Australian version
In the Australian version, the U.S. company is contacted by a
potential customer stating they would like to place an order with
their company. The first initial email represents the "Direct
Solicitations" outline. Once the company responds and verifies
that the desired product's) is in stock, the fraudster will then
ask to quote shipping to Australia, and that they will be paying
via credit card. Once the quote has been sent to the fraudster,
the fraudsters will then reply back that they will have their U.S.
agent or freight representative come to the location and pick up
the merchandise, and then they will ship it to the fraudster. The
fraudster then tells the company to simply add an additional
charge of $700 - $1500 onto the total cost, which will be their
'agents' compensation fee. And that when the person is to arrive
to pick up the parts, that the amount charged be paid to their
agent. There will also be an additional compensation fee added in
too for the company, for the extra trouble of paying their agent
the money. The reasons range from the agent or freight company
only accepts cash or the company is unable to process credit
cards. Once the fraudster is told it will not be done, the
communication between them and the company will stop immediately.
There are also many grammar and spelling mistakes in the
communications. Here is two variations of what the re-shipper
email will look like:
Dear XXXX, Thanks for the total quote of my order. The total cost
of my order is quite correct and okay by me and I'm ready to pay
the bills . I shall inform my freight forwarder who will be coming
to pick up the order to hold on and come immediately you inform me
that the items are ready for pick up then i can give you a call on
that day to get the items packed for pick up and they will call
you on their arrival at your address. Also I want you to help me
Charge another $1200.00 from my card to the shipping agent who
will be coming to pick up my ordered items from you. The $1200.00
that will be sent to the freight forwarder is for the shipping of
my order and other items i ordered from different part of the
country which is to be picked up by him and should be deducted
from my credit card. Also, I'm compensating you with the sum of
$150.00 for the transfer fee and for your efforts. Please note
that i should have given the shipping agency my credit card for
him to deduct the shipping funds but he
told me that he doesn't have the facilities to charge or debit
credit card , so that's why i bring my vote of confidence in you
and i want you to assist me in this measure, so i want you to
transfer the funds to him after you have make the charges and the
money charged from my credit card is in your account, then you can
now make the transfer to the agent via western union.i will have
love to do this my self but there are no western union here around
me cos i am out of town to monitor my estate construction at a
remote village, So the charges you'll make on my credit card will
be Order Fee: 3,114.61 Agent fee with shipping fare: $1,200.00
Transfer Fee plus Your Compensation: $150.00 Total: $4464.61
Note that my credit card will be charged for the amounts above.
Please do get back to me if you are in the office right now so
that i can forward my credit card details to you, then you can
charge the funds I await your quick response. Kind Regards.
Example Two:
From: XXXXXX Sent: Tuesday, December 04, 2007 4:40 PM To: XXXXXX
Subject: RE: mail oder - don't worry i will give you $300 for the
stress and you can charges the money and send the money with the
US what about that so let me hear from you today
XXXXXX wrote: xxx, We will not be able to transfer the extra $700
to your agent. We can charge you for the motors, however, we have
them at two different warehouse locations. What you have your
agent do is up to you, we can either will call the motors at each
warehouse for him to go and pick them up, or have them shipped to
his U.S. address. However, if we do have them shipped to his
location, shipping charges will apply, and then I suppose you can
deduct that from the $700 you would send to him to come and pick
them up. Either way you handle it, the motors are in stock and
available for purchase.
