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“Performers” beware, ‘tis the season to scam

‘Tis the season to be scammed. If not by email, then through cheques stolen from local businesses.
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‘Tis the season to be scammed. If not by email, then through cheques stolen from local businesses.

On December 19 Terrace RCMP arrested a man for trying to cash a cheque that had been stolen from a local business during a break-in. The business’ name was printed on the cheque.

RCMP advise anyone receiving such a cheque should take the time to call the business whose name is on the cheque to confirm they wrote the cheque out to the person attempting to use it. Also verify the identification of the person trying to cash it to ensure that person is in fact the person the cheque was made out to.

Simple, logical verifications few us follow. We tend to trust, don’t want to appear suspicious. But in this day suspicion is a necessary defence.

My morning email served up this scam:

Hello,

I have a forum in the darkweb, I perform all kinds of services – in general it is damage to bussiness and injury. In general, all but the murder. Often this happens because of unrequited love or competition at bussiness. This week she contacted me and set me the task of pour out acid in your face. Standard order – fast, hurts, for life. Without too much fuss. I get receive only after doing the work. Thus, now I suggest you pay me to be inactive, I suggest this to nearly all the victims. If I do not get money from you, then my man will fulfill the mission. If you send me money, besides to my inactivity, I will provide you the information that I have about the client. After finishing the order, I always spend the performer, so I have a selection, to get $1200 from you for information about the customer and my inaction, or to get $ 4000 from the customer, but with a high probability of losing the performer.

I’m getting payments in bitcoins, here’s my Bitcoin address -

12BhTnJeALdvRoj1y5MUr7cv3bupb85DPq

The summary I told above.

24 hours to transfer.

At first, reading the threat of acid to be thrown in my face, I’ll admit I felt a chill. Then I got angry. Only a few weeks ago a young East Indian woman in Vancouver graduated as a lawyer after being blinded seven years ago when acid was thrown in her face.

What gives scammers the right to intrude via my email account and threaten me? The writing suggests the threat is at the whim of a female, but a male is to do the deed.

So many goofy lines exist in this hodgepodge of poor grammar and spelling.

For example, I can’t think of any unrequited love in my life, ever; so that threat missed the mark.

Also I gave up my business years ago. Who would seek revenge for competition at this late date, or in this fashion? A business deal gone wrong can be righted through the courts.

This line baffles me: “After finishing the order, I always spend the performer, so I have a selection …” What does “spend the performer” mean? Is performer a euphemism for payment?

I’ve heard of bitcoins but know only that they are a form of currency preferred by scammers, next to Western Union cash transfers. I wouldn’t know where to get one.

This scammer sets a 24 hour deadline. I’ve received many other scam emails seeking to extort payments from me. Usually the deadline is 48 hours. Their deadlines have quietly come and gone. This scammer, too, will wait forever to pry any payment from me.