Crew Wanted: WARNING! SCAMMERS TARGETING SAILING FORUMS

[BVIbrian]

I've received several over the last 2 or 3 months

[JPA Cate]

Originally Posted by BVIbrian

I've received several over the last 2 or 3 months

Have they been from this Moonlight II scam? Or other scams? If you go back through your received PMs, would you please use the Report PM button to report them to the moderators? We can check to be sure we've already banned the identities under which they were sent, and ban them if we haven't.

Thanks in advance,

Ann

[Kiwi_Rob]

An advert seeking crew for MOONLIGHT II has just appeared on CrewBay:

https://www.crewbay.com/job/13381


Did the Admins on Cruiser Forum determine if this was a scam or not?

[Wotname]

Originally Posted by Kiwi_Rob

An advert seeking crew for MOONLIGHT II has just appeared on CrewBay:

https://www.crewbay.com/job/13381


Did the Admins on Cruiser Forum determine if this was a scam or not?

I can't comment on the crewbay ad but similar messages on CF were fraudulent .

[JPA Cate]

Originally Posted by Kiwi_Rob

An advert seeking crew for MOONLIGHT II has just appeared on CrewBay:

https://www.crewbay.com/job/13381


Did the Admins on Cruiser Forum determine if this was a scam or not?

As Wotname wrote, Yes, the Moonlight II ads have been fraudulent. But what you are likely to find as a CF member, when one of these starts up, you will see unsolicited PM's in your Notifications. For those, use the Report PM button on the upper right. For posts, you use the Report Post button on the lower left.

Thanks for your interest and in advance, for any help you are able to give us.

Ann

[JPA Cate]

Originally Posted by Kiwi_Rob

An advert seeking crew for MOONLIGHT II has just appeared on CrewBay:

https://www.crewbay.com/job/13381


Did the Admins on Cruiser Forum determine if this was a scam or not?

As Wotname wrote, Yes, the Moonlight II ads on CF have been fraudulent. But what you are likely to find as a CF member, when one of these starts up, you will see an unsolicited PM or PM's in your Notifications. For those, use the Report PM button on the upper right. For posts, you use the Report Post button on the lower left. And the mods take it from there. For the other source, crewbay, I bet their mods would like it, too, if you report what we have told you.

Thanks for your interest and in advance, for any help you are able to give us.

Ann

[MartinF]

Maybe this is obvious, but it took me a while to suss - you only see the "report post" button if you are logged in.

[JPA Cate]

Originally Posted by MartinF

Maybe this is obvious, but it took me a while to suss - you only see the "report post" button if you are logged in.

Thank you. I didn't know that! So, thank you very much.



Ann

[Seaworthy Lass]

WARNING

One scamming group has has been active for 3 months on various forums, posting and/or sending PMs under a variety of usernames and for a variety of vessels wanting crew. The 10th user associated with this group has just been banned from Cruisers Forum.

They are phishing for personal information.

The following ad was posted yesterday, reported by a member (many thanks for alerting us). The user is part of this group and had been banned and the ad deleted.

This was the ad:

Posted by: c.stephen
Original Content:

Looking for Crew members to Join on a Flying Manta Motor Yacht departing from Crescent City, California to Mazatlan Mexico. We have several positions opened on this 10 days upwind passage from California to Mexico starting 29th of August. There are no cost, as expenses will be fully covered. All on-board food and cruising expenses will be covered, plus travel expenses. Rates are negotiable on the basis of experience.

The Passage will begin in Crescent City, California by August 29th and it could take as much as 9 to 10 days to traverse about 2000 miles to Mazatlan Mexico. We have tendency to sail conservatively.

Kindly contact via email "bertramyacht@proton.me" with your resume for the job briefing if interested.


NB: B1 / B2 VISA (American citizenship)

Crew Wanted ads have been for Moonlight II, Flying Manta Motor Yacht and unspecified vessels.
Scammers associated with this one particular group have had the following usernames (all now banned):

Berry2001

c.stephen

C.steven

Chavis

Dchavis

Earling

Frazeryacht

Jeffrey_haskamp

Sailing through_

SailwithJeffrey

[Jim Cate]

Interesting that they think the passage from Calif to mainland Mexico is upwind.

