will get for your hard earned cash is a report detailing competitions and lotteries you may be eligible to enter.This offer is not worth the paper it is printed on.

Prize World Incorporated (PWI) believes you are such a “deserving individual” they want to give you a formal compendium “Gift of Honour”.  This is the same offer made by 17 other scams operating out of three PO Boxes in Fort Langley, BC, Canada.

 why didn't "Prize Administration and Payments" in London simply deduct the $39.99 handling fee and send all our friends just $1,753.96?As usual, fine print on the back contradicts the impression given in headlines on the front. Your handling fee buys an entry into a sweepstakes where you have a one in 250,000 change of winning $1,793.95.

ProActive Pharmaceuticals appears to be a slick, professional operation but behind the fancy facade, it is toxic. The scammers behind ProActive Pharmaceuticals want to recruit you as a money mule to launder stolen money.

Great Cash and Merchandise Giveaway Ready for Immediate Shipment : But what have you won? The rules on the back of the form explain. The chances of winning the money, the food chopper, the TV and the cookware set are one in forty-eight thousand. Everyone who enters "wins" the cordless vacuum cleaner.

A ghost attached to your supernatural veil has foreseen your $700 million Lotto win, according to the letter from spectrologist Professor Djemaro. We think that Professor Djemaro is an apparition himself because the fine print states that the Professor’s identity and photograph are not legally binding.

Professor James Golden will use his "psy-technological wave power" to help you win millions on Lotto. What a load of garbage. The scammers behind Professor Golden must be out of their minds to think that people will fall for this rubbish!

Wouldn’t you love to be able to influence whomever you wanted, to know what they were thinking and to control their actions? This is just another useless psychic scam run out of Switzerland. The only thing the Divinor Cross is likely to attract is more psychic scam letters.

Professor Poona is the sole holder of age-old secrets of the “Dream Dust for Money”. “Dream Dust of Money” – yeh, right! Try pure “bulldust”. All you are likely to get for your $81 is a packet of cheap silver glitter and a lifetime of other fake psychic scam letters from Switzerland.

The "Self Employment Opportunity" ad said "Work from home processing emails.  Earn up to $5,000 pm p/t."  Sound too good to be true?"Project 21" is an email version of an old-fashioned envelope stuffing scam, promising high returns for little or no effort.

Promo Direct Ltd, ISS and B&N are masters of the postal scam.

In the past we’ve seen scammers target people trying to sell cars or computer consoles online but now the problem’s hit the real estate market.

When you read the Official Rules you are told that the the odds of winning the $6,000.00 in Prosperity International Cash Draw's Category One are 1:500,000. Hang on!  Didn't the letter say you'd already won, but failed to claim the money? If it looks too good to be true, it probably is…!

 A text message, coming from the number 0424 842 099 and offering loans from ‘Prudent Financial Services’ is a fake. Don't be fooled by this scam.

Scammers are using puppies as bait in a con targeting Western Australians.

Would you hand over your personal details and $10 for the chance to win $10,000 in the future? It’s no puzzle that this is just another mail scam which you should avoid.

Qantas Frequent Flyers should be aware of a bogus email to ‘complete the survey’ and ‘claim a reward’ - it a phishing scam.

Fake web pages claiming Qantas is giving away two free first class tickets for their 96th anniversary are being shared on social media.

A guaranteed prize amount of $30,000 is yours by answering three questions, or so the organisers behind Quick Cash Contest claim. It’s no puzzle that this is the same scam operating under different names. Don’t waste your money by responding.

Money launderers are using the name of the legitimate company QuikDrop to lure you into international fraud.

You will need more than roadside assistance if you fall for this scam. Criminal gangs are using the name of reputable Western Australian company, RAC Finance Ltd (part of the RACWA group), to trawl for money mules to launder stolen funds.

Dozens of WA ScamNet contributors have received personally addressed letters from Rachel stating they are “one of three people” to receive this year’s prosperity and fortune.

