FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ON SCAM MAIL

With compliments from SSAA ILLAWARRA BRANCH

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.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

We have listed below answers to frequently asked questions. These answers will help you understand how the criminals rob their victims.
*

QUESTION
How does the scam work? 

ANSWER
After establishing contact, the gang asks the victim for the bank account details, and obtains authority to conduct transactions. The scammers do not ask for money initially-but they will eventually do so.

Once the victim has been duped into believing the scam, the criminals ask for "necessary documents" that the victim cannot possibly provide.

These documents are usually Certificates of Incorporation in Nigeria, Business certificates, Tax forms, and other bogus documents.

The victim is then referred to fake Barristers, Lawyers, Government Officials and Bank Managers. These impostors charge fees of up to U$30,000.

After the victim pays one fee, the criminals promptly demand more money for yet another document. This goes on until the victim is no longer able to pay. The end result is that the victim loses all the "fees" and the criminals disappear.

During these transactions, the criminals act aggressively towards the Victim, harassing them and making threatening phone calls.

Recently, the criminals have been requesting that the victim visit Nigeria or even countries such as the Nederlands, UK and the US.  Once the victim arrives, local gang members impersonate high ranking officials.

They produce fake documents, metallic boxes supposedly filled with marked US banknotes, briefcases filled with cash and other counterfeits.

Victims are often asked to deal with fake private security company officials who demand payment before releasing the cash. The criminals will go to unbelievable extents to stage the scam. These scams have netted the gangs huge dividends, so they have better resources with which to create more sophisticated traps. 

The criminals can now afford to buy expensive clothes, jewellery, hire vehicles and expensive rooms in prestigious hotels.  

Nigerian criminal activities are now being reported from the Netherlands and the UK. If the victims are lured to Nigeria, they are introduced to bank officials, and government officers. In many cases, these are other gang members posing as
officials, in other cases they are real, but corrupt government officials.

The criminals will also tell victims that they will facilitate their entry into Nigeria. They do this by bribing custom officers who let the victims into the country without a valid visa.

There are heavy penalties in Nigeria for visitors who enter the country without a valid visa.

When the victims arrive on location, "problems" start to arise. The scam operator tells the victims that a Government official wants a bribe, that the Bank requires a transfer fee, and so on.  At this point in time the victims are truly compromised and they pay.

If the victims change their minds and try to back out of the deal, they are blackmailed because of their illegal entry status.  In other cases unwilling victims have been murdered.

QUESTION
 What is the danger of answering these letters?

ANSWER
Attracting the attention of criminals is unhealthy, even if they are in Nigeria or SA or Russia. Global crime is on the increase. Answering the gang and giving them details of your address and so on will
single you out as a "soft target" to scams. Even if you change your mind afterwards your address will be "sold" to other gangs.
However, until you have sent details of your bank account or sent money there is little they can do. If you are in Nigeria and are threatened, contact your local embassy or consulate and ask for assistance. Nigerian criminal activities are now being reported from the Netherlands and the UK.

More disturbingly, criminals are now targeting charities, religious organizations with fake bequests. 
The gangs use blasphemy in order to win the trust of devout Christian and Muslim people. The criminals will quote verses from the Bible and the Koran and beg for mercy and compassion. 
In some instances, we have received E-mail from charities and churches that were about to send money and aid to the gangs. Fortunately, most charitable organizations find us before they become victims.
I will be focusing my efforts to expose criminals who use blasphemy to rob charities, churches, religious groups and decent, well meaning people. I feel very strongly about this issue. I am truly disgusted by this kind of behaviour

QUESTION
The scam E-mail arrived from TELSTRA Australia or from a country outside
Nigeria how is that possible?

ANSWER
Up until recently, the gangs have used free web based E-mail accounts such as Hotmail and Yahoo. These services are now immediately identified as a free web based E-mail account.
The gangs are now switching to less known free services. There are several large reputable Australian companies who offer free web based E-mail. Anyone can open an account.
The gangs have been known to use TELSTRA free E-mail web service because it is a well-known and respected Australian Telephone Company.
We can assure you that if such a scam ever appeared based in Australia, Australian authorities would shut it down in five minutes.
There is also evidence that this scam has now spread to other African countries. The fraud is easy to carry out and profitable and is bound to spread to countries where law and order authorities are corrupt or ineffective.
Recently a victim called us to report that the criminals had succeeded in Ghana.

QUESTION
How many of these letters have "surfaced" on the Internet?

ANSWER
Hundreds of thousands--not just Nigerian type letters. The gangs are becoming more sophisticated. There are new scams "children appealing for money to go to school" the child is usually quite "grown" and disappears
after the money is handed over.
Travel agents defrauded of thousands of dollars after the purchase of tickets by "official members" of the Nigerian Government and so on.
Criminals are now targeting charities like ours, religious organizations, law firms, real estate agents, doctors and other professionals.

QUESTION
How can I help fight the gangs?

