So the next time you get an email soliciting paid links on your blog — and who hasn’t these days (I retract that: if you’re doing well enough that someone wants to pay for links on your site, good for you) — and you’re *really* tempted, because you know that a lower pagerank means squat to traffic, and you could really use the funds to reinvest in your blog / buy a new pair of speakers / pay your rent, you may want to reconsider.
Turns out that there is a new scam that is going around which is actually an elaborate form of the Nigerian Email Scam, or 419 Fraud. I’m sure you know the one — its where you get an email out of nowhere (perhaps Nigeria, as that’s where its thought the scam originated there is no data as of yet suggesting where the fraud is actually coming from) telling you that you’ve won / been bequeathed / need to hide millions of dollars, and that all the other folks need is your bank account number, and — inevitably, extra funds (this is where you get scammed).
Anyway, the *new* version of the Nigerian Email Scam is one where sites, or blogs, are solicited for display, or text link (paid) ads. I found this nugget of information on a security site called F-secure, no less, where the scammers in question used the subject line “partnership enquiry“, or “Website Partnership Enquiry”, that enquiry being, of course, their solicitation to purchase advertising on your site, in the form of display ads and text link ads.
If you *do* answer them, they will negotiate a fairly heft sum of cash (F-Secure has the details) in the low four figure range, which is no small sum to some bloggers. So, here’s the scam part:
They will send you a check for the agreed upon sum PLUS some additional cash, by “mistake”. For example, if you agreed upon $2000, they’ll send you $3000. Then they’ll send an email back saying that they sent the extra by mistake, please send *back* the balance, please.
Problem? That check that was mailed to you for the advertising deal, if you wait long enough, never clears. You end up with squat and the scammer gets your money.
So the next time you get an email solicitation for display ads or text link ads (paid links) on your website, be cautious and do a little bit of due diligence:
1. Investigate your buyer thoroughly: do they leave an appropriate name, place of business, and phone number? Do they have an actual website that they want to advertise? Do the owners of the website *know* the alleged buyer of the advertising?
2. Wait for that check to clear: the scam only works if you don’t realize that the check doesn’t clear / it does bounce. This is a non-issue if you’re being paid via Paypal, but if you’re being mailed anything it always helps to be cautious
Update: Snoskred suggests that it can take an awful long time for checks to clear, and that they can take up to a year to bounce. As always a low threshold for calling any offer that is too good to be true “BS” should be a low one.
Other resources:
18 Comments
Pretty sneaky and the price could be very tempting for small-time bloggers.
But I think we are smart enough (most of the time) to spot a scam from the real deal. The question in my mind is, why Nigeria?
I got to this post via Problogger. Thanks for the warning. As you say, the very best thing you can do if paid by check is to wait until you are 110% sure the check has cleared, although this can take over a month in some cases.
Just keep telling those who are hassling you that they will get their money as soon as you get yours – less the cost of any transfer fees (very expensive), of course – there is no reason why you should pay for their ‘mistake’, now is there, as I’m sure ‘they’ will appreciate.
I’ve already had one funny attempt to offer someone I blogged about curious government contracts. Here is the comment:
I WILL WITH ALL DUE RESPECT, LIKE TO BE FURNISHED WITH THE CONTACT (email,phone and fax) ADDRESS OF THIS WONDERFUL MAN. I HAVE A LOT OF JOBS THAT I WILL LIKE TO DISCUSS WITH HIM.NON IS A PRIVATE JOB,ALL ARE GOVERNMENT JOBS AND I HAVE BEEN DIRECTED TO SEEK,FIND,CONTACT AND CONTRACT HIM.
PLEASE THIS IS IMPORTANT TO ME.
THANK YOU
DR.G.BRADLEY
And here is my reply to the comment:
Dear Dr Bradley,
I have sent you a mail requesting further information about you and your activities.
Alex
I replied via a throw-away email address, as I don’t like giving all and sundry certain addresses.
Oddly. Not. I heard nothing more.
All the best Alex
People have to be very careful re clearing checks – they can bounce up to a year later.
I have over 5 million dollars worth of fake checks which I have collected from these scammers. You can see some of them here –
Snoskred Made 5 Million Dollars Online
Good on you for putting the word out there – education is the best way to stop these scammers. Though banks getting their act together wouldn’t hurt. :)
These scammers are continually changing their “modalities” – their ways of scamming people – and so many people think they will never be caught out by these scams because they assume people have to be stupid to believe these things.
