There are some sophisticated scammers replying to the classified ads. If you get messages from people who are "out to sea" or hard to reach and won't speak to you by phone, be very suspicious of that. If they say they need a MoneyGram cash payment sent to a shipper to arrange pickup of your boat, do not believe it. If they say PayPal has taken payment for the boat but has put the transfer on hold until a MoneyGram payment is sent to boat shipper, DO NOT believe it. It was targeted this week, but did not fall for it. The scam includes a very well done email that looks like an official email from PayPal, but you can tell it's not from PayPal if you closely inspect the email address (actually coming from Yahoo email). Be very careful....this scammer is a pro!

Thanks for alert, everyone needs a reminder now and then.

It's not hard to spot the scammers usually.

Basically:

Anyone who seems more interested in the "terms" or how they will pay than in the item is a scammer.

Anyone wanting to send you more money than you asked for is a scammer, whether they immediately ask for a kickback or not.

There are a TON of variations on the old "Cashiers Check Scam". In case you aren't aware it's possible for a bank to accept a (counterfeit) Cashiers Check into your bank account, so you think you are being safe and smart and wait for the amount to appear in your account. You give the scammer what he wants, the item or the kickback or both. Now a long time later the bank calls and notifies you they have removed the money from your account because the cashiers check was fake.

There was even a case of a fake wire transfer! How was that done you ask? The scammer was emailing back and forth with the seller, negotiating the purchase of an item for around $50,000. The "smart" seller insisted on a wire transfer before releasing the item to the "agent".

The scammer told the seller he would wire transfer the funds and let him know when it was done so he could check the account.

At this point the scammer, who was supposed to be in another country, walked into a local branch of the sellers bank and deposited (in person) a fake cashier's check for the full amount.

Now the scammer calls the seller and says "wire transfer complete, check your balance" the seller actually calls the bank and checks and sure enough the money is there! Just forgot to ask if it came in by wire transfer...

Be careful out there.

--
Damon Linkous
1992 Hobie 18
Memphis, TN

How To Create Your Signature

How To Create Your Own Cool Avatar

How To Display Pictures In The Forums.
--

What do you think, truth or false? Mr. Amber, if you are still interested after this posting let me know:)

Hint--I don't think I've seen anyone sign something with Mr.



From: ambervinson112

I am interested in buying. Let me know if still available.

Reply to my personal email at (ambervinson112@gmail.com)

I await your reply
Regards
Mr Amber

I once ran with one of these. The guy offered to send me a check to cover the boat cost plus shipping, then I could send a check to a shipping company that he deals with. The usual MO here is that the check is no good and you send a good check to him or a confederate.

In my case, I had him send a 12,000 check to 24 Willie Mays Plaza, San Francisco, CA 94107, with my name as the catcher of the San Francisco Giants.

--
Bill Mattson
Prindle 19 "Gelli Bean"
Prindle 19 "Cat's Pajamas"
Nacra 5.2 (Will sail her a bit and let her name herself)
--

mark-b

What do you think, truth or false? Mr. Amber, if you are still interested after this posting let me know:)

Hint--I don't think I've seen anyone sign something with Mr.



From: ambervinson112

I am interested in buying. Let me know if still available.

Reply to my personal email at (ambervinson112@gmail.com)

I await your reply
Regards
Mr Amber

I received the same email. I had marked the boat as sold.
I didn't like the smell of it and deleted the email.



Edited by gahamby on Sep 22, 2018 - 01:51 PM.

--
'82 Super Cat 15
Hull #315
Virginia
Previously owned: '70 H14, '79 H16, '68 Sailmaster 26, '85 H14T
--

ambervinson112 definitely a scammer, contacted a bunch of ads at once with the same email. They have been banned.

It's always a scammer tip when the email asks no questions about the specific item for sail and only says they want to buy or states how they want to pay. A real buyer will almost 100% have some question about your ad or "sound" like a sailor. If in doubt simply ask them to give you a phone number to call or ask specific questions.

For the scammer it's a volume game and they quickly move on it confronted.

--
Damon Linkous
1992 Hobie 18
Memphis, TN

How To Create Your Signature

How To Create Your Own Cool Avatar

How To Display Pictures In The Forums.
--

mattson

In my case, I had him send a 12,000 check to 24 Willie Mays Plaza, San Francisco, CA 94107, with my name as the catcher of the San Francisco Giants.

Ha Ha, remember The Blues Brothers?
Didn’t Elwood give his address as Wrigley Field?



Edited by Edchris177 on Sep 23, 2018 - 12:54 AM.

--
Hobie 18 Magnum
Dart 15
Mystere 6.0XL Sold Was a handful solo
Nacra 5.7
Nacra 5.0
Bombardier Invitation (Now officially DEAD)
Various other Dock cluttering WaterCrap
--

Least we can do is give them the attention they need.

ambervinson112@gmail.com

Edchris177

mattson

In my case, I had him send a 12,000 check to 24 Willie Mays Plaza, San Francisco, CA 94107, with my name as the catcher of the San Francisco Giants.

Ha Ha, remember The Blues Brothers?
Didn’t Elwood give his address as Wrigley Field?Edited by Edchris177 on Sep 23, 2018 - 12:54 AM.

I got the Amber Vinson scam, too. They stopped when I asked them what bank they used.

I just got a text from "Randy Carlson" of Fort Worth Texas trying to do the same thing.

some problems to scam a site but we got a faster site is yours

website: Deleted Link

that's a good way to out yourself travel52

Probably just a flyby, but if anybody gets email from wonqon52@gmail.com I would leave it alone.