From: XXXXX Sent: Tuesday, December 04, 2007 4:28 PM To: XXXXXX
Subject: RE: mail oder - What i just want you to know is that i
will forward my credit for the bill tomorrow to charges and you
will charges extra $700 usd to my agent that will come over there
to pick up the goods so let me know if you can charges extra $700
then send it to him via western union money transfer
Money Transfers Fraud
This type of Fraud consists of an employment offer to help transfer money to a foreign company, supposedly because it costs too much to do it through other methods (which is usually not the case). The prospective victim receives an email like these 4 examples:
EXAMPLE 1
Dear Sir/Madam, XXXXXX is a small scale company in XXXXXX. We supply XXXXXXX to clients in some countries. We have reached big sales volume in the Europe as a starter, and now we are trying to penetrate the US/Canada market. Quite soon we will open representative offices or authorized sales centers in the US and therefore we are currently looking for people who will assist us in establishing a new distribution network there. The fact is that despite the US market is new for us we already have regular clients also speaks for itself. The international money transfer tax for legal entities (companies) in XXXXXX country is 25%, whereas for the individual it is only 7%. There is no sense for us to work this way, while tax for international money transfer made by a private individual is 7%. That's why we need you! We need agents to receive payment for products in money orders, cheque or bank wire transfers) and to resend the money to us via Money Gram or Western Union Money Transfer. This way we will save money because of tax decreasing. JOB DESCRIPTION? 1. Receive payment from Clients 2. Cash Payments at your Bank 3. Deduct 10% which will be your percentage/pay on Payment processed. 4. Forward balance after deduction of percentage/pay to any of the offices you will be contacted to send payment to (Payments are to be forwarded either by Money Gram or Western Union Money Transfer). HOW MUCH WILL YOU EARN? 10% from each operation! For instance: If you receive 7000 USD via cheques or money orders on our behalf. You will cash the payment and keep $700 (10% from $7000) for yourself! At the beginning your commission will equal 10%, though later it will increase up to 15%! ADVANTAGES: You do not have to go out as you will work as an independent contractor right from your home office. Your job is absolutely legal. You can earn up to $3000-4000 monthly depending on time you will spend for this job. You do not need any capital to start. You can do the Work easily without leaving or affecting your present Job. The employees who make efforts and work hard have a strong possibility to become managers. Anyway our employee never leaves us. MAIN REQUIREMENTS: 18 years or older legally capable responsible ready to work 2-4 hours per week.with PC knowledge e-mail and internet experience (minimal) And please be informed that Everything is absolutely legal. If you are interested in our offer, please reply to the following email address: XXXXXX@XXXXX with your; (1)Your full names: (2) Contact address: (3) Tele/cell numbers: (4) Occupation: (5) Age: (6) Sex: Thanks for your anticipated action. And we hope to hear back from you soon.
EXAMPLE 2
Dear Sir/Madam, I am XXXXX XXXXX, Human Resources Manager of XXXXX located in XXXX. We deal in XXXXXXX articles such XXXXXX worldwide. Our website is XXXXXX. We are currently in search of a book-keeper/company representative who would assist us in receiving payment from our customers in America/Canada/Asia and other part of Europe. This offer is absolutely legal and you do not need any capital to start. Your Job description is as follows: (1) You would receive payment on our behalf from our various clients which would come in the form of cashiers checks, travelers checks and official checks. (2) You then get the payments deposited/cashed at your bank. (3) You then deduct a commission of 10% of each payment you would be receiving, as been our representative and then send the balance money via western union to any of our agent or offices that you would be instructed. HOW MUCH WILL YOU EARN? 10% from each operation! For instance: you receive 7000 USD via checks on our behalf. You will cash the money and keep $700 (10% from $7000) for yourself! At the beginning your commission will equal 10%, though later it will increase up to 12%! Our payments will be issued out in your name, as we would inform our clients to do so. If you are interested in this offer, kindly provide us with the below details. 1) Full name 2) Full house address Street/Ave, City, State and Zip Cope 3) Phone numbers 4) Age & Sex 5) Present Occupation PLEASE NOTE THAT ALL REPLIES SHOULD BE SENT THIS E-MAIL ADDRESS: XXXXXXXXXXXX Thanks for your anticipated action. And we hope to hear back from you. XXXXXX XXXXXX (Human Resources Manager)
EXAMPLE 3
Transactions specialist - part-time work opportunity. An international investment company is looking for communicative and skillful individuals to join the Receivables Team of our Finance & Infrastructure Group in the United States on part-time basis. This position involves monitoring and processing of our company's funds. Your duties will not involve any direct client interaction, and you will be reporting to the Receivables department manager in Russia. We are looking for numerate individuals who are also able to multi-task efficiently in a team. Relevant previous experience and/or education is a plus, but not a prerequisite. The position is entirely home-based, and no relocation is required from the successful candidate. This role does not involve any fixed working hours and is suitable for senior citizens or self-employed individuals. Estimated average salary starts from $3,000.00 per month. In order to qualify for the position, you must be a permanent US resident aged 21 and above and have a verifiable personal/business banking relationship with a US bank. Since most communication with the head office will be via email/fax/phone, you should have reliable access to these facilities and be reachable during regular business hours. To apply for this position or to request additional information on our company, please contact us at xxxxxxxxx@XXXXXXXX. Please make sure to provide your contact phone number. Please note that only applicants under serious consideration will be contacted.
