Centaur Matinal Scam SMS - iPhoneX only 1.00 from JB HiFi

TheBBG 2017-12-03 07:03:07 UTC #1

A mate just rang. He received an SMS that JB HiFi is selling 1,000 iPhone X today for only 1.00 each! A deal too good to miss!

He clicked the link and what appeared to be JB's page came up. He entered his details. A few minutes later he had second thoughts, checked his card account and a transaction was there for $1.58, (Euro 1 + 3% offshore fee) from Spain. He immediately cancelled his card.

Clue 1 - too good to be true
Clue 2 - see clue 1

He says he occasionally buys from JB HiFi and the web site looked dinkum on his phone.

draughtrider 2017-12-03 07:08:20 UTC #2

I can understand his confusion, its probably what they are actually worth ....

vax2000 2017-12-03 07:55:40 UTC #3

Probably the start of the scamming season . Most likely log into my emails later and find the one from Mr Mugumbo telling me "That your great Uncle has died in Scotland and left you 20 billion pounds . Please forward me $20K Aus to a p.o box in Nigeria to cover Bank clearance and relevant charges ."/

phbriggs2000 2017-12-03 08:02:48 UTC #4

Get him to report it to scamwatch...so at least others may know and prevent avoidable grief.

NubglummerySnr 2017-12-03 11:32:58 UTC #5

The simple fact that they're selling something worth over $1500 for a single dollar should be enough to make people realise it's a scam. If you go to a fake site then there's a good chance it will look like the real thing. Always best to check the URL address before going there. In this case it should have started with www.jbhifi.com.au, if it didn't then it's most likely fake, although not so obvious if you don't know about these things, which is how the scammers get their rewards at the expense of people who don't realise fake sites like this exist. If something does look like a good deal, instead of clicking the links in the email or the phone message, go to your web browser and google search the website you would expect to be taken to, in this case JB's proper website. Then search for the item once you get there and see if the price matches what's in the email. In this case you'd find the cheapest iPhone X they sell is $1579. We have teenage boys and a grown adult son who are all on the Autism Spectrum and they could quite easily get caught out by these types of scams. I've taught them to come and see one of us parental units before they do any online purchases, just so we can double check first, and yes they have wanted to purchase these unbelievably cheap offers at times. Luckily they know to check with us first.

TheBBG 2017-12-03 20:49:37 UTC #6

My mate sent through the details, and it is now reported to scamwatch.

sms received as follows.

JB HIFI

Hi *****, there is (1 ) package waiting for you! Check it here >> https://goo.gl/*******
(I masked the detail to protect identity and in case the link includes malicious code)

Open the link and see a well presented JB HiFi "look alike page"
" Selling 500 IPHONE X today for $1 " CONFIRM AND CONTINUE

Form entry follows for

Phone color, capacity choice ?

Name and address requested
Aust Post Delivery ?
Credit Card Details
Get $1 The new iPhone X ( order confirmed )

Using the TRIAL you are subscribed to the service radiospick *********
If you do not unsubscribe during trial period Sub 95Euro for 30 days paid by credit card.

Details as you progress then appear as "1$ payment is for a cover only"

The name CENTAUR MATINAL is listed on his credit card for the amount of $1.58 (1 Euro + 3% bank fee)

Many many clues! But he fell for it only realising he had been scammed after thinking about it, after completing the scam order.

rob 2017-12-15 00:45:25 UTC #7

Even though the initial charge was only $1.68 your friend should still request a chargeback on his credit card

TheBBG 2017-12-15 01:16:35 UTC #8

He got it as part of the cancellation/new card process.

suzy.q88 2017-12-19 03:45:03 UTC #9

These people have deducted two payments from my mums credit card $1.63 and $159.44, these transactions are unauthorised ? who are these people ? I researched the company and their web site is in French, I tried to send an email and it refused to accept my email ? My mum has early stage dementia and I live 3 hrs drive from her so to take her into the ANZ bank with 2 lots of ID is a pain in the But I will be taking a day off work to sort this, I am very angry that this company would steal from an 85yr old very sick lady Can anyone tell me who these people are, Thanks
Suzy

TheBBG 2017-12-19 03:56:15 UTC #10

Scammers.

My guess is she responded to a scam message similar to this thread

The $1.63 looks like 1 Euro + 3% foreign fee, and the remainder is a 'subscription'.

Check her mobile phone SMS (assuming she has one) or email (assuming she uses it) for a message that reflects the content above. It also could have been a pop-up on a web browser from a dodgy or hacked web page (if she uses internet).

Cancelling the card and disputing is the correct thing.

Scammers will steal from anyone they can steal from.

If you can find the 'source' please make a report to scamwatch.gov.au. They keep lists and publicise known scams, not actually help.

TheBBG 2017-12-19 03:41:07 UTC #12

My guess is she responded to a scam message similar to this thread

The $1.63 looks like 1 Euro + 3% foreign fee, and the remainder is a 'subscription'.

Cancelling the card and disputing is the correct thing.

matthew 2018-01-10 08:01:10 UTC #13

It's a waste of time, just like complaints to ACORN and the ACCC. For the amount of money we are pouring into these organisations we should be getting a lot more back.

Local police are useless as well, they don't care about internet crime and generally won't even take down the details but refer you to ScamWatch or ACORN.

TheBBG 2018-01-10 10:40:51 UTC #14

That is probably true 99+% of the time, but if one does not make the effort one does not have the 'high ground' and the little they do in publicising scams becomes non-viable.

A sad reality is the police are ill equipped for many modern crimes, from internet issues to identity theft, and those agencies that are supposed to be 'in charge' are often scoped as windows dressing to make it appear there is oversight as much as anything. As has been noted if a company is disinterested in abiding by the ACL the ACCC does not seem to have sufficient powers and resources excepting in the most egregious situations.

postulative 2018-01-11 08:47:34 UTC #15

They are people who have found an alternative means to 'make a living'. With globalisation we get the good and the bad - your iPhone comes from China, but so do some of these scammers. Others come from India, or Russia, or other parts of the former USSR. In some cases they will even be from 'the West' - simply using their know-how to turn a buck.

Sorry if I sound sympathetic to them; I generally am not, but in a lot of cases there is good reason to think again. Those Indians who call your home phone around dinner time? They live in a country with enormous rates of poverty, and may be the only member of the family who has a 'job'. Some of these hackers are kids who think they're just having a lark and not hurting anyone - until the police knock on their door.

We live in an era in which you can talk to a stranger on the other side of the world, or anonymously post videos of that girl who dumped you last night, or buy from a reputable company anywhere on the planet, or steal from a total stranger 10,000 km away. In an era in which those who have the money make the rules, and all incentives point to making more money than your neighbour however you can. An era when those who have the money want - and take - ever more. An era when the Prime Minister of Great Britain could say "there is no such thing as society" - and then change the world to make her words come true. We live in a dog eat dog world of competition and 'competitive advantage', and these online, international thieves are just one manifestation of this new God we all worship called capitalism, whose high priests we call economists.