Steve Hoffacker's Sales Quips

Never mind the cold. Ice phishing must be doing very well right now.

As if my inbox wasn't already stuffed with legitimate messages, and then the normal drivel of junk mail, this is the season for all of those "start your own business" offers that are coming in from around the world. I've received a dozen offers already today.

So happy that they are impressed with my resume - but if they had bothered to read it instead of just mentioning it, they would notice that their offer is quite unnecessary.

Nevertheless, this is just a new twist in the ever amusing and entertaining world of professional phishing.

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For more information on my coaching and educational programs and services, visit my website stevehoffacker.com, or go to my other blog homesalesinsights.com for additional sales tips, insights, and commentary. Listen to my free podcast messages at Steve Hoffacker's Happenings.

Steve Hoffacker - Consultant, Coach, Author, Blogger, Photographer, Motivator, Teacher, & Strategist - for Realtors, Real Estate Sales Professionals, Home Builders, New Home Salespeople, Entrepreneurs, Small Business Owners, and Independent Sales Representatives.

© Steve Hoffacker, 2010. All Rights Reserved.

We know that it is the Christmas season by certain reminders or indications that we see - Christmas carols being played in the stores, Salvation Army bellringers in front of stores, holiday decorations up and down the street, Christmas cards and emails, and Christmas sales and specials being advertised everyday.

Another way, unfortunately, to know that it's Christmas is the uptick in the phishing emails we get with all of the schemes on how some widow, terminally ill person, serviceman in a war zone, or long lost relative wants to share their fortune with us.

Yesterday, I received 6 of them. Today, the number is at 8 and the day still has several hours to go.

Theses people are certainly into the spirit of holiday giving - only they want us to give to them. Stay safe and far away from these people.

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For more information on my coaching and educational programs and services, visit my website stevehoffacker.com, or go to my other blog homesalesinsights.com for additional sales tips, insights, and commentary. Listen to my free podcast messages at Steve Hoffacker's Happenings.

Steve Hoffacker - Consultant, Coach, Author, Blogger, Photographer, Motivator, Teacher, & Strategist - for Realtors, Real Estate Sales Professionals, Home Builders, New Home Salespeople, Entrepreneurs, Small Business Owners, and Independent Sales Representatives.

© Steve Hoffacker, 2010. All Rights Reserved.

It's amazing how much money there is in the world just sitting out there waiting to be claimed - millions and milliions.

Hardly a day goes by when I am not contacted by some widow, executor, attoney, or trust amdinistrator, from somewher in Africa or the Far East to help them solve a financial dilemna they are in and claim part of the money they need to find a home for.

I am thrilled that they have chosen me, out of all the people in the word, to reach out to for help.

I just don't know what I'm going to do with all this new found wealth once it begins arriving.

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For more information on my coaching and educational programs and services, visit my website stevehoffacker.com, or go to my other blog homesalesinsights.com for additional sales tips, insights, and commentary. Listen to my free podcast messages at Steve Hoffacker's Happenings.

Steve Hoffacker - Consultant, Coach, Author, Blogger, Photographer, Motivator, Teacher, & Strategist - for Realtors, Real Estate Sales Professionals, Home Builders, New Home Salespeople, Entreprenuers, Small Business Owners, and Independent Sales Representatives.

© Steve Hoffacker, 2010. All Rights Reserved.

This morning I received two emails that fortunately went into my junk folder that appeared to be very real. They appeared to be from Amazon and looked like a normal order confirmation.

Someone took a lot of time configuring this scam.

The header, the email address, the template all look legit.

Two tip-offs. One, I don't have an outstanding order today. Two, they show an "order grand total" of one number, a "subtotal of items ordered" at a higher number, a "total before tax" at still a higher number, and a total for this order" of an amount in between the high and low. Third, they provide a link to view items oredered with still an even lower number next to it.

The average person is thinking, "I don't think I oredered anything. Let me click to find out what they're sending me."

BEWARE!

No good can come from this. Delete it.

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For more information on my coaching and educational programs and services, visit my website stevehoffacker.com, or go to my other blog homesalesinsights.com for additional sales tips, insights, and commentary. Listen to my free podcast messages at Steve Hoffacker's Happenings.

Steve Hoffacker - Consultant, Coach, Author, Blogger, Photographer, Motivator, Teacher, & Strategist - for Realtors, Real Estate Sales Professionals, Home Builders, New Home Salespeople, Entreprenuers, Small Business Owners, and Independent Sales Representatives.

© Steve Hoffacker, 2010. All Rights Reserved.

Be very careful.

For the past couple of weeks I have been getting at least one of these message a day - sometimes up to three.

They look legitimate. They are not. Delete them and do not open them.

The subject line says something about "Facebook account update" or "New login system."

