# The LITTLE BLACK BOOK OF SCAMS put out by the (Compettition Bureau of Canada)



## carverman (Nov 8, 2010)

Somebody once had this thread on this foruim..but it doesn't seem to be a separate header anymore.
Anyway, as a public service and being almost a victim recently by an issue with my PC, would like to re-instate it.




Lotteries, sweepstakes an contest.....the long and short of it..unless you bought the ticket or entered a draw or contest yourself..
don't waste your time if contacted by email or unsolicited phone call.

2. MoneyTransfer Requests; aka the NIgerian 419/ADVANCE FEE fraud

3. Mobile phone scams aka "Ringtone scams" (subscription to a ringtone service..you have to actively opt out to avoid
the extra charges on your phone bill.

4.Health and medical scams...miracle cures,weight loss and fake online pharmacies sending you a placebo instead of
the genuine prescription drug

5. Emergency scams..fake "grandson" targets grandparents because they are in some kind of trouble and need money
fast

6.Charity scams..lots of them, come to your door and pressure you to give a donation and give you a fake receipt with
a charity number that is NOT listed with CRA as a future tax deduction

7.Small business scams...claiming your internet site domain is about to expire and must be renewed for a fee

8.Service scams /door to door sales, involving telecommunications, internet finance, medical and energy services..antivirus software, and credit card interest rate reduction...

9.Identity theft, bank and credit card scams (phishing emails with email letter head that look legitmate like it
was sent by the branch of your bank asking for "confirmation" of your personal data in a reply link that you can
click on

10, Lurkers/CON artists that hang aound the dating websites.."plenty of fish..etc"
They pose as somebody else with fake pictures..some are "catfishing" looking for suckers that will give and give
them bit by bit...their life savings

11. Fake car ads...disguised licence plates/locations and a tag team working to get you to wire them the money
by Western Union before they "deliver" a vehicle that appears to be a deal.... 

12. Door to door sales, wanting to upgrade your furnace and hot water tank..as soon as you sign, you are on
the hook for years of expensive monthly payments. They at first appear to be from the company with your tank
rental agreement,but upon further investigation they are not..and not only will you be faced with and expensive
cancellation of the existing rental agreement..but needing legal action to get out of the bogus contract 

****NEW/March 28/2016****
13. *your "Computer seems to be corrupted"..I'll fix it for a price, scams*

Here's my story; Bought some AVG anti-virus from Staples ONLINE. Downloaded it and applied it to my computer, 
which already had AVG anti-virus and was nagging me to renew online..(read MORE EXPENSIVE and you don't want to give
these people (based in India/Srilanka or Cyprus) your CC number..that could be a disaster!

Anyway, the new AVG licence works for about a month and then starts nagging me to "renew'...I put in the licence
key I got from them and the last letter is BLOCKED..I can't enter it!

Call the AVG support group.."AVG"? guy opens up a chat box and asks me what they can do for me.

I explain that AVG doesn't recognize the licence key..He asks permission to have a look. After 15 minutes of messing
around on my computer ,tells me that my computer "appears to be corrupted by "foreign access" as I did not have a firewall. BASTARDS! Why didn't my STAPLES AVG purchase not have a firewall included!

The s/w anti-virus package I downloaded from AVG did NOT HAVE A firewall included..they wanted another $29.99
for the firewall feature..SCAMMERS!

I downloaded a free firewall from CNET, but that seemed to have expired as well.


So this "AVG computer expert" with an East Indian accent tells me, he can fix some of the corruption, but in order
to clean it up "real good" I need to reload WIN7 and all the applications.... OR he can pass me onto his "LEVEL 7 expert"
who can clean up my PC..... for $270 AMERICAN DOLLARS because that's what Microsoft charges.
Ya sure, I wasn't born yesterday!

I purge AVG from my PC, download NORTON INTERNET SECURITY and I'm thankful that I didn't have a serious
corruption problem... and at least now, NORTON is protecting my PC the way it should be protected.

