[RndTbl] What do I have to do to get some scam sites shut down?

[Hartmut W Sager]

This is a case where (most) resistance is futile.  I get 5-20 of these every day, and for several months already.  It sounds like you're getting way less, and only more recently.

The good news is that these are terribly obvious scams to even just moderately astute observers, but the bad news is that some Canadians do fall for it.  I'm also not surprised that the registrar(s) and the Web hosting site(s) you mentioned don't care.

Gilbert's suggestion of reporting this to Canada Post does have merit, as Canada Post is also a victim by being impostered.  The problem is, we can't identify the culprit (who is often in another part of the world).

Trevor's suggestions are interesting, but "block numbers", "block e-mail addresses", "block Websites", etc, are all useless, as these crooks change numbers, e-mail addresses, and Websites several times a day.  I discovered that several weeks ago when I pursued a particular number/address/site within a few hours of receiving the same texts/e-mails multiple times, and already, the numbers were "out of service", the e-mail addresses bounced, the sites were gone, and the domain names were suspended (so some registrars and hosts do act swiftly).

As for telephone numbers, they are usually false callerID (spoofing) in the first place, and the requested reply is a Web link.  As a VoIP implementer and reseller myself, I've tested how easy it is to fake the callerID.  When a friend or customer doubts this, I just call them back "from their own number".  That settles it quickly (and freaks them out)!

Indeed, as per Trevor, a well-informed public is the best defense.

Hartmut

On Fri 15 Mar 2024 at 10:17:13 -05:00, Brian Lowe <brian2 at groupbcl.ca> wrote:
> Recently I've received SMS alerts regarding package delivery problems 
> directing me to three different scam sites:
> 
> * completeshipingform.info (note the misspelling)
> * shipment-overview.info
> * shipmentsetback.info
> 
> The sites masquerade as Canada Post and are stealing people's names, 
> addresses, phone numbers, birth dates, and credit card info. They are designed 
> for mobile devices; if the user-agent indicates a desktop browser they 
> redirect to Google. (One can get around this by installing an add-on to spoof 
> the user-agent.)
> 
> I complained to NameSilo, the registrar. They told me they don't care what's 
> running on the site they've registered.
> 
> I've filed multiple complaints with Alibaba Cloud, who are apparently hosting 
> these sites. They've done nothing. A chat with customer support indicated they 
> want to get "their side" of the story--that is, the customer who put up the 
> site. This is extremely disingenuous on their part, as it's obvious the sites 
> are scams and exist only to steal information.
> 
> I'm disappointed and frustrated at the lack of response to thieves and 
> scammers openly operating on the web while the gatekeepers sit aside and do 
> nothing.
> 
> 
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