Internet fraud.

Internet fraud. Education is the best defence, please warn your friends.
Well done, you were right to be suspicious!! Most users of the Internet are nice people but, as in any large population, detestable creeps sometimes emerge from the shadows. Some notes on current fraud techniques follow but check the linked pages for more detail on the false names, company titles and methods used by the criminals:

The lottery fraud, The money laundering fraud, Fraudsters haunting dating/matchmaking websites, The fake job offer fraud.  The bank accounts they use. A report on the mail service providers.  The fake loan offer fraud . The Nigerian service providers.  Why am I getting so much fraud mail?  One reason for this is that some service providers choose not to accept abuse reports, see The Bouncers. How Microsoft, Yahoo and others allow the fraud criminals to flourish. Why we need to attend to the Western Union problem.

A painful duty - Exposing the British (and Irish) connection. NEW: What happened to my money? All 419 fraud victims should read this. 

You may not be aware that if you live in Britain (or elsewhere in Europe) you are already an unwitting victim of the Nigerian scammers. The European Community gives several million Euros each year to Nigeria, in order to fund anti-fraud initiatives. So far as we can see, this money is wasted . The Nigerian EFCC does not even seem able to run a useful website. If you are British, Nigerian fraud will soon be costing you even more. You will be paying for a National Fraud Reporting Centre and other government initiatives which, sadly, we do not expect to have an impact on the huge problem of Internet fraud. Taxpayers (and fraud victims) would be far better served if governments attended to the Western Union problem. This would cost us nothing and would virtually wipe out Internet fraud at a stroke.   

Overseas representive scam (fake job offer fraud). Do not accept an invitation to receive funds, keep 8-10% and then send the remainder to a foreign address via Western Union. American and British users of job seeker websites most at risk. U.S. victims have been arrested after banking (in good faith) the forged checks they received.  

Nigeria. Despite the false European sounding names and fake addresses in London, Holland and Spain, most of the criminally inspired junk mail you receive will have been sent by Nigerian criminals. Nigeria, in West Africa, is the world's 8th largest petroleum exporter, the world capital of child trafficking (UN report, 2004) and the centre of a huge criminal web. A July '05 report in the Christian Science Monitor noted that "According to the World Bank, corruption has meant that 80 percent of Nigeria's oil and gas revenues goes to 1 percent of the population, while 70 percent of the country's 133 million people still live on less than $1 a day". Ironically, Nigerians are the greatest victims of Nigerian fraud crime. An audit published in 2006 reveals that over a five year period there were huge discrepancies between the oil revenues declared by the Nigerian government and the amounts actually remitted by the international oil companies. Apparently, for at least part of the five year period, a previous president of Nigeria was the oil minister!  Reporting a 2007 fraud attempt to us, a European firm wrote "For our company the African continent is dead. We have taken the decision not do do business in Africa any more".

The "you are a lottery winner" is still their favourite approach (now closely followed by the fake job scam) but they will also target small Web businesses, placing orders with stolen credit cards. Traders soon find that they are charged back by the card company, but only after they have sent goods to Victoria Island, Lagos, Nigeria, for example. (If you have recently reported such a fraud to the Nigerian authorities, the writer would like to hear from you. The criminals will sometimes ask for payment to bank accounts. I am especially interested to know details of these and will pass along relevant  information to the appropriate agencies.) Note: it would be wrong to tar all Nigerians with the same brush. As far as the writer can tell, the Muslims of the north are innocent of Internet fraud. The offenders are mainly from the south of the country and their base is Lagos. (Opinions vary as to whether members of the Yoruba or the Igbo tribes are the worst offenders.) Population numbers are unknown but Lagos vies with Mexico City for the title of largest city in the world.

A nasty little variation - The death threat scam:
yusuf bello <yusufbello1@gmail.com>.   Jacks Hitler (Everyones Nigtmare, sic) servicesforsuspension@yahoo.cn.  balack.woodaka000@hotmail.fr  Bclack Wood. Pirlo Carlos, Death Roll Squad,  dealthrollsqd@aol.com. Sniper Orlando, sniper_orlando@live.com.  Balack Wood, af2543@gmail.com.  Jacks H. Killer, wwups@live.com. Celestine chuks, b.patbulle2121@gmail.com.  William yahman, Assassin, mayhissolrestinpeace@yahoo.fr.  Anthonio Benito, final.bulletpointserviceemail@gmail.com.  sarakukill@gmail.com.  executorjaja@hotmail.com.  KLosson Williams <deskofklossonwilliams@yahoo.com.hk> aka agentklosson@yahoo.com.hk .  Aziz Manasawala, <bemorecearfull@yahoo.it>.  Mr No Name I am Sorry <hubby.tokill8@gmail.com>,  hubby_tokill1@yahoo.co.uk. "clifford avuz the only man seer from london living in usa I am a murderer. i was been paid to kill you and you family by one of your friend's" shawn_welsh90@yahoo.it, <shawn_walter04@hotmail.co.uk>  (in fact he is mailing from Lagos, Nigeria ) .  rip09.20008@gmail.com. musa_husan01@yahoo.co.uk aka <rickymart_lee@yahoo.co.uk>.  <mohammediyakub008@gmail.com> aka mohammediyakub2008@hotmail.com , Hired Killer Message <hiredkillermessage@ymail.com>. mohammediyakub008@hotmail.com. harold.kumeski@gmail.com.  
 

Tax refund scam: Francis V., Internal Revenue Service, refundatione.co.za.www34.cpt2.host-h.net. "HM Revenue & Customs", <ec@gye.memoser.com> (be careful to check the reply-to address, in this case the mail service provider is in Ecuador!)

