Posts Tagged: ‘Nigerian Letter Scam’

Scam of the day – May 9, 2013 – Latest Nigerian letter scam

May 9, 2013 Posted by Steven Weisman, Esq.

I want to share with you as today’s “scam of the day” a scam email that was sent to me a couple of days ago.  It is the latest variation of the Nigerian letter scam.  We are all familiar with the Nigerian letter scam in which under various pretexts you are told that you can receive a large sum of money without any risk and without having to do anything of substance.  It may appeal to our greed and desire for easy riches, but it also should make alarms go off in our heads that this offer is obviously bogus and too good to be true.  This particular incarnation of the letter has a number of red flags that should make you skeptical of similar letters that you may receive.  First is the poor grammar.   Many of these emails originate in foreign countries such as Nigeria where English is a second language, but where official letters still should contain better grammar.  This particular letter never indicates why I should be receiving funds from a murdered family in Syria.   Also interesting is the asking about my profession, particularly because one would think that there would be a screening process for any legitimate offer.    As with all of these types of scams, if you respond, you will be told that some funds are needed for administrative costs, legal fees, bribes or whatever and the amount keeps increasing once you pay them anything.  Ultimately, you receive nothing and lose any money you send to the scammer.  These Nigerian letters still are common because they still work. Don’t be one of their victims.

Here is a copy of the email I received.

 ”VERY URGENT AND CONFIDENTIAL

 
Date :mardi 07 mai 2013
20h00 – 21h00 (GMT+00:00)
De :ibrahimzongo21@yahoo.frMail :From Mr.Ibrahim Zongo.
The Head of File and Auditing Department.
United Bank of Africa (U.B.A).
In West Africa Country
Email:ibrahimzongo21@yahoo.fr
Email:ibrahimzongo21@aol.frTOP SECRET
REMITTANCE OF US$15,200,000.00 CONFIDENTIAL IS THE CASE.This message might meet you in utmost surprise; however, it’s just my Urgent need for foreign partner that made me to contact you for this transaction. I am a banker by profession from West Africa and currently holding the post of director Auditing and accounting unit of the bank.I have the opportunity of transferring the left over Funds ($15.2 million) of one of our bank clients who murdered with his entire family in Syria. Hence; I am inviting you for a business deal where this money can be shared between us in the ratio of 60/40. I will like to inform you that this transaction is 100% risk free, while further details of the transfer will be forwarded to you as soon as I receive your return mail. Your Urgent response is needed for immediate transfer of this fund into your account.what is your profession? send your mobile number for discuss.Note that this transaction will never in any way harm or foiled your good post or reputation in your country, because everything will follow legal process.I am looking forward to hear from you soonest.Yours faithfully,

Mr.Ibrahim Zongo

 
 
TIPS
 
Never respond to such an email.  Outside of the initial skepticism that should have you remembering that if something sounds too good to be true, it usually is, you should also be skeptical of any such ridiculously easy way to get money.  You also should wonder as to why you were chosen to receive such an email.  Although all of these emails are scams, if you want confirmation you can contact me here at Scamicide with a copy of any such email you receive and I can definitively tell you whether the email is a scam.  You also can check with your local police, State Attorney General or the Federal Trade Commission
 
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Scam of the day – February 18, 2013 – Ghana email scam

February 18, 2013 Posted by Steven Weisman, Esq.

Not all “Nigerian Letter Scams” come from Nigeria.  Some of them may appear to come from Ghana, as the email copied below purports to be.  This particular email turned up recently in my email box and it is worth reminding people not to fall prey to this, what should now be obvious scam.  As with other scams like this, it starts out with some emergency that requires your assistance to move money.  At first it appears that you do not have to do anything except provide some easy assistance to the email writer, but gradually as the scam develops you are required to contribute money to the effort.  Of course, the entire matter is a scam and you should never respond to emails such as this.  By the way, I have deleted the email address to which I was asked to respond because when I checked on the derivation of the email, I learned that someone’s email had been hacked in order to send this email to me.

Here is a copy of what I received:

“Beloved,

I am sorry to bother you, please i need your help. I am a memberof the last regime in Ivory Coast butiam presently in hiding,the new regime almost killed us all so i had to run toa safe place in another country Ghana.

I feel i might die any timesoon. I need you to help me secure my funds for my children before i die. I shall give you the details when i hear back from you and have them transferredto you for a safe keep & investment.I dont know how long i can hang on.Please Email me now: (email address deleted)

Thanks,”

TIPS

Always ask yourself if you receive such an email, why you were selected?  And even if you are told, as sometimes is the case that it involves an estate in a country where you have no relatives, you should ignore the email.   Do not establish any communication with the scammer.  Any offer that sounds too good to be true, generally is.  These emails are easy to identify and the prey on both greed and a willingness to help.    You also might take notice of the poor typing, grammar and spelling that often is found in these scam emails where English is generally not the primary language of the scammer.  Don’t fall for these scams.

