Scamerican dream

Chapter 27. HYIP (2005)

I suppose that everyone who’s ever tried to legally make money online knows what HYIP is. Paradoxically, first time I heard about it was when I was looking through all those stolen payment system accounts linked with gold. Those…

Scamerican dream

Chapter 30. Drops (2005–2010)

I can’t say for certain when I heard this term for the first time, but I get the impression that drops have always existed. Drops, mules, gnomes, slaves — those slang terms all means the same: a person who becomes a virtual…

Scamerican dream

Chapter 57. Addendum. Can I earn?

Can you make money by working at home? In my personal opinion, 99% of all work at home offers are scam, which leaves 1% of legal offers with ridiculously low pay, and even fewer ones with actual decent money in them…

Scamerican dream

Appendix. Hints

Don’t ever read spam

Never open email attachments before scanning them with an antivirus.

Don’t respond to job offers from companies you don’t know.

Scamerican dream

Chapter 28. How to catch a big fish (2005–2007)

The doorbell interrupted our conversation.
‘Who might that be?’ ‘Don’t know. But not QQ, he’s got keys.’ ‘Didn’t you order pizza?’ ‘Ah, yeah. Quick service, well done!’ Nick got up and walked…

Scamerican dream

Chapter 31. The swindles (2006–2010)

Parcels. Fashion tester.
Clear and simple. The story and the conditions could vary, but the job description was almost always the same: get the package; stick the label; ship it off; sometimes it also involved…

Scamerican dream

Chapter 54. Addendum. King of the postal labels

To be honest, I don’t even know where to start… There’s no secret to it, to be honest. Everything is beyond elementary. A couple of clicks and $1000 is in my pocket — you know what I’m talking…

Scamerican dream

Chapter 53. Addendum. Greed

Greed? Greed!

How easy it is to accept cards. How easy to use them. How easy to steal them.

First of all, who is it that benefits from using cards?

Scamerican dream

Chapter 46. The phone call (2010)

The phone lit up with an unfamiliar international number.

‘Hello?’

‘Hello, Max from Moscow,’ said a pleasant female voice. ‘Where are you?’

Scamerican dream

Chapter 51. From author 3 (2011)

‘That’s it, end of story. Now you know everything about us and even more.’ said Max and smiled with his eyes. He looked relieved and happy. He finally shared all of the things that bothered him and wouldn’t let him be…