Alert! Need Help, possible Scam Artist

e-mail | 10.`18.02

[Chemist_Geek]

About a month or two ago, I was receiving this bilgewater daily, sometimes up to four times a day, for about two weeks. I did a little reading, and found the Secret Service address, and sent them all in. Haven't heard a thing since... :-)

I must have offended some African deity somehow.

[vin-one]

gee, I still get about One a week,
someone I know had gotten one and considered responding to it,
I laughed so hard I almost fell out of my chair.

[paul51]

Hold out for 35%

[paul51]

Hold out for 35%

[Chancellor Palpatine]

Send me all your money, and you'll be rich beyond your wildest dreams. i'll need your SSN to verify, and I'll need a facsimile of your signature, with your bank routing and account numbers.

[Cultural Jihad]

Wow, you got a phone number and/or address for this lady? I want to get in on this and send her my account number.

Too late, chump. I got there first! But I'll send y'all a postcard from my new digs in Tahiti. ;)

[Gaas]

The president of Nigeria was on CNN a couple of weeks ago and was asked about this scam letter and why his goverment does not do anything about it.

His answer was that he does not understand why only Americans still fall for this scam. You have to be pretty stupid or really greedy to think that anything like this is real.

This is called a Nigerian 419 scam. You get this from South Africa, Zimbabwe and Mozambique as well.

BTW. NEVER reply OR unsubscribe from emails. That way the sender knows that there is a living person at the end of that email address and you will be flooded with spam.

[Dimensio]

Forward all such e-mails to 419.fcd@usss.treas.gov

Also, if the sender has a contact address, look at the domain name and send to adminstrative accounts (postmaster@, abuse@, admin@, hostmaster@, etc) requesting that the e-mail account be shut down for involvement in an illegal scam.

About a month ago Yahoo was notorious for hosting a domain used by a lot of scammers for hosting their e-mail dropboxes for the scam. It has been speculated that Yahoo was directly profiting from these scams (it is documented that Yahoo profits from criminal activity through their stores).

[Jambe]

Better yet, why not forward to Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton, MLK Jr, and others from that left wing crowd. They've always got extra "walkin around" money just waiting to help a brother.

[Dick Bachert]

MAJOR SCAM!!!! I made the mistake of telling them to go F**K themselves back in the good old days when I got 2 or 3 a week. Now get 5 or more per week.

This scam is 10 years or more old and, as crazy as it sounds, these bastards STILL suck folks in with it.

Hit your watercooled "Delete" key and fogeddaboutit.

WHATEVER YOU DO, DO NOT tell them to go F**K themselves.

[HEY4QDEMS]

1. The account number to be used for remittance

2. Name and address of your bank

3. Fax and telephone numbers, through which you will be contacted

4. Promptly whenever you attorney/ assistance may be required

Send this info to me. I'll be happy to check this out for you. LOL

[Lokibob]

I know you are kidding, but read this.

A woman in Michigan embezzeled $2 mil so she could collect money. Unbelieveable!!!!!!!

Analysis: Begging Your Trust in Africa-I
By Sam Vaknin
UPI Senior Business Correspondent
From the Business & Economics Desk
Published 10/7/2002 12:34 PM
View printer-friendly version


SKOPJE, Macedonia, Oct. 7 (UPI) -- The syntax is tortured, the grammar mutilated, but the message -- sent by snail mail, telex, fax, or e-mail -- is coherent: an African bigwig or his heirs wish to transfer funds amassed in years of graft and venality to a safe bank account in the West. They seek the recipient's permission to make use of his or her inconspicuous services for a percentage of the loot -- usually many millions of dollars. A fee is required to expedite the proceedings, or to pay taxes, or to bribe officials -- they plausibly explain.

It is a scam two decades old, and it still works. Only last month, a bookkeeper for a Berkley, Mich., law firm embezzled $2.1 million and wired it to various bank accounts in South Africa and Taiwan. Other victims were kidnapped for ransom as they traveled abroad to collect their "share." Some never made it back. Every year, there are five such killings as well as eight to 10 snatchings of American citizens. The usual ransom demanded is half a million to a million dollars.

The scam is so widespread that the Nigerians saw fit to ban it explicitly in article 419 of their penal code. Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo castigated the fraudsters for inflicting "incalculable damage to Nigerian businesses" and for "placing the entire country under suspicion."

"Wired" quotes statistics presented at the International Conference on Advance Fee (419) Frauds in New York on Sept. 17: "Roughly 1 percent of the millions of people who receive 419 e-mails and faxes are successfully scammed. Annual losses to the scam in the United States total more than $100 million, and law enforcement officials believe global losses may total over $1.5 billion."

According to the "IFCC 2001 Internet Fraud Report," published by the FBI and the National White Collar Crime Center, Nigerian letter fraud cases amount to 15.5 percent of all grievances. The Internet Fraud Complaint Center refers such rip-offs to the U.S. Secret Service. While the median loss in all manner of Internet fraud was $435, in the Nigerian scam it was a staggering $5,575. But only one in 10 successful crimes is reported, says the FBI's report.

The IFCC provides this advisory to potential targets:

-- a. Be skeptical of individuals representing themselves as Nigerian or other foreign government officials asking for your help in placing large sums of money in overseas bank accounts.

-- b. Do not believe the promise of large sums of money for your cooperation.

-- c. Do not give out any personal information regarding your savings, checking, credit, or other financial accounts.

-- d. If you are solicited, do not respond and quickly notify the appropriate authorities.

The "419 Coalition" is more succinct and a lot more pessimistic:

"-- 1. NEVER pay anything up front for ANY reason.

