As Mr. Dooley Said. . . Trust Everyone But Use the Google

Eli has been getting a series of Emails, which as is his wont, the Bunny has been ignoring, as have the rest of you noble readers:

Dear Colleagues,

You are invited to join the Climate Change Working Group (CCWG 2011), third annual Energy and Climate Change Conference focused on the practical applications of social and behavioural research to achieve viable solutions to energy/climate challenges. It builds on the overwhelming success of previous CCWG conferences at which 800 participants from universities, government, corporations and organizations discussed successful policy and program strategies, shared important research findings, and created dynamic new networks and collaborations.

Conveners: Climate Change Working Group-147 Stoke Newington High St N16 0NY, London, United Kingdom. Ph: +44 702 407 5825, +44 702 406 2757
Call for Presentation Abstracts: The CCWG 2011 Organizing Committee requests proposals for presentations from policymakers, businesses, social scientists, researchers, media specialists, marketers, energy experts, program designers, implementers, and evaluators. We invite proposals for three types of presentations:

1.Oral Presentations (15-20 minute formal presentations and slides)
2.Lightning Talks (5-7 minute presentations - highlights of results, insights, or novel/transformative ideas)
3.Poster Presentations (informal presentations)

We are seeking well-documented, effective applications of behavioural approaches in energy/climate policies and programs; new behavioural research findings; successful programs/scale-ups; measured results; and best practices. We are also interested in thoughtful discussions of emerging policy/program issues, behavioural research methods, and selected novel/transformative ideas.

Topic Areas: Abstracts must be submitted online fewer than one of the following categories; if your topic doesn't fit easily into one of these categories (or if it fits into multiple categories) please choose the closest match.

·Climate Change and the Oceans
·Sustainable Development, Environment, Health and Development
·Remote Sensing and Global Surveillance
·Water Resources Management
·Carbon & GHG Management
·Extreme Events and Impacts Assessment
·Greenhouse Gas & Ecosystems
·Human Health In a Changing Climate
·Agricultural and Forestry Resources Management
·Clean Energy Technology
·Low GHG Transportation
·Education: Global Change & Sustainable Development
·Case studies.

Proposal Submission: Interested presenters should submit an abstract of less than 250 words of text summarizing the proposed presentation and a short bio (100 words, email: info@johnsonken.com or fax on: +44 844 774 7599 by March 04, 2011. Submissions will be judged on relevance to conference themes, clarity of thought, data/documented results, creativity, fit in conference program and other criteria. Deadline for notification of acceptance is March 11 2011.
Conference Registration: All presenters are expected to register online by March 11 2011. Registration is free of charge for delegates from developing countries. Also free flight ticket, travel insurance, visa fees and per diem to be provided for all paper presenters and participating delegates.

For more details on online registration, abstract submission, full papers and power point presentation, accommodation, flight, and venue, please email: info@johnsonken.com
or fax on +44 844 774 7599.

Important dates:
04 March 2011 Deadline for abstract submission
11 March 2011 Notification of acceptance/Full paper Submissions
25-29 March 2011 Conference Dates

We look forward to seeing you at the conference.

Dr. Richard Edward
Conference Chair.
Climate Change Working Group
147 Stoke Newington High St N16 0NY,
London, United Kingdom.
Ph: +44 702 407 5825, +44 702 406 2757

But finally he broke down and used the Google, only to find that

It's spam, spam, spam, spam. Richard Black on the BBC caught it earlier.

A call to the contact number provided for the supposed organiser, Dr Louis Clarke, yielded a brief conversation with a man claiming to be Dr Clarke, speaking with an African accent and claiming to be "an expert in climate change issues".

UK phone numbers given in the scams typically begin with 0702 or 0844, which re-direct elsewhere.

The sender of another e-mail invitation, again for late January in London, has adopted the name "Christiana Figueres" - the real-life name of the executive secretary of the UN climate convention (UNFCCC) - and claims funding from the UN General Assembly.

Information value

US-based scientist Lee Schipper became aware of the global warming scams in 2009, and receives about one fake invitation each month.

The sums asked for "hotel reservation" are in the range of 200-300 euros per time, he told BBC News.

"My guess is they get a few dozen victims every time - which is not a bad return for essentially no cost," he said.

Someone almost got caught, which tells you how this scam works.

Dear Sir/Madam

Some days ago i have received an email from Dr Philip McCarthy Conference Chair 226 Chingford Mount Rd London E4 8JL London, United Kingdom, entitled call for papers. I have submitted an abstract to him entitled "precipitation fluctuation in the arid region of Pakistan (1961-2000), but still i am confused whether there is conference or not. Because they are asking for reservation and payments to Hotel Hilton sum of above 500 pounds while everly we pay to the hotel upon arivel. Also they sent me an email address for submission and acceptance of abstract "callforpapers@msn.com" while on your website it is groupccwg11@gmail.com. Kindly let me know about the fact of this event.

This has been your yearly public service announcement.