This silent movie wannabe will personally do a cosmic intervention which will cost you $48, $64, $80, or $95.  Isn’t it nice that Radia has given you a choice about how much money she will con out of you? Personally we think that even $48 is a lot to pay for a candle and some mumbo jumbo made up by the people behind the Radia scam. Of course, Radia is not real.

The competition does not close until next year (July 31, 2007) and money will not be paid out until December 2007. It seems a long time to wait to win a small amount of money in an international competition! WA ScamNet has never heard of anyone winning the grand prize in these competitions.

Consumer Protection and WA Police have issued a joint warning to real estate agents after scammers tried to sell a Perth home without the owner’s knowledge. An overseas organised criminal network began the process of selling the home by emailing the Property Manager, using a fake email address which mirrored the true owner’s name. Thankfully the agent followed WA Government guidelines which were introduced following the fraudulent sale of a Karrinyup home in 2010 and a Ballajura home in 2011.

Great mystical clairvoyant and international renowned diviner Rebecca was in the process of working with her divining rods on a big investment project for a businessman when . . .  she came into instant telepathic contact with you. Fantastic … you are a lucky person or maybe not.Interestingly, another psychic Rachel (also featured in WA ScamNet) has the same mailing address as Rebecca. It doesn’t take a divining rod to know that if you respond to Rebecca’s offer, you will soon get a letter from Rachel – if you haven’t already got one!

Rebecca would have you believe if you want natural positive energy to penetrate you and bring you your share of good luck you should also pick a few fragments of plants and post them to her in the envelope. Be kind to your plants and don’t send them to Rebecca in Switzerland and be kinder to yourself by not sending your credit card details, cheque or money order to this scammer.

Scammers have latched onto the current consumer legal action against banks as a way to con Western Australians out of secure personal details over the phone.

There’s a lot to weigh-up when hunting for a rental home, such as your budget and the location, but one important thing to investigate is whether the property is actually available.

We all would like something or someone to come into our lives and make things better without us having to try very hard ourselves. The people behind scams know it. ….and they play on it. But WA ScamNet has seen this kind of operation again and again, and they all look the same and use the same tricks against you

WA ScamNet would love to send this scam down the river but unfortunately it will just resurface under a different name.

 Robert has some advice for other people who have established an online relationship with someone who is asking for money.

How low can scammers go? This email uses the name of a charity for sick kids to recruit innocent people to act as money mules?

Rose Hart of Switzerland is one of several contenders for the dubious honour of the top psychic scam. Her confidential messages "from beyond" to "you and you alone" came to WA ScamNet by the boxful. Each predicted imminent wealth - for a fee. Who could have foreseen that letters from Rose Hart predicting huge winnings would often be followed by an opportunity to invest in an overseas lottery or prize draw?

Consumers are warned not to engage with Royal Bufllies Online a fake puppy website.

Rutger, Feinstein, Rohrbach & Stern have awardable funds totalling $2,540,910 for you. This is the same offer made by 17 other scams operating out of three PO Boxes in Fort Langley, BC, Canada.

Ryan is not a real person. The name was registered as a trademark by UK company, Lancore International Limited, in September 2005. This letter has probably been sent to thousands of people around the globe, not the seven people the letter states. If you respond to this scam, the only thing you are guaranteed of receiving is more scam psychic letters.

“All of my heartiest congratulations! The present notice is made out uniquely for your benefit so that you can take immediate possession of the certified cheque that you have truly WON,” so the letter reads.Well, one thing is certain - you won’t become a millionaire by wasting your money on this rubbish!

An email job offer arrives from a company claiming to have got your resume from SEEK Australia job site.Apparently your resume suits the requirements for a position processing payments. Little computer knowledge is needed and you will be paid DAILY. Your minimal income is $4000 on average a month. Hang-on, this sounds suspiciously like a money mule money laundering scam.

The operators of these sophisticated scams use a well-known legitimate job vacancy website to hook you in to revealing your details.