ANSWER
Tell your friends about these scams. If you are able to do so, support http://spamcop.net or any other organization who is providing a free service to the community.


QUESTION
I replied to the letter and gave the criminals my address and personal financial details, have I broken the law?

ANSWER
Answering the criminals and asking for more details is not a crime and you should not feel intimidated.
Providing your personal and financial details to the criminals is not a crime but it exposes you to further criminal activities. If you have provided the criminals with a photocopy of your passport or driver's licence report this matter to your local government. The criminals could forge these documents and use your identity in future crimes.
If you have provided authorization to access or operate your bank account notify your bank manager immediately. You should do so even if there is no money in your bank account.

QUESTION
I made contact with the gang and now they keep calling me on the telephone.

ANSWER
Tell the scammer that you have been in touch with 419 COALITION and that you have read the message from the Nigerian Democratic Movement (NDM). If they persist or make personal threats contact your local police. In all cases do not allow the scammers to terrorise you.
DO NOT REFER THE CRIMINALS TO OUR WEBSITE

QUESTION
I have paid money to the gang how can I recover it?

ANSWER
Unfortunately, It is highly unlikely you will be able to recover your money. Under no circumstances should you even think of travelling to Nigeria to recover your money. By doing so you will be endangering your life. You will also risk becoming the victim of muggins, kidnappings and other criminal activities. In some cases victims of scams have fallen into even bigger scams set up by fake lawyers offering their services to prosecute the gangs.


QUESTION
I feel angry and violated. How can I help prosecute the criminals?

ANSWER
The best course of action is to warn as many people as possible. There are new scams constantly surfacing similar to the 419 Nigerian Scam Letter. Warn your friends and help organizations that offer free services to the
community.
International Citizen can get assistance and helpful information from  419 site http://home.rica.net/alphae/419coal/ 
Australian Residents can contact and report at this site; http://www.fairtrading.wa.gov.au
If you are a US citizen, you can report the scammers to the FBI via their Internet Fraud Complaint Center http://www1.ifccfbi.gov/index.asp US citizens can also lodge a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission on line at http://www.ftc.gov/  The Commission deals mainly with complains about malpractice within the US.
However, if you have been robbed, they may be able to provide you with some assistance.
US citizens who have been defrauded may contact The United States Secret Service Financial Crimes Division
1800 G Street N.W. Room 942 Washington, D.C. 20223  Attn: Nigerian Scam
US Citizen who have been robbed may also want to visit this address:
U. S. Consulate General
2, Walter Carrington Crescent
Victoria Island, Lagos Nigeria
Telephone: (234)-1-261-0050, 261-0078, 261-0158
Fax: (234)-1-261-9856
E-Mail: uslagos@pd.state.gov
http://usembassy.state.gov/nigeria

DO NOT CONTACT THE CONSULATE UNLESS
YOU ARE A US CITIZEN WHO HAS BEEN ROBBED

The Consulate cannot help you conduct investigations or give you information about the people who have contacted you. To achieve that you will need to hire a private investigator. We cannot recommend a Nigerian investigator who can be trusted. The Nigerian Government has recently launched a web site dedicated to the
scam. Visit http://www.nigerianfraudwatch.org/ We were told that on this website there is a link which you can use to report the scammers.
Unfortunately, this site seems to be inoperative most of the times. We have tried logging in on several occasions without success.
You may also try writing to the Nigerian Police. Their website is at http://www.nigeriapolice.org/
There is an E-mail address on that website and a list of telephone numbers you can call. If you are successful in getting cooperation, let us know the officer's name, number and E-mail and we will publish it here.


QUESTION
How did they get my name and address? Why did they pick me for the scam?

ANSWER
The criminals did not single you out. They are constantly searching the Internet  and guest books for names of possible victims. They use E-mail harvesting software, buy illegally obtained spam lists, search newsgroups, message boards, advertisements, trade registers and so on.
At times they even use legitimate registers, for example those provided from associations and government bodies, etc.
We tested this theory by placing advertisements in a number of legitimate trade registers and user groups. Within hours we started receiving scam letters!
As a general rule of thumb never place your main E-mail address in user groups, or guest books. Use a
web based E-mail service instead.


QUESTION
I am going to abuse them and send them a link to Ozcharity Channel and all the other web sites who publish warnings about scam letters.

ANSWER
PLEASE DO NOT REFER THE CRIMINALS TO OUR WEBSITE. A well-meaning person did just that and we are still fighting off viruses and hacker attacks.

