IDENTITY FRAUD
Don't put your personal paperwork (such as visa receipts, expired driving licences, visa card statements, old passports, security passes, pin reminders, ancient bank statements or other financial correspondence including legal documents bearing your signature or National Insurance number) in your household dustbin. Try and be careful how and where you dispose of your private and confidential waste. If you can't shred it then November the 5th might be a good day?
 
CAUTION:
Be careful not to destroy documents that you are legally required to keep for a statutory minimum number of years.

PHISHING FRAUD
Don't those emails look convincing with all the logos and official looking script? Although, you will probably find the odd spelling mistake or grammatical error - for example; "flaged" instead of "flagged".  Sometimes, "phishers" will warn you that your account will be closed or that you will suffer some other financial jeopardy if you don't comply with their instructions.
 
If you get an email from anyone asking you to divulge personal details, passwords or pin numbers - DON'T!
 
If you are asked by anyone to fill in a form and fax it back with your card details - DON'T!
 
If you get an email from anyone asking you to visit a website to confirm your details for their "new security measures" or "system upgrade" - DON'T!
 
If you are asked by anyone selling on the internet to email or fax them with your credit card details as they "now accept credit cards"- DON'T!
 
Financial institutions have started to publish email addresses on their websites where you can forward phishing emails (replace the $ sign with an @ symbol) for example: phishing$hsbc.com or phishing$nationwide.co.uk
 

HOTEL ACCOMMODATION  &  HOLIDAY RENTAL SCAMS
How do you spot an accommodation or rental scam? The scammers usually seek to acquire your immediate trust by appearing to be responsible upstanding citizens, a VIP or a person at the top of their profession and everything is most always urgent. I won't bother with the intricacies of the scams because they always change. There is plenty of data on how those scams are perpetrated on other websites.
 
Logic might suggest that if 2 or more items in the check-list below match an email you suspect as a scam then that may confirm your suspicions. As a further check, use the tools below to help you verify where it came from and who sent it. Don't forget, scammers want you to contact them so they won't try too hard to hide their origin, although they might use a fictitious postal address and supply only mobile telephone numbers. You might be tempted to reply  "just in case they are genuine" but if you still have a "bad feeling" about the reservation enquiry after having done all the checks that you can, trust your instincts!
 
SCAMS - THE GOLDEN RULE
If you suspect it's a scam, it most probably is. And always remember that if something seems  "just too good to be true"  it usually is!
 
Phrases or key words commonly used in accommodation or rental scam emails are in red. Note: New "key words" or scam "signatures" appear all the time and I will add them as and when they do. If you are a landlord, hotelier, guest house, gîte owner, bed & breakfast or chalet owner, you may want to bookmark this page by pressing [ Ctrl-D ] and refer back to it should you get an enquiry that you think is dubious. Some names have been asterisked simply because you should focus on the modus operandi of the scam message rather than any particular name (and because the names change anyway).

You may have just set-up your new holiday accommodation business and are very excited about getting your very first reservations but please, take care! Scams cause a great deal of distress and anxiety to innocent victims too keen and eager to please.

The date that this page was last updated was Wednesday, 27 May 2009.
 

WHAT TO LOOK FOR IN AN EMAIL YOU SUSPECT IS NOT A GENUINE ACCOMMODATION OR RENTAL ENQUIRY.
   
