A new variant of the Nigeria scam

[marct]

I've been tracking versions of the Nigeria scam for about 10 years now, on and off, mainly as a matter of amusement. I received one today that I thought I should post here. I think you will see why...

Dear Friend,

Permit the manner with which I am seeking your assistance but I am short of options and have no other choice. I am John England from the hospitality state (Mississippi), an army contractor attached to the US Army corps of engineers and Military force in Iraq. The reason why I am explaining my findings to you is to seek for your assistance to enable you contribute immensely to the actualization of my dream.

I am attached to the US army for the sole purpose of reconstruction work in some parts of Iraq. As you very well know, Iraq is gradually undergoing a rebuilding process in some parts and there is much need for reconstruction which is were I come in. I evaluate the level of destruction and offer professional advice in line with the way they intend rebuilding.
Work has been risky no doubt and challenging as sometimes we are faced head on with armed insurgents where we lose some soldiers during confrontation. I have had my own share of losses as I lost a very good friend also an army contractor whom I have known for 12 years.

On the 23rd day of May 2007, I and my group of 2 Army Engineers were alerted on the need of some reconstruction works in Haifa Street, a long thoroughfare of high-rise buildings built and occupied by Saddam Hussein when he was alive here in Baghdad. We proceeded to the marked site and as I commenced evaluation work , I discovered an unusual bulge
in a cellar which I presumed to be a storage room. I decided to have a go at it and the metal covering was kicked in only to find a two metal boxes. I told my men to open the boxes in order to find out the contents and when they were opened to our amazement the boxes contained some US Dollars which amounted to $10.2M after I and two of the men counted them.

I however instructed them to keep this in high secrecy so that we can have the money to our selves, they all agreed to the plan and we were going to get the money out of the country but first we had to hide the money in a safe and untraceable location. I am now in desperate need of a "Reliable and Trustworthy" person like you who would receive, secure and protect these boxes containing the US Dollars for me up on till my assignment elapses here. We cannot afford to leave the boxes here in Iraq for any reason since Iraq is getting unsafe and dangerous everyday. We have no idea what could happen next as everything remains inconclusive at this point. I am fully aware of what your thoughts would be next which is why I intend
to include my picture as well as my I.D.s for you to confirm the personality with whom you are dealing .

I assure and promise to give you 10% of this fund, however feel free to negotiate what you wish to have as your percentage in this deal. Please assure me of your keeping this topmost secret within you so that my job would not be jeopardized. For more classified information's, contact me through my private email address at;
E-mail: john_england_usa@hotmail.com

My Sincere Regards,
John England.

Have fun

[davidbfpo]

The famous or infamous Nigerian scam still gets victims each year here in the UK, yes a tiny proportion of those who receive letters or emails, but enough to keep the Nigerian criminals happy.

There are those here who reply to the offer, if only to distrcat those involved.

Until recently the Royal Mail and a national law enforcement agency (NCIS now SOCA) intercepted huge numbers of letters - with attendant publicity photos.

There are signs that the scam is now used by others, unless of course the Nigerians enjoy very cold climates or rice and sushi.

Best to leave well alone.

David

[SWJED]

Check out 419 Eater.

[Jedburgh]

ISN Security Watch, 8 Jan 08: Nigeria: Fraud Gangs Evolve With Internet

....Of great concern for law enforcement agencies in the US and the UK are scams in which fake postal orders, bank or travelers' cheques are sent to victims first contacted online. After the initial contact, they are asked to cash the financial instruments in return for a share of the proceeds and wire the rest of the money to the fraudsters. It is usually after this last step that the victim discovers the documents were not genuine.

Among Nigerian cybercriminals the most prized tool is a piece of software called an e-mail extractor, which trawls the World Wide Web to gather e-mail addresses. Whatever scheme intended, the criminals desire a deep pool of potential victims from which to choose.

"Whatever the project, we always need all the e-mail addresses we can get because you never know who is going to respond," a self-confessed scammer who identified himself only as "Chike," told ISN Security Watch in Lagos. "And the e-mail extractor does just that."

In addition, scammers also frequent internet auction sites such as ebay.com, autotrader.com and chat rooms and social networking sites in search of potential victims, said Chike.....

[davidbfpo]

For the last six weeks I've been getting on a work email address a steady flow of scam email offers, starting with Nigerians and now ostensibly Chinese emails. Plus the odd appeal for an email penfriend. If only they used a spellchecker and were not so implausible.

davidbfpo

[Stan]

For the last six weeks I've been getting on a work email address a steady flow of scam email offers, starting with Nigerians and now ostensibly Chinese emails. Plus the odd appeal for an email penfriend. If only they used a spellchecker and were not so implausible.

davidbfpo

Ooh, David...It gets much better here:

Whilst on a business trip in China, a man wanted to buy some cheap electrical gifts for his children.