But if you sell something (a link, a car, something via ebay perhaps) then you expect that you’re going to get paid and many people think a check is a valid form of payment. They trust their bank to tell them the truth, and the bank tells them “Yes, the check has cleared”.
Why should they be suspicious – they trust their bank, and the bank wouldn’t lie to them, would they?
The answer to that question is – they don’t lie, but they do not clarify their position either. :( And many people get caught out – some even get arrested for check fraud in the US. :(
Cheers,
Snoskred
Wow. I thought your article was very relevant, so I’m submitting to various social sites. The scariest part for me? I just got one of these offers in my inbox the other day!!! We haven’t gotten to the part where they’ve sent a check yet, but this was a punch line I wasn’t even suspecting. Thanks for sharing this update on the real internet con-artists!
OK, I’m back. If you read this blog post and thinks that the word needs to get out (and I do), then Digg it: http://tinyurl.com/yw6ghf !!!
@Jhay — it doesn’t necessarily have to be, but that’s where the original scam came from.
@Alex — thanks for sharing that with us. :)
@Snoskred — thanks for the point. Have updated the post to reflect this.
@Michael — thanks for the Digg love. ;)
I conduct all of my ad sales through paypal. So I should be fairly safe. Right?
I landed here via problogger too and I’m a Nigerian. I wonder why everytime a new scam shows up, we always get pointed to. Its pretty bad. Have you guys ever thought of it this way? Some chap in the western world wants to invent a new scam and he knows Nigeria is already popular for scam (Thanks to CNN). why doesnt he pose like a Nigerian?
If there is one thing Nigerian are scammers are into, its not blog advertisement. I have met and admonished some of them and I tell you most are dumb guys. 419eater confirms that. they wouldnt even know what a blog means. (All they do is send mass emails from one eastern europe website and wait for a greedy person to respond.)
I’m not saying there are no scammers in Nigeria but there are hackers in the US, phishers from eastern europe. Credit Card stealers from the UK. What about those chaps that secretly install botnets in my windows, activate em and bring down large servers. You know how many antiviruses kaspersky discovers everyday right? But your media wont make noise about it becaus it an embarrassment for the your anti-crime forces. Third-world Nigeria is always the fall guy.
I receive scam mails too. from Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Cote D’Ivoire, Ghana, Russia and more. But I’m not so dumb and greedy as to respond to them.
Lastly, the future of Nigerian Scams is set to change as internet is getting cheaper over here and you will start meeting honest Nigerians online.
(Previously, its only people that know they can make money from gullible people that spend to much money and time on the internet.)
If you want to meet true honest Nigerians, google Nigerian Forums.
I am disappointed in you, Tony Hung. A respected person in the blogosphere.
This is what F-secure said:
“It’s a form of Advance fee fraud alias Nigerian 419 fraud.”
They didnt say it was perpetrated by Nigerians. read the post well.
Did you do this for a few dollars, thank you, or feed subscription?
@Drixie — ok … I get that you’re upset that a type of fraud known as Advance Fee Fraud is *also* known as Nigerian 419 Scam, amongst many other appellations, often associated with Nigeria; I am well aware that these kinds of fraud are perpetrated from other countries in the world.
Is it right that we continue to use the phrase “Nigerian Fraud”? Probably not, for the sake of political correctness. On the other hand, it is the name that the fraud is commonly known as, and nothing that you are I are going to do is going to change that (unless you may some kind of massive Nigerian Awareness Campaign that I’m not aware of).
On the other hand, you are right, there’s nothing in the original article that states it *specifically* came from Nigeria, and so consider my post amended. My apologies.
PS — Drixie, I realize this is probably a very sensitive issue for you, but there are better ways to point out innocent inaccuracies in a post; ad hominem attacks suggesting I wrote it for “a few dollars, thank you, or feed subscription” are coarse, unseemly, and do nothing to improve your argument.
Tony.
What manner of innocent inaccuracies is Tony talking about when a whole people are being blamed for even things others do?
Get your facts right before publishing such nonsense unless this is your way of attracting traffic to your blog.
@Afam — Wow, did you even read the post? I am not blaming Nigerian people as whole; the name of the scam is the name of the scam.
Thanks for coming out, though.
Tony.
PS — Drixie, I realize this is probably a very sensitive issue for you, but there are better ways to point out innocent inaccuracies in a post; ad hominem attacks suggesting I wrote it for “a few dollars, thank you, or feed subscription” are coarse, unseemly, and do nothing to improve your argument.
