New Scam

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by GAIL GUEVARA on November 12, 2011 at 6:31pm

Hello ~

 

By experience watch out for any emails from "yahoo", "aol" and "hotmail" that sound suspicious.

I'm curious since a number of members here on our hypnothoughts site have rec'd some of the same "scam" emails, is there any chance a scammer could hack into this site? Just curious???

 

~Gail

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Melissa J. Roth on November 12, 2011 at 7:23pm

IF I remember correctly there was a time in the early days of this site when a hacker did get in.  They got caught pretty quickly and kicked off.  No real damage done.  It is my opinion (for what that's worth) that hackers can get into any site they want in.  It's just a matter of how much the potential pay off is worth to them and this site doesn't have a big potential pay off. There are too many sophisticated people here who would catch them and alert everyone.  So, I don't think there is much to worry about here.  And, the 3 moderators are all competent and diligent. They are unsung heros who keep this site clean and everyone playing nicely with everyone else.     

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Roy Hunter on November 12, 2011 at 7:36pm

I received the exact same email, verbatim.

The scam artist sends a FORGED check, and then asks for a refund. If you receive payment in advance, do NOT send a refund until the funds clear your bank account, because even the "cashier's check" may be a forgery.

Roy Hunter

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Marc Carlin on November 13, 2011 at 10:26am

If you have an international reputation I think it would be a mistake to assume that every email you get from outside the US is a scammer.  You can protect yourself by never accepting checks of any kind and never refunding anything once accepted in payment.  

Set up phone consults with the person before setting up appointments.  Anyone with a computer has access to international calling at no cost or very low cost.  If they can afford to travel, and pay for your sessions, they can afford an international call to consult ahead of time and schedule their appointment.

 

If I was to assume that all overseas requests for scheduling were scams I would have missed out on many international clients, even from suspected scammer locations like India, Mexico, Brazil, Thailand, and others.

 

 

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Melissa J. Roth on November 13, 2011 at 9:30pm

Marc,

I do have an international reputation and do work with many legitimate international clients.  When you have experience it is pretty easy to tell the difference between a legitimate international client and a scammer.  As I was discussing with another hypnotherapist today, there are a lot of inexperienced people on this site and I was simply trying to help protect them from being hoodwinked.  My friend I was discussing this with has a number of years of experience, got the same email I did, and even he was almost taken in by it at first.  We both know someone who lost a substantial amount of money that they could not afford to lose to one of those crooks. I would feel very badly if I said nothing and someone here got hurt as a result.  Marc, you are very experienced.  You know how to tell the difference between someone who is making a legitimate request for services and someone who isn't.  All I'm saying is that this is the time of year when this type of thing increases and to just beware.

 

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Kevin Cole-NLPTrainingQuest.com on November 13, 2011 at 10:44pm

Yep, I got it too.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Ted on November 13, 2011 at 11:10pm

Thanks Melissa. I'm the person you had in mind when you started this discussion. I'm still in school and not yet at the point of starting my own practice, but I'm planing to when I graduate. I was totally unaware of this type of scam, but now I am. Also, thanks to Roy Hunter for spelling out exactly how the scam works. Keep posting, everyone. We newbies appreciate it!

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Marc Carlin on November 14, 2011 at 5:18am

Hi Melissa,

Which is why I suggested other ways to respond with phone contact prior to scheduling the appointment, and never accepting checks, and never giving refunds

There will always be scammers around, I think that having systems in place to protect yourself is more important than just being on the lookout for international requests.  And rethinking the "international reputation" aspect, if you have a website, chances are you do have an international reputation.

Melissa J. Roth said:

Marc,

I do have an international reputation and do work with many legitimate international clients.  When you have experience it is pretty easy to tell the difference between a legitimate international client and a scammer.  As I was discussing with another hypnotherapist today, there are a lot of inexperienced people on this site and I was simply trying to help protect them from being hoodwinked.  My friend I was discussing this with has a number of years of experience, got the same email I did, and even he was almost taken in by it at first.  We both know someone who lost a substantial amount of money that they could not afford to lose to one of those crooks. I would feel very badly if I said nothing and someone here got hurt as a result.  Marc, you are very experienced.  You know how to tell the difference between someone who is making a legitimate request for services and someone who isn't.  All I'm saying is that this is the time of year when this type of thing increases and to just beware.

 

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Carlos Agente on November 14, 2011 at 5:52am

I guess they could. It happened before that many of the users got the same scams, didn't it? I recall something like that but don't remember it fully at the moment.

 

To me "cashier's/traveller's cheque" always translate to "scam".

 

Thanks Melissa for the alert.

GAIL GUEVARA said:

Hello ~

 

By experience watch out for any emails from "yahoo", "aol" and "hotmail" that sound suspicious.

I'm curious since a number of members here on our hypnothoughts site have rec'd some of the same "scam" emails, is there any chance a scammer could hack into this site? Just curious???

 

~Gail

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by James Hazlerig - HypnosisAustin on November 14, 2011 at 11:06am

When hotmail came on the scene, I thought it was actually a porn site, because I got so much spam from pornsters with hotmail accounts, advertising their wares. That was back before spam filters . . . 

 

Why do I suddenly feel old?

GAIL GUEVARA said:

Hello ~

 

By experience watch out for any emails from "yahoo", "aol" and "hotmail" that sound suspicious.

I'm curious since a number of members here on our hypnothoughts site have rec'd some of the same "scam" emails, is there any chance a scammer could hack into this site? Just curious???

 

~Gail

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Melissa J. Roth on November 14, 2011 at 11:22am

Because, James, you and I are old!  

• ▶ Reply

▶ Reply to Discussion

• ‹ Previous
• 1
• 2
• Next ›
• Page