Thursday, September 13, 2007

Con Man Invasion--Internet Black-Market Flourishing

--Internet black-market bazaar loaded with con-man-produced valuable documents of every kind for sale

Magalia, California--About everything is obtainable--for a price --over the internet.

Up for sale by con men. It started out with simple credit card theft several years ago and has now flowered into just about every form, document, verification number, or identification conveyance imaginable. As the internet expands at a breathtaking pace, so does identity theft right along with it. Now available for purchase are not only credit cards (with verification codes and mother's maiden name), but debit cards (with pin numbers), social security cards, visas, passports, birth certificates, marriage licenses, even death certificates. If one has a criminal turn of mind, just a couple of thousand dollars can buy that person a whole new (stolen) life, according to former Business Opportunities Digest editor / publisher, Jack Payne, who has studied the con man market over the past 45 years.

Business is so brisk that con men even maintain a market in names. Choice names from their victims' lists trade for up to $250--each.

The list of information available on each victim is frightening to many. These data include: names, addresses, phone and fax numbers, email addresses, driver's license numbers, social security numbers, passwords, debit and credit card numbers, other banking information, and a breakdown of buying patterns and net worth /debt status. The invasion is real. It's total. Con men are flooding into this market. Their intent? Theories are up for grabs.

Con man exposers point to the problems of E Bay and My Space as confirmation of this trend.

In some third world countries, such a collapse of privacy protections have signaled anarchy. Big hope, law enforcers believe, is that the U.S. is too advanced a civilized society and that "it can't happen here."

Thriller book author, Jack Payne, ponders the challenge further, "Talk about a tough life. For the average guy and gal in our society it's hard to beat the game. If they earn anything it's minus taxes. If they buy anything it's plus taxes. That's just for starters. Relationships, kids, school, house and car payments, neighborhood crime-- the list of day-to-day obstacles gets pretty grim. In facing all of these problems each day when they first get up, they can only wonder: 'how do I get through this reverse-lottery-win lifestyle; where I win $5 a year for a million years.'

"Nobody wants to cash out their life on this earth with the epitaph on their tombstone: 'I told you I was sick.' Yet, sadly, people keep falling for these scams every day--surrendering their identity, their savings, even their inheritance. Where will it all lead?"

3 comments:

Rezbi said...

I think the whole internet is being turned into a black market by the so-called gurus of internet marketing.

You just need to check out the latest scam to see an example of this:


http://www.geewhizzmarketing.com/quality-content-sites-were-you-ripped-off/

Jack Payne said...

It's a frightening picture, Rezbi. As you can see by scrolling through this thread, I cover scam artists and their antics broadly.
But, this one might be the most frightening of all, because of the "reach" of the internet.

Gary Hughes said...

Jack,

You have a great site for helping others avoid the many pitfalls that await us both online and in the “real world.”

The internet is certainly being used by scam artists to extract money from unwitting victims. As a software developer, I've been using the internet as an advertising tool for many years.

Throughout this time, I've witnessed numerous schemes used by online scam artists to extract money from their unwitting victims. I've even bought a few just to test their validity. They sell dreams of quick riches, and in the end, they are the only ones reaping the rewards.

I know from personal experience that it is quite possible to make exceptional money online. However, it comes from years of experience in everything from web development and search engine optimization to advertising and marketing. Add to that the need for specialized knowledge in internet security and you'll see that it's not the "quick path to riches" sold by so many scam artists.

I'm currently developing my own set of online resources that will dispel the myths and guide you through the treacherous waters to build a slow and steady income online. It is possible, but you must be careful.