Beware! " Internet Scam"

                           The Internet is certainly a great tool for work, research, entertainment and so on. It makes the world a little global village. With the introduction of the World Wide Web into the homes and lives of so many people around the world the lives of many people have changed in ways that we can't even imagine.  Though the Internet is such a great tool. With all its unimaginable benefits, it also have some negative effects that range from child exposure to undesired content, porn and so on. The Internet came along with virtual email addresses, where we can receive and send messages all over the world from the comfort of our house, office, or cyber cafe. But since the invention of robots that can fish these email addresses left on certain websites and social networks and later used by some unscrupulous individuals to send huge amount of emails making false claims( some of these emails ends up in the spam box while some actually make their way to your inbox). And those who are easily lulled to  believe in making fast an easy money or who are simply ignorant ends up being victims of what has become known as "Internet Scam".

                     I have usually receive tones of these emails and most of the time I just delete them or ignore them. But some people have actually fallen victim to this new theft call "Internet Scam", so I thought it was time I ring a bell or sound a warning to all those who actually thinks that an individual they've never seen or known could actually give them millions of dollars from some business or deal. Below follows a list of some of these emails that ended up in my mail box. I'm sure they were in yours too. Most of the time the story is the same just the names, country and amounts changes. So beware when you see any of these kind of stuff in your inbox or spam box.

                          Case Study One                 

FROM THE DESK OF BARRISTER MUSTAPHA BENSON
MUSTAPHA BENSON CHAMBERS
#222 ERIC MOORE CRESCENT
LAGOS - NIGERIA


Note: Forward your response to this email address : barrister.mustapha.benson221@gmail.com
Dear Sir/Madam,

I apologize if the contents hereunder are contrary  to your moral  ethics. But please treat with absolute secrecy and  personal.

I am Barrister.Mustapha Benson a solicitor at law, I am  the Personal Attorney to Mr.David Brumley a  nationality of your country, who lived in Nigeria  for 

nineteen years, and who until his demise was my  client based on engagement entered  into with my chambers in 1985.

The said deceased, who is hereafter referred to as  my client passedaway with his family in an auto crash here in Nigeria some years back. He was a  

Contractor to an Oil Company (Shell Petroluem). He  had an account valued at US$11,500,000.00(Eleven  Million fIVE Hundred Thousand U.S Dollars) which has  

been dormant and unclaimed due to unavailability of  a next of kin/relatives to claim his money.


In accordance with the escheat laws of Nigeria, the  Board Of Directors of the Bank met a forth night ago  and resolved to turn the estate of the deceased 

over  to the Government having waited for too long without  the deceased relatives/next of kin surfacing. And if  this is done,invariably the funds will end 

up  becoming Government property. It is as a result of this, that I am moved to contact you considering the  fact if you can be or you are  the next of kin 

to the deceased. Note that, all legal  documentations to back up your claim as the deceased  Next of Kin, will be available by my chambers as  witness to 

your status as bonafide inheritor.


In view of this, I am seeking for your co-operation  and understanding to stand as the deceased next of  kin to enable us claim the inheritance before the  

time period given by the Bank elapse. If you are  interested and in agreement with me, please write  back immediately for more details.

I need you to send me the following informations  that will be used to secure all legal documents that  will back us up in this transaction.

1.Your Full Names
2.Your Phone/ Fax Numbers
3.Your Contact Address.
4.Occupation

Be rest assured that it is a risk free project and  the proceeds will be shared 50% each once the funds  are repatriated into your account either in  the 

United States or elsewhere. Once again, I will
use my position to obtain the relevant papers that  will prove you the bonafide beneficiary of this
fund which will also protect you from any breach of  the law.

Get back to me through my email address : barrister.mustapha.benson221@gmail.com
Yours in Legal Service.

Barrister. Mustapha Benson{San}
Mustapha Benson Chamber

                     Case Study Two                                  

Ref: 07/CK-RDD-189GC/2010
BALLOT No: BT: 12052006/20
TICKET No: 7PWYZ20

Congratulations Email User

The Board of Directors and the International Promotion Department of Coca
Cola Bottling Company in conjunction with the UN Development
Programmerwish to gladly inform you that your email has won prize money
of £500,000.00 Pound Sterlings, in our 2010 Global Upliftment
Programmer.This program is aimed to encourage you to patronize our
products and also help uplift families financial status around the
globe, (Hence no ticket sold).