Our resources are very limited as we are determined to keep the site free to the public. As a Charity Group we do not have the funds necessary to buy expensive firewalls and security systems.
In any case, it is a very bad idea to reply to the criminals, it indicates to them that your email address is active, enabling them to sell to others. The criminals send thousands of E-mails and a reply (even if it is abusive) will single you out.
One thing that you can do is report the criminal as a spammer to the provider of the service they use.
For example in the case of Yahoo send the full E-mail including the hidden headers to abuse@yahoo.com.
Be sure to send the full message with headers or Yahoo will not be able to act on your complaint. Check with your E-mail software how to view the headers of incoming E-mail.
If the criminal uses another web based E-mail service send the complaint to abuse@*****enter the name of the service. For example if the criminal's address is princebanana@crimscene.com
you should send the full message including the header to: abuse@crimscene.com
Reporting the scammers to the E-mail provider is a good thing because the criminals' E-mail service is cancelled and they have to start all over again.


QUESTION
Why doesn't Ozcharity Channel catch these criminals?

ANSWER
We are a Charity Group providing support to the needy and not a law enforcement agency. As such we have the same powers of catching criminals that you do.
Moreover Ozcharity Channel is run by volunteers (mainly by pensioners and handicapped personel).
Catching these criminals is difficult even for law enforcement agencies such as INTERPOL and the FBI. The criminals move constantly and often have corrupt supporters who protect them. The only effective way to deal with the criminals is to warn the public about these scans. You can also help by placing links on your web site and by supporting bodies like us that offer free services to the community.


QUESTION
How can people fall for such scams?

ANSWER
Among the victims are lawyers, real estate agents and professionals. Sadly, most of the victims are people struggling with financial problems. We have read many heart rending stories of retired, even of retrenched people selling their family home (or their parents) in order to pay the criminals. People who are down are most vulnerable to such scams.
What is most surprising though is the number of professionals who also fall for these scams. I suppose greed and the prospect of receiving US200 Million is a very powerful incentive to silence the voice of reason.

If you have been caught I strongly suggest you arrange for counselling. Don't allow the criminals to ruin your entire life. They can only rob you of money, don't allow them to take your spirit also.

 AND PLEASE BE GUIDED BY: THE FIVE RULES FOR DOING BUSINESS WITH NIGERIA 
From The 419 Coalition 
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 count on any help from YOUR Government.

QUESTION
Can OZCHARITY CHANNEL help me with investigations, telephone counselling and legal matters?

ANSWER
Unfortunately, we cannot provide a personal service. As I mentioned before we do not have the funds necessary to conduct such an organization. What we can do is try to help prevent people becoming victims of scams using the Internet.
We know our Scam and Virus Alert service has helped thousands of people escape the criminals. We are receiving hundreds of  E-mail per week from near victims thanking our group for the free service we provide
It would be nice to be able to have a task force dedicated to helping victims of scams and even catching the criminals, but at the moment this is still only a dream and the only assistance we can provide is what is written here and the support provided at our website http://ozcharityweb.ozhosting.com/linkpage.htm
You could contact your local politician and ask them to provide a service for victims of scams in your country or region.

QUESTION
Does Ozcharity Channel offer a paid personal service?

ANSWER
No, we do not offer a paid service; it would be unethical and dishonest to charge for a service that cannot provide any solutions. Be extremely cautious about paying any money to organizations claiming to be
able to recover your money. If you have been robbed, the only body that can help you recover the money
would be the Police with the support of the Government where the criminals live and operate. It is a known fact that the criminals enjoy the help of corrupt police and government officials. Therefore, the chances of ever
catching the gangs are rather slim indeed.
Hiring a local private investigator is another solution. However, we do not know of any reliable and trustworthy investigators operating in the areas where criminals operate. We have received information of victims being robbed a second time by bogus lawyers, fake police and fake private investigators.
If you are financially disadvantaged, your local priest or local Area Health Service (hospitals, major charities, lifeline and benevolent organizations) may be able to offer you a free counselling service.
People who are able to afford a professional counselling service should do so by contacting their local accredited counsellor.

QUESTION
Who finances OZCHARITY CHANNEL?

We do. At the moment, We are supporting this service by paying for the website, upgrading the pages, answering victims' and near victims' E-mail, and processing new scams with spamcop.
To make it perfectly clear that we do not expect anyone to sponsor this service. Our free Scam Alerts and Virus Warnings are part of our volunteer service to the needy. It is kept alive through sheer necessity and as a result of the many daily requests for help.  If we run out of funds the service will have to be closed down.
This service has been in operation for the past two years. During this time we have received a few small donations in contributions from friends and sponsors who share our opinion that we should all try to do something about fighting crime and helping others.
Our view is that if everyone did his or her best to stop crime, there would not be any crime. Criminals thrive on the apathy of others.
It is ridiculous to expect that law enforcement authorities alone will prevent criminal activities or be efficient at catching all criminals. They never have and never will.
Crime prevention is the duty of every honest human being. Report crime to police and alert others of potential criminal activities.

QUESTION
Why is it that Ozcharity Channel can afford a Website being hosted?

ANSWER
Due to the generosity of Ozhosting who provide a limited free site for us we have been able to service an ever-increasing number of visitors. The service is now serving several hundred pages per day and is expected to increase exponentially. Our budget does not allow us to purchase paid hosting.  If the site is temporarily disabled, perhaps congested, then try again later.
It is a sad part of life, but while criminals' budget is ever increasing, ours is plummeting.
However, we research and publish our findings free of charge, if wish to make a contribution to cover our expenses, it would be very much appreciated.

