Don’t be fooled by mail and Internet scams
Date: October 2, 2014Category: Author: Christin Paty
DNS Services bogus invoice
Just recently, one of our clients received another one of those bogus invoices from DNS Services (dnssvc.com). The invoice was for Managed DNS Backup Business Services for his domain name, which is already included with Infinity Dental Web’s hosting. As you can see by looking at the invoice, it indicates there is a $65 annual fee due. This is very deceptive, because it is really a solicitation to get people to sign up for their services that many unsuspecting victims fall prey to. Luckily our client contacted us before paying the annual renewal fee.
While researching this scam further, I found other versions of the invoice on the Internet stating in fine print that this is a solicitation. However, the invoice that was sent to our client contains no such messaging and may be considered mail fraud. If our client wanted to take further action, he could report DNS Services and their fictitious invoice to the United Sates Postal Inspection Service.
Other Internet scams
There are many other Internet scams that millions of people fall for each year as well. A recent scam noticed by Dr. David Hall was the The Verizon 48 scam that he wrote about. This scam was for a rebate offer Dr. Hall received via phone message. I too was contacted through e-mail by T-mobile offering this similar rebate. I didn’t respond though, because the message seemed too good to be true.
How do you prevent from being a victim of scams?
- Use your instincts and do your research when receiving offers that seem to be too good to be true.
- Investigate unusual invoices like our client did when he received the one from DNS Services.
- Don’t give out your account information. Real banks and stores may send you an email or text, but they never ask you for account information.
- Keep current and report scams by visiting these websites:
- Onguardonline.gov at www.onguardonline.gov
- Federal Trade Commission Consumer Information at www.consumer.ftc.gov
- FBI at www.fbi.gov/scams-safety/fraud/internet_fraud
Leave a Reply