CAVEAT EMPTOR!
DON"T BUY AVG anti-virus..you don't know what they are up to these days..legit? or scamming for more money!


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## RUSH2112 (Mar 25, 2012)

I didn't see anything in their about the Ontario e-test scam. The one where you go for an e-test and the mechanics hand held device can't read your computer and they tell you to go drive a couple hundred kilometers to reset your computer, further polluting the atmosphere. And oh yeah, they still charge you $38.00. That's fine, I been recycling for about 30 years, long before it became hip to do so, rinsing every can, lid, sorting junk mail, but guess what Ms. Wynne, it now it all goes in the garbage.


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## Joe Black (Aug 3, 2015)

RUSH2112 said:


> I didn't see anything in their about the Ontario e-test scam. The one where you go for an e-test and the mechanics hand held device can't read your computer and they tell you to go drive a couple hundred kilometers to reset your computer, further polluting the atmosphere. And oh yeah, they still charge you $38.00. That's fine, I been recycling for about 30 years, long before it became hip to do so, rinsing every can, lid, sorting junk mail, but guess what Ms. Wynne, it now it all goes in the garbage.


What benefit does the mechanic get by telling you to drive 200 KM?

How is Ms. Wynne responsible for a malfunctioning e-test device?


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## carverman (Nov 8, 2010)

RUSH2112 said:


> I didn't see anything in their about the Ontario e-test scam. The one where you go for an e-test and the mechanics hand held device can't read your computer and they tell you to go drive a couple hundred kilometers to reset your computer, further polluting the atmosphere. And oh yeah, they still charge you $38.00. That's fine, I been recycling for about 30 years, long before it became hip to do so, rinsing every can, lid, sorting junk mail, but guess what Ms. Wynne, it now it all goes in the garbage.


Apparently, at least what the Wynne gov't is saying now (if you can believe these political scam artists) is that the $38 fee will be cancelled (perhaps/maybe/whatever) in 2016 (odd year vehcicles/ 2017 for even year vehicles), but the e-test still has be done.
This probably will result in the fee being transferred over to the independent testing station owned by private enterprise.
From ONTARIO BUDGET 2016 synopsis


> The $30 fee for Drive Clean vehicle emissions tests will be eliminated, but not the tests themselves, as motorists have urged.


CTC and others are selling "liquid etest passing soluition" in a bottle. Put it in the gas tank and drive around a 200Km to further pollute the atmosphere.
http://reviews.canadiantire.ca/9045...ss-emissions-test-formula-reviews/reviews.htm

Also, I read somewhere that if the repairs to your vehicle to pass the etest, cost more than $450, you can get a conditional bypass for the vehicle. Kind of defeats the purpose of the e-test don't you think? Better to just by the magic solution in bottle sold by CTC and perhaps others.


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## carverman (Nov 8, 2010)

NEW SCAM-read my story in the little black book updated March 28.


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## Beaver101 (Nov 14, 2011)

carverman said:


> NEW SCAM-read my story in the little black book updated March 28.


 ... holy poo-poo, then what anti-virus program is legit?


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## scorpion_ca (Nov 3, 2014)

What is the problem of using Microsoft Security Essential anti-virus if you use Windows? Both are developed by Microsoft and it's free.


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## carverman (Nov 8, 2010)

Beaver101 said:


> ... holy poo-poo, then what anti-virus program is legit?


Currently I'm using Norton Security DELUXE..49.99 ($30 off regular price)

Spent that much on AVG anti-virus from STAPLES .....and neither Staples...nor AVG will issue me a refund on my CC.

They try to tell me that if I Am not satisfied, they will refund the purchase price..NO QUESTIONS ASKED,
but they still want you to fill out a survey anyway.

They did not recognize the STAPLES order number, so I will not receive a refund , and they were not able to determine why my licensed antivirus would not apply again..but wanted $270 USD to "investigate' and 'cleanup' my PC.