When is a cheque for $30,000 not a cheque? When “cheque for $30,000” is the name of a game being peddled by scammers SIAL.

An SMS competition or SMS trivia scam usually arrives as a text message and may encourage you to enter a competition for a great prize.The scammers make money by charging extremely high rates for the messages you send, and any further messages they send to you. These charges could be as high as $4 for each message sent and/or received.

Your phone bleeps to alert you that a text message has arrived and when you open the SMS proclaiming a cash or prize win in a promotion you don’t remember entering. If you respond to any of these texts, the scammers will find a way to extort money from you. The money you are paying up-front will not result in you getting anything in return. The only winner will be the person, or people, behind the bogus promotion.

WA ScamNet invites the good professor to take his phoney potions and go for a walk in the Swiss Alps.

Have you ever wanted good fortune, money, happiness and a youthful glow?  This is close to everyone’s dream but Sandra Rochefort claims she has some divine powers to help you achieve this. Don’t be fooled by her trickery, especially if it is just a computer inserting your name in key spots through the letter.  Save your money and invest in your own future. 

Sara Freder uses the hook of a free horoscope email to get you in, then harasses you for her paid services and can even take money out of your bank account.

Motor vehicle repairers in WA are being targeted by scammers who send an email requesting work to be carried out on a car and will go on to ask the business to pay a towing company on their behalf.

Scammers are targeting consumers selling cars online. These scams usually work by getting you to ‘refund’ a scammer who has sent you too much money for an item you are selling or to forward the additional funds to someone else to cover costs such as shipping.

New twist in Microsoft tech support scam: Scammers are contacting their victims to offer them money back in a compensation scheme which they claim is being run by Consumer Protection in Western Australia.

Scammers aim to make you act quickly without thinking first and play on your fear of the law. 

Court subpoenas and fines are emailed by scammers posing as members of the law. 

The Chinese community are being targeted by random calls claiming to be checking a visa application, a package with fraudulent documents or a money laundering investigation with huge losses reported.

A scam asking people to work as secret shoppers in return for payment cleverly uses a code of conduct and ethics, and very real-looking fake cheques, to try to legitimise a complete fraud.

This is just another jewellery promotion campaign. WA ScamNet has never heard of anyone winning the money. All you will receive is a cheap piece of jewellery.

Do you want more paperwork on your “to do” list at home?  Do you want to waste your time filling out entries into an international competition you may not win?  Then have Selective Awards Reporting Agency (SARA) got a deal for you!

There is no cheque or prize, just a load of VERY fine print novelly printed on the inside of the envelope. What you are actually getting if you are silly enough to respond is a "magical octagonal talisman" and a "money plus receptor" for just $70. Both are rubbish.

A sentinel usually refers to a sentry or guard, sometimes a statue that guards a particular place, person or item, as well as an honour guard.

A bogus Malaysian travel company, believed to be responsible for numerous travel scams over the past three years, is again tempting recipients with their latest travel brochure to reveal their personal information and pay $3,500 in fees.

Serena’s fine print offers an ‘universal and unconditional guarantee’.  However, the very fine print states that the guarantee is not related to results, just a seven-day cooling off period if you are not satisfied, provided you write back to a specified address. Save yourself the postage and don’t respond.

An email arrives in your inbox announcing you are the winner of the Shell Petroleum International Lottery Promo. Do not respond to this email. It is an advance fee fraud scam. Shell Australia has confirmed it is a scam and their company has nothing to do with it.

Businesses are being targeted in an insidious new scam aimed at fleecing them of thousands of dollars in bogus shipping fees.

Psychic scammers are targeting unsuspecting shoppers at suburban malls.  

It’s a shame there is NO truth in anything Smaranda writes. No priest of honour would get involved in a scam like this. And “Mahabo” is actually a city in Burma. Maybe Smaranda meant to write “mumbo jumbo” because that’s all this letter is about. Smaranda has got your name off a mailing list and knows nothing about you.