You can also help by visiting our advertisers on their special page:  RECOMMENDED ADVERTISERS

Kind Regards

The Volunteers of Ozcharity Channel

or visit ABOUT US

==========================================================================

Attention

Australia - Additional Country Specific Instructions - Australia

According to the West African Crime Section (WAOCS) in the UK, Australians are to report 419 matters In Australia to their local police and to the Australian West African Organized Crime Section at er-waoc@afp.gov.au

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Here is a detailed summery of the Nigerian Scam:

Claim:   A wealthy foreigner needs your help moving millions of dollars from his homeland to yours and will reward you with a hefty percentage of this fortune if you agree to assist him.

Status:   False.

Example:  BELOW

 

REQUEST FOR URGENT BUSINESS RELATIONSHIP FIRST, I MUST SOLICIT YOUR STRICTEST CONFIDENCE IN THIS TRANSACTION. THIS IS BY VIRTUE OF ITS NATURE AS BEING UTTERLY CONFIDENTIAL AND 'TOP SECRET'. I AM SURE AND HAVE CONFIDENCE OF YOUR ABILITY AND RELIABILITY TO PROSECUTE A TRANSACTION OF THIS GREAT MAGNITUDE INVOLVING A PENDING TRANSACTION REQUIRING MAXIIMUM CONFIDENCE. WE ARE TOP OFFICIAL OF THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT CONTRACT REVIEW PANEL WHO ARE INTERESTED IN IMPORATION OF GOODS INTO OUR COUNTRY WITH FUNDS WHICH ARE PRESENTLY TRAPPED IN NIGERIA. IN ORDER TO COMMENCE THIS BUSINESS WE SOLICIT YOUR ASSISTANCE TO ENABLE US TRANSFER INTO YOUR ACCOUNT THE SAID TRAPPED FUNDS. THE SOURCE OF THIS FUND IS AS FOLLOWS; DURING THE LAST MILITARY REGIME HERE IN NIGERIA, THE GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS SET UP COMPANIES AND AWARDED THEMSELVES CONTRACTS WHICH WERE GROSSLY OVER-INVOICED IN VARIOUS MINISTRIES. THE PRESENT CIVILIAN GOVERNMENT SET UP A CONTRACT REVIEW PANEL AND WE HAVE IDENTIFIED A LOT OF INFLATED CONTRACT FUNDS WHICH ARE PRESENTLY FLOATING IN THE CENTRAL BANK OF NIGERIA READY FOR PAYMENT. HOWEVER, BY VIRTUE OF OUR POSITION AS CIVIL SERVANTS AND MEMBERS OF THIS PANEL, WE CANNOT ACQUIRE THIS MONEY IN OUR NAMES. I HAVE THEREFORE, BEEN DELEGATED AS A MATTER OF TRUST BY MY COLLEAGUES OF THE PANEL TO LOOK FOR AN OVERSEAS PARTNER INTO WHOSE ACCOUNT WE WOULD TRANSFER THE SUM OF US$21,320,000.00(TWENTY ONE MILLION, THREE HUNDRED AND TWENTY THOUSAND U.S DOLLARS). HENCE WE ARE WRITING YOU THIS LETTER. WE HAVE AGREED TO SHARE THE MONEY THUS; 1. 20% FOR THE ACCOUNT OWNER 2. 70% FOR US (THE OFFICIALS) 3. 10% TO BE USED IN SETTLING TAXATION AND ALL LOCAL AND FOREIGN EXPENSES. IT IS FROM THE 70% THAT WE WISH TO COMMENCE THE IMPORTATION BUSINESS. PLEASE,NOTE THAT THIS TRANSACTION IS 100% SAFE AND WE HOPE TO COMMENCE THE TRANSFER LATEST SEVEN (7) BANKING DAYS FROM THE DATE OF THE RECEIPT OF THE FOLLOWING INFORMATIOM BY TEL/FAX; 234-1-7740449, YOUR COMPANY'S SIGNED, AND STAMPED LETTERHEAD PAPER THE ABOVE INFORMATION WILL ENABLE US WRITE LETTERS OF CLAIM AND JOB DESCRIPTION RESPECTIVELY. THIS WAY WE WILL USE YOUR COMPANY'S NAME TO APPLY FOR PAYMENT AND RE-AWARD THE CONTRACT IN YOUR COMPANY'S NAME. WE ARE LOOKING FORWARD TO DOING THIS BUSINESS WITH YOU AND SOLICIT YOUR CONFIDENTIALITY IN THIS TRANSATION. PLEASE ACKNOWLEDGE THE RECEIPT OF THIS LETTER USING THE ABOVE TEL/FAX NUMBERS. I WILL SEND YOU DETAILED INFORMATION OF THIS PENDING PROJECT WHEN I HAVE HEARD FROM YOU. YOURS FAITHFULLY, DR CLEMENT OKON NOTE; PLEASE QUOTE THIS REFERENCE NUMBER (VE/S/09/99) IN ALL YOUR RESPONSES.