EXAMPLE 4:
FROM OSSY AND LINDA WILLIAMS. Avenu 12 Reu 47 ABIDJAN DANANI REFUGEE CAMP, ABIDJAN REPUBLIC OF COTE-D'IVOIRE
Dearest One,
My name is OSSY WILLIAMS and my Sister's name LINDA we are the children of Late General BENSON WILLIAMS the former Director of military intelligence and special acting General Manager of Sieria Leone Diamond mining cooperation( SLDMC ). I am contacting you to seek your good assistance to transfer and invest Five million seven hundred and twenty thousand united state dollars ($5,720,000.00) belonging to my late father which is deposited in a bank here in Abidjan. This money is revenues from solid minerals and diamonds sale which were under my fathers possession before the civil war broke out. Following the break out of the war, almost all government offices, operations and parastatals were attacked and vandalized.
The SLDMC was looted and burnt down to ashes, and diamonds worth millions of dollars was stolen by the rebel military forces who attacked my fathers office. Many top government officials and senior army officers were assassinated and my father was a key target because of his very sensitive military position and appointment in the SLDMC.Regreatably, my father was captured and murdered along with half brother in cool blood during a mid-night rebel shoot-out when our official residence in Freetown was ambushed by Fordey Sanko the notorious rebel leader. My mother sustained very sever bullet injuries which resulted to her untimely and painful death in a private hospital here in Ivory Coast.
Now we are alone in a totally strange country without parents, relatives or any body to care for us at our tender ages. Before our mother died, she told us that our father deposited some money which he made from diamond sales and deposited it in a bank here in Ivory Coast and that we should pray and find a trust worthy foreign business partner who will help us to transfer and invest this money in profitable business venture overseas.
She told us to do this quickly so that we can leave Ivory Coast with our cousin brother-Arthur who is here in the camp with us and, then settle down abroad. She gave us the bank document to prove the deposit and then told us that my father used my name as the only son to deposit the money in the bank. She told us that this is the reason why we came to Ivory Coast. My mother died after wards. May her spirit rest in perfect peace.
I have gone to the bank to make inquires about this money and I spoke with the Manager of International remittance who assured me that everything is intact and promised to help me transfer this money to my foreign partners bank account as soon as I provide my partners foreign bank account for them. However, the manager is very concerned because of my age. I am 19 years old and as such advised that I should look for a matured person that will represent me at the bank.
If you are willing to assist us, please let us know immediately so that you will arrange the transfer of the money to your account with the bank. Please note that we will offer you 20% of the total money as compensation for your noble assistance in accodiance with my mothers advise. We are interested in any profitable commercial venture which you consider very good in your country and you would also get a school for me and my little sister and cousin so that we can finish our college education in your country.
Please there is urgent need for the money to be transferred to your account and I am hoping to hear your urgent response so that I can not look for another foreign partner.
Thank you and may God bless you and your dear family.
Yours sincerely
OSSY / LINDA WILLIAMS.
The fraudsters will then send fake checks or postal money orders, in the hopes of getting the victims to cash those fake money instruments and then getting real money from the victims.
These scams are also use as phishing tools, because many times the fraudsters are able to get the victims full name, address, social security, bank account number, etc, etc, which in ends up being identity fraud.
Internet marketing and retail fraud
This is a fast-growing area of internet fraud perpetrated by
dishonest internet marketing and retail sites. A variety of
products and services are involved. The customer is tricked by a
legitimate-looking site and effective marketing into giving their
credit card information and CVV number, or sending cash by other
means, in exchange for what they believe to be the goods or
services. The goods are never arrive, turn out to be fake, or are
products worth less than those advertised.
Where a credit card is involved, the perpetrators may also aim to
use the customer's credit card information to obtain cash or to
make purchases of their own. A common example of this type of
fraud are pornographic websites that advertise free access. Upon
further inspection, however, a credit card is required "for age
verification purposes only." The scammers then use your credit
card information to make large charges to the credit card.
In cases involving fake or worthless goods, many are health
products, related to health fraud. These products might advertise
anything from a quick way to loose weight to a cure for a serious
disease, and may:
promise a lot, claiming they can "do it all"
claim to be a "scientific breakthrough", featuring fake doctors or
scientists making claims for the product, with technical jargon
that only experts in the field know is used falsely
feature a long list of "personal testimonials", with no way to
check if they are true or fake.
Once your credit card information is given to these type of scam
companies, they usually will charge you no matter what type of
cancellation you attempt to go through. This can often be overcome
by contacting the credit card company. Credit and consumer
protection laws in many countries hold the credit card company
liable to refund their customers' money for goods or services
purchased with the card but not delivered. The loss is then
suffered by the card company, but ultimately passed on to
customers in higher interest and fees.