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Scam of the day – December 16, 2012 – Republic of Benin email scam

December 16, 2012 Posted by Steven Weisman, Esq.

Many of you may never have even heard of the Republic of Benin which is an African country that has been the subject matter of many recent scams, such as found in the email below which I recently received.  Apparently the scammers believe that if you receive an email from Nigeria, you will be skeptical, but if you receive one from Benin, you will be overcome with joy at your good luck.  In any event, the email below is an exact copy of one that I received earlier this week.  I did not include the email address of the person who sent me the email because the address appeared to be that of a legitimate person whose email account had been hijacked and made a part of a Botnet, which occurs when scammers and identity thieves manage to steal access to your email account in order to send out fraudulent emails in order to cover their tracks.  I urge you to go through the scamicide website/blog to learn more about botnets and what to do if your account has been hijacked and becomes a part of a botnet.  Never respond to emails like the one below because if you respond in any way, all you will succeed in doing is either getting scammed or letting the scammers know that they have a real person with whom to deal.  Either way you are in trouble.  The best thing you can do is delete the email.

Good Day Dear Beneficiary,

 

This is to bring to your notice that after the meeting held by the board ministry of trustee together with the federal ministry of finance Benin republic, your fund has been approved due to the instruction from the president of the federal republic of Benin Dr. Boni Yayi, Mr. president has give the mandate to release all the pending compensation fund that has not been released so far in which you are among of the beneficiary.

 

The compensation fund was awarded earlier January 15th 2009, we discovered that you have been having hard time in the system of receiving the fund but still no luck yet, we also understood that you have made so much down payment to this country Benin republic but you were dealing with the wrong people.

 

Today dated 27th November 2012, your fund is now under the custody of the ministry of finance Benin republic because we want to handle everything financially this time in other to make sure that nobody was scammed and no wrong payment is made, note that we don’t want what happened in the time past to repeat again and that is why we are taking charge of everything concerning your compensation fund.

 

It is my pleasure to tell you that we have to open another new payment file for you and everything will be documented in our office here with the help and instructions from the ministry of finance and the opening of the new payment file with our office profile will cost you the only money you have to spend in this matter in which the amount is $80.00 only.

You are advised to go and send the needed $80.00 through western union with the information below.

Receiver name is Ozemenam Michael Country is Benin republic City is Cotonou Test question is who made you? Answer is God the Father Sender name is required…….. Money transfer control number (mtcn) is needed…….

My best regards,

 

Eze Mathew Finance Minister Benin republic E-Mail;(federalministryoffinance844@yahoo.com) Phone +229 68037949

http://www.google.com.ng/imgres?imgurl=http://www.osgf.gov.ng/Admin/Files/Images/ministry.png&imgrefurl=http://www.osgf.gov.ng/Index.php?p=Ministry&usg=__XSkwXIRaAxcQBAFCRaDrkCwdtIY=&h=233&w=544&sz=2674&hl=en&start=11&zoom=1&tbnid=jEOy79Crcuad4M:&tbnh=57&tbnw=133&ei=oiXLUJnwFJCJhQfu5oCADQ&prev=/search?q=federal+ministry+of+finance+logo&um=1&hl=en&sa=N&tbo=d&biw=1366&bih=624&tbm=isch&um=1&itbs=1http://www.google.com.ng/imgres?imgurl=http://www.osgf.gov.ng/Admin/Files/Images/ministry.png&imgrefurl=http://www.osgf.gov.ng/Index.php?p=Ministry&usg=__XSkwXIRaAxcQBAFCRaDrkCwdtIY=&h=233&w=544&sz=2674&hl=en&start=11&zoom=1&tbnid=jEOy79Crcuad4M:&tbnh=57&tbnw=133&ei=oiXLUJnwFJCJhQfu5oCADQ&prev=/search?q=federal+ministry+of+finance+logo&um=1&hl=en&sa=N&tbo=d&biw=1366&bih=624&tbm=isch&um=1&itbs=1http://www.google.com.ng/imgres?imgurl=http://www.osgf.gov.ng/Admin/Files/Images/ministry.png&imgrefurl=http://www.osgf.gov.ng/Index.php?p=Ministry&usg=__XSkwXIRaAxcQBAFCRaDrkCwdtIY=&h=233&w=544&sz=2674&hl=en&start=11&zoom=1&tbnid=jEOy79Crcuad4M:&tbnh=57&tbnw=133&ei=oiXLUJnwFJCJhQfu5oCADQ&prev=/search?q=federal+ministry+of+finance+logo&um=1&hl=en&sa=N&tbo=d&biw=1366&bih=624&tbm=isch&um=1&itbs=1

