Dead Bank Customer
Is this scam, the scammer is either a lawyer or a banker who "discovers" a dormant account in a bank or security company. After a thorough investigation,
they determine that the customer died (plane crash, car crash, tsunami, etc.) and that they left no next-of-kin on the account. If the
account is not claimed in a short period, it will revert back to the banks Treasury Account. His plan is to present you as next-of-kin,
where he has the ability to perfect the documents to prove this.
Some interesting points with this scam...
- Many times, the scammer will not reveal the dead person's last name until you respond, then they will give the dead person the same last name as you, and then say that is how they found you.
- In the opening story, they will post links to real tragedies (plane crash, car crash, etc.) to enhance the creditability of the story.
- Their proof will be a Certificate of Deposit - which is usually a really, silly-looking document. When was the last time you received a Certificate of Deposit when you opened a bank account?
- For some reason, you have to register the change of ownership with the "High Court", which costs thousands of dollars...
- When was the last time you had to designate a Next-of-Kin on a bank account? I thought that falls under the duty of probate/wills?
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Rich Orphan/Cocoa Merchant Son or Daughter
Is this scam, the scammer is the son or daughter of a murdered political figure, wealthy merchant, etc. whose parents left them
millions of dollars in a bank or security company. They are usually in a refugee camp where they are prohibited from owning an
account in their name; this is where you are needed.
Some interesting points with this scam...
- Their uncle is responsible for their parents death and is trying to kill them as well.
- Their parents were real people (prime minister of Nigeria, etc.)
- Often, this turns into a romance scam as well.
- Confidentiality is key because no one can know where they are hiding (from the evil uncle, government, etc.)
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Over-Invoiced Contract
Is this scam, the scammer is a company or government official who over-invoiced a contract for work done or products delivered thus
resulting in millions in unclaimed funds. You are needed because the money has to be moved out of the country without involving the official.
Some interesting points with this scam...
- They must have no accounting controls in their government/company not to notice millions missing.
- This is usually an oil company (everyone hates the oil companies, right)
- The scammer insists that this is 100% legal and within the ambit of the law (it is called embezzlement)
- You usually have to open an account with a foreign or online bank - with fees, of course...
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Lottery Scams
Is this scam, you receive an email stating that your email account won a drawing for an online lottery. The "winnings" will be paid to
you only after you pay the insurance charge, courier fee, shipping fee, Drug/Terrorism Document, etc.
Some interesting points with this scam...
- In this scam, they usually give you a deadline when the fees have to be paid.
- The lottery is usually sponsored by a big, multinational corporation (Microsoft, Yahoo/MSN, Coca-Cola, BMW, etc.)
- The email you receive will be filled with reference numbers - Winning Number, Draw Number, Reference ID, Ticket Number, Claim Number, etc. - before I start this bait, I will change all of the numbers - it's funny how they still verify me as the winner...
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Romance Scams
Is this scam, you receive an email from the opposite sex where they tell are interested in you. After chatting
(email, Instant Messenger) for a little while, he/she will spring it on you. They either need money because they are stranded
(unpaid hotel bill, food, plane ticket), or many times it will segway into a Rich Orphan type scam where they have millions in a
bank or security company, but can't retrieve for one reason or another.
Some interesting points with this scam...
- I have seen this scam alot through Yahoo Personals - and believe it or not, it seems to come from Russia most of the time (for me anyways - I traced the IP Address)
- One variation of this scam is the American girl stranded in a foreign country scam...
- Watch how fast the person tells you that they love you - in one scambait I had, she told me she loved me in the second email and changed her religion to atheism in the fourth...
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Charity/Dying Philanthropist Scam
Is this scam, you receive an email from someone who says there want you to disburse their millions to charity - they are either bedridden
or terminally ill. Of course there is a generous percentage for you also, just to keep you interested. They usually tell you that they didn't
live a good life and they are trying to make amends on their death bed. Most of the time, after the lawyer is introduced, the original
character "dies", leaving you to the lawyer, banker, and whoever else is involved.
Some interesting points with this scam...
- They insist on naming you next-of-kin for the funds when a simple Power of Attorney would do.
- You are responsible of all of the fees (of course), even though they have access to millions of dollars (that is why the original character usually dies - so the lawyer can say they don't have access to the money)
- You are supposed to help with orphans and "motherless babies homes"
- As this progresses you can "see" the client getting sicker and sicker
- Just to throw a wrench in the works, I will state that if the clients dies, I am through with this transaction, because it is too sad..
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Loan Scams
Is this scam, you receive an email from a supposed Loan Company, advertising a ridiculously low interest rate and very lenient terms.
They will have you state the amount you need to borrow, along with your name, address, and purpose of loan - yes, that is usually the entire
loan application. After you agree to the terms, the fees come in - usually consisting of insurance fee, registration fee, tax fee, etc.
Some interesting points with this scam...
- Calculate the payment for whatever amount you told them using Excel - most of the time they will calculate the payment wrong - they don't know how to compute compound interest. I had one "loan officer" ask me to teach him how to do it correctly...
- The fees are the best - tax fees - they think you have to pay income tax on a loan. The same goes with "loan insurance".
- Ask them to send you their web address and a company brochure - the web site will be under construction and they can't send a brochure for "security reasons"
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Work from Home Scam/Collection Agent Scam
Is this scam, you receive an email from a company who needs help collecting payments for merchandise from foreign customers.
"Customers" will send the check to you, you cash them, keep 10% for yourself as your cut, and then forward the rest via Western
Union to the "company". Of course the check is fake or stolen, which you don't find out until after you sent the money Western Union.
Some interesting points with this scam...
- There is a sense of urgency here - they want you to forward the money via Western Union before you realize the check is fake.
- This is a "real" job - besides the fact that you aren't required to fill out tax forms. I have fun with them about this - making them research and find out what tax forms I need to fill out and have them send them to me.
- This is a good bait in the sense that they will spend their own money to complete - the always send the checks by UPS or FedEx, which will sit at the delivery company until they are returned to sender. I called FedEx to inform them that they had a bogus check, and explained what I did - the guy I talked to was cracking up! He said there wasn't alot they could do, but at least I cost him the price of shipping.
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Government Agency/EFCC Scam
Is this scam, you receive an email from either a law enforcement agency, bank, or the EFCC (Economic/Financial Crimes Commission)
informing you that they are reimbursing you for getting scammed in the past. You get part of a fund set aside to compensate victims
of 419 scams. Of course, they are full of transfer and documents fees.
Some interesting points with this scam...
- Look at the contact emails from the FBI and EFCC - they are Yahoo, gmail, or Hotmail domains.
- Often the FBI Branch Offices are in England or West Africa.
- The Grammar and spelling of the college-educated FBI agents is apalling.
- These are fun scams - along with making fun of them and poking holes in their logic, I will also copy a real FBI Email Address in my replies.
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Other various scams...
- ATM Scams - You either won money, are getting reimbursed for past scams, or paid for past help, etc.
- Purchase Scams - After placing an ad selling an item, scammers want to buy it, and pay more than the price (by fake check or credit card) which you have to send to someone via Western Union.
- Hitman Scams - You are threatened by a hitman who was hired by a friend of yours - wants paid to go away...
- Adopt-a-Pet Scams - Scammers contact you to purchase puppy that they can't care for...Price and shipping paid in advance, of course.
- Investment Scams - Rich person wants random person from internet to help invest their millions...
- Precious Metal Scams - Never had one of these, but scammer sells gold, silver, diamonds, etc., well below market price.
- Seller Scams - Scammer is selling goods that you pay for in advance and never receive.
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