Lots of lower-case letter "i" When it should be a capital letter.
Unnecessary CAPITAL LETTERS.  
Big bold MASSIVE text or changing fonts to emphasize key words.  
Reference, link or quote from a website where your details are listed. A website where they have harvested your email address.
Any offer of a commission payment for your "trouble".  
Wanting you to supply mobile phones.  
Loads of bad grammar by an author who really should know better. With an English name claiming to be a Doctor or Professor but who can't spell or construct a sentence properly in English.
Asking you to pay a travel agency for something.  
Insisting to pay by credit card when you don't offer that facility.  
Asking you to supply bottles of mineral water.  
Mentioning using your restaurant when you don't have one.  
Wanting you to pay for airline tickets in advance.  
Your hotel, cabin, lodge or apartment when you don't have one.  
You receive the email late Friday afternoon or Saturday morning. Gives scammers more time before an ISP can react to spam reports received.
Any reference to Western Union. Western Union are a large, well-respected and legitimate financial corporation but scammers find ways to use their good name to perpetrate a scam. For example, type in the search terms western union scam into your browser and surf the relevant websites to find out more.
Female Model / Modeling / Modelling  
Urgent  
Delegates  
Researchers  
Seminar  
okay Often used repeatedly.
Don't let me down  
I expect to hear from you as soon as possible  
I expect your urgent response  
United States of America Spelling mistakes are common.
to your country  
coming down to your country  
secure the accommodations immediately Spelling mistakes are common.
have a nice day  
God bless  
thanks for your anticipated timely response  
book reservations immediately  
Don't disappoint me  
Clients  
Marriage Not seen often.
Dr / Doctor "Doctors" who can't spell or construct a sentence? We know that their handwriting can sometimes be difficult to read :-) but a doctor's spelling and grammar is always perfect.
Reverend / Rev. Might be genuine - can you be sure?
Professor / Prof.  
Pastor  
Esteem / Esteemed  
Vocation  
Audition / Auditioning  
Summit  
Comprehensive bill  
Thanks for your anticipated co-operation  
Reunion in your country  
Collegues Spelling?
meeting conference in your country  
lodge in your place  
Get back to me ASAP so that we can proceed with the booking  
reservation will be made immediately  
coming to your country for a programme  
I would like to make a reservation of room within your establishment  
mandate of this amount via WESTERN UNION or MONEY GRAM  
FAMILY RESSERVATION  
How are you doing today? Hope you are doing great.  
Greetings, How are you this morning?
  
I would like to solicit you so that you render this service to me  
let me know the grand cost of the stay for 20 days  
time of my wedding nights with my wife  
do get back to me with the requirements as stated above  
couples coming for their honey moon at your property  
help me for the purchase of the plane tickets
  
Looking forward to receiving your response soon  
for my children who will be coming for a holidays from
  
seeking for accomodation in your place.  
If the desired dates are available, please reply me,  
we will make Advance payment through a secured cheque payment, Indicate if you accept cheque payment.  
Hello, Could you please confirm availability and total cost for the dates stated below for 4 guests from India. I am Dr. David *******, of the ******* Infertility Clinic [with an address in India]. Arrival Date: 1st May 2009 Departure Date: 12th May, 2009 Room Type: Standard single Room Number of Rooms: 4 Length of Stay: 12days Please advise availability. Moreover, what is the TOTAL COST in EURO for the entire period? and the total cost however should reflect government taxes if available. As our policy, our sponsors will make a deposit for this booking via certified cheque, once availability and total cost is confirmed. Is this ok? Your prompt response will be appreciated and hoping that we could partner in the hospitality business. Sincerely yours, Dr David *******, ******* Infertility Clinic. [with an address in India]. Usually, REAL Doctors don't broadcast the fact.

And I'm guessing real Doctors wouldn't arrange this kind of thing themselves. There would be someone to do that for them.