 

TIPS

One of the first indications that this is a scam is that the address from which it appears to have come from is that of a person with an email address from somewhere other than the country from which it represents in the email it is coming from.  In the case of this particular email, a Canadian email address was hijacked to send out the phony email.  Bad grammar is rampant throughout the email and is another indication that the email is a scam.  In this particular scam, you might also ask yourself, why would you be possibly receiving money from a compensation fund from a country where you have had absolutely no contact?  Finally, if you need further evidence that it is a scam, merely Google the words “Republic of Benin scam” and see what comes up.  It will astound you.

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Scam of the day – October 21, 2012 – Afghanistan email scam

October 21, 2012 Posted by Steven Weisman, Esq.

Emails seeking your help in getting access to large amounts of money are not just coming from your friends and relatives in Nigeria.  A new scam, similar in nature, has surfaced recently by way of an email that appears to come from an American soldier who is seeking to get millions out of Afghanistan that he assures you is not stolen money although he is not particularly clear as to the source of the money.  You are informed that there is no risk and that for your help, you will get a significant share of the money.  Of course, you won’t.  In fact, as with the Nigerian letter there is no money coming to you from Afghanistan.  The only money involved is the money that you end up providing for various fees and costs if you fall for this scam.

TIPS

If it sounds too good to be true, rest assured, it is.  Don’t even bother to answer the email because if you do, you let the scammer know he or she has a real person that they are dealing with.   As with so many of these scams, ask yourself, why would they contact me?  Why do they want to share this with me?  Just because a scam letter doesn’t come from Nigeria doesn’t make it any less of a scam.

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Scam of the day – March 7, 2012 – Prepaid debit card scams

March 7, 2012 Posted by Steven Weisman, Esq.

For many years, the coin of the realm for many scams was wired funds because once funds were wired from your bank or a company such as Western Union, the money was gone, unprotected by consumer laws, difficult to trace and could not be easily recovered.  Many schemes including the infamous Nigerian Letter Scam were based upon people wiring the funds to the scammers.  Now we have a new way for scammers to take your hard earned money – prepaid debit cards.  Proponents of these card argue that they can be used just like a check, but unlike a check, there is no legal protection if you are scammed and paid the scammer using one of these cards.  These cards are prepaid and non-reoloadable cards that consumers buy at a store and use to reload a prepaid debit card.  In the course of the scam, the scammer will ask you to buy one of these prepaid debit cards and then ask for the seria number for verification.  This is all that they need to drain the card.  Sellers of these cards such as the company MoneyPak are aware of the problem and are trying to educate consumers.

TIP

Never pay for anything with a prpaid debit card unless you are absolutely sure of whom you are dealing with and have checked them out to make sure that they are not scammers.

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Nigerian Letter

January 16, 2012 Posted by Steven Weisman, Esq.

Although it may seem as if this scam only began in earnest with the invention of email, in fact, the scam itself is just a variation of a scam that is more than four hundred years old when it was called the Spanish Prisoner Con.  At that time a letter was sent to the targeted victim purportedly from someone on behalf of a wealthy aristocrat who was imprisoned in Spain under a false name.  The identity of the nobleman was not revealed for security reasons, but the victim was asked to help raise money to obtain the release of the aristocrat, who, it was promised, would reward the money-contributing victim with great sums of money and, in some versions of the con, the Spanish prisoner’s beautiful daughter in marriage.

In the more recent incarnations of this scam, you receive an email in which you are promised great sums of money if you assist a Nigerian in his effort to transfer money out of his country.  Other variations include the movement of embezzled funds by corrupt officials, a dying gentleman who wants to make charitable gifts or a minor bank official who is trying to move the money of deceased foreigners out of his bank without the government taking it.  Similar scams have managed to keep up with the news by having the money to be moved tied to fallen dictators such as Sadaam Hussein or Moamar Khadaffi.

What all of these scams have in common is that soon after agreeing to help, you learn that money is needed to be sent by you for lawyer fees, bribes, insurance and other costs.  The reward is always just around the corner and the fees keep mounting.

TIP

There are a number of ways to confirm that the email you are receiving is a scam including a careful review of the email address, however, you do not need to even go that far in your considerations.  Although you may want to open the email (so long as you do not click on to any links) for sheer entertainment purposes, all of these scenarios are scams.  Just ask yourself, why are you being singled out for this email?  You are not.  The emails are sent out all over the Internet.  Don’t be a victim.  Do not respond to the email in any fashion.  If you do, you will be hounded.

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Categories: Charity Scams, Consumer scams, Investment Scams