If you are buying or selling goods or a service on the Web - take care (especially if you advertise something on CraigsList or Loot). The criminals are likely to make you an offer! They will send you stolen or forged cheques. You will spot some strange requests for shipping and payment. They are using "Alert Pay" and "AlertPay International Money Order" in their mail. Let the writer know if you are in doubt, but a request for movement of funds via Western Union will strongly indicate a fraud attempt .

 

They want to clone your identity and access your accounts. Don't answer those "Bank Security Update" e-mails and don't give out personal information to "lottery" fraudsters! If you have already done so, you should talk to your bank / credit card company as soon as possible and explain that you are a fraud target.

They will send you documents like these: Link Finance Click to enlarge CBS Bonanza, Spain.

Warning! Link Finance and Trust Ltd., 20 - 24 St. Leonard's Road, Windsor SL4 3BB, United Kingdom, Great Britain. If you have received mail naming this "company" or a copy of a document like the one illustrated here, you are a target of the fraud gangs. The document may be signed by Simon Perchard and contain the name Brian McClure. Be aware that, despite the fancy crests and legalese, there is no such company at this address*. If you have given out personal details, you should tell your bank that your accounts may be subjected to theft attempts. *Thanks to the Windsor Chamber of Commerce for confirming this. Warning! Global Link Cash Change U.K Ltd. globallinkscashxchangeltd com, 4 Jupiter House, Calleva Park, Aldermaston, Reading, Berkshire RG7 8NN. (This is just the address of a company registration agency.)  Mr. Felix Clifford Peterson, George Michel Norman, Edward Clapton. (E.P.S. INTERNATIONAL)  Associated with lottery fraud mail: GOLDEN LOTTERY UK, 1 BRIDGE STREET, STAINES, MIDDLESEX TW18 4TP, UNITED KINGDOM. Link House, Link Place, BRIGHTON, Sussex, BN1 7DX ? BBA COURIER EXPRESS, DAKOTA CONSULT LTD. and British Lottery Headquarters, 28 TANFIELD ROAD, CROYDON, LONDON ? and HAMILTON BANK, 1st Floor, 14 Fenchurch Avenue, London EC3M 3BS ?

For many years Nigerian criminals have targeted people around the world with stories about liberating millions of dollars, once the property of a toppled dictator or a deceased expatriot. They used to fax but they have now discovered e-mail and can reach more potential marks. As ridiculous as these approaches seem, innocent people occasionally fall for them. They sometimes end up meeting a Nigerian in a plush hotel. He explains that, in order to liberate the supposed millions, the mark must pay a commission fee up front. Needless to say, the Nigerian uses a false identity and the commission fee is lost for ever. American sources warn of the danger of accepting any invitation to visit Nigeria offered by these villains. They have been known to manufacture exit problems so that the mark can be pressured to hand over money as a condition of being allowed to leave Nigeria. Never let these people have your bank account and personal contact details. Do not send copies of your passport and signature etc. As well as trying to fool you into paying an advance fee, they will use your personal  information to clone your identity and try to access your accounts (or use your identity in a credit card fraud). 

ZambiaMinistryofMines.com
This domain was registered by one Olufemi Onabadejo, Postbus 14759, Amsterdam, 1001lg, NETHERLANDS. A Mr. Kamelo David representing the "Ministry" is asking permission to transfer over 30 million dollars to your personal/business account. Looks like the Amsterdam police missed one in their recent raids!

And what about " The Amsterdam City Bank " with the domain name of a-c-online.com ?
This seems to be closely related to Lucky Day Lottery and Zenith Trust & Finance Security Company, so do not be tempted to make a deposit or seek financial advice!

and Hamilton Capital Trust, (www.hamilton-ct.com). This website is a study! Check it out while you can for a typical example of the "banking" websites to which potential fraud victims are directed. I notice that the registrant of the domain name uses an American address and an anonymous yahoo.com e-mail contact address. Perhaps the FBI would like to check this one out.

 Standardtrust Securities, 14/16 Wellington street, Birmingham United Kingdom. Dr. Stephen Michael, Victory Odeh. www.pcunions.org the website of Peoples Cooperative Union (sic). The PCU website is where potential victims are directed.

A British? finance company that does not know its own address?
It's got to be www.fxfinance.co.uk
FX Finance has  (had) a website which publishes a London address, but strangely both the street name and the postcode seem to be invented! Since this note first appeared the street name has been corrected but there is still no building number (and guys - Berkely Street is not in the W1J postcode area!). Could there be any relationship between this august financial institution and the advance fee fraud criminals? 

And now - a "British bank" has trouble with its address!
It must be the so called "British Investment Trust Bank" which (had) a website which talks about customer security and uses pictures of tourist sites in London to underline its respectability and status. Strangely enough, this "bank" does not feel able to publish its correct address. (Guys, you got the postcode all wrong again!)
UPDATE. As of 18th July '03, both of these websites are unavailable. We must thank both British and American enforcement agencies for their rapid reaction. Many victims of the 419 scam do not have English as a first language and their judgement could have been clouded by these official looking websites - which seem to be introduced once a victim has taken the bait.

But wait ... new "banks" to treat with caution.
The "Fortune Trust Bank" (www.fortunetrust.com) of Amsterdam and the Cayman Islands and
The "Bromwich Albion Bank" (?) of London and the Isle of Man (bromwichalbion.com)
For a classic example of a very suspect "finance" site check out: www.e-ufinance.com

Tip: to check if a financial company is registered with Britain's Financial Services Authority you can search the Register at www.fsa.gov.uk

Tip: Don't think you have any safeguards just because a UK limited company is named in correspondence. Registering a UK limited company is as easy as paying an agency about 20 pounds. There are no checks on the status of people registering a company. It's all a bit of a farce.

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