Smartphones are becoming a big part of many Australians’ lives but unfortunately scammers also love new technology and will try to take advantage of any opportunities it offers. View this scam awareness video to see ACCC Deputy Chair Peter Kell discuss how you can use your device safely and how to outsmart scammers.

Sophie Bardot claims to be the world’s only clairvoyant specialised in money-based games of chance. Sophie’s skills are obviously not up to scratch otherwise she’d know that there are plenty of so-called psychics making similar claims. In fact, WA ScamNet contributors regularly receive letters from so-called gaming wizards peddling lucky lottery grids or booklets.

In this scam, an email or letter arrives claiming you have won tens of thousands of dollars in a Spanish Lottery you have never heard of. Look out for the El Mundo Spanish Lottery Sweepstake notification, which is a carbon copy of the El Gordo lottery scam.

The latest scratchie scam comes from Sparking Sword Vacation and White Hunter Vacation, claiming to be a 12th anniversary promotion.

Every now and again a scam comes along which really gets us angry at WA ScamNet, and this is one of those scams. Some of our readers may have seen the Department’s media release on the Sceptre of Atlantis and are already aware of this nefarious scam, but for those who haven’t please read on.

The last time Consumer Protection warned Western Australians about sports arbitrage and prediction software was in 2010 and it’s still a sure bet if you want to lose money.

If you take a gamble with sports arbitrage or share prediction schemes you can bet your bottom dollar you’re going to lose money.

Steinberg Investments have a highly paid part-time job waiting for you.Steinberg Investments is so well-known that when you do a search on the Internet, it comes up with plenty of listings – as a SCAM.

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This scam begins with an unsolicited phone call from someone who claims to represent Microsoft or IBM and ends with someone gaining access to your computer.

Mikael has written to quite a few WA ScamNet contributors as President of, and on behalf of, the “Supreme Council of 12”, telling them how he and the rest of the Council conducted 7-hour, indepth study into their particular “cases” to come up with “an immediate solution” for each person.  With 29 contributors receiving letters from Mikael in October alone, I wonder if the Supreme Council ever stop to get some sleep……

The cheque for US$10,000 enclosed in a letter from Supreme Financial Services says ‘this is not a valid cheque’.  It’s not a valid offer either.

Of all the scams that have come to ScamNet, the mail out from the Swiss Institute for Holistic Living in Switzerland is close to being the most bizarre.

Ask yourself why would an international financial investment company send out unsolicited emails to recruit a financial manager?  Swiss Invest Ltd claims to be a leading company dealing in the European equity market. But we say they are just leaders in scams.

Scammers are using the names, brands and logos of well-known companies, including courier services, to hook you into advance fee fraud and lottery swindles. 

Investment schemes and legal structures that do not comply with the law are considered to be aggressive tax planning arrangements - referred to as tax schemes. A tax scheme is an artificial or contrived arrangement to avoid or defer tax obligations.

WA ScamNet has renewed its warnings about fake tax communications after fresh reports of emails claiming to be from the ATO. Do not click on any links. Just delete it. 

Phone scammers are posing as tech support, and the money being lost to these scammer is increasing.

If you’ve fallen victim to a scam where a pop-up on your computer advised you had a virus and you had to call a specific number and pay for technical support to fix it, you’re about to be hit up for more money by the scammers.

Telemarketing or ‘Cold calling’ is an unexpected or unsolicited telephone call offering investments or financial advice. The investments they offer usually guarantee high returns or encourage you to invest in overseas companies.

If you receive a phone call from Telethon asking you to make a donation it’s a scam!

The charitable trust has received reports of phone scammers pretending to be collecting money for Telethon but NO unsolicited calls are made to private residences during this annual appeal.

Phishing emails are a dime a dozen but we thought this one which purports to come from Australian Internet service provider BigPond was worth a warning.

Telstra has urged customers to ignore a hoax fax that resembles Telstra correspondence and asks customers to provide bank account details.

WA ScamNet is warning consumers about a binary option trading scam called the Bitcoin System.