Long Island based film-maker explains how anybody can successfully pull computer scams.

(Long Island, N.Y.) “All it took was an ordinary home computer, some guesswork, and a knack to pretend I was other people.” explains Glenn Andreiev, who made The Make-Believers, a feature length documentary about Internet fraud.   “About a year ago, I got what many people dread: a credit card statement filled with purchases I never made.  The authorities seemed limited in their attempt to catch the culprit who rifled my bank account.  Being a victim inspired me to make this documentary.”

In The Make-Believers Andreiev uses a fabricated website for a phony film to get people to fork over their identity.   Andreiev also joined Millionaire Dating sites, and got almost two hundred women to believe he was a lonely millionaire ready to spend big time cash.   Andreiev also interviewed William Sherman, the Daily News reporter who “stole” the Empire State Building in a stunt to show off gaping holes in the city’s system for recording deeds and mortgages.  You’ll shocked and amused how and why people believe the rumors, outrageous pranks, and scams that come across a computer monitor.  “The best way to show how something works is to actually do it.” adds Andreiev.

Trusted websites that claim ownership of most of cyberspace are examined here.   We show how AOL may not be all that safe. On-line celebrity gossip sites and Internet rumors get picked apart here.  Ever wonder what caused the 2003 Blackout, or what is really at Area 51?  The Make-Believers may have the answer to these net rumors. 

Glenn Andreiev, 47, the Huntington Long Island based film-maker behind The Make-Believers has been making feature films since his graduation from New York’s School of Visual Arts.   His credits include the vampire shocker, Silver Night, an internationally made thriller The Deed To Hell, and a thriller about stalking: Every Move You Make.     Mr. Andreiev also teaches film-making at The Cinema Arts Centre.

“You see self-reliance in The Make-Believers where ordinary Americans fight off cyber-scammers on their own.” Remarks Paul Kanter, the film’s Producer, who also tells us on camera of devious ways scammers swipe our identity.   “On 9/11, thousands of people were stranded in lower Manhattan when mass transit shut down.   Ordinary Americans saw this, sprang into action, and used their boats to ferry these stranded people to safety. Nobody waited for the government to fix it.  The same thing happened when the Airbus crash-landed into the Hudson River last year.   You see that here with Americans fighting computer scammers.”

“I think many Internet crooks have the type of brain to cure cancer or fix the economy, but they are too occupied pulling off these silly scams.” concludes Andreiev.   The Make-Believers plays at Huntington, Long Island’s Cinema Arts Centre Wednesday July 22 nd at 7:30 pm.   There will be an audience discussion with Mr. Andreiev after the film, as well as a reception.

Glenn Andreiev is available for interviews regarding the film.
 
For more information, visit www.huntingtonactionfilms.com
For screening information, please visit http://www.cinemaartscentre.org/CAC-MakeBelievers.html