This one is
eerily reminiscent of the world-famous
Nigerian 419 scam...
Police and tax officials are warning about a letter and e-mail fraud scheme that attempts to pry confidential banking information and passport numbers from Canadians.
The scam is designed to prey on taxpayers worried about their records. It comes in the form of an official-looking letter or e-mail claiming to be from the Canada Revenue Agency and requiring taxpayers to complete a T2 form and bring CRA's records up to date.
In some instances the fraudulent demand for personal information has arrived via postal delivery. The letter asks taxpayers to complete the phoney T2 form and either fax it or send it to an address with a post office box number. Police found mail at that address was being forwarded overseas.
Of course... you can always fight back... like scambaiter
"Shiver Metimbers."But Metimbers and crew turn the tables on scammers one by one, boomeranging the tricksters' own tactics to entice them into performing outlandish tasks in desperate pursuit of cash -- then trumpeting evidence of the con artists' naivete for the online world's amusement.
A 43-year-old, self-employed computer engineer from Manchester, England, Metimbers has most recently spun counter-yarns that have compelled 419ers to make elaborate wood carvings, pose for comical photos and fly from London to Scotland.
In one episode, which concluded in March after a five-month exchange, he succeeded in having a Nigerian fraudster tattoo "Baited by Shiver" on his body in order to claim a fictional $46,000 prize.
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