"...and hoping that we could partner in the hospitality business."  Why would an infertility clinic want a hospitality partnership?
Please do get back to me quickly as we don't have much time at our disposal.  Pressure, right from the word go!
My name is Sir Mike ******** from UK I need to book for a ten days reservation in your apartment/hotel for A team members of our organisation coming to your country for a Seminar from UK. I want to know if there are free spaces for their accommodation. Why is the English grammar so bad for a "Sir"?  And anyway, why should "Sir" be so interested in your accommodation when he doesn't actually know exactly what it is or where it is?
Je suis Mr **** ******, pour nos vacances j'aimerais louer votre Etablissement. pour la Période du 05 Mai jusqu' au 05 Aout 2008, Nous sommes au nombres de 04 personnes. Ceci dit je désire savoir si vous acceptez les règlements par Cartes de Crédit à l'avance ou dans le cas contraire un Virement Bancaire. Veuillez nous repondre dès que possible s'il vous plait. What "establishment" is the Monsieur referring to exactly?
Hi, How are you doing today? Hope you are doing great. Please I want to make a reservation for my children who will be coming for a holidays from 5th to 25th of September 2007.Please kindly get back to me if the mentioned dates are available and also let me know the grand cost of the stay for 20 days. Note that they are consist of 4 people. Looking forward to receiving your response soon, Best Regards, David *****. Claiming to be a Doctor, how many Doctors do you know that say, "Hi, How are you doing today?" when they have never spoken to you before? Answer = None!  And "grand cost" is also very cheesy in this context. The expression "grand cost" might wash from Ireland, but from anywhere else?   
Hello, I am Mister **** ***** director of prestige shop at the time of my wedding nights with my wife. I would like to make a reservation of room within your establishment. My Stay will be carried out over 04 days limiting duration from the 30/04/07 to the 04/05/07. I would like to know in order to confirm my reservation if you have A terminal for credit cards because I would like to pay you by credit card (visa/master card.). I wish to make a pre total payment after reception of The tariffs. Also I have an important service to ask you. I would like to pay The plane tickets but it is that the travel agency have not a terminal for credit cards I cannot go to the bank to take money because I’m currently in Tripoli for seminary. For the expenses of the plane tickets, I would like to solicit you so that you render this service to me Which will consist in outputting on the credit card all the sum of my stay, in addition To the amount of the reservation, the sum of 4000 euros which will help me for The purchase of the plane tickets. Then made me a mandate of this amount via WESTERN UNION or MONEY GRAM. I wish of any heart that you render this service to me so that I arrive at your ESTABLISHMENT because we are already ready. I would also like as a thanks for the service which you will render to me that you also take away for you the sum of 600 euros like commission. I am thus in waiting of the total invoice so that I send To you my credit card for all the charges mentioned If you do not have availabilities let us know when you are available to receive us. Thank you. cordially MR **** ***** Director, prestige shop, reference to Western Union, wedding nights with my wife, plane tickets...

And, nobody scribes "Mister" anymore.

I am an agent with ********** Consulting Ltd, ** ************ Road, LONDON, **** *** seeking for accomodation in your place. The accommodation required is 4 double rooms to sleep 4 young couples for 10 nights. The dates desired are October 5th 2009 to October 15th 2009 ( 10nights). If the desired dates are available, please reply me, stating your group discounted reservation,including all taxes and rates,also the subtotal for the 10 nigths. we will make Advance payment through a secured cheque payment, Indicate if you accept cheque payment. Reservation agent **** ********. "Seeking accomodation in your place." Apart from that spelling mistake, he doesn't know what or where "your place" actually is, which is very unusual for a reservation agent! And "discounted reservation, including all taxes, and rates, also the sub-total..." is well over-the-top for a reservation agent enquiry. And why does he write... "sleep 4 young couples for 10 nights."?  Is it because he's trying to appeal to some human emotion? And apart from other grammatical errors in this email, there is no need to spell London with capital letters - or is he trying to inspire confidence that someone from a "LONDON" address is totally and utterly, without-a-doubt, absolutely first-class and 100% genuine?

 
TRY AND FIND OUT EXACTLY WHERE THE EMAIL ORIGINATED USING THESE TOOLS
 

http://www.dnsstuff.com/ DNS Stuff DNS tools, DNS hosting tests, WHOIS, traceroute, ping and other network and domain name tools. Comprehensive and easy to use. A very handy tool for the enthusiast or professional.
http://spam.deadbeef.com/lookup.php Lookup a domain or IP to get contact details to report spam or Security Violation. This report gives you the email addresses of the persons responsible for dealing with email abuse on a given network. If there are several contacts, simply block, copy & paste into your email TO: section.
http://www.geobytes.com/ Spam Origin Locator - Enter an email header to find its geographic route across the internet. Very useful tool, especially with an email you suspect is a scam or from a phisher.