To claim your winning prize you are required to reconfirm your winner's
particulars as accompanied above and also send your personal details
immediately to our paying Bank for the immediate release of your prize.
(Below is here the contact info to the Bank)

Bank Name: Barclays Bank Plc.
Contact Person: Andrew Howard.

E-mail: mr_andrew_h@nba2k.net
Tel: +44 (0) 702-406-7764

On behalf of the entire management and staff we say Congratulations once
again!

Mrs. Gina Cruz.
Online Co-coordinator
 

                 Case Study Three

Hi,

Re:Be my Trustee


Am Barrister Timothy Mccarron, from  England.I got your contact with hope you are trustworthy. I would like you  to receive
the Amount of $35 Million united states Dollars on trust for me. I will
like you to stand as the next of kin to my late client Andreas Schranner
whose bank account is presently dormant/ready for claims. let me have your full names and addresses to
process the transaction and transfer of the money to you withing 9banking
days. you can view the website below to reconfirm my clients unfortunate
departure.after the successfully transfer to your account,you will rewire
80% of the total fund to me withing 24hrs  the money clears for withdrawals in your account, holding back 20% of the total
sum.as your commission for your assistance.I looking foward to your
coperation and reply.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/859479.stm
 

                  Case Study Four

Abuja} the Head Quarters of the Ecowas todayafter the raffle draw has
given 850,000.00 (eight hundred and fifty thousand United states Dollars)
to 8 active users of the internet.you where lucky to be one of the active
users who emerged as a beneficiary.

For your information, the Mail, VAT & Shipping fees have been paid by the
Ecowas Grant Award before your package was registered. What you
need to pay is the Security keeping fee of the FEDEX Company as stated in
our privacy terms & condition page, in order to secure your Package. The
cost for the Security keeping fee is $140USD

1.Name:
2.Sex:
3.Age:
4.Country:
5.Phone Number
:6.Occupation:
7.Address:

To Mr Cole as Head of Events at the GrantCenter Contact
Email:fedexdelivery82@ufo.tc

                       Some of these false claims might really seem genuine from the content in the messages. For example case stud case study three actually have a real BBC link that links to an accident that happened back in 2000. With the names of one of the victims and the funds he is supposedly wanting to give me once belonged to to the victim. While case study one have the name of a petroleum giant, Shell, an the country where the deceased supposedly lived is also a major petroleum producing country Nigeria. Known for corruption and frauds of all kind. In the same line, in case study two the fraudster used Coca-cola and the UN Development Program. All genuine and real entities. Finally in case study four notice the used of ECO WAS and FEDEX and you are being ask to pay just $140 USD as a way of getting your package valued at $850,000.00USD. All this use of names of genuinely existing entities, companies, and names of people who made the news or is making the news is in an attempt to make the fake real.

                     But if you do study all these mails carefully irrespective of the fact that it is first of all suspicious and illegal in itself an as the author also puts it ( wanting you to be a partner in fraud), then you will realised that they do exist some inconsistencies. Take a close look at case study one see how the scammer successfully uses words that let your imagination do the rest. above he stated that the deceased is of the same country as me that is USA. So he does not ask my country of origin but nevertheless at the end he states "repatriated into your account either in  the United States or elsewhere."  Note how he is very precocious and uses the English language to his advantage. But unfortunately I am not from the USA. So he doesn't know any thing about me and his tricky use of English is fruitless and does not get the desired goal, which is trying to guess my nationality. In case study four he uses "Re:Be my trustee". Meaning I have previously sent him an email. But as I recall I never have. Secondly his client is a German as he claim and i am everything but German so how in hell am I supposed to be the next of kin? And finally in case study  four realised how how he talks of their privacy statement which of course you are not aware of but they don't provide a web site were you can actually verify that their privacy statement states that.

All article written, edited and posted by A P Geofrey.