Scammers Share Your Info With Their Scammer Friends

I have been receiving these types of emails every day, because the bastards trade contacts of people they believe to be targets. Here is the one I received today. I just laugh when I get them, and hope that these jerks arent actually convincing people that it is real.....but I know that they are. ... and we need to stop them.



Dear Friend,
I have a profiling amount in an excess of USD$14.7Million, which I seek your partnership in accommodating for me. You will be rewarded with 30% of the total sum for your partnership. Can you be my partner on this? I obtained your contact through a reliable source of business information here in my country.

INTRODUCTION OF MY SELF:I am Mr. Aleksandr Korsunov, a personal secretary to Mikhail Khodorkovsky the richest man in Russia and owner of the following companies:
Chairman CEO: YUKOS OIL (Russian Most Largest Oil Company)
Chairman CEO: Menatep SBP Bank (A well reputable financial institution with its branches all over the world)
SOURCE OF FUNDS:The documents of the above funds in question was handed over to me to be used in pay


alek99@planet.nl


This guy must of been in a hurry! He didn't go on and on with some long story. DELETE these kind of emails immediately!

A Good Example Of A Fraudulent Email

HOW IRONIC IS THIS:

I set up a new email solely for this website, and today I had 2 emails.....a welcome message from yahoo, and the second is below:

Attn:The President/Director,

Friend, (Note the "Friend" greeting)

I am Mr Martin Konan, the director in charge of auditing and
accounting section of a prime bank here in Ivory Coast.
First, I must solicit your confidence in this transaction, this is by
virtue of it's nature as being utterly CONFIDENTIAL and TOP SECRET.
Though I know that a transaction of this magnitude will make anyone
apprehensive and worried, but I am assuring you that all will be well
at the end of the day. We have decided to contact you through your box due
to the urgency of this transaction. (Always urgency, before you figure out its a scam)
Let me start by first introducing myself properly to you. I am
Mr.Martin Konan director in charge of auditing, in the bank here in Ivory
Coast. I came to know of you in my private search for a reliable and reputable
person to handle this confidential business which requires maximum confidence.

THE PROPOSITION: A foreigner physician of 68 years old, late Dr.
GEORGE BRUMLEYJr, from Atlanta ( USA ) an Oil Merchant/Contractor with the
Government of Libya, until his death in KENYAN air crash in July 2003
with his entire family; Banked with us here at "the bank, and had a balance
of USD$ 12.5m (Twelve million Five hundred thousand USD) which the bank
now expects a next of kin to claim as beneficiary,
Valuable efforts are being made by the "bank" to get in touch with any
of the BRUMLEY'S family or relatives but to no success. It is because of
the perceived possibility of not being able to locate any of Late Dr.
GEORGE BRUMLEYJr next of kin {he had no wife nor children that is known to
us}.The management under the influence of our Chairman and members of the
Board of Directors, are making arrangement for the funds to be declared
"UNCLAIMED" and will be lost to the Government or subsequently be
donated to the Trust Fund for Arms and Ammunition to further enhance the course
of war in West Africa.
In order to avert this negative development, some of my colleagues and
I now seek your permission to have you stand as a next of kin to Late Dr.
GEORGE BRUMLEY Jr so that the funds USD$ 12.5m (Twelve million Five
hundred thousand USD) would be released and paid into your account as the
beneficiary next of kin.
All documents and proofs to enable you get this fund will be carefully
worked out. We have secured from the probate an order of mandamus to
locate any of deceased beneficiaries and more so we are assuring you this
business is 100% risk free involvement. Your share stays while the rest would be
for myself and my colleagues for investment purposes. According to
agreement within both parties.
We have resolved that 30% of this money will be for you as foreign
partner, in respect to the provision of a foreign account, 5% will be set aside
for expenses incurred during the business and 65% would be for me and my
colleague.
There after I and my colleague will visit your country for disbursement
according to the percentages indicated. If this proposal is acceptable
by
you do not make undue advantage of the trust we have bestowed on you,
then
kindly get to me immediately. For more informations about Dr. GEORGE
BRUMLEYJr tragic story, please search the following WEB SITE:
http://www.cnn.com/2003/WORLD/africa/07/20/kenya.crash/index.html (including a real article to make it sound legit)


Yours faithfully,
Martin Konan.

martin_konan1@hotmail.com (Free Email Address)

ASK YOURSELF THIS QUESTION:

1. WOULD YOU TRUST A COMPLETE STRANGER IN ANOTHER COUNTRY WITH A LARGE SUM OF MONEY?

_________________________________________________________________

Real Lotteries Vs. Lottery Scams

International Lotteries vs. Lottery Scams

How to tell the difference between a government operated lottery, an International lottery, and a scam letter that says you won the lottery.



