New Scam (new to me at least)

[SolaresLarrave]

I know that, like the people at Photo.net, you guys are pretty savvy in the ways of the internet. However, tell your acquaintances of a slightly new scam, evidently modeled after the Nigerian plea for your bank account.

The message I got today from Paul Smith (whose originating address was <psmith@teen.co.za> reads like this:

We are a group of business entrepreneurs who deal on raw materials and export into America,Canada,Asia and Europe. We are searching for representatives who can help us establish a medium of getting to our costumers in America,Canada and Europe as well as making payments through you to us.

Please if you are interested in transacting business with us we will be very glad.

Please contact us for more information.

Subject to your acceptance you will be entitled to 10% commission of any payement made through you.

Please if you are interested forward to us your phone/fax numbers,contact addresses and occupation to p-smith@myway.com

Thanks.

Paul Smith.

MD/C.E.O

As said above, I know you're probably aware of this one, but still... I'm letting friends know about it.

Notice one thing: I'm a Spanish professor and they're asking for people to help them set up business in Spanish America. Was this a note for a special population? Sure it was!

At times I prefer to laugh... These scams are so evidently phony that's even an insult. But I was once naive and uninformed, and there are lots of naive & uninformed people surfing the web for the first time every day...

Have a nice one!

 

[SolaresLarrave]

Well... probably not in Spanish America, but still, as a scam it's kinda transparent.

 

[JohnM]

If you put a classified ad in the ad section of photo.net, you will get an assortment of scam emails every couple of days. There are a couple of different versions.

 

[nwcanonman]

Like most people who get 3-5 of these a day, I just delete without reading them.

 

[sooner]

The first rule is never give out your personal or financial information, unless it's a trusted business website with an "https" at the beginning. Secondly, there is no free lunch and that's basically what these guys are offering. Third, be wary of emails from people who can't spell or use correct grammar.

I fell victim to something once. Upon returning from overseas, we got a phone call from the operator asking what I thought was whether I would accept a collect call. Not knowing if it might be important, I said yes, only to realize it was to authorize someone else calling a third party on MY bill. It all happened so fast, and the operator wasn't very clear, that I misunderstood what was being consented to. Luckily, it was just a guy calling Brooklyn from New Jersey, so no harm done.

 

[WDG]

Sometimes a little fun is in order. Personally, I prefer giving them a number, fax number and maybe address, for an FBI office or Prison Warden. Never, of course from anything but an anonymous, throwaway email account. 😀

http://www.419eater.com/

http://www.419fun.com/

 

[SolaresLarrave]

I get these ones fairly often... from "doctors" to "daughters of very rich men" to "expatriated professionals" and children of dead rich men. The trap is always the same: let's get in touch so that we can use your bank account to syphon some money that's legal but...

Years ago, I read about these scams, but this text was new to me.

Only once did I reply (shortly after listening to an interview in NPR with a guy who actually scams the scammers and has a hilarious website with the exchanges. I don't know if it's any of the links above), but my message must have been too violent for I got no reply (neither did I get a bounce message).

Oh, well... Somebody else I know of fell for one of these things; I read it in one of these forums. Heck! I fell for a phone call from the Time-Share people myself! 🙂

Have a nice day! At least here it seems the weather may improve...

 

[eric]

this:

We are a group of business entrepreneurs who deal on raw materials and export into America,Canada,Asia and Europe. We are searching for

MD/C.E.O

You mean you actually read more than just the 1st sentence?

 

[SolaresLarrave]

Couldn't help...

 

[Doug]

I think they're kinda funny, so I've been saving particularly "good" ones, and now have quite a collection. One genius suggested that in this proposed enterprise together, we could "share the booty." 🙂

Most of them seem to involve "unclaimed" bank balances in the millions, soon to default to the government's general fund, or money from "over-invoiced" construction projects, or inheritances from important refugees from unsettled areas. In many cases bureaucrats who have skimmed or discovered these funds claim their laws don't allow them to open bank accounts themselves, and they certainly wouldn't violate any laws!

Also, oddly, most start off with an apology for contacting me, apparently feeling it's socially awkward to email someone they haven't met. First and last names seem to get reversed, and they introduce themselves with Reverend, Mrs, Prince, or Barrister as part of their names.

I think despite errors and inconsistencies, these may appeal to people who WANT to believe the stories are true, and partake of the floating millions...

 

[jaapv]

These originated in Nigeria, now it seems some others try the same thing. Allegedly in the UK alone, about 150 million $ a year is "earned" through this type of scam. One must be pretty stupid, greedy or desperate to fall for this kind of thing, but, as con-men and tricksters over the ages have learned: a fool and his money are soon parted.