-- 2. NEVER extend credit for ANY reason.

-- 3. NEVER do ANYTHING until their check clears.

-- 4. NEVER expect ANY help from the Nigerian Government.

-- 5. NEVER rely on YOUR Government to bail you out."

The State Department's Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs published a brochure titled "Nigerian Advance Fee Fraud." It describes the history of this particular type of swindle: "AFF criminals include university-educated professionals who are the best in the world for nonviolent spectacular crimes. AFF letters first surfaced in the mid-1980s around the time of the collapse of world oil prices, which is Nigeria's main foreign exchange earner. Some Nigerians turned to crime in order to survive. Fraudulent schemes such as AFF succeeded in Nigeria, because Nigerian criminals took advantage of the fact that Nigerians speak English, the international language of business, and the country's vast oil wealth and natural gas reserves -- ranked 13th in the world -- offer lucrative business opportunities that attract many foreign companies and individuals."

Potential targets in Britain and the United States alone receive about 1500 solicitations a week, according to London's Metropolitan Police Company Fraud Department. The U.S. Secret Service Financial Crime Division takes in 100 calls a day from Americans approach by the con-men. It now acknowledges that "Nigerian organized crime rings running fraud schemes through the mail and phone lines are now so large, they represent a serious financial threat to the country."

Sometimes even the stamps affixed to such letters are forged. Nigerian postal workers are known to be in cahoots with the frauds. Names and addresses are obtained from "trade journals, business directories, magazine and newspaper advertisements, chambers of commerce, and the Internet."

Victims are either too intimidated to complain or else reluctant to admit their collusion in money laundering and fraud. Others try in vain to recoup their losses by ploughing more money into the scheme.

[aeronca]

These are quite common..the names change, but the story remains the same. Can be forwarded to FBI.
What scares me more than the scam, is the fact that there ARE people in this country who get sucked into it.

[TC Rider]

Send the entire email with headers to:

419.fcd@usss.treas.gov

This is a Treasury office set up to deal specifically with the 'Nigeria' scam.

Do not call these Nigerians, do not email them, do not interact with them in any way.

To send an email with headers, drag the icon of the message from your inbox into a new message. (That's how it works in Outlook and Outlook express)

[IncPen]

Here's how one guy took care of it.

Great fun!

[grumpster-dumpster]

Everyone else gets Nigerian scam letters, but I never do. It is ruining my self-esteem.

I never get 'em either...Thank goodness for the Amway folks, otherwise my self esteem would be in the pits too.

[Lovergirl]

Definitely a SCAM.

[varon]

Need Help, possible Scam Artist

Day late and dollar short. I have already received my share of the "Nineteen Million, Five Hundred Thousand US Dollars " from her sister, Ima S Lut who was secretly married to Col. Kulu Ita. The late Col. did the nasty deed also to Tuf S Hit his third wife ;-)

[ladyinred]

This is a scam, forward it to the Attorney general of your state.

[3AngelaD]

Excerpts from Gene Weingarten in the Washington Post, June 30, 2002

"Like you, I get those African-scam e-mails. Unlike you, I answer them. Here is an excerpt from an exchange I had last month.

Dear Sir: My Name Is Ahmed Sinko the son of the owner of minining company in Sierra-leonne who died few years ago when the revolutionary united front rebels attacked our residence in Makeni Sierra-leone. I used the opportunity to leave the country with a very important document of US $ 25 million. My Main Problem Now Is That At My Age Of 25 I Am Confused On How to Handle This Huge Amount Of Money... I will arrange immediately for the transfer of the fund to your position, pending my arrival to meet with you for investing of the money with you in any pofitable business you intruduce. After the fund gets into your country through your assistance, 15% Of The Total Amount Will Be for You.

Thank you, Ahmed. It sounds like a great deal of money. But it also sounds vaguely illegal. I cannot do anything illegal because I fear imprisonment because I am afraid of, and deathly allergic to, spiders. Thank you for writing, however. How did you get my name?--Gene Weingarten

Dear Weingarten: In regards to your question of legality I wish to let you know that all the vital legal documents that entiled me as the next of kin to the funds are very carefully possesed and guided by me and my mother... as such will require you not to betray the trust that we are about to bestow on you as this is the only hope of our life. Ahmed Sinko.

Dear Ahmed: It all sounds swell. I was confused about one matter, but I think I have it all figured out..But then I remembered something--my friend Margaret Mary Skankaroskie, who left for Senegal many years ago to work with groups attempting to prevent the defenestration of the rain forests. I had lost track of her, but recently heard she had aligned herself with a medical volunteer organization to combat bitro-chanteric lipodystrophy--a tragic ailment where excess fat collects in the thighs and lower trunk of otherwise ordinary people, making them waddle and look very grotesque indeed. I am guessing Margaret Mary must have given you my name. Is that right? --Gene Weingarten....

Dear Weingarten, The Senegalese friend of mine who assisted me in retreiving your contact use to have a white lady girl friend...Please, when reply this message do not forget to include your fax number. Ahmed Sinko.

Dear Ahmed: I was certain Ms. Skankaroskie was involved somewhere in this tangled tale. Please send word to her through her boyfriend that I am well. She always had dreadful taste in men--I hope this fellow is nicer than the last one, who raised housecats and sold their meat to Lebanese sausage makers! Okay, let's proceed. Is it okay if I give you my uncle Tonoose's fax number? I don't have a fax but he does, because he is in the refrigerator repair business. One more question, if I may. I believe very strongly in the power of the zodiac--do you happen to be a Sagittarian? I will continue dealing with you even if you are not, but it would be very auspicious and wonderful if you were!"...