419 Scam Blow-by-Blow

timbos writes "Check out this six-page dissection of a 419 scam at The Register. In particular, the fake banking site that the fraudsters set up is interesting..."

Comments

Did anyone get...

[AKAImBatman]

...the new Spam mail with links? I just received a very reasonable sounding spam that talked about how some official was involved in a money scam, and recently died. It then backs up those statements with the following links:

http://www.businessdayonline.com/index.php?fArticl eId=2696
http://www.vanguardngr.com/articles/2002/headline/ f111052004.html

The thing was so convincing, that it went right past Google Mail's SPAM filter and landed in my inbox. (All other Nigerian scams ended up in the SPAM folder.) Takes things to a whole new level.

In case anyone's interested, here's the complete text:

Subject: Hi...partner needed

I do not want to intrude so I will be brief and try and get to the point. I
have to use this way to contact you because it is quicker and more secured
for me. In today's world, I know it is sometimes hard to believe stories from
someone you dont know because I know we have never meet. In our world a
female's rights are not equal to a man's. Hence I need to look for contacts
outside our shores. My name is Angela Afolabi. My father, Sunday Afolabi,
just died some weeks back in a London Hospital of Cancer. He was a former
Internal Affairs Minister inmy country up till last year. This was before he
fell out with the present government. And since then and up till his death,
life was not easy for me and the family, but I give thanks to god that I am
still alive.
Before the death of my father, things were not easy and though my father died
leaving a fortune to us, the Government has refused to release the funds. My
father was imprisoned for several months last year and I am sure this is what
hastened his death. He had been arrested for being involved in a National
Identity contract scheme involving a lot of money.
For more on this, go to:

http://www.businessdayonline.com/index.php?fArti cl eId=2696
http://www.vanguardngr.com/articles/2002 /headline/ f111052004.html

I and my family have gone through alot.
Currently, I need an agent for reasons which I will say later. I was close to
my father and you see my father revealed to me certain information about some
bond certificates and money with a firm abroad when he was sick. I never
realised he would die so soon. I am unable to act on it now for security
reasons.
As a young woman here in this country, my options are limited. So I need an
agent or a partner in this endeavour.

Thank you.

Angela.

Re:Article quote:

[ron_ivi]

It can happen to anyone. Funny how it has some parallels to this other nigerian fraud scandal.

If you haven't followed it, it was essentially "If you put $150-$180 million in this offshore bank account, I'll give your company a $5 billion contract for a Nigerian Natural Gas plant; and even kick back $5million to you personally."

Apparently even this big company that should have nown better said "sure".

You gotta love the java ebanking

[PowerBert]

Why can't my bank store it's customers account information inside a java applet. That way I could download my account and take it with me ;)

strings account.class | grep -i welcome
Welcome Richard J Cronan
WELCOME SIMON K. YