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

This week I received a message about an African banker who wants to transfer a few million dollars to my account – It came from the New York Times

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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.

Do you believe a real Senator would send me information about a money payment from a Yahoo Freemail account?

Believe it or not, this is a flirt e-mail.

The funny thing about it is, it’s from a man!

It’s one of the ways the Africans try to get in contact with potential victims.

———- Forwarded message ———-
From: victoria diop
Date: 18 Dec 2008 13:12
Subject: hello
To: victoria50dd@yahoo.com

Hello (victoria50dd@yahoo.com)
My name is victoria, i saw your profile today and became intrested in you,i will also like to know you more,and if you can send an email to my email address,i will give you my pictures here is my email address (victoria50dd@yahoo.com) I believe we can move from here! Awaiting for your mail to my email address above.
victoria

Which is a complete lie right from the beginning of his e-mail!

Here’s a variation of the “I’ve got cancer” and “My father was killed by his business partners” stories.

New is the fact that the telephone number really is from Brazil. But, regardless of that, it is just a typical 419 type of scam e-mail.

———- Forwarded message ———-
From: Anne Nanda Piper
Date: 2008/12/15
Subject: I NEED YOUR PRAYERS PLEASE GET BACK TO ME
To:

Hello,
This is Anne from Trinidad &Tobago.
I am writing from the hospital in Brazil, therefore this mail is very urgent as you can see that I am going home.

I was told by the doctor that I was poisoned and has got my lever damaged and can only live for some months.I inherited some money ($28.725 Million) from my late father and I cannot think of anybody trying to kill me apart from my step mother in order to inherit the money, she is an Brazilian by nationality.

I want you to contact my servant with this informations below:
Mr Jose Ada.
Address: 351 Planaltina Brasilia – Distrito Federal – Brazil
Tel:+553132312759
Email joseada101@yahoo.com

He will give you the documents of the money and will direct you to a well known lawyer that I have appointed to him, the lawyer will assist you to change the documents of the money to your name to enable the bank transfer the money to you.

This is the favour I need when you have gotten the money :-
(1) Give 10% of the money to my servant, Mr Jose as he has been there for me throught my illness and I have promised to support him in life. I want you to take him along with you to your country and esterblish him as my son.
(2) Give 10% of the money to Charity Organisations and Churches on my name so that my soul may rest in peace.

This should be a code between you and Mr Jose in this transactioin “Hospital” any mail from him, the barrister he will direct you to, without this code “Hospital” is not from the barrister, Jose, the bank or myself as I don’t know what will happen to me in the next few hours.

(2) Request the lawyer’s international passport, his name is Micheal Cook. And Let Jose send you his National ID as he has no passport to be sure of whom you are dealing with. Jose is so little therefore guide him.

If I don’t hear from you within two days, I will look for another person.
May God bless you and use you to accomplish my wish.
Pray for me always.
Anne Nanda Piper.
Thank you Holy Father.

If you take a look at the BBC story through the link posted in this e-mail you will discover that the US Military found millions of US Dollars in Iraq during 2003.

Over the last months a new kind of Advance Fee Fraud e-mail has been seen. The global financial crisis and the sub prime problems which started it all, have obviously created the basis for e-mails offering cheap credit up to 100 miliion USD.

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Paul Adam's Scrap E-Mail

Reading this message you get the impression it has nothing to do with 419 or African scam e-mails. But you would be wrong!

The point to note here is that the language and and technical knowledge needed to understand what this fellow is talking about, makes the target market (for want of a better name) very, very small.

Now it could be a bona fide offer, but I very much doubt that and here’s why:

1. Paul Adams, if that is his real name, uses a Colombian Yahoo freemail account.
2. His telephone number is a Nigerian cellphone
3. Where on earth does he get so much rail scrap from?

So this has all the Hallmarks of a typical 419 scam email. And after all the stories I have heard from friends and colleagues who have done business in Africa and especially Nigeria, I would recommend just scrapping this email! (pun intended

———- Forwarded message ———-
From: MR .P.ADAMS <mrpaul0189@yahoo.com.co>
Date: 2008/10/22
Subject: Re- Purchase of Used rail scraps r50/65
To:

¡Tengo nueva dirección de correo!
Ahora puedes escribirme a:mrpaul0189@yahoo.com.co

Mr.Paul Adams.

- Dear Sir, We are direct end seller and capable of delievering your required quantity to your destination port at the stipulated time of 30-45 working days. The price of the rail is $150.00per mertic tons to any destination port of the world and our contract is based on Letter of Credit/Telegrahic Transfer 100% at sight at buyers destination port. Also note there is no problem with the shipment of your intial order and we believe and hope everything will work successfully and this will be the beginning of our long term contract with you and we usually invite any potentials buyers for physical inspection of the product before signing the hard copy contract/ purchase form. Below here is chemical compostion for your preview. Commodity: used Rails Specification: Used Rails (R50-R65) 100% Rail Track Composition: Non-Metal inpurties total 1% (One Percent)or less – no Radiation Chemical Composition Mn: 0, 60-1, 05, = C: 0.54-082, = Si 0.18-0, 42, =S: 0.04 max P: 0.35 max, = Cr: Residual =As: 0.01% max of mass share. One price for quantities of 20,000MT to 30,000MT Used Rail at $150.00per/MT CIF ASWP Our Quality Policy provides seven point guarantee: 1. No Deposit Required 2. 2% Performance Bond given for the activation of non-operative DLC or RLC for Charter Party Shipment. 3. Physical Inspection of the Scrap before you open your Letter of Credit. 4. 20′ and 40′ container shipments arranged (CNF Basis) for 1000 mt per month and above 5. Charter Party Vessel Shipments arranged (CNF Basis) for 12500 mt and above. 6. Initial Trial Shipments are welcomed. 7. Long Term Contracts Available (up to 100,000 mt per month for 12 months). I wait for you response and contact informations Best Regards, Mr Paul Adams +234-807-444-3478

Paul Adam's Telephone Number