Nigerian Scams.... Now hitting internet dating

[keelec]

Over the last few months, I have run into several internet women from Nigeria.

 

The most common thing is to put a USA address on the personals ad or profile, but then say that she is in Nigeria for some reason. Perhaps visiting, or having 1 parent from Nigeria, one from the USA.

 

Or, another story is that they are from the USA, but have traveled to Nigeria and need some help getting back to the USA. I called one of those ladies, but she certainly didn't have the sweet Georgia accent that I was anticipating. And her begging was worse than a 4 yr old in a candy store.

 

One woman that I talked to online... she seems sweet. Her pictures are very cute. And, of course she is professing undying love for me. She wants me to purchase a couple of video projectors to help her church. I calculated the cost of the projectors plus express shipping to be about $7,000.

 

So... now I have a $9,000 check in the mail. Drawn at the First Union National Bank of Georgia. No phone numbers on the check.

 

So, the first thing I do is go to the internet yellow pages... odd, no First Union National Bank of Georgia in the area code 30309.

 

But, the check also has a routing number... Throw that into an internet search, and I came up with the Wachovia Bank, also in Georgia.

 

I called the bank. Apparently Wachovia and First Union merged a while ago. I read out the account number and the name, and they don't match. Hmmm.... you mean this woman who is expressing her undying love for me would send me a rubber check? Now it is time to dig out the dissecting microscope and try to find the microprint that is supposed to be on the check.

 

So, what do I tell her the next time that I talk to her?

 

I think I am going to say that I cashed the check, but the bank said that it would take 3-5 business days for the funds to be available. That would put it till about Thursday of next week which is a holiday. Throw in a couple of additional days. She is supposed to be here the first week of December for her Christmas Vacation which she is going to spend with me... I woudn't have to discover that the rubberized check until after she is supposed to be getting off of the plane.

 

What is the next step? What if she asks for some of the money that was supposed to be used on the projectors back for the plane fare?

 

Hmmm, her postage was 150 Nigerian Naira (about $1.15)

 

How many people actually fall for the scams?

 

----- Clifford -----

[cosmiclobster]

Keelec: I think you took it further than most -

Every week or two I get an African scam - "my father died and left XXXX MILLION US Dollars in a local bank" (hint of scam #1 - how did they get US Dollars in an African bank) "I cannot take this money out - The government is trying to take this $$ from me - my father was poisoned by his enemies - I am afraid for my life - I want to give you 40% of these millions to help me get the $$$ out of the country - I need your bank account numbers to transfer the money to" Yea, right!

I've had about 5 of these and the format is always the same.

I write back in an extremely offensive way - something along the lines of fornicating with monkeys.

But apparently I'm on some list because the next idiot sends me a theme and variation of the same e-mail anyway.

 

Dont even waste your time.

[bobmal99]

These e-mails have been around for a few years. Anyone who would give any of their private informations, bank accounts, SSN. ETC, gets what they deserve. However, it seems if they send it out to thousands of people you are going to get some people who will fall for it.

[Jim - Portland, USA]

And what's with Nigeria?? EVERY scam I hear of that smells remotely of this scenario always has to do with Nigeria.

 

Don't the people in Chad or Zimbabwe also like to scam people out of money?? They should at least try! The sad thing is, the spammers and scammers who do this do make a lot of money, tons of it. Like the saying goes "There's a sucker born every minute". And in the age of mass global communications, spammers and scammers can make millions of dollars everyday from suckers.

 

Clifford, I'm still a bit confused about this check. She sent you a check? And she wants you to deposit it?? Have some fun with this. Tell her the check cleared and that you really appreciate the money she sent you Tell her you couldn't find any projectors for her church, but you did find a bitchin' big screen projection TV for your den That outta send her for a loop

[Razbre]

lol...really.....it's too bad you couldn't think of a way of scamming the scammers....

[lele]

lol...really.....it's too bad you couldn't think of a way of scamming the scammers....

Well,

 

I have been obtaining an IP address list of all of the sites from which the scam emails are sent. I have been using this list so that I can IP filter them to my trash bin. However, if someone wanted revenge, they could likely sell these lists to the mass markerting agencies, make some dough, and watch what happens to the scam people when *THEY* get mass-spammed. possibly?

 

Sorry to hear about your experience and I hope that things go better for you in the near future!

[sylinchinastill]

keelec- sorry about your experience- try the US dating sites- maybe you don't like American women- but the things happening to you are insane- I knew about the Nigerian scam- but not on dating sites- the world is crazy.