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For more information on my coaching and educational programs and services, visit my website stevehoffacker.com or go to my other blog homesalesinsights.com for additional sales tips, insights, and commentary. You can also listen to my free podcast messages at Steve Hoffacker's Happenings.

© Steve Hoffacker, 2009. All Rights Reserved.

Seeing new phishing expeditions are nearly a daily occurrence. Some are very clever and almost trap us. Some are very obvious. Some are potentially more dangerous than others.

I've seen at least 6 or 7 new phishing schemes this past week, but this one is funny. I'd thought I'd pass it along.

Yesterday I got three similar emails within a short period of time. The subjects were "Long time no see!" "Haven't heard from you for a long time" and "We haven’t seen each other for a long time." We'll there is certainly a good explanation for the lack of contact - I have no idea who these people are. It's not a bad line, however.

If you've got to phish, you might as well make it entertaining.

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For more information on my coaching and educational programs and services, visit my website stevehoffacker.com or go to my other blog homesalesinsights.com for additional sales tips, insights, and commentary. You can also listen to my free podcast messages at Steve Hoffacker's Happenings.

© Steve Hoffacker, 2009. All Rights Reserved.

Every week I see one or two new phishing schemes. Most are obvious and occasionally are even humorous.

A new one surfaced yesterday that could be dangerous. Watch out.

Similar to the invoice you might get in the mail for something you didn't order or use, this email comes as a request to verify a charge that you didn't make. Of course you want to dispute the charge, so you are susceptible to falling for their scam and opening their link.

They don't stop at one and they vary the amount and the company each time.

Just ignore them and delete them. Stay safe and protect your data and moeny.

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For more information on my coaching and educational programs and services, visit my website stevehoffacker.com or go to my other blog homesalesinsights.com for additional sales tips, insights, and commentary. You can also listen to my free podcast messages at Steve Hoffacker's Happenings.

© Steve Hoffacker, 2009. All Rights Reserved.

I am amazed at the new phishing campaigns that come out. Every few days a new scheme is rolled out. Of course, the old standbys of the African widow or business just keep getting dusted off and reinvented.

Two of the latest ones are supposedly from the IRS wanting you to go to a non-existent account to verify information and one supposedly involving an electronic bill payment that wasn't allowed to happen.

Then, there are the ones that purport to be your bank - or even a bank where you don't have an account.

Don't bite. Be careful.

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For more information on my coaching and educational programs and services, visit my website stevehoffacker.com or go to my other blog homesalesinsights.com for additional sales tips, insights, and commentary. You can also listen to my free podcast messages at Steve Hoffacker's Happenings.

© Steve Hoffacker, 2009. All Rights Reserved.

Active Rain is an extremely successful social network. That's probably why most of us are involved. However, there is a sinister side to being this popular and visible. We form a ready-made calling and email list for all of the spammers, scammers, and phishers of the world.

I know of a few solicitations that have come through Active Rain with no way to trace them, I receive others very frequently that are untraceable. The favorite approach is the one, usually from some place in Africa, where I have been contacted because I have the same last name as their client (sometimes it is divulged, other times not - it's easier to send this same spam/scam - "spcam" [pronounced "spackum"] - to thousands if it is kept generic). The tip-off is their address. It always includes "MISS" or "Miss" or "Mr." or "MR." or something along these lines. Nobody that understands email ever uses that type of address when referring to themselves.

Notice also that it frequently is in all CAPS - not done in polite company - but that's part of the spcam as well. We're supposed to think that they are desparate and that this plea is urgent. Notice all of the misspellings and incorrect grammar - also a ploy.

Yesterday, I got a phone solicitation because he supposedly had noticed my profile on Active Rain and wanted to get me involved in some MLM or something along those lines. I didn't give him a chance, and I didn't hang up. I just gave him an answer to his lead-in question that wasn't on his script and he had to hang up.

It's frustrating, and slightly time consuming, but for now we'll have to endure a little bad to get the good from Active Rain. Be vigilant.

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For more information on my coaching services or sales tips visit my website stevehoffacker.com or my blog homesalesinsights.com.

This morning I got a voice mail message from a number that I didn’t recognize. When I accessed the message, it only said “press 1 to continue in English, press 2 to continue in Spanish.” Mind you, I still don’t know who it is or why I need to do this, so I figured no harm going on so I press “1.” Then it said “press 1 to continue in English, press 2 to continue in Spanish.” I pressed “1” again. Once more, it said “press 1 to continue in English, press 2 to continue in Spanish.” I hung up – forgetting it was a message. I still don’t know who it is.

Then I googled the number and the whole page is full of nothing but complaints from people getting a call from this number without knowing who it is and not able to reach them. FYI the number is 813-830-7822.

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For more information on my coaching services or sales tips visit my website stevehoffacker.com or my blog homesalesinsights.com.