--
Damon Linkous
1992 Hobie 18
Memphis, TN

How To Create Your Signature

How To Create Your Own Cool Avatar

How To Display Pictures In The Forums.
--

martin_langhoff

that's a good way to out yourself travel52

spammer banned

--
Damon Linkous
1992 Hobie 18
Memphis, TN

How To Create Your Signature

How To Create Your Own Cool Avatar

How To Display Pictures In The Forums.
--

Just an aside... I did some "scam baiting" (look it up) on my own years ago when I had the time. The published efforts of one project led to magazine articles and then, amazingly, some consulting work and an a couple appearances on a major TV network news show.

One interesting aspect I discovered is that the initial contacts by scammers are sometimes intentionally amateurish. They may look stupid in their attempts with silly names or ploys that look painfully obvious, but this is a ploy. They are after the gullible. If they can get someone to believe the original lame pitch, they are more likely to work the entire deal.

The other more unsettling aspect I learned during the consulting work is that some of the scammers I was luring into meetings were impoverished. Many are in other countries living under extremely desperate conditions and may just be trying to find any way to provide for their family. Don't get me wrong here: I'm not endorsing the practice, nor am I suggesting that they be sent money. It's just that after learning this, it put an end to me baiting them, and leading them on for fun. Now I just ignore them and move on.

--
Bill Mattson
Prindle 19 "Gelli Bean"
Prindle 19 "Cat's Pajamas"
Nacra 5.2 (Will sail her a bit and let her name herself)
--

Quote

One interesting aspect I discovered is that the initial contacts by scammers are sometimes intentionally amateurish. They may look stupid in their attempts with silly names or ploys that look painfully obvious, but this is a ploy. They are after the gullible. If they can get someone to believe the original lame pitch, they are more likely to work the entire deal.

That is interesting Bill

My career took an unexpected turn a few years ago and i now work in cybersecurity

People know about phishing but my company actively tests our staff. I have been fooled a few times and that is while working for the worlds biggest CyberCert Org, with a ton of training. It really only takes 1 click on an email to compromise your entire network (right DNC?)

one click on an email that looks legit (or a link an a forum) ... they can download and run an app in the background that stores your passwords, clicks, traffic, etc. - (banks, personal id data, etc) - or the software can sit and wait and attack you for ransom ... (right Miami? right Garmin,etc)


also while on it: the time it takes to decode a password is scary quick

Quote

also while on it: the time it takes to decode a password is scary quick

That chart should be very informative to people.
Cracking passwords is simply a program that tries every possible combination, ( though many start out with the obvious & easy ones).
In mathematics, the function is known as factorial. The alphabet, having 26 characters has many more combinations than just numbers. If you have a password of only 4 characters, the alphabet gives;
26x25x24x23=358,800 possible combinations. Use upper & lower case, you get an astronomical increase.
Using only numbers gives a paltry 10x9x8x7= 5040
The takeaway?
You are far more secure making a passaord an extra letter long vs a number.

--
Hobie 18 Magnum
Dart 15
Mystere 6.0XL Sold Was a handful solo
Nacra 5.7
Nacra 5.0
Bombardier Invitation (Now officially DEAD)
Various other Dock cluttering WaterCrap
--

mattson

The other more unsettling aspect I learned during the consulting work is that some of the scammers I was luring into meetings were impoverished. Many are in other countries living under extremely desperate conditions and may just be trying to find any way to provide for their family. Don't get me wrong here: I'm not endorsing the practice, nor am I suggesting that they be sent money. It's just that after learning this, it put an end to me baiting them, and leading them on for fun. Now I just ignore them and move on.

Respectfully, as the child of elderly parents who have been taken by these pieces of shit, I welcome as many baiters as possible to waste their time. Time wasted means a victim saved, most likely from this country.

--
Dana, Holly, Emma & Hannah

LJ/Stu's Dart 18 (Sold! :( )
--

EdChris177

The takeaway?
You are far more secure making a password an extra letter long vs a number.

I coach my clients all the time on this.
Better passwords can be partial sentences with capitol letters, and numbers and symbol substitutions build in.
Best to pick a non-english or non-latin based language if you can.
Choose not to put a space between some of the words.
Do not use a whole proper sentence, leave words off the beginning or end.
Song lyrics are great and easy for you to remember.
When you are forced to change it, choose a character in the password and simply double it.
Even in english, you can make a great password like this:

inthetownwhereiwasbornlivedamanwhosailedthesea
becomes
theTownwhere!wasb0rnliv3daman wh#sai1edtheSea

This altered password, according to a site I use to gauge:

Quote

It would take a computer about
1 HUNDRED DUOVIGINTILLION YEARS
to crack your password

I just use the site for comparison, but you get the point- which is that you can make an amazingly complex password without it being too complex to remember.

All we are is dust in the wind
becomes
weaRe1sDustin th3w!nD

Quote

It would take a computer about
3 HUNDRED SEXTILLION YEARS
to crack your password

When I am forced to change it, I'll double the n before the space.
You can do this!

--
Sheet In!
Bob
_/)_____/)_/)____/)____/)_____/)/)__________/)__
Prindle 18-2 #244 "Wakizashi"
Prindle 16 #3690 "Pegasus" Sold (sigh)
AZ Multihull Fleet 42 member
(Way) Past Commodore of Prindle Fleet 14
Arizona, USA
--

Quote

DUOVIGINTILLION

Had to look that one up = 10 to the 69th power

MN3

Had to look that one up = 10 to the 69th power

You made me snort.
I had to look them both up!

--
Sheet In!
Bob
_/)_____/)_/)____/)____/)_____/)/)__________/)__
Prindle 18-2 #244 "Wakizashi"
Prindle 16 #3690 "Pegasus" Sold (sigh)
AZ Multihull Fleet 42 member
(Way) Past Commodore of Prindle Fleet 14
Arizona, USA
--