Crime Online

Some time or another, it had to happen. I not only receive a whole pile of emails from African crooks each day, now it looks as one of them is using my name in one of the scam emails. Or maybe one of them is just pulling a prank?

The point is, this comment poster “Ahmad” sent in a copy of an email which quotes my name as a barrister (which I am not) to spin his tail.

I reckon he/she/they will have bad luck because I am just too well known on the web. And if anybody searches for my name they will find Crime Online in association with it. They will land here.

The person who posted this is most definitely somewhere in Africa, or  maybe  Mauritius, and not in Saudia Arabia, which he is trying to suggest. So I will have to consider him/her/them as 419 style crook/s, won’t I?

New comment on your post #20 “At last! My very own inheritance e-mail …”
Author : ahmad eissa
E-mail : ah_eassa@yahoo.com
URL    : http://www.aheissa.sa

Comment:
Attn:Wricks,

I apologize for intruding into your privacy, especially by contacting you through this means for a business transaction of this magnitude, but due to its seriousness and urgency it, therefore, became necessary for me to seek for your assistance.I am Barrister Michael Holdcroft, a counsel to late David Wricks, a national of your country Who used to work with shell development company in lome togo, He lost his life in a ghastly motor accident on the 21st of April 2004 together with his wife and their only daughter were involved in a car accident along nouvissi express Road. Before his sudden and mysterious death, he deposited a sum worth (5.5MILLION US dollars) with a bank here in Lome-Togo . I knew this because all the legal proceedings was duly carried out by my humble self. After his death three years ago, I made several approaches to your embassy to help me locate any of his relatives so as to come and stand as the next of kin to my late client in order to have this huge sum transferred in his or her bank account.

But all my effort proved abortive.After several unsuccessful attempts in locating any of his relations and the latest ultimatum given to me by the Bank, mandating me to provide my client’s next of kin within the 4 weeks or I have the money confisticated, which I wouldn’t live to see it happen, hence my decision to contact you so that I can present you as the next of kin to my late client. All I demand from you is your honest co-operation so that this fund {5.5MILLION US dollars} can be transferred into any account of your choice within the shortest time possible.For your assistance and co-operation, I have decided to have the money shared as follows; 40% for you, 60% for me.

What I introduced to you might be a smack of an unethical practice but this is a once in a life time opportunity that is capable of making things better for us and moreover, if I fail to present my late client’s next of kin in couple of weeks, the truth is that this money would not be taken by the government or by some greedy officials of the bank and I would not fold my arms and watch this happen hence my decision to contact you. I also want to use this medium to assure you that this transaction is 100% risk free and my position as the counsel to the late depositor of the fund, it has been legally planned to avoid any hitch or breach of law. Every information that will back you up as the next of kin to my late client shall be given to you as soon as I have your consent.
I look forward to receiving your positive response soonest.Reply via my private email: michael_h@rocketmail.com
Regards,
Barrister Michael Holdcroft.

Technorati-Tags: michael holdcroft, crime online

The eradication of poverty in Africa is certainly a noble cause. But, ….

I am sure that most people don’t see that when they read this e-mail. The 25 million USD hits you in the eye, even before you get to the “facilitate eradication of poverty in Africa” part.

Just reading this e-mail, shows that African crooks often do have a good vocabulary – facilitate and tantamount are not words you see in every day language.

One small point shows that crooks don’t often think things through, or maybe they are targeting the US market, in the EU the currency is Euros and not Dollars.

———- Forwarded message ———-
From: European Social Fund <eusocialfund15@me.com>
Date: 2009/2/20
Subject: EU AND UNO Developmental Projects.
To: recipients <Undisclosed>

European Union Social Fund.
Nussbaumstrasse 49, CH-3003 Bern, Switzerland
PHONE NUMBER: +41 796 475491

You have been chosen by the European Union Social Fund in conjunction with United Nations Organization as a recipient of $25,000.000.00 (twenty five million US dollars) Social Fund to facilitate eradication of poverty in Africa.