Tony.
The reproduced content above was by you (Tony) so why are you placing games with words?
Tony ,when i saw this post i was very disappointed in you, so much that somebody of your type( i mean respected)can be using a name of a country like mine, great Nigeria as “NIGERIA FRUAD” I think you need to appologise to people like us, because i know there is a notive behind this ( maybe money or traffic) thanks
@Afam — honestly, now I have no idea what you’re talking about. Really. You wanted me to apologize, I did so in the paragraph *above* the one you quoted.
Thanks for stopping by.
Its clear that this is a hot-button topic for some, and for others who don’t even want to read the substance of the post.
Comments are closed. Thanks everyone!
22 Trackbacks
[...] says bloggers should watch out for advertising deals that sound too good to be true, and should always wait for checks to [...]
[...] Hung has a post that is worth keeping in mind if you are approached by someone wanting to place display or text [...]
[...] Hung has a post that is worth keeping in mind if you are approached by someone wanting to place display or text [...]
[...] Hung has a post that is worth keeping in mind if you are approached by someone wanting to place display or text [...]
[...] about the issue, DeepJiveInterests suggests two tips to avoid getting scammed, and protect your money. 1. Investigate your buyer – by knowing [...]
[...] Hung ha escrito un artículo que merece la pena tener en cuenta si alguien le ofrece insertar anuncios o textos publicitarios en [...]
Bloggers Beware…
Tony Hung of Deep Jive Interests has a fascinating post, Bloggers Beware: Nigerian Fraud Has Evolved Into Display and Text Link Ad Solicitations. I an well aware of the Nigerian scam e-mails that fill my yahoo accounts on a regular basis, but this is t…
[...] Nigerian fraud takes on a new target bloggers! Nigerian 419 scammers are now taking on a new approach and targeting bloggers with offers of money for advertising on their blogs. They offer big bucks and over pay you – asking for the balance back. The catch? The check never clears the bank. Blogger Submitted: 1 minute ago Category: Offbeat Submitter: RssFeed Website: http://www.deepjiveinterests.com Report this link: Click here to report Comments: 0 [...]
[...] Hung has a post that is worth keeping in mind if you are approached by someone wanting to place display or text [...]
[...] Hung has a post that is worth keeping in mind if you are approached by someone wanting to place display or text [...]
[...] Hung has a post that is worth keeping in mind if you are approached by someone wanting to place display or text [...]
[...] Hung has a post that is worth keeping in mind if you are approached by someone wanting to place display or text [...]
[...] [BLOGGING] Bloggers Beware: Nigerian Fraud Has Evolved Into Display and Text Link Ad Solicitations, deepjiveinterests.com [...]
[...] Hung has a post that is worth keeping in mind if you are approached by someone wanting to place display or text [...]
[...] Deep Jive Interests » Bloggers Beware: Nigerian Fraud Has Evolved Into Display and Text Link Ad Sol… [...]
[...] says bloggers should watch out for advertising deals that sound too good to be true, and should always wait for checks to [...]
[...] says bloggers should watch out for advertising deals that sound too good to be true, and should always wait for checks to [...]
[...] herejimmillar.blogspot.comhttp://www.419eater.com/http://www.419eater.com/faetsa.mylivepage.comBloggers Beware: Nigerian Fraud Has Evolved Into Display and Text Link Ad Solicitationsre being mailed anything it always helps to be cautious Other resources: The History of the Nigerian [...]
[...] – 1 messages, 1 author http://groups.google.com/group/alt.religion.scsomeplacewarmtogo.blogspot.comBloggers Beware: Nigerian Fraud Has Evolved Into Display and Text Link Ad Solicitations So the next time you get an email soliciting paid links on your blog ?? and who hasn??t these days [...]
[...] says bloggers should watch out for advertising deals that sound too good to be true, and should always wait for checks to [...]
[...] Beware of possible ‘Nigerian*’ Online Advertising Fraud Bloggers Beware – Phishing and Scams Bloggers Beware: Nigerian Fraud Has Evolved Into Display and Text Link Ad Solicitations [...]
[...] By the way, there is another creative scam out there: Nigerian 419 Fraud Hits Bloggers Selling Advertising Links and Bloggers Beware: Nigerian Fraud Has Evolved Into Display and Text Link Ad Solicitations [...]