Jim

[Katapult Mike]

Yep. Also interesting that they included that "detail," presumeably in the belief that it would make the voyage sound more attractive

[softgoodsint]

You(s) will need to forgive me for being 'off-grid' for a while, meaning I've not seen any of this until I'm just catching up now - So I'll now be wary for any 'Moonlight' or 'Flying Manta' posts, but seriously, what's the scoop? There were only vague references to 'Moonlight', without any repost of the original text for reference, and frankly, I read the repost of the Flying Manta, and I don't get the problem, nowhere did it ask a potential crew member for any $ or any other perceived way they'd abuse a person, unless that came later, like they'd ask for passport or other identify theft info. I appreciate alert members noticed how a S/V in the Middle-East couldn't exactly depart from California in any near term timeframe, and smelt a barrel of chum (as the Maine lobstermen would say it).

But what was the scam other than they mis-identified that as an upwind passage. I did Mexico to Panama a few years back and it was at times upwind, downwind, crosswind and for several days zero wind, and at other times 30+ kts. Of course, our engine was toast so we were going 'old school'.

And come to think of it, the CF post that landed me there was no less zaney than this one, although call me fool hearty, but it wasn't a scam, well, not exactly (OK, the captain expected the three crew to pay his way for food etc, but I've seen that plenty out in the world. Oh, come to think of it, one of the crew also thought that the world owed him too, but ya pays yur money and ...).

[Wotname]

Originally Posted by softgoodsint

...... I don't get the problem, nowhere did it ask a potential crew member for any $ or any other perceived way they'd abuse a person, unless that came later, like they'd ask for passport or other identify theft info. .......

In a nutshell, this is how the scam works. Lay the bait, get a nibble, play it a little and then set the hook.

The better the scammer (i.e. make the bait believable enough), the more likely someone WILL fall for it, sooner or later. They only need one!

It is massive problem for any social media site and we find scammers every month. Occasionally the same scammer can be found on a dozen different forums.

The best defence we have is having vigilant members who will report suspicious posts and especially suspicious Private Messages.


Every report gets looked at!

[softgoodsint]

Thank you for your reply.
That said, while I do understand generally how any con or scam works, from 3 card Monte to Bernie Madoff, but in contrast to the "I want to send you $1 million, I just need you to send me airfare or finders fee", I don't see where the scammer gets a profit or benefit from a passage where he doesn't show up. Do you mean where they "set the hook" is where they say they need $ up front for food or fuel or even want someone's bank password. I can't imagine anyone going to this trouble just to prank sailors.
Now I could see a passport scam or identity theft, as that is happening even on the employment boards by scammers reading resumes or social media posts (cute pet photo, what's your pets name? is your favorite hobby sailing? and what was your first job - bang, password reset - see movie "Beekeeper").

[QUOTE=Wotname;3928041]In a nutshell, this is how the scam works. Lay the bait, get a nibble, play it a little and then set the hook.
... someone WILL fall for it, sooner or later. They only need one!

[DMF Sailing]

[QUOTE=softgoodsint;3928049]Thank you for your reply.
That said, while I do understand generally how any con or scam works, from 3 card Monte to Bernie Madoff, but in contrast to the "I want to send you $1 million, I just need you to send me airfare or finders fee", I don't see where the scammer gets a profit or benefit from a passage where he doesn't show up. Do you mean where they "set the hook" is where they say they need $ up front for food or fuel or even want someone's bank password. I can't imagine anyone going to this trouble just to prank sailors.
Now I could see a passport scam or identity theft, as that is happening even on the employment boards by scammers reading resumes or social media posts (cute pet photo, what's your pets name? is your favorite hobby sailing? and what was your first job - bang, password reset - see movie "Beekeeper").

Originally Posted by Wotname

In a nutshell, this is how the scam works. Lay the bait, get a nibble, play it a little and then set the hook.
... someone WILL fall for it, sooner or later. They only need one!

probably already been said, but certainly there are still plenty of bored people with access to the internet who post outrageous things just to get a rise out of people, or to watch them pontificate, or argue around in circles, or whatever.

Definitely seen a few of them in threads here over the years. I myself may have been roped into arguing with the "why doesn't anyone sail upwind" canard.