He quickly discovered what looked like a suitable shop and found a pair of iPods at a great price.

Natuarally concerned that they may be cheap in more ways than one, he asked the shopkeeper what would happened if they did not work.

The shopkeeper excitedly pointed at what was the only sign in the shop that was written in English.

It said, ‘GUARANTEE NO SPOILT’.

The businessman was glad of the reassurance and duly paid for two iPods before returning to his hotel.

As soon as he reached his room he tried testing both of them.

Unfortunately, neither would even so much as switch on.

The businessman quickly returned to the shop and asked for either a refund or an exchange.

The shopkeeper laughed and refused both requests, pointing to the only sign written in English.

In broken English the shopkeeper said, ‘In case you forgot, we read from right to left in China.’

[Ron Humphrey]

Ooh, David...It gets much better here:

What is TLIOPS ON EETNARAUG supposed to mean to someone who speaks english

[Stan]

What is TLIOPS ON EETNARAUG supposed to mean to someone who speaks english

Actually Ron, it's Spoilt No Guarantee - reading each word right to left...
...like they do in China

[Ratzel]

You would think that these people could find someone who knows how to write with American colloquialisms?

Who actually says:
" I am John England from the hospitality state (Mississippi)"

But this one takes the cake:
"The reason why I am explaining my findings to you is to seek for your assistance to enable you contribute immensely to the actualization of my dream."
Mr. England, we just met, go easy on the theatrics.

"Work has been risky no doubt and challenging as sometimes we are faced head on with armed insurgents where we lose some soldiers during confrontation."
You're faced "HEAD ON with armed insurgents!!" Man, that sounds pretty bad?

I guess the strategy here is to first, gain your trust, as no one from the "hospitality state" would ever rip you off. Next, gain your sympathy, since he "had his own share of losses as he lost a very good friend also an army contractor whom he had known for 12 years." After that, instill a sense of urgency, "since Iraq is getting unsafe and dangerous everyday." And last, show legitimacy, which is why he says he'll "intend to include his picture as well as his I.D.s for you to confirm the personality with whom you are dealing."

[jonSlack]

The Atlantic - How To Trick an Online Scammer Into Carving a Computer Out of Wood

A vicious and intriguing cyber-war has broken out in the Spamosphere, or more specifically in what I’d call the “Scamosphere.”

I’m speaking of the emergence of “scam-baiters,” the avengers of the Scamosphere, who’ve arisen to take on “419” con artists, the scammers who pose in spam e-mails as agents for the widows of deposed finance ministers of Dubai or vice chairmen of the Ivory Coast Cocoa Trading Board. The ones who promise you a share of a multimillion-dollar “inheritance” stashed in a Swiss bank account in return for your help in getting access to it by posing as the legal beneficiary. The ones who then try to persuade you (and it’s amazing how many are blinded enough by greed to believe the pitch) to fork over one “advance fee” after another to “estate attorneys,” “private bank managers,” and other fictional “facilitators”—until you awaken to the fact that you’ve been taken or are broke. (The name 419 comes from the number of the section of the Nigerian criminal code that applies to fraud, though the advance-fee fraud is actually a variation on the centuries-old “Spanish Prisoner” ploy.)

[Nicole]

I have received two letters recently about the need for someone trustworthy to receive U.S. money in "boxes" coming out of Iraq. Obviously, this is just another scam and one of the names used was Sgt. Phillip Newman, who incidentally was killed in Iraq in 2007. The lasted was from John England. These people clearly are idiots but of course someone will fall for it and find themselves embroiled in the endless stream of emails requesting personal information, copies of passport I.D., home address,marital status, banking info, etc.

What surprises me is that these people think that someone would accept their word for it, that these monies contained in "boxes" would somehow get through security measures, etc., and that a person would engage in such an illegal action if it were true, and absurdly ridiculous proposition, if it were true. That millions of dollars would be sent to a person living in the U.S. for "safekeeping" is preposterous. And to use a dead man's identity, someone who lost their life in Iraq, is not only callous and insensitive but out right offensive.

I don't know what the aim of these people doing this is but that they would request such information such as passport I.D. and numbers is so very circumspect that I assume getting a hold of someones passport information must be of some use to them in some other type of scheme.

I sometimes follow up by returning their emails with telling them that I am reporting them to the authorities and that they are fools. I like to let them know that not everyone in the U.S. is susceptible to their ridiculous methods of extracting personal information. I have even spoken to these idiots on the telephone, after all if they want to spend their dime calling me, I am happy to waste their time.

Nicole

[jmm99]

either here, in About Me and/or in the thread for that purpose. It helps give us context. Thanks.

