Crew Wanted: WARNING! SCAMMERS TARGETING SAILING FORUMS

[jeanathon]

How many people are getting private messages about crewing this thing from a brand new member? Smells a bit.

[pressuredrop]

Yep it's fishy all right

[donradcliffe]

Considering Moonlight II is in Abu Dabai, a trip from San Diego in August is not going to happen.

[jeanathon]

Moderators might consider a sub-forum to post scams to.

[JPA Cate]

Has anyone been sent a PM by the Moonlight II people???

PLEASE REPORT SUSPECTED SCAMS by using the Report Post button (lower left corner in the computer version.) Thank you!

[mako]

How much money are they proposing to suck out of you?

[Wotname]

Note - to report a suspicious PM, the Report Icon is as the top RHS of the screen.

The quicker we get these reports, the faster we can act.

[jeanathon]

Originally Posted by JPA Cate

Has anyone been sent a PM by the Moonlight II people???

PLEASE REPORT SUSPECTED SCAMS by using the Report Post button (lower left corner in the computer version.) Thank you!

Yes. That is why I started the post. Donradcliffe quoted part of the pm about leaving San Diego so he obviously got it.

[Wotname]

Originally Posted by jeanathon

Yes. That is why I started the post. Donradcliffe quoted part of the pm about leaving San Diego so he obviously got it.

Starting the thread really helps getting the message out to other members who might also be getting the scam PM and helps to protect all members.

However it doesn't get the message to the moderators until one of us comes across the thread. Obviously we can't monitor every new thread so this can take time, sometimes days or more. In this instance, one of us saw the thread some 10 hours after it was raised.

When a post or PM is reported, all mods get emailed instantly and usually one of us is on-line somewhere around the world. Depending the severity of the report, action can begin immediately. We have zero tolerance for scammers.

[jeanathon]

Might I suggest a sub forum that would not only give users a central place to look to see if something is a scam. It would also be a heads up to moderators if the report button doesn't get pushed.

[Tupaia]

Originally Posted by jeanathon

Might I suggest a sub forum that would not only give users a central place to look to see if something is a scam. It would also be a heads up to moderators if the report button doesn't get pushed.

Might work. The trouble with threads like this as they grow the list of scams get lost up thread. The only way you could achieve a useable list would be for the last post to be a comprehensive list ie updated with each new scam. I can't see how members could be relayed on to do this.


Peter

[JPA Cate]

In this instance, one of us saw the thread some 10 hours after it was raised.

It was started at 11:32 p.m. AEST in Oz, when the Australia-located moderators are no longer online, except for Wotname, some of the time. I picked it up at ~0800 AEST in Oz, which would have been the next day for jeanathon. Using the Report Post or Report PM buttons will get your concern noticed fastest.

As it happens, the scammer(s) behind the M-II scam happen to be very persistent and many identities have been banned, already, because they were caught earlier on. They come back with different screen names and avatars. If y'all want to hunt them, and have time for it, try Googling on scam busting.

Google can also tell you what time it is UTC. That would tell you where it is daylight hours, which is when most moderating is done by Jim & me, anyhow. All plain moderators are volunteers. There is no 24 hr. mod. service here, like a hospital. We're all spread out, and we do the best we can, given our different situations, but since not all mods are located where you are, it may be a different contingency who pick up the baton, as it were. So that 9AM posting from NC would most likely picked up by a US based moderator, of whom there are four at the moment, before noon, had the first PM been reported using the report post button, and would not have had to wait for me to stumble over it hours later on.

It's probably safe to make the assumption that if you (especially if a delivery skipper) receive an M-II or similar PM, that there is definitely a scammer at work, and we would really appreciate the notification.

Thank you for understanding.

Ann

[jeanathon]

Noted, Ann.

[JPA Cate]

Thanks, jeanathon. 0738 my time you posted, and I'm writing at my 0750. I guess it's about 6 pm local for you.....

Ann

[jeanathon]

Originally Posted by JPA Cate

Thanks, jeanathon. 0738 my time you posted, and I'm writing at my 0750. I guess it's about 6 pm local for you.....

Ann

That is correct. I am currently in EDT which is Zulu/UTC -4 or 11 hours behind you all. Of course in a couple months I'll be in EST which will be -5 even though I won't have moved geographically.