Note: It is illegal for US Citizens to enter foreign lotteries: Federal Statute


Sweepstakes are advertiser-sponsored and are used for the specific purpose of providing marketing exposure. There is no entry fee and jackpots are provided by those advertisers. Therefore, it is in their best interest to advertise as much as possible through 3rd party email marketing programs.
Country and state lotteries (i.e. government lotteries) target the residents of that country or state and their advertising is through the media. That means through the use of billboards, newspapers, and TV and radio commercials - NOT email. There is an entry fee, and the value of the jackpot is the cumulative total of all the entry fees less operating expenses. (See Sponsored vs. Operated Lotteries)


Government Operated Lotteries:

- Do not use agents.
- Have well-organized and informative web sites that DO NOT have anything to do with investments or banks.
- Have web sites written in the native language of the residents of that country or state.
- Allow for a choice of whether you want your name used for publicity purposes or not.
- Provide registration for players and a personal player account.
- DO NOT REQUIRE ADVANCE FEES TO ACQUIRE YOUR WINNINGS.
- Are subject to the lottery laws and rules as established by the Lottery Commission of that country. These can be found under "Terms and Conditions" (in the native language) on each site, or under an explanation link or history link on the site.

You are expected to pay your taxes. If you enter the lottery of a foreign country, then you are responsible for the taxes in that country and, in many cases, your own. Don't let yourself in for any unpleasant surprises - check your tax laws. Taxes for the lottery country are removed from the winnings before disbursement to the winner.
One good place to check out available government operated lotteries, and how their web sites are set up, is here: http://www.lotteryinsider.com.au/links.html.


REMEMBER:
Do your homework before handing over your money to anyone.
Entering a lottery is gambling.
Spend your money wisely and responsibly.

Resource: http://www.fraudaid.com/ScamSpam/Lottery/international_lotteries.htm

FBI Fraud Alerts

New Email Fraud Alert via Phishing (March 2005)
The Central West End Bank has become aware of a serious attempt to gain personal customer information via fraudulent means. Your financial institution’s customers or employees may receive a fraudulent phishing e-mail to request debit card and personal information. This e-mail purports to be from Visa or MasterCard and requests that cardholders enroll in the Verified by Visa or MasterCard SecureCode programs immediately by clicking a link located within the e-mail.
Please do not respond to this type of message. If you have received this type of e-mail, alert the Central West End Bank immediately via telephone at (314) 367-8800. Neither Visa nor MasterCard contact cardholders directly to request they enroll in Verified by Visa or MasterCard SecureCode. A sample of a fraudulent e-mail text is below.
Consumer Alert (February 2004)
Financial institution customers are receiving fraudulent emails claiming to be from the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC). These emails are attempts to obtain highly sensitive personal information about the bank’s customers and their bank accounts by falsely indicating that FDIC deposit insurance is suspended until the requested customer information is provided.Deposit insurance on our customer’s accounts cannot be suspended. DO NOT respond to these types of requests for personal information. Neither the FDIC nor Central West End Bank will ever contact you via email and request personal information.
Counterfeit Cashier’s Check Scam (December 2003)
Banks are witnessing incidents of customers being defrauded by counterfeit cashier’s checks. Below is an example of this type of scam.
A customer arranges to sell a car for $10,000 on the Internet. He receives a cashier’s check from the purchasing party in the amount of $15,000 with a request from the purchaser for a return of the difference. The customer deposits the check in his/her bank and is to return $5,000 via wire transfer to the purchaser of the vehicle. Because the customer unknowingly deposited a counterfeit cashier’s check, the check is returned, the customer is out $5,000 and the car.
What you should do: If you receive a large cashier’s check from a transaction of this kind, bring it by any Central West End Bank to have it reviewed. Our associates can contact the bank or credit union on which the check was drawn to confirm its authenticity.
If the check is counterfeit, it should be reported immediately to your local law enforcement office.
Phishing Scams (November 2003)
“Phishing” scams abound on the Internet. These scams are attempts to obtain your personal banking information, such as ATM/Debit Card account numbers, PIN numbers or Social Security numbers, by falsely representing the request as an official bank document.
Never respond to these types of requests. Central West End Bank will never request personal information via an email, phone survey, or written letter. Central West End Bank personnel are trained to identify themselves and verify who they are speaking with prior to any exchange of information.
If you mistakenly respond to a “Phishing” scam, contact any of your Central West End Bank immediately.
Our Web Site
The use of Central West End Bank’s website is for informational purposes only. We provide this security alert to you to advise you that Central West End Bank will not request non-public information, such as account numbers, PINs, Social Security numbers, or other personal identifying information that would allow a perpetrator to gain access to its customers’ accounts, steal the victim’s identity, or sell the information to others.
DO NOT EVER GIVE OUT CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION OVER AN E-MAIL.
We appreciate your interest in viewing our site and welcome your call during our business hours.For more information call or visit your nearest Central West End Bank.
Contact The Central West End Bank Today for All Your Banking Needs.Telephone: 314-367-8800E-Mail: information@cwe-bank.com
Copyright 2005. The Central West End Bank. All Rights Reserved.

