By Will Sturgeon, 20 August 2002 15:39
NEWS Anybody who has received the infamous Nigerian money laundering email will be heartened to hear that 15 people have been arrested in association with the scam. The message, which purports to be a get-rich-quick scheme for anybody willing to help with the liberation of money from the Nigerian government, is among the most common scams plaguing email users. Typically the sender claims to be the manager of a bank account belonging to a millionaire ship's captain/politician/monarch or similar who has recently died, leaving no known heir. The banker says the money will be seized by the government if it's unclaimed and requests your assistance in 'liberating' it. In return for providing your bank details and allowing the money to pass through your account he says he will cut you in on the profits from the scam. Of course anybody foolish enough to go along with the scheme - putting aside the fact they deserve everything they get - soon realises the error of their ways when money starts disappearing from, rather than appearing in, their bank account. Associated Press reports say a gang of 15 men have been arrested by police in South Africa in relation to one such scam. The gang had designed a website to process the payments which reportedly looked very similar to the site of an official South African bank.
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1. anonymous
Very interesting article - I received on of these last year, asking for passport and drivers license etc.Seeing it was a scam,I started to play along, much like you did - I asked him to send ma a copy of HIS driving licese and passport - which he duely faxed to me! He even called me on the phone!The lengths people go to simply amazes me!
2. anonymous
Be wary of selling merchandise on-line in classified ads. I had a set of drums posted on a large music company web-site. I found out about the Nigerians after losing 1000's through a variance of the typical scam. I received actual check in the mail, deposited in the bank and all, they asked for Western Union transfer of the "difference" of a check. They were sending a shipping company to pick up the drums they "purchased." Check was returned non-payable. The check was sent Fed-Ex from a company in the U.S.! They have people in the U.S. helping them!!
3. Barbara
My hisband placed an ad on the internet for a vehicle he had for sale in a few days he was flooded with replys but this one guy that responded first told my husband he wanted the car very badly he claimed he was out of the states but had an agent in the US who would send him a cahsiers check for the purchase of the vehicle plus the shipping costs and all my husband would have to do is send the remaining amount back to the shippers at a bank in London I am a very causious person and after the check arrived called to see if it was a good check it turned out it wasn't I turned it over to my local law enforcement which in turn turned it over to the FBI and Secret Service I was notified a few days ago telling me that the information I collected was more than enough to catch the theives I am so glad I didn't fall for the scam I also sent the guy back a final e-mail to let him know not to mess with the good old USA Ha Ha .
4. Ralph Sobeck
But their successors still prosper!
What can be done to stop this plague?
5. Robert G. Manos
Another nigerian scam unfolds:
I Posted an ad on Roomates.com early Sept.04 About 20 days go by and I get a reply from a person with the mailbox name of sweetflame, sweetflamex, swxeetfxlamex Flaminggwen Gwen_moray. the name continually changes as the fraud scam is unfolded by the victims.
The scam Starts when the person says they want the room You have can't wait to be there. Then they send You a check for the rent and an amount to cover the shipping of the persons belongings and some furniture the want t obring along... In my case it was $4300. They usually keep the amount under $5000. The potential roommate contacts You via instant messages wanting You to act immediately so she doesn't have to pay storage on her belongings she would handle the shipping of the frieght herself but to to the fact that she is a model and is jetsetting around the world for fashion shows she would like for You to handle it for her. (Here is the part that get's Your money.) She asks You to cash the check and western Union the money to her shipper Mr. femi Kalisek address45a Nothern ave Ikeja, Lagos Nigeria. then to send her the MTCN # I was wise to the scam and declined sending the money part but people.......Be Ware of these Nig*erians they will get Your cash if they can.
6. anonymous
i also got message from them-pretending to need a roommate add-i did make the mistake of giving them my home adrres-they claimed to be sending rent-then tey want me to sen them money to they an leave-and also pay there hotel bills etc.
7. anonymous
Looks like I been had by them too. I have a posting on Roommates.com and this girl named Monica Black replies. We have been corresponding back and forth via e-mails for a month now. She sent me a money order via a shipping company called Aramex. They conveniently lost the package, but have records that this package was supposed to be delivered to my home address. I should have realized that this was a scam of some sort. I have been renting rooms to mostly girls the last few years. This girl pretty much wanted to love me and talked up the love part as if she was going to sleep with me right away. I fell for it. She sent me a money order for $3800 and wanted me to send her back the money less the rent amount. That would have been $3000, but she could do with $1300 for now. Her money order package never arrived, so she sweet talked me into advancing this $1300 via Western Union, which I reluctantly did. I came across this web site this morning by keying in this person's name "Femi". I should have checked that out yesterday, but I suppose I was thinking with my small head! If these people were arrested before, what can be done now?
8. anonymous
I got the same type of emails for my motorbike but i am in scotland and the buyer was in the good old usa