Norton applied and working without a hitch. 

I tried calling and sending them emails which they ignore.
I will NEVER USE avg again.


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## none (Jan 15, 2013)

That's what you get for visiting "those sites". In your defence: Freaky deakies need love too.


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## Beaver101 (Nov 14, 2011)

scorpion_ca said:


> What is the problem of using Microsoft Security Essential anti-virus if you use Windows? Both are developed by Microsoft and it's free.


 ... so is AVG (basic) until you need to update. Same can happen to MSE anti-virus.


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## carverman (Nov 8, 2010)

Beaver101 said:


> ... so is AVG (basic) until you need to update. Same can happen to MSE anti-virus.


I don't like the free MSE antivirus. If you are going for free antivirus (that may not have complete protection for your PC),then you could also leave yourself to exposure. I do my banking on line..so I don't want any cyber attacks while I'm in my bank account, even if the link is HTTPS (secure) with the lock icon.

I was trying to point out that I Am disappointed with AVG. as they were not able to resolve the problem with my laptop while *working remotely for a day and a half with over 12 retarts* and still their crappy anti-virus would not apply citing some error code.

They charged me $79 for a BS troubleshooter-techie to try and fix it. Instead of interpreting the error code. he kept on messing around and doing numerous restarts, AND THEN had the gall to tell me my laptop (WIN 10) was corrupted and his suggestion was to completely rebuild the load from scratch.

Working for Nortel in s/w support for many years, I know about error codes. You can usually determine the problem from the error code. In my case, it was "initialization failed" .


When I asked to get a refund, they just bounced me around from one "rep" to another and I never got my refund even though the Norton (free antivirus) went in and is operating correctly.

AVG Tech support SEEM TO BE A BUNCH OF SCaM ARTISTS...CAN'T FIX ANYTHING!


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## Beaver101 (Nov 14, 2011)

Then what makes you so sure that support from Norton is any better- just because it's presently running without a hitch? How long have you had Norton anti-virus installed for, a month?


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## scorpion_ca (Nov 3, 2014)

If you paid at Staples by your credit card, you can dispute that transaction. Most likely, your CC company will reimburse it as it's to small for them to chase it. 

If your online account is hacked or money is stolen from the bank account without your authorization, your financial institution will reimburse you.


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## carverman (Nov 8, 2010)

Beaver101 said:


> Then what makes you so sure that support from Norton is any better- just because it's presently running without a hitch? How long have you had Norton anti-virus installed for, a month?


Norton support is much better! I made a typo error on registering my Norton internet security..itwas a typo in my email address,
Called Support and the respondent fixed up the error. I have used Norton in the past and always had good support from them,
Tried AVG aa couple years ago..last year it was trouble free..this year with the Staples download..problems.


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## carverman (Nov 8, 2010)

scorpion_ca said:


> If you paid at Staples by your credit card, you can dispute that transaction. Most likely, your CC company will reimburse it as it's to small for them to chase it.
> 
> If your online account is hacked or money is stolen from the bank account without your authorization, your financial institution will reimburse you.


 Yes, I am aware of that.. The problem though lies not with Staples but with AVG.

I bought via CC and downloaded this version..Ithought I could save some money by having a two year license...:hopelessness:

http://www.staples.ca/en/Avg-Antivirus-2016-1-User-2-Year-Download-/product_1918073_2-CA_1_20001


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## carverman (Nov 8, 2010)

scorpion_ca said:


> If you paid at Staples by your credit card, you can dispute that transaction. Most likely, your CC company will reimburse it as it's to small for them to chase it.
> 
> If your online account is hacked or money is stolen from the bank account without your authorization, your financial institution will reimburse you.


*Email from Staples Business Depot; *

vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv

We appreciate your inquiry concerning this issue Carverman.