Beneficiaries of this fund are hereby directed to embark on grass root developmental projects in Africa which will enhance their standard of living. Your acknowledgment of this mail is tantamount to acceptance of this voluntary humanitarian assistance.

Yours faithfully.
Schmid Merez.

This one was sent in by one of my Swiss readers today. The reader’s surname was .…

Yes, you guessed right. The reader’s surname was Noll.

So you do see that these crooks, research and target names which fit in with any tragedy they can find to use as a 419 type of story.

The most well know name used for this type of fraud, is Andreas Schranner, who died in the Concorde plane crash in Paris.

—–Original Message—–
From: Issa Law Chambers [mailto:issalawmail@yahoo.com.ph]
Sent: Mittwoch, 17. Dezember 2008 11:17
To:
Subject: Attn ***** Noll

Rue Roi Dakodonou Carré No 48,
B.P. 272 Cotonou Du Benin
Tel : (+229) 93848049

Dear Noll,

I am Barrister Issa Saibou the private attorny to Mr Anders Noll, a national (Gold Refiner) in Benin Republic West Africa,Here in after shall be Referred to as my Client. my Client, His wife and his family where involved in a car accident near Cotonou-Lome express-road. All occupants of the vehicle Unfortunately lost their lives.Since then I have made several enquiries to your embassy to locate any of my clients extended relatives.

After these several unsuccessful attempts, I decided to track His last name over the Internet, to locate any member of his Family hence I contacted you. I have contacted you to assist in Repatriating the money left behind by my Client before they get confiscated or declared unserviceable by the Bank .These huge deposits where lodged particularly, with the “Bank in Benin here” where the Deceased had an account valued at about $10.5 million dollars (Ten Million Five Hundred Thousand United States Dollars). The Bank has issued me a notice to provide the next of kin or have the account confiscated.

Now I seek your consent to present you as the next of kin of the deceased since you have The same last name so that the proceeds of this account valued at $10.5 million dollars can be paid to you and i will be entitle to 10%.I will procure all Necessary legal documents that can be used to back up any claim we may make .All I require is your honest cooperation to enable us seeing this Deal through.

I guarantee that this will be executed under a legitimate arrangement that will protect you from any breach of the law, but you must also agree not to disclose or pass any information related to this business to any body for security reason and to avoid eye brow , And we are going to achieve this , therefore i want you to send your direct telephone number to fcilitate communication.

You can call me at +229-93848049

I await your Call Asap after replying.

Thanks
Barrister Issa Saibou

Image via Wikipedia

Here’s a classic mistake a lot of the African crooks make. They send a message which does not agree with the e-mail account sending it.

Now I for one, would not believe a tale like this one for just for that reason.
On the other hand, why would anybody who had Mikhail Khordokovsky’s money in his possession need me to help transfer his cash anywhere? They would already have all the right contacts without needing to resort to someone like myself if that was true.

A third point, Mikhail Khordokovsky, the former boss of Yukos Oil Company, is interned somewhere in Siberia and is no longer an important business man (oligarch).

———- Forwarded message ———-
From: Sarah Al Bin Fazal <praksin@iol.cz>
Date: 2008/10/18
Subject: Dear Friend
To: undisclosed-recipients

Dear Friend,

I am Mrs. Larisa Sosnitskaya and I represent Mr. Mikhail Khordokovsky the former C.E.O of Yukos Oil Company in Russia. I have a very sensitive and confidential brief from this top (oligarch) to ask for your partnership. If interested kindly send a mail to my private email {larisa.office02@yahoo.com.hk} so as to furnish you with details

Kind Regards

Mrs.Larisa Sosnitskaya

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Who would ever write that as a subject line on an e-mail? African crooks, that’s who.

I got this one in the post today. It goes to proove that occasionally the crooks do invest some money to get their message out.

It certainly sounds good. They are basically counting on previous victims being totally naive.

One of our readers reported a scam website being used to convince potential victims, that there is really an account with money in it.