(We have collected more examples of the Nigerian Scam on a supplementary page. Do not be shocked if the e-mail you received is not yet listed there; there are hundreds upon hundreds of versions.)

Origins:   Even as you read this, the world famous Nigerian Scam (also known as a "4-1-9" or "Advance Fee Fraud" scheme) is parting yet more of the "something for nothing" crowd from their money.

Here's how it works: Letters (or, nowadays, e-mail messages) postmarked from Nigeria (or Sierra Leone, or the Ivory Coast, or almost any other foreign nation) are sent to addresses taken from large mailing lists. The letters promise rich rewards for helping officials of that government (or bank, or quasi-government agency or sometimes just members of a particular family) out of an embarrassment or a legal problem. Typically, the pitch includes mention of multi-million dollar sums, with the open promise that you will be permitted to keep a startling percentage of the funds you're going to aid in squirreling away for these disadvantaged foreigners.

If you're not saying "scam" by now, you should be. Should you agree to participate in this international bail-out, something will go wrong. Paperwork will be delayed. Questions will be asked. Officials will need to be bribed. Money from you -- an insignificant sum, really, in light of the windfall about to land in your lap -- will be required to get things back on track. You pay, you wait for the transfer . . . and all you'll get in return are more excuses about why the funds are being held up and assurances that everything can be straightened out if you'll just send a bit more cash to help the process along. Once your bank account has been sucked dry or you start making threats, you'll never hear from these Nigerians again. As for the money you've thrown at this, it's gone forever.

In a nutshell, the con works by blinding the victim with promises of an unimaginable fortune. Once the sucker is sufficiently glittery-eyed over the prospect of becoming fabulously rich, he is squeezed for however much money he has. This he parts with willingly, thinking "What's $5,000 here or $10,000 there when I'm going to end up with $2 million when this is all done?" He fails to realize during the sting that he's never going to get the promised fortune; all of this messing around is designed to part him from his money.

In another form taken by the Nigerian scam, a church or religious organization is contacted by a wealthy foreigner who says he desires nothing more than to leave his considerable fortune to that particular group. Maybe he says he's led a life of sin and is now trying to make good, or maybe he claims that as a devout Christian he heard about their good works and wants to leave his money to help continue them, but whatever the backstory, it's just a tale. Once again, there will be delays, each of them necessitating the "beneficiary" to spend a few thousand here and a few thousand there in an effort to collect money that never materializes.

In a 2002 version of the con, the victim is informed he has just won an important prize in a foreign lottery he doesn't remember entering. Only when he tries to collect the money is he approached for payment of facilitation fees to get his winnings to him. It's the same con, with just a few elements unimportant to the execution of the thievery changed about.

The scam is known as the Nigerian scam, but many countries are routinely named as the homelands the appeals originate from. Likewise, the backstory, the tale that supposedly explains how these people came into possession of this incredible sum and why they now need help getting it out of wherever, changes from one e-mail to the next. There are hundreds of versions in existence, each naming different people, describing different situations, and coming from a myriad of far-flung countries. Forget about matching one backstory to another or being suspicious of e-mails from Nigerians but not applying the same caution to approaches from folks from other places -- grasp instead the general principle of the scam: Someone from someplace far away wants to give you (or your church) millions of dollars but needs your help in moving the money from there to here. It doesn't matter if the letter says it came from Sri Lanka and the "funds" that need moving are gold bricks or uncut diamonds -- it's the Nigerian scam. Don't let the naming blind you to that.

Once the scam is explained, it seems so obvious a con that you'd wonder who would fall for it. Yet fall for it people do because they're mesmerized by the wealth that will soon be theirs. They also fail to realize there's a hook hanging just out of sight; at first all they see is that someone wants to give them something, thus they're ill-prepared to mentally shift gears when that person turns the tables. Because the premise of "I'm going to get millions of dollars" is wholeheartedly swallowed early on, it's not at a later point questioned when things begin to go wrong with the transaction and the dupes who have been targeted are asked to dig up some funds to help move things along.

The Nigerian scam is hugely successful. According to a 1997 newspaper article:

 

"We have confirmed losses just in the United States of over $480 million in the last 3 years," said Special Agent James Caldwell, of the Secret Service financial crimes division. "And that's just the ones we know of. We figure a lot of people don't report them."

But this is a new scam, right? People are falling for it because they've yet to catch on?

Wrong. Very, very wrong.

