Gullible suburban mother of four regularly duped in her half-century life. Exploring hoaxes and schemes as the ExSCAMiner, she attempts answering the nagging question: Should I have fallen for that? Got scam tips, email Karin at ScamExaminer@gmail.com.

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When magic goes bad

2 comments

May 8, 12:12 PM

by Karin Malchow, Scam Examiner

Street scams like Three Card Monte are magic tricks, except with bystander betting instead of pass-the-hat tipping.

While the con game varies, you can be pretty sure of several things.

--Anyone winning or offering you advice is working with the scammer.

--Anything the scammer says misdirects your attention.

--The scammer knows the Throw (throwing either the top or bottom card when holding two) even if he appears clumsy.

--Your money will disappear like magic.

The sound quality of the following '80s recording is poor, but it is worth watching to see sleight-of-hand master magician Dai Vernon (1894-1992) at work.

Vernon gleaned much information and skill befriending con artists and cardsharps, but he worked legit as an entertainer.

Street suckers everywhere can be grateful.

Topics: Con artists , gambling , Three Card Monte

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Comments

Male enhancement matters to scammers

1 comment

October 4, 4:26 PM

MSN Health reported a preliminary Italian study suggesting an ancient Chinese herbal aphrodisiac could be a natural alternative to Viagra and other pharmaceuticals treating Erectile Dysfunction. Spamming internet scammers are likely to latch onto... Read More
Topics: E-mail

Best (also worst) inheritance scam

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October 1, 2:10 PM

Tales of estates snarled by bureaucracy still flood e-mail inboxes; a share of the vast fortune only requires immediate cash to either cheated heirs or estate locators for money transfer fees or bribes. The internet version of the inheritance scam... Read More

Does your city rank on reporting fraud?

Add a Comment

September 30, 12:12 AM

The Federal Trade Commission maintains a Consumer Sentinel database collecting complaints from 125 organizations, including the Better Business Bureau, the Internet Crime Complaint Center and the US Postal Inspection Service. The individual consumer... Read More
Topics: fraud , Identity Theft , FTC

Life after death

2 comments

September 26, 11:48 AM

A recap of insurance fraud items in the September 2008 news:Dead men don't go to the doctor.When Ahmad Akhtary's British ex-wife attempted to claim £300,000 insurance after reporting his death in Afghanistan, a couple items tripped up the scheme. ... Read More
Topics: fraud

Famous people confess badly kept secrets

2 comments

September 24, 3:36 PM

AP/People In honor of Clay Aiken's sexual orientation confirmation and Lindsay Lohan-Samantha Ronson dating relationship acknowledgement, here are some other not-so-startling celebrity revelations. Whether those in the public eye... Read More
Topics: suspicion

Keeping your head during economic strife

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September 21, 9:13 PM

Whether one believes the U.S. economy is a house of cards or undergoing a cyclical correction, a Ponzi scheme facsimile or fundamentally sound, a dose of Frank Capra is always fun. According to an MSN-Zogby poll, most people are taking recent economic... Read More
Topics: movies

Moving company pirates hold stuff hostage

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September 19, 9:33 PM

Unscrupulous moving companies and drivers are hijacking people's belongings and demanding ransom. The scam goes like this:After entering into a contract with a moving company for interstate relocation, possessions are loaded into a truck. ... Read More
Topics: fraud

Before Beijing Olympics started, London Olympics scam began

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September 17, 9:08 AM

BBC London reports that in December 2006 Nigel Lewis advertised for construction workers for the 2012 London Olympics village, promising cruise ship accommodations. 550 Slovak workers responded with a £600 deposit.After breaking off communication... Read More
Topics: advance fees

Business Week gets hacked

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September 15, 1:19 PM

Sophos, a computer protection provider, reported finding an SQL injection on the Business Week website, located on a page advising MBAs where to find high-paying jobs.What the heck is an SQL injection? Structured Query Language code that scammers insert... Read More
Topics: internet security