[keelec]

Clifford, I'm still a bit confused about this check. She sent you a check? And she wants you to deposit it?? Have some fun with this. Tell her the check cleared and that you really appreciate the money she sent you  Tell her you couldn't find any projectors for her church, but you did find a bitchin' big screen projection TV for your den  That outta send her for a loop

Yes, I have an actual check..... $9,000

 

It looks relatively authentic... Enough that an ATM machine would likely take it However, it is missing the microprint that it says it is supposed to have for security (says on the back that the microprint should be on the signature line on the front).

 

Unfortunately, I fear that the bank might not let me keep the money very long Thus... better not buy a big screen TV just yet

 

I have been dreaming about the new Apple (umm, did I say Apple)... well, their 30" LCD computer monitors.... the best in the world for a measly $3K. I know you can buy big TVs, but these have actual computer resolution (2560 x 1600). Now if I could just figure out whether the Mac graphic cards will work in a PC, or a PC video card will support the Mac Monitor.

 

Do you think Steve Jobs will trade one of the monitors for Nigerian "Monopoly Money"?

 

As far as why Nigeria, and not South Africa, or Zimbabwe???? Perhaps Nigeria got a jump on other parts of Africa with connecting to the internet and getting "wired". Then they would have gotten significant early success from the schemes (which are likely becoming more costly to do, and less rewarding now). The people I have talked to also seem to have excellent English skills.

 

Their government also has specific laws prohibiting exporting money. Thus, you can send money to Nigeria via Western Union, but you can not send it out of the country via Western Union. Perhaps there is actually some truth to the original story of the lost millions. But, these laws make some things awfully convenient.

 

Another internet scam that I am running into is E-Mail harvesting off of E-Bay. Sellers post "HOT" items like computers for ridiculoulsly low prices. Then add a stipulation that buyers must be pre-approved. If a person sends in their e-mail, they get added to the latest SPAM list, and the item gets removed by e-bay before the end of the auction.

 

----- CK -----

 

P.S.

As far as getting scammed... in many senses this is just a fun diversion... As soon as a woman admits that she is actually in Africa and not America, it sends up red flags.... Then when the idea of phoney checks come up.... well, then everything just enters the world of pure entertainment.

 

I already have one woman who has asked me to never write to her again because I didn't western Union money to her so that she could go to the hospital because she thought she might have had malaria (she couldn't even tell me her temperature).

 

Hey, I have an idea... I could get as many women as I can to send me phoney checks... then when one asks for a little money, I could just send them back one of the phoney Nigerian checks !! :lol:

[Martytb]

lol...really.....it's too bad you couldn't think of a way of scamming the scammers....

I didn't exactly scam the scammer, but I did play with them for a while.

I was getting one about once a week and would send a reply (when the dating site had not already cut them off) telling them to meet me at a location close to them. Of course I never showed up. I hope they did.

[lele]

lol...really.....it's too bad you couldn't think of a way of scamming the scammers....

I didn't exactly scam the scammer, but I did play with them for a while.

I was getting one about once a week and would send a reply (when the dating site had not already cut them off) telling them to meet me at a location close to them. Of course I never showed up. I hope they did.

Ahh, about dating site scammers/idiots! Hehe, I have a funny story to relate on this one.

 

A female friend of mine, back in the undergrad days (when all of the dating sites were still 100% free!) she was getting harassed by so many guys who were clearly lying to her. So, one day, we got 3 of them (there were so many that we hoped to show up) to all appear, in the nude, except for 1 necktie, at the wharf on the Oakland side of the bay. It was dark, and they were all expecting action, but not each other. We then photographed away as they were trying to figure out what was going on.

 

The next morning, the photos were up on her profile, with some comments, and suffice it to say that all of the men who were just there to scam/harass her went away really quickly.

 

I am not sure if people today would fall for the same trick (this happened more than 6 years ago), but it could be funny to see if it did!

[keelec]

Here is a story that someone sent me recently... Enjoy

           Connecticut Real Estate and the Nigerian Connection

 

           Over a year ago, my wife and I moved to a new town in

Connecticut, horrified by the budget-related deterioration of our public

school system. It was literally the best move we ever made. Continue...

 

           Advertisement

           

 

           The only drawback was that even now, a year later, we haven't

been able to sell our old house. We've dropped the price three times, but

nonetheless haven't had so much as a nibble of interest (maybe because

nobody is particularly interested in moving to a town with a deteriorating

public school system).

 

           Anyway, you can imagine our delight when our realtor called to

say that we'd received an incredible offer from a buyer: full asking

price, cash on the table, with the deal to close in one week. My wife and

I hung up the phone, stared at each other in disbelief, and then looked

around for a chicken to sacrifice to the real-estate gods.

 

           Our euphoria was soon cooled, however, by a few mysterious red

flags. First, the woman who wanted to buy the house showed up for the

inspection - but didn't have enough money to pay the inspector. Odd.

