Forensics Journal - Stevenson University 2013 | Page 27

STEVENSON UNIVERSITY

in 2010 regarding fraudulent activity, 70% of spam was dubbed as
fictitious financial service inquiries. The GSMA also discovered that
the content of the messages varied by the region as North America
encountered a higher rate of loans and pay day advances, whereas
Europe saw an uptick in insurance claim fraud, as well as adult-based
text messages (“GSMA SRS Pilot &”).

financial assistance begin. After establishing a connection, small sums
of money will be requested. Next, funds for specific purposes such
as obtaining a passport or visa will be requested so the two individuals can meet. Computer-altered images of plane tickets, visas, or
passports will be sent to dispel doubt. Phase 4 continues the requests
and larger sums of money will be requested to resolve prior debts, pay
fees to break a rental lease, and expedite the meeting with the victim.
The scam can go on for several months or years until the victim is
tapped out or ceases to send money. Phase 5 is when communication
is severed. The end may be abrupt with sudden non-responsiveness
or gradual due to overwhelming fictitious hardships. Garret estimates
that the Russian Dating Scam garners between $500 and $30,000 in
overall profit. (Garrett).

FIGURE 5: Walmart Smishing Scam, scambook.com.

Garrett suggests that any person pursuing a relationship by meeting
someone online should consider the following warning signs: suspect
profile details; requests for financial assistance to resolve an urgent
matter; mismatched fonts used in the emails; overall content of the
emails is disordered or lacking continuity; and a tone indicating use
of a pre-written template. Users are encouraged to promptly stop
sending emails to anyone they suspect may be engaging in fraudulent
activity, and ignore any further inquiries from the suspected fraudster.

Update: $1000 Walmart Gift Card Scam. Weblog Entry. Scambook.
com. 22 Mar. 2012. Web. 30 Apr. 2012...http://www.scambook.com/
blog/2012/03/update-1000-dollar-walmart-gift-card-scam/

The Job Recruit Scam borrows elements from both the Nigerian 419
Scam and the Russian Dating Scam. The Job Recruit scam captures
hopeful individuals seeking job opportunities in a tough economy.
This employment scam claims to seek qualified applicants to work
for a company offering a highly competitive salary (“Employment
Scams”). The Scam Detectives provide four key points to help an
unsuspecting victim determine if the email they received is genuine,
or the result of an elaborate e-scam:

In close relation to other world-wide e-scams, the Russian Dating
Scam often utilizes the tactics of poor grammar, broken English, and
the bait of a lonely victim looking for love (Garrett). Though the
scam stereotypically involves using an alias of a female between the
ages of 18 to 45 years old seeking a foreign male lover, the e-scam can
take on many other variations. (Garrett). More often than not, the
fraudster searches for images online of young females that they can
use as a default profile picture.

• A legitimate company will not reach out to a person seeking a job
opportunity unless the individual contacted the company beforehand.

According to Elena Garrett, author of the Russian Detective website,
the motives of a Russian Dating Scam can vary considerably. “The
fraudster typically asks for one or more of the following items: passport or visa; money (for travel, fines, bail, ransom, medical expenses,
or transfer fees), and or gifts (clothing, cellphones, jewelry).” (Garrett)

• A legitimate email sent from an honest recruiting agency includes
more details than simply an email address to contact them.
• Much like other scams, the domain of a legitimate company would
be used in the email address, rather than a free web-based ISP such as
“live.com”.

The scam itself relies heavily on emotions and manipulation of the
prospective victim. Based on Garrett’s research, the Russian dating
scam has five phases: Phase 1: Locate and Identify victim; Phase 2:
Manipulate Victim; Phase 3: Request Financial Assistance; Phase
4: Request Higher Level of Financial Assistance; and Phase 5: Sever
Communications.

• Any mention of a third party processing services to service invoices
is highly suspicious, and should raise concerns regarding the legitimacy of the company (“Employment Scams”).
The online adult entertainment industry is a lucrative business as it is
estimated that users spend approximately $3,075.64 on adult materials on the Internet every second (Ropelato, “Internet”). Fraudsters
within the industry have commonly practiced a scam referred to
as, “Porn-Napping.” This includes hijacking a domain name that
has not been renewed by the original owner, and loa