[J Wolfsberger]

But John England's coworker, Harry Barnes, contacted me. I guess they've divided the loot, because he only has $2.7m USD.

[John Biggers]

Dr. Tyrrell:

Have you seen this? Directed to U.S. law firms:

---------------------------------------
Attention Counsel.

Top of the day to you Attorney,Upon recent research via the internet,our company has decided to contact your Law firm as regards a debt collection issue with some of our indebted customers within your region.please do confirm the receipt of this mail due to the urgency of this matter.If you are not in position to represent us at the moment kindly advice immediately.After a careful review, we decided to contact you to represent our company in America, We would require your legal representation for our American delinquent Customers.

We are of the opinion that a reputable attorney is required to represent us in America in order for us to recover monies due to our organization by overseas customers, and as well follow up with these accounts. In order to achieve these objectives a good and reputable law firm like yours will be required to handle this service. We understand that a proper Attorney Client agreement must be entered into by both parties.This will be done immediately we receive your letter of acceptance.

Mr Mike Lee Yu
General Manager
------------------------------------------

I am curious how this is intended to work, but I have been too timid to try a reply.

Regards,

- John Biggers

______________________________

Biggers & Ohanian, LLP
515 Congress, Suite 1400
Austin, Texas 78701
(512) 472-9881
______________________________

[goesh]

Its amazing who scammers can get. My brother in law, managed a couple of successful small business', managed a park, top-notch salesman, etc got suckered into forking over 500$ cash in a lotto number racket. Ya' never know...

[jmm99]

This came through the ether this morning (Wednesday, September 23, 2009 7:09 AM, to: undisclosed recipients; subj:: CAN I TRUST YOU?):

From Sgt Ali Ibrahim
Camp MXP-512 Third Infantry Division
UnitT.I.D.U,
Abul Uruj, Baghdad, Iraq.
I am Ali M.Ibrahim, a native of Iraq. I am a Military Contractor with the America troop currently serving in the third infantry division Unit in Iraq.
I am currently on duty break. My partner Darren D. Braswell,36, of Riverdale, Ga., died Jan. 7th near TalAfar, Iraq, when the UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter in which he was a Passenger crashed. Braswell worked For the Army and Air Force Exchange Service, before his death We secretly moved some abandoned cash in a mansion belonging to the former president, Saddam Hussein and the total cash is US$20,200,000.00 Twenty Million two hundred thousand Dollars.
SUORCE OF MONEY: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/2988455.stm
As I write this letter to you, these boxes are in Security Company as I secretly moved it out of Baghdad to safe place.
Sir I seek your consent to help me move this money to your country location.
You do not have to be afraid of anything as no one else knows about this and everything is safe. I would be pleased and grateful to you if you could assist me and my late partner Darren D. Braswel in receiving this boxes for us on your behalf as I will be heading back soon to camp in Iraq to join my colleagues. Of course, I shall compensate you with an attractive percent of the total funds for your role/efforts. We have limited time now as you know that our evacuation agreement is been negotiated by the USA and IRAQI government, kindly get back to me immediately.
Moving the funds out of the security company is not going to be much of a problem as arrangements are being made towards that. All I want from you is your trust,
Please get back to me with your full name
Contact phone number
Preferable without delay and let’s negotiate terms.
Your response will determine our subsequent correspondence.

Yours in Service.
Ali M.Ibrahim.

Sender's email: alibrahim440@yahoo.co.nz

Anybody else get this gem.

Mike

[Tom Odom]

I am contacting the guy.

My name is Marc Tyrell

[J Wolfsberger]

Mike,

"You do not have to be afraid of anything as no one else knows about this and everything is safe."

You see how you are? Everything was fine and you had to go and tell the WHOLE world!

[jmm99]

This little snippet was the real news:

.... our evacuation agreement is been negotiated by the USA and IRAQI government.....

although I'm having trouble with the verbal "is been". Does that mean that Tom will be evacuating the sandbox today or tomorrow ?

[davidbfpo]

From a US IT security blogsite an interview with a Nigerian fraudster: http://www.schneier.com/blog/archive....html#comments there are two other link interviews.

Their introduction is cautionary:

Editor’s Disclaimer: Whilst I am reporting an actual conversation, I have no way of verifying the information or details contained within. The interviewee contacted me voluntarily and anonymously claiming to be an ex-scammer who is now studying in the UK. I have agreed to tell his story but this is told ‘as is’ without guarantee as to accuracy or truthfulness. To protect our users we have agreed that the interviewee, who will be known by the pseudonym “John”, will not directly take part in discussions or comments and will not join our community. I do not know how long “John” will maintain contact and in the event that contact is broken, this series of blogs will be discontinued.

Finally no request is made for any cash transfer in reading the interviews.