The Nigerian Scam has been emptying the pockets of victims for decades -- first through letters, then with faxes, and now via e-mail. In its earliest incarnation -- which dates to the 1920s -- it was known as "The Spanish Prisoner" con. In that long-ago version, businessmen were contacted by someone trying to smuggle the scion of a wealthy family out of a prison in Spain. But of course the wealthy family would shower with riches those who helped secure the release of the boy. Those who were suckered into this paid for one failed rescue attempt after another, with the fictitious prisoner continuing to languish in his non-existent dungeon, always just one more bribe, one more scheme, one more try, away from being released.

These days it's trapped funds not errant sons of well-to-do families that are the objects of these global wild goose chases, but the con is the same. The undisputed headquarters of the scam is Nigeria, with some of the cons progressing so far as to have the victims fly to that country to meet with the "officials" they are purportedly assisting. Things got so out of hand, in fact, that in 1991 the Nigerian government felt compelled to issue a statement disavowing its participation in this scheme:

---

Here is a another email sample of a variation of the 419 Scam

FROM THE DESK OF:MR.BRIAN CAPON
NATIONAL WESTMINISTER BANK,
LONDON,
UNITED KINGDOM.
briancapon70@netscape.net
Dear Friend,
I am Mr.Brian Capon the system and control director at the NATIONAL WESTMINISTER BANK.I am writing this letter to solicit for support and assistance from you to carry out this business opportunity in my bank.
Lying in an inactive account is the sum of 11million pounds sterling belonging to a foreign customer(Michael Gambone) who was a gas consultant here in UK,who happens to be deceased during a business trip. He died with his wife(Deborah Gambone) on board the Swissair Flight 111 , which crashed into the Atlantic off Nova Scotia in september 2nd 1998.
The news of this crash was on the news which we have notified his relatives to no avail.See links below for more detail informaion:
http://cnnstudentnews.cnn.com/WORLD/9809/swissair.victims.list/
http://cnnstudentnews.cnn.com/WORLD/americas/9809/08/swissair.02/
Ever since he died the bank has been expecting his next of kin to come and claim these fund. To this effect, we can not release the money unless someone applies for it as next of kin, as indicated in our banking guideline.
Unfortunately he has no family member in UK or Over-sea who are aware of the existence of the money(as he was a gas consultant.
At this juncture i have decided to do business with you.To this effect I solicit your assistance in applying as the next of kin to the bank then the money will be released to you,as I do not want this money to go into the bank treasury as an unclaimed bill,because the banking law and guideline stipulates that if such money(s) remains unclaimed for a period of up to eight years(8yrs),the money will be transferred into
the bank treasury as an unclaimed bill.
My request for a foreigner as next of kin is occasioned by the fact that the customer was a foreigner and a British cannot stand as next of kin.
40% of the money will be your share as a foreign partner and your assistance to actualise this business,5% for any expenses incured.
Thereafter i will visit your country with your help once the money hits your account for disbursement according to the percentage indicated.
To effect the immediate transfer of the fund to you as agreed,you must apply first to the bank as the next of kin to the deceased,then we will follow up all formalities for the transaction.
Upon receipt of your reply, i will send to you, the text of the application you are to send to the bank,and further clearify you in other issues as toeffect this business.
Awaiting to hear from you urgently.
Best Regards
Mr.Brian Capon.
- Brian Capon

---

THE JOB OFFER TRAP
This is another more recent Scam to watch out for and not fall into their traps

au-fastjob.com Company was found in January, 2002. Our company's goal is to assist people around the world to be a part of an Internet trading community. au-fastjob.com . works as a payment processing center helping buyers and sellers from outside of Europe manage their business more effectively. We work with sellers and buyers from United Kingdom, Australia, New Zeland, Germany. au-fastjob.com Company positioned as one of the most stable companies in the international financial management business. Our company can provide the fastest transfer times along with the best pricing available in the industry thus making it the Company of choice for all your money transfers worldwide. As one of the pioneers of the financial management industry, au-fastjob.com . has established relationships with local financial institutions in each country which permit us to make transfers in the most efficient way.

Note: Pay attention to the rules of registration and note the spelling and grammar errors.

1. You have to be 18+ years old.

2. You have to fill in all fields marked with red dots.

3. You have to provide a rihgt information, because when you are registering you are automatically start working with us, infomation must be valid.

4. After you make a registarion , our group will contact you within 24 hours to verify provided information, so be careful when you filling in phone number fields, so we can contact you anytime.

5. If you provided wrong information we will not proceed you as an employee, your info will be deleted.

6. Once again Be very careful filling in fields with red dots, we need valid information, so we can wokr with us and we giving you this opportunity.

7. After registraion you can wait for our e-mail , we will tell you if we hired you and we will give you instructions about your job.

8. All rights reserved and your information is secret and anonimous, noone has rihgt to know anything about your registraion, only us.

9. If you decided to work with us then we wish you to be a successful employee and you can proceed with registration. We will have you as a serious employee and we will depend on every registered person. When you will start working with us we guarantee legal and stable nice salary.

