A fourth is being used to try to lure members into downloading malware.
We also have news about new type of threatening email, a phony gift cards con and a couple of scams aimed at taking advantage of victims' financial plight in the economic downturn.
In particular, we highlight a new scam that tries to trick people into selling their homes and cars for nothing.
When might it be acceptable, even worthwhile, to scam someone? Never, we hear you say. How about when it's the cops fooling a bunch of crooks?
That's the subject of our lead-off story in this first Scamlines issue of 2009. And it make for heartening news.
Sadly, that's where the good news ends. As we already predicted several times, scammers are using the downturn in the economy to trick people into giving away their financial details or paying for non-existent or unnecessary services.
We also have word of a new lottery scam in Australia, phony monks in Cambodia, and a bogus pay-off for Nigerian scam victims.
Plus, there's the mystery of the Massachusetts hoaxer who wants to make drivers see red. Let's begin...