Sending Money Via Western Union Type Service: Scam Alert

This is an article I posted on Alibaba.com after almost getting scammed....


There are so many scammers on this site, it can be downright hard work trying to find the legitimate ones. So let me give you the best advice I possibly can: I do not care what someone tells you, how many pictures of their "alleged" products they have, as soon as they mention the word "Western Union" or any other type of money wiring, IT IS A SCAM. These types of services are for 1. People that do not have bank accounts 2. Money as a gift 3. To pay a bill (i.e. car payment). If you send someone money this way, plan on never getting it back. Legitimate companies will NEVER EVER ask you to pay this way.(Ask yourself, when have you ever bought something from a store, and you "Moneygrammed" your payment for it?) If you need more proof, just browse through this forum of hundreds of people that are trying to find ways to get their money back.This is my recent experience: I was dealing with a company I thought was legit. I checked them out on the internet, and it was an actual electronics company in Hong Kong. However, this guy had a free yahoo address(Why not have an email address from the company?) And when I checked out the IP address from the emails, they were traced to Nigeria. Then when he sent an email stating that method of Payment was Western Union, I knew he was a scammer. Also, the name he said to wire the money to was completely different, a 'Aletor Itua'; When I searched this name, I found endless articles of people being scammed from this same person. For fun, I emailed the scammer, telling him that I won't do Western Union, and recommended Escrow.com. This is the email I received back: "this is my HONG KONG NATIONAL ID CARD,i have never done this before not even to the most trusted customer i will not send my ID card to that person the reason is that here in HONG KONG anyone could be easily located and arrested wherever you are so everyone here in HONG KONG do not give out there ID CARD but i have decided do this because of what you said in the content of your first mail and you wanted someone who could work with you to achieve success . The person that taught you and gave you all those informations are very correct but i want to inform you that if there are bad people in business there are also good people , 10 bad fruits on a tree does not make the whole fruits on the tree bad i want to assure you of a good deal you just wait and see also i want you to know that western union is not established for bad transaction western union is a legal means , but bad people just want to make it bad also do you know that there have been recent reports of cheat via paypal, escrow mr peter with this email bp20002003@yahoo.co.uk was cheated of about 13,000 dolars via paypal escrow but when he met me today he his happy as he bought goods worth 1800 dollars and he his happy in conclusion it is not method of payment that really matters what matters is the person that you wants to buy from , i have conscience oaky and i have promised myself to be good always and not cheat anyone i want to assure you that you are ina a safe hand just go ahead and send the money right now and give me the MTCN today and i will get back to your email with the FEDEX shipment tracking numkber today take me for my word i am expecting to hear from you N.B . please please please my national id card i send to you is my life please , i will send your item and also to the second address immediatelly i get the MTCN after you have your items i will require you to inform me . THANKS. Stephen Lai " REMEMBER THEY ARE GOOD.....THEY MAKE A LIVING THIS WAY! We are all keeping the scammers thriving by falling for their tricks. Please, please please do your research, and keep your money safe by only dealing with legitimate companies with legitimate payment methods, like www.escrow.com. I posted an ad for wanting to buy Nintendo Wii's, and I received over 40 responses- all fake. Be Careful and be Wise.


This is the advice from Western Union:


"Consumer fraud is an issue that Western Union takes very seriously. Consumers rely on Western Union for its speed, convenience and reliability when sending money to friends and loved ones around the world. However, we know that scam artists have also tried to take advantage of our good name in their attempts to defraud consumers. In response, Western Union has worked cooperatively with companies like eBay to post messages from Western Union on their site, we've worked with organizations like AARP and the National Consumers League to promote educational efforts and, wherever possible, we work with law enforcement to prosecute the criminals who victimize consumers and our business.
Western Union strongly advises consumers NOT to use money transfer services when sending money to someone they don't know personally. This sounds like simple advice, but scam artists are intelligent and creative. More and more frequently, these individuals are using the Internet, mail and telephone to create the illusion of a relationship. It's important for consumers to remember that sharing a few e-mails or even a phone call, does not mean you truly know the individual on the other end of the line. And, of course, the old adage holds true…if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.Western Union cares about the consumers who use our business. We know they work hard for their money. That's why we are working to educate people about the various types of consumer fraud. For more information on protecting yourself from fraud, please visit www.westernunion.com. "
- If you wired money via Western Union, and were scammed, call 1-800-325-6000 (W.U. Fraud Department )