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Bank
Account Scam
The
e-mail or fax usually begins URGENT ASSISTANCE
HIGHLY NEEDED or BUSINESS PROPOSAL. It
goes on to tell you a hard luck story such as
"With
a humbled heart I commit myself this day to write
and ask for your benevolence and kind consideration
of my plight for assistance. I am making this
contact on behalf of my family not minding the
consequences but hoping that you would understand
our predicament and come to our aid and assist
us. I would also kindly apologize for any inconvenience
or embarrassment this might cause your person,
as we neither know each other personally nor have
had any previous contact or correspondence."
Usually
the author of the e-mail says he or she is an ex-official
of an African country and has millions of dollars
they need to put in a bank account—your account.
Just send them your account number and they will
transfer the money because you are such a good person.
Also note that in many cases, the person sending
the solicitation is not from Africa.
This
is only the start of the story. They will continue
but need a few thousand to make the transfer. Yup,
they want you to send them this money.
There
are new versions of this old scam showing up everyday
from:
To
one of my favorites:
-
"We
discovered an abandoned sum of US$15,000,000:00
(Fifteen Million United States Dollars) in an
account that belongs to one of our Foreign customer
Mr. [John Doe], who died along with his entire
family, a wife and two children in [date specified],
in a plane crash."
According
to the FBI, when greed enters the picture, logic
goes out the window. This scam has bilked millions
from its victims. Don't be a victim. When you receive
such an e-mail or fax, throw it away. It's a scam.
We
received this email from Mr. Joseph Martini ofthe
business law firm of Pepe
& Hazard.
U.S.
Department of the Treasury Warns of "New Twist
to Nigerian Fraud Scheme"
In
an e-mail sent in August 2001, I alerted you to the
resurgence of an old scam, often referred to as the
Nigerian Advance Fee Fraud. Not only is the scam alive
and well, but the Department of the Treasury has just
reported that it has taken on a new look.
Simply put, the fraud is perpetrated by Nigerian nationals
purporting to be Nigerian government officials or
representatives of Nigerian banking institutions.
These individuals begin their scheme by faxing or
mailing letters to individuals and businesses in the
United States and other countries. Often, these letters
inform the target that the writer is seeking a reputable
foreign company or individual into whose account he
can deposit millions of dollars that the Nigerian
government has overpaid on some sort of contract.
The Treasury Department has announced that in its
newest twist, the perpetrators attempt to add legitimacy
to the scheme by sending their letters on imitation
U.S. Government letterhead with the forged signature
of James F. Sloan, the Director of Treasury's Financial
Crimes Enforcement Network ("Fence"). In
addition, this letter indicates that pursuant to the
USA PATRIOT Act and an Executive Order, any money
being wired into the country requries a fee to be
paid, which would be applied to rebuilding the World
Trade Center.
Treasury has warned that the information contained
in these letters is false and the letters themselves
are fraudulent. FinCEN has never issued such a letter,
there is no such fee required under federal law and
Director Sloan's signature is falsified.
In addition, the Treasury Department has advised that
if a financial institution has received an Advance
Fee Fraud letter, but no action has been taken and
no loss has occurred, the letter should be forwarded
to the U.S. Secret Service (USSS) using one of the
following methods:
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Email
to: 419.fcd@usss.treas.gov
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Fax
to: (202) 406-5031; or
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Mail
to: United States Secret Service
Financial Crimes Division
ATTN: 419
950 H Street, NW, Suite 5300
Washington, DC 20223
If
a financial institution has already been victimized
by one of these schemes, all written documentation
should be forwarded to the mailing address listed
in item (3) above or the institution should call the
USSS at (202) 406-5850.
OTHER
SCAMS
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