 

           Second, the inspector found a few small things that needed

fixing - but the buyer didn't ask to have them taken care of before the

closing. Unusual.

 

           Finally, our lawyer told us that the woman didn't expect to

have the funds until the day before the closing. Peculiar.

 

           We figured that something was a tad fishy about the whole

thing, but what are you gonna do? We decided to play along, just in case

she was for real. Now, by this point, you're probably wondering what any

of this has to do with technology (the ostensible topic of this weekly

newsletter). Here it comes.

 

           Sure enough, the closing never took place. The woman called

the realtors and lawyers, apologized, and let them know that the money she

was expecting never arrived.

 

           "I just can't understand what went wrong," she told them. "I

was ASSURED that the money was on its way. The Nigerian lawyer PROMISED!"

 

           My jaw fell open so far it practically dented the floor. I

didn't know whether to cry, sue or laugh hysterically. It turns out that

this poor, deluded soul had fallen for one of the most widely perpetrated

- and, I thought, most widely known - Internet scams on earth. "DEAR SIR

OR MADAM," the spam e-mail message begins.

 

           "I am Ahmed Jaidi a solicitor at law. I am the personal

attorney to Mr.Mark O'Reilly, a national of your country, who used to work

with Chevron Oil Company in Nigeria.

 

           "On the 21st of April 1999, my client Mr. Mark O'Reilly and

his family was involved in a fatal auto crash in Lagos. I am contacting

you to assist in repatriating the money and property left behind by my

client. Particularly, the finance company where the deceased had an

account valued at about $14.7 million dollars.

 

           "Since I have been unsuccessful in locating the relatives for

over 4 years now, I seek your consent to present you as the next of kin,

so that the $14.7 million dollars can be paid to you, and then you and me

can share the money, 60% to me and 40% to you."

 

           If you're clueless enough to contact the spammer, he leads you

on for a few weeks with paperwork and those dizzying dollar amounts,

getting you so excited about your upcoming wealth that you may even make

plans to buy a new house in Connecticut.

 

           Of course, a few weeks in, Mr. Jaidi (or whatever the bogus

name is) reports that he needs just a few thousand dollars to grease the

palms of the Nigerian finance department to get this deal wrapped up. With

visions of a new life dancing in your head, you fork over $3,000 here,

$2500 there. And then, of course, you never hear from the guy again.

 

           I'm guessing that anyone savvy enough to sign up for a

technology newsletter is smart enough not to fall for such a simple scam.

But if you're ever in doubt about this or any other e-mailed pitch, I beg

of you to check it out first at www.snopes.com. It's a clearinghouse of

urban myths and Internet scams. You might also want to check out a recent

Circuits article about e-mail vigilantes who turn the tables on the

scammers: Turning The Tables On E-Mail Swindlers.

 

           I sort of wish it weren't called www.snopes.com, because that

address makes little sense and doesn't clue anyone in to its actual

purpose. But it's a great site, a well-researched encyclopedia and a

highly entertaining read. Whether it's a million-dollar windfall from

Nigeria or an unexpected full-price house offer, you can see this story's

moral coming a mile away. "If it's too good to be true..."

[Carl]

I too have had ny share of those scams. I got one last year where they said that I am the relative to a family (same last name as mine) that was killed in an automobile acdident in their country (Somewhere in Africa). It turs out that this family had a sizable amount of money on their person, and if I were to send them my bank's name, address, routing number, my name and acount number they would forward me the money. I had a good laugh over it. I knew the odds of anybody in my family ever going to Africa are few and far between.

 

I talked to my wife a few days later, she said she opened an account on Yahoo under a ficticous name, and she too recieved the same e-mail. The only different thing was that the name was the ficticous name she opened the account under.

 

I told my wife it was a scam, and to ignore it.

 

so look out for this one

 

Carl

[keelec]

I have been thinking about it....

 

I think the proper thing to do would be to buy her a "gift" with the "extra" money that she sent.

 

What should I get?

 

1) A brand new laptop which will be waiting for her when she gets here? B)

2) A set of Diamond.... Ummmm Cubic Zirconium.... Earrings which I could even mail down to her

[Bryan_Qunying]

Dear Madam,

 

You have been identified by the "I got Your IP" Internet Security and Fraud Enforcement Agency, during a "Spam" mailing you sent, to one of our bait Email addresses.

 

We were able to trace your location using state of the art hardware and software programs, which are only available to Government Law Enforcement Agencies. At this time your address and exact location has been transmitted to the local law enforcement office in your area.

 

All assets, including Bank accounts and other affiliations are in the process of being seized by this agency.

 

If you feel you have been falsely identified, you may call 1-900 - URS-OFKD to file your appeal.

 

Thank You and Have a nice day!