Nicest of the Damned: Scam city

« Ispiri-serve: Bringing file servers home | Main | Bowling for Columbine »

September 22, 2003

Scam city

I had an e-mail from a site called Word of Mouth Connection. My spam filter caught it, but it caught my eye before I deleted it, and I checked it out.

The e-mail and website claim that someone was looking for information about me, and that someone else, who had dealt with me in the last year had information to provide. You can't see who the requester is, or who the source is.

I did a little looking around, and found the above weblog post, from July at Wizbang! It looks like the whole thing is a scam intended to get curious cats to cough up $20 to use their anonymous e-mail system.

They harvested my e-mail address from here on NotD, I'm sure.

September 22, 2003 in About the web | Permalink

TrackBack

TrackBack URL for this entry:
https://www.typepad.com/services/trackback/6a00d8341bf6df53ef00d83458e8fe69e2

Listed below are links to weblogs that reference Scam city:

Comments

I got bothered by them about a year ago. Their model is to tell you you're being looked up by someone. Then when you get opt in, they poll you for a list of names to query. When I checked out my own info (first thing I did when I opted in for free) I found zip about me. When I got an opportunity to opt out I did. Up to then it'd just been spam. So now they're charging $20 for you to look up what someone said about you now? Figures.

Posted by: Ryan Gill at Sep 23, 2003 5:36:44 PM

I got a notice from WOM just the other day, just before Christmas, (which is now ruined)! It sure has made me worry. I need to hear from other victims of this website. Is it a scam or not? I think I'm just dropping off the internet for a while.

Posted by: Steve Henry at Dec 23, 2003 11:38:50 PM

Yep, its just another scam!
You won't find your name listed in a search, just your email.
I don't know about you, but everybody who knows me would not necessarily know my email address, rather they are sure to know my name!

Delete it!
HTH

Posted by: Don Schnell at Dec 30, 2003 11:57:48 AM

I sent this email to these &%$#@ things. Also a copy to the Attorney General. A step in the right direction and perhaps I will not have to overload their mail box, which is illegal

>On advice of my Attorney the following caveats apply: You are forbidden to act as a third party, a go-between or primary provider of any information obtained legally or illegally from any source to any inquirer for any purpose, legal or illegal about me, my activities, my family, my business or associations. I have not registered, made application to affiliate with your organization, or approved any dissemination of data by you or your associates, your membership or their associates. This includes any financial institution or government entity.

>Violation of these caveates will result in initiation of legal action both civil and criminal.

>You are hereby directed to provide to me or my attorney the source of any inquiries, or any responses to inquiries, about me, my activities, my family, my business or associations, by anyone or any agency. You are further directed to remove any and all of my identifying information held by you or your associates for the purpose of advertising, sharing or furthering your organizations financial gain, or for any purpose what so ever.

>Be advised: This is not a frivolous directive. Mr. Maupin

>Be advised

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

----- Original Message -----
From:
To:
Sent: Wednesday, January 07, 2004 12:01 PM
Subject: Someone is researching your background

> Someone has just begun to research your background via our website.
>
> This email has been automatically sent to you so as to make you aware that your background is being looked into.
>
> The popularity of our website is currently growing at a very rapid rate.
>
> If another person begins to research you in the future we will again inform you via email.
>
> If you do not want to be informed when users research you please add yourself to our Do Not Email List here:
> http://womc.info/pass.php?a=donotemail&[email protected]&c=true
>
> You may learn about the research being done here:
> http://womc.net/pass.php?a=search&b=5&[email protected]
>
> Sincerely,
>
> WOMC Support Department
> ---
> [This e-mail scanned for viruses by White Mountains Online using Declude Anti-Virus Software]
>
>
>

To:
Sent: Wednesday, January 07, 2004 12:01 PM
Subject: Someone is researching your background

Posted by: Robert D. at Jan 8, 2004 1:52:51 AM

http://www.mailinator.com/mailinator/Welcome.do
This WOMC IS a scam. Scam them back by going to the above address and use a throwaway email address for free. Then, using the name & throwaway, go to the above site and read your scam mail if you care to.
I'd just put them on my spamcatcher and forget about it. Gonna do that right now.
Selene

Posted by: Selene at Feb 5, 2004 11:26:06 PM

Thanks Don Schnell for your post. I too just got an email from these Idoits WOMC .. and used your sample letter to email them back to remove my email from their site :)

Thanks for sharing that with us and I hope it deters them from any further contact or info collecting on me ... although it is nothing but a big time Scam they are running!

Posted by: Wolf at Feb 9, 2004 6:15:18 PM

Womc aka word of mouth connection and the various other names they use are a spam. I have recieved several of these emails from them. I went to their web site. When I did a search using a junkmail email address, there were several entries claiming to have information of an unspecified nature from people purporting to know me well. However when I did a search typing in my name there were no entries. How can this be someone who allegedly knows me well does not know my name but only a junkmail email address.

Posted by: Bill at Feb 14, 2004 7:18:21 AM