More than four years ago, we wrote an article about the Nigerian 419 scam and what the scammers think of their victims, in which we concluded that “just in case you weren’t sure about the seriousness of 419 scams …just in case you think that it’s just a few people, and they are going to go away, think again. These scammers are here to stay, they are serious, and their target is…you.” Well, it sure hasn’t gotten any better since then. And here to prove it, from his own lips, a former Nigerian 419 scammer tells all.

Online scams are nothing new, and Craigslist (named after founder Craig Newmark, hence Craig’s list) has always had its fair share. Perhaps the most insidious of the Craigslist scams are those which appear to be legitimate replies to Craigs list postings – after all, while many consumers are wary of what they read online, most can’t imagine that a scammer would take the time to personally reply to them! In this particular scam, the email comes from twanachausse16@aim.com on behalf of TLP Research.

Not content with tricking victims into giving up private identity information via email, phishers are increasingly turning to text messaging to scam account numbers, credit card numbers, social security numbers, and more from their targets.

You may be surprised – and you will certainly be relieved – to hear that the criminals behind the scam warranty phone calls – or so-called “robocalls” or “robodialing” – have actually been caught, and are being prosecuted by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). It turns out that a huge number of the calls were made by Christopher Cowart and his Transcontinental Warranty company, calling names and numbers supplied by a company called Voice Touch that is owned by James Dunne and Maureen Geisen Dunne, and using Caller I.D. spoofing technology developed by Damian Kohlfeld.

A new scam going around the internet, originating from “security@paypalfraudcheck.com”, tells Paypal users that their account has been limited, and to remove the limit, they must scan and email a copy of their passport or driver’s license, a copy of their Paypal credit or debit card, and a copy of a recent utility bill.

How many of us have gotten the same email from Classmates.com? “6 Classmates are Looking for You!” – “See Who has Visited your Profile!” Well, according to a lawsuit brought by Anthony Michaels against Classmates, the online reunion giant is lying.

“You have received a postcard from a family member!”, says the subject of one of the latest spam scams.

If you receive a death threat email, you’re in good company. The so-called “Hitman email” scam has made a comeback. Around since at least 2006, the content of the death threat email has evolved some, but the general gist of it remainds the same: the Hitman email claims that someone wants you dead, that the Hitman email sender has been hired to kill you, and that if you come up with a sufficient amount of money, they will spare your life.