10. We wish good luck working with us!

=========================================================================

==========================================================================

• Abacha Sani General fake barrister Edward I. Uwa acting for fake Mohammed Abacha
• Abu Anmbrose Federal Ministry of Works and Housing Nigeria  scam
• African Development Bank Dr. Igwe fake credit officer
• Alamin Fatima Aisha fake widow offering donations to charities Nigeria  scam
• Amalgamated Bank of South Africa ABSA fake bank manager
• Alhaji Mamman Jos Adisa, Fake Younger Brother of Major General Abdulkarim Adisa
  • will advice (medium quality fake)
  • payment advice (medium quality fake)
• Aviation Scam Letter Hensen Bako about purchase of Boeing Aircrafts
• Sister Linda Bamba fake nun and fake daughter of Chief Lolo Bamba
• Balogun Shadiatu and  John Odidi Co Chambers, fake donation to charity scam fraud from Africa
• Bangorah Sankoh fake son of Foday Sankoh Revolutionary People's Front Sierra Leone
• Bank Of Africa Mr. Nicholas Ohas Bill fake director of finance
• Banque Internationale du Abidjan Cote Ivoire Mr. Frank fake Bill And Exchange Manager
• E-bay  Fake message from HarborSafe about termination of membership  
• Barrister Jacob Adesanya fake anyalania adesanya & co notification of bequest scam  
• Barrister Tony Obosi Chambers Solicitors scam bequest from rev. dr. mike mokoro
• Bemba Tito fake son of Kabila Democratic Republic of Congo official 
• Bogus calls from fake post office officials - victims homes robbed
• Central Bank Of Nigeria Fake Official Maxwell Ibe
• Central Bank Of Nigeria Fake International Remittance  Alhaji Rasheed Mohammed 2nd Prize
• Charles Remy Sierra Leone Scam 14,220 Carat Diamond
• Credit Commerce Togolaise Bank Lome Togo Peters Nana Jones
• David Donka fake deacon Spring of Life Ministries Inc.
• Dr. Dodo fake official RWA Agency Relief West Africa - Not very smart  .. He tried to scam us!
• Dr. Johnson Kenedy fake foreign remittance department Union Togolaise Du Banque Lome Togo 
• Dr. Maryam Abacha fake wife of Nigerian head of State General Sani Abacha.
• Dr. Mensah Jacob fake director international bank of Africa Lome Togo.
• Dr Smith Jonathan & Madam Janet Smith fake international youth conference Seattle

• Dr. Umar Danjuma Ali fake Chairman of the Committee for the Verification of Claims

• Dr. Usman and Chief Gambo Dasuki fake officials economic community of West African states ECOWAS Lome Togo Union Togolaise Du Banque Lome Togo dr. Johnson Kenedy fake foreign remittance department
• Dr. Richarson John Garba fake purchase of ammunition Sierra Leone Diamond Mining
• Dr. Solomon Godfrey fake foreign liaison officer board of trustee RWA Agency Relief West Africa
• E-Bay Safe Harbor physhing
• ECOWAS headquarter Lome republic Togo Chief Gambo Dasuki fake official
• ECOWAS Fake Lottery

• El Gordo Spanish lottery scam Antonios Carlos

• El Gordo lottery sweepstake company s.l.

