Fresh Escort Scam Leads People Straight to Divorce

A new escort scam that causes a lot of divorces caught the eye of the FBI. According to the latest report from the Internet Crime Complaint Center, the agency received several complaints regarding a website that allegedly snatches identities and damages victims` reputation.

The prank mechanism is rather simple: after scammers steal people`s IDs, they post pictures on the escort web site along with slanderous and inaccurate comments. The cyber-crooks then blackmail victims through e-mails, offering to help remove the information from the website for a fee.

“This scam is extremely detrimental to victims on a personal and professional level,” said the Internet Crime Complaint Center representatives. “Some victims reported their marriages and reputations have been damaged.”

According to authorities, the disclaimer states people provided personal information freely to verify and confirm their identity. The only alleged purpose is to make arrangements “to meet and spend time with a paid companion.” More than that, scammers claim they don`t have to respond to any court order from the US and Europe, because they aren`t in either region.

The Internet Crime Complaint Center scam report also detailed a new twist to the previously-existing US Airways phishing scam. This time, scammers try to lure people into installing malicious software by making them click on a bogus website “for information about our privacy policy”.

Less than a couple of months ago, the US Airways scam flooded inboxes with phony “check-in” online links for flight reservation the recipients never actually made.

The report Internet Crime Complaint Center is based upon information from law enforcement and complaints and details recent cyber crime trends.