Business Proposal Fraud
Example
Good Day ,
I am Mr. XXX Director, Account, Treasury and International
Operations of Bank of Africa Plc, I am contacting you to stand as
the next of kin to my late customer Mr Kurt Kahle who hales from
Germany and was one of our greatest customer in the Bank Of Africa
Plc he has an escrow account with our Bank for years, on our
auditing week I discovered an abandoned sum of $13.7million USD
that was in one of his account with out claim since his death. Mr.
Kurt Kahle died with his wife and family on Monday, 31 July, 2000
in a concord plane crash at Haberstock Munich, I have contacted
you to assist in securing this money before they get confiscated
or declared unserviceable by the Bank. Government Agency concerned
to confiscate this account since the expiration of the five years
if not for my intervention as the head and Executive Director of
my firm the fund would have been moved to the Government account
so I have to tell them that the next of kin has been in touch with
us. The request of a foreigner as next of kin in this business is
occasioned by the fact that the customer was a foreigner,If you
can work with me, Immediately the successful transfer of this
money to your account you will be entitled to 45% of the total
sum, 50% for me and the balance of 5% will be used to reimburse
our selves for expenses that we may incur in this transaction.
Please Note that this transaction requires utmost trust sincere
and confidentiality, Do get back to me to enable me draft a text
of application that you will need to fill out and submit to the
Bank applying as the next of kin for this transfer to be made
immediately.
Regards,
Investment Proposition Fraud
Example
Dear friend,
I write to solicit your assistance in a project of mutual benefit
and regret any inconveniences contacting you this way with my
proposal. I was the former Head of Accounts Department at the
Diamond Mining Company of
Sierra Leone.
I and my partners (two others) are in urgent need of a foreign
associate to work with us to facilitate the transfer of a large
sum of Money which we intend to invest into profitable areas of
business in your country. The funds currently secured with a
security company is legitimate money rightfully belonging to me
and my partners, which was earned from private diamond business
deals during our time as top officials at the Diamond Mining
Company of Sierra Leone.
Due to unstable political and economic environments in
Africa, it is
not quite safe investing ones
financial future in this part of the World. We are
currently living in
Banjul capital city of
The Gambia and in collaboration with some top officials of
the Central Bank of
West Africa have concluded arrangements for the transfer.
The money involved is eighteen million five
hundred thousand US Dollars.
However, as a result of the regulations here, we cannot transfer
the funds to your country without having an associate there. I am
writing to know if you could be our overseas associate to handle
the transaction privately at your end, whereby the funds shall be
transferred through your bank account, for mutual benefits.
All aspects of the transaction will be done legitimately from here
via the banking process. We propose your commission shall be 20
per cent of the totalmoney been transferred, in view of the
importance your role as our overseas partners will be, without
which we cannot transfer the funds.
Please consider this proposal seriously and handle with utmost
confidentiality the information I have provided you with here. If
you Are in a position to assist, then get back to me immediately
on my below email account so I can give you details. If you cannot
help us, do not respond and I apologize for taking your time?
Please, give me your response immediately by return mail.
Regards,
Internet ticket fraud
A variation of internet marketing fraud is
offering tickets to sought-after events such as concerts, shows
and sports events. The tickets turn out to be fake or are simply
never delivered. The proliferation of online ticket agencies and
the existence of experienced and dishonest ticket touts has
fuelled this kind of fraud in recent years. Many such scams are
run by British ticket touts, though they may base their operations
in other countries.[4]
A prime example was the global Beijing Olympic Games ticket fraud
run by US-registered Xclusive Leisure and Hospitality, sold
through a professionally-designed website,
www.beijingticketing.com with the name "Beijing 2008
Ticketing".[5] On 4 August it was reported that more than $50
million worth of fake tickets had been sold through the
website.[6] On 6 August is was reported that the person behind the
scam, which was wholly based outside China, was a British ticket
tout, Terance Shepherd.[7]
Internet Marketing SEO Fraud
This type of fraud involves a supposed internet marketing
specialist presenting a prospective client with detailed graphs
and charts that indicate that his web site receives (x) thousands
of hits per month, emphasizing that if you pay for his services
you will succeed in getting a number clicks converted to customers
or clients.
When you receive no request for more information and no clients,
the fraudster responds that it must be something your web site is
not doing right.