The weakness of the crooks having their own domain (in this case http://www.bbplc-uk.com/uk/index.htm) is simply the fact that to own a domain you have to give details to the registry, such as name and address. These crooks are hiding behind PrivacyProtection.org, which hides such information in the registry database with it’s own information.

This works as long as nobody reports the website being used for online crime. But, of course, we did just that today, didn’t we.

[Caption]

www.bbplc-uk.com, fraud website

Dating and Social Networks are very popular with African crooks. They obviously target men and this e-mail is exactly the same kind of strategy.

Get a man interested, offer him a deal and take it from there.

———- Forwarded message ———-
From: Joan Anne
Date: Sat, Sep 6, 2008 at 3:16 PM
Subject: Compliments From Joan Anne
To:

Compliments From Joan Anne
How are you today? It is obvious that this email will come to you as a surprise, this is because we have not met before but i am inspired to sending you this e-mail. In my quest for you. With opportunity that will be mutual benefit to two of us, However, I am Joan Anne, by name from South Africa. I am lady with a pure heart.

I want you to send an email to my email address so i can give you my picture for you to know whom i am, then i hope you will like what you see and write me to my e.mail ?. My aim here is to meet a man that will love me then i will do the same thing to him and i will love him with all my heart . I am not here for any game and i am not looking for a player either so please if you are player dont bother to write me back but if you are seriously looking for a relationship like i do then lets make it happen .

Write me to my email and i will write you back with my picture attach to it . Thank you and i hope to hear from you as soon as possible. I believe we can move from here. I am waiting for your mail. Remeber the distance or colour does not matter but love matters alot in life.

Waiting for your email.

All the best,
Joan Anne.

It’s a combination of the foundation and inheritance type of message.
It goes to show that anything goes for these African crooks.

———- Forwarded message ———-
From: NICOLE HILLS
Date: Sat, Sep 6, 2008 at 4:19 PM
Subject: I write you most humbly
To: undisclosed-recipients

Dear friend,
I write you most humbly, keenly and above all with a high sense of
confidentiality !I consider you as one bestowed with a great love and
compassion for the downtrodden, the less-privileged as well as those
who are passing through the ugly side of life. In respect of my friend
of the blessed memory who was the pioneer founder and president of
Child Hope Foundation (CHF) whose demise took on in the year 2000. He
was also a Managing Director of an investment firm here in Ghana.
Child Hope Foundation (CHF) is a non-profit making, non-religious,
charitable, non governmental organization (NGO) dedicated to the
welfare and care of all children especially orphans, children with
single parents, children living with various forms of disabilities and
impairments.

Vis a vis the late pioneer founder and president of Child Hope
Foundation (CHF) whose surname eventually is same with yours, it is
therefore of germane necessity that I intimate you of the sum of
Eighty two million US dollars ($82M USD) belonging to him and
deposited with International Commercial Bank (ICB) Ltd. Ghana.

The ICB Ltd. of Ghana contacted me as the Director and at same time a
Trustee of the Foundation to recommend a next of kin who can have
access and control over these funds. By this means, I may wish that
you act as the legitimate next of kin so as to receive the said amount
into your account with the pledge that you will also remit back 60 %
of the total amount for the Child Hope Foundation (CHF) and have 40%
for yourself. However, you may feel free to extend to me any token
from your offer as an expression of goodwill and appreciation.

Besides there is a recurring grant in the amount of USD 500,000.00
yearly that has accrued to the Child Hope Foundation (CHF) that has
not been paid since the year 2001 and which is due for payment by the
18th December, 2008.This has been in effect since the year 2001 and
has amounted to the sum of US $4,000,000.00 to be cashed on the above
dated day this December, 2008.

Without further delay, indicate your disposition in this my
confidential appeal to enable us sustain our charity work for these
needy children around the world.
With your notification of interest on this development, few
requirements shall be made from you that will be sent to the bank to
enable them facilitate disbursement of the funds in to your account.

With the assurances of my regards and confidence!

Sincerely,
Rev. Nicole Hills

NB: Kindly reply me through my personal email address at
rv.nicolehills@gmail.com it is very important to reply only on this
email. Thanks for your cooperation