• Federal Ministry of Finance Exchange Control Department 1st Prize Forgery Award
• Federal Ministry of Finance Exchange Control Department Lagos Nigeria fake confirmation
• Fraudulent Invoices sent by unethical charitable & fake police associated publications 
• Dr Tonye Green fake Espace Medical Director
• Green Card Lottery Scam
• giwa  James fake advisor to president Guei
• Hang Seng Bank fake letter from Wang  Qin
• ibrahim musa fake chief security officer central bank of ivory coast
• Iheoma fake Rev Stephen fake caretaker of fake motherless baby home at Aba Nigeria
• Job offers employment offers Africa NEW SCAMS WARNING   
• kabbah jr. fake son of Brigadier Kabbah (rather pathetic Nigerian scam letter)
• kokoh James, fake Union Togolaise de Banque official (death of Adolf Spear pathetic story)
• Martins Charles fake Red Cross official
• Millah Khalid fake Dubai merchant
• Multi-Mesh fake contractor of Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation
• Mrs Jennet Nel fake wife of Dr. Mathew Nel. Scam letter from Ghana
• Nigeria Export Promotion Council N.E.P.C.. dr. solomon issah fake member
• Nigerian Fake IDs and fake Documents gallery (takes about 20 seconds to load but worth it!)
• Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Fake certificate of registration  
• Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Fake foreign exchange recommendation application
• Nigerian Scam Letter Abu Zamani fake official  Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation
• Nigerian Scam Letter Alhaji Ibrahim Tukur fake official Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation
• Nigerian Scam Letter Clement Apkamgbo  fake official  Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation
• Nigerian Scam Letter Engr Frank Dada  fake official  -  Read how the would be victim escaped the trap
• Nigerian Scam Letter Dr. Anthony Enahoro Kome
• Nigerian Scam Letter Dr. Dandyson Ugo
• Nigerian Scam Letter Dr. Frank GOZIE fake financial controller NNPC
• Nigerian Scam Letter Dr. Hassan Ahmed
• Nigerian Scam Letter Dr. Timothy Ajala 
• Nigerian Scam Letter Dr. Yerima Musa
• Nigerian Scam Letter Dr. Yerima Musa fake request for real estate acquisition
• Nigerian Scam Letter Uffot Ekaette Fake Secretary of the President
• Nigerian Scam Letter Engr. Clement Esu
• Nigerian Scam Letter Engr. Sarki Shehu
• Nigerian Scam Letter John Aknife
• Nigerian Scam Letter John Ude fake solar panels purchase order
• Nigerian Scam Letter Yukaba fake Nigerian Federal Ministry Member
• Nigerian Scam Letter Lucky Osa a fake Justice of the Peace
• Nigerian Scam Letter Shugaba fake chairman Nigerian Federal Ministry of Works and Housing (FMWH)
• Nigerian and Congo Scam Letter Chima Magashi fake son of Theophilus Magashi
• Ologun Louis fake Nigerian police officer asking for financial support
• Prince Usman fake prince asking for security training!
• Princess Juliet Etete fake princess of Ogoni
• Racing Horse Syndicate Scam An informant has reported a new scam involving a racing syndicate.   Before handing out large sums of money to racing syndicates ask to speak with several other members of the syndicate. Check with the Department of Fair Trading about the syndicate and the seek legal advice.
• Rasheed Dr. Mohammed fake Director of Operations Earthling Investment & Security Company
• Russian Credit Card Scam: A member has reported a credit card fraud ring involving Belarus criminals.  The gang place orders using credit cards. When the goods are collected the legitimate credit cards holder complains and the bank reverses the transaction. 
• Russian Credit Card Scam: Names of criminals reported to NASPA
  Jury Korzun, 12a Rakovskaya st. Minsk 220000 Belarus. E-mail mailto:korzun@tm.minsk
  Andrew Roudakovsky 14 Sovetskaya St. Minsk, Belarus E-mail flamay@iname.com
• Sese seko fake son of President Sese-seko 
• Sierra Leone scam letter, fake Accountant General Hassan
• South Africa Anglo Gold Corporation Dr. James Khumalo
• South African kidnap gangs lure businessmen to traps
• South Africa Mrs. Mariam Y Sankoh
• Swiss Lottery fake letters
• Tanoh Florence  A MIC fake associate of Alhaji au Hostra Mac Dowels ETS
• Union Bank of Nigeria Michael Noble fake bank official
• United Bank of Africa Mazwell Ibe Fake Bank Manager 
• Viagra scams: Many internet sites offer cheap Viagra on line.  Some of these are scams which involve splitting tablets and other fraudulent tactics. You should not purchase Viagra without a prescription it is very dangerous to do so.
• Virus Hoax: Check with McAfee before believing virus alerts you receive in the mail.  Many of these are spoofs which cause you to delete valid Windows files
• Zenith Bank fake bank manager 
• Warning about the use of international air couriers.  When sending goods via any air courier make sure to obtain a guarantee in writing that if the goods are undeliverable or uncollected, you will be notified and given the opportunity to retrieve the goods.  A member lost $2689 when the goods he had sent were not collected.  The goods were seized by the local authorities. Emery Worldwide stated that it was not their responsibility to inform our member that the goods had not been collected.   We contacted DHL Worldwide Couriers (a  competitor of Emery Worldwide).  DHL told us that it was their company policy to contact their clients should there be a problem with delivering goods.  Click here to view the correspondence between Emery's solicitors and our member.  NASPA cannot make any comments on this matter but we would appreciate receiving your opinion.  scams@naspa.com.au
• Warning from Department of Fair Trading Western Australia
• Warning to Australian companies.  Australian Engineering Firm Financially Ruined.
• Warning to NSW and Australian security guards and firearms instructors 
• Alhaji Mustapha Yaya fake director of national Nigerian corporation (heart rending E-mail from victim)
• +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

RECOMMENDATION

Take a look at OZTION AUCTIONS  today. It's Aussie for Auction!
375,000 Items - 118,000 Members - 1,200,000 Unique visits per month

We are sure you'll like what you see.  Click here to join Oztion  (It's FREE to join) Please include our User Number on the registration page when you join Oztion, even by doing that you are helping our charity because, members earn referral money. Our User Number is: 13914  User ID: ozcharweb 

Please feel free to use these links to other pages

ILLAWARRA BRANCH HOME | SSAA AFFILIATED CLUBS | SSAA.ORG BASE | SSAA-NSW-BRANCHES | CHARITY SUPPORT LINKS | OZTION AUCTION SITE | VIRUS ALERT | FAQ ON SCAM | SHOOTERS PARTY CONTACT | GAMES COUNCIL | C.L.A.S.S. |