I am sorry you could not install the AVG anti-virus program. 
Please note
that *Canadian Copyright protection laws prevent us from taking back a
software program when the packaging has been opened or downloaded.* 

*This issue is caused by the fact that your computer's operating system is
not compatible with the software program in question.
*
I apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused you. Should you
have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Gilbert, E-commerce Communication specialist

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
What BS! What a jioke! The AVG support specialist worked on my laptop (WIn7->Win10) for almost 2 days and couldn't
get the Staples Downloaded version to work. 
He even erased the original copy that I downloaded and did a few downloads himself. 

his went on for two days jan 20 and 21. The AVG specialist finally gave up, called me to
inform me that my laptop "appeared" to be corrupted..and only a complete rebuild of the OS would solve the
issue that the AVG antivirus (purchased via Staples Online) would work, but that would cost me more USD to
have them (AVG) troubleshoot, besides the $90 Canadian the B$#&tards charged me already,
which they are not willing to refund, even though they claim satisfaction guaranteed or money refunded. 


WARNING! *DO NOT BUY ANYTHING FROM STAPLES ONLINE..THEY do not stand behind their products!*


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## Beaver101 (Nov 14, 2011)

^ Particularly "tech-related" stuff including hardwares. Their "repair" depot (and locally, not instore) = nightmare!


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## Beaver101 (Nov 14, 2011)

A good reminder for the online-shopper:

*Pop-up, free-sample scams play the impulsive online shopper: Roseman*

http://www.thestar.com/business/2016/03/29/pop-up-free-sample-scams-play-the-impulsive-online-shopper-roseman.html


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## Beaver101 (Nov 14, 2011)

And do you believe this? A miracle?

*Complaints to telecom watchdog plunge, with Rogers seeing biggest drop*

http://www.thestar.com/business/2016/03/30/complaints-to-telecom-watchdog-plunge-with-rogers-seeing-biggest-drop.html


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## carverman (Nov 8, 2010)

Beaver101 said:


> A good reminder for the online-shopper:
> 
> *Pop-up, free-sample scams play the impulsive online shopper: Roseman*
> 
> http://www.thestar.com/business/2016/03/29/pop-up-free-sample-scams-play-the-impulsive-online-shopper-roseman.html


I don't believe in anything "free" except "free shipping' if the order is over $50.


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## carverman (Nov 8, 2010)

Beaver101 said:


> And do you believe this? A miracle?
> 
> *Complaints to telecom watchdog plunge, with Rogers seeing biggest drop*



"Robbers" finally getting a serious consumer backlash. Even their sweetheart deal for 90 days at reduced rates if you sign a 2 yr contract with them isn't going to win them any more business. 



> Also said there were *120 confirmed breaches of the Wireless Code by providers*, compared to 328 in the 2014-2015 period.
> The code gives customers of ISPs and telecoms new rights and has been credited with a decline in consumer complaints about wireless services.


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## RUSH2112 (Mar 25, 2012)

Joe Black said:


> What benefit does the mechanic get by telling you to drive 200 KM?
> 
> How is Ms. Wynne responsible for a malfunctioning e-test device?


It doesn't benefit him but maybe they thought it may reset my computer.

Perhaps the cars idling around the local Tim Horton's and backed up out on to the street should pay for pollution.

Ms. Wynne takes proceeds to from this scam to pay things like parades to insult the rest of humanity.

I have no problem with a conventional tailpipe e-test but these are a scam.

Mechanics will tell you the same thing, the system is flawed but very profitable for garages.


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## carverman (Nov 8, 2010)

Just got a phishing email from "Tangerine", that my account was suspended, asking to click on a link to "confirm" some information.

Ya sure..first of all, I don't have a Tangerine acct and secondly , it was in my junk mail folder...but these stupid cyber criminals keep trying to find someone naive enough.


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## RUSH2112 (Mar 25, 2012)

carverman said:


> NEW SCAM-read my story in the little black book updated March 28.


You should mention that tourist tax appearing on hotel bills in Niagara Falls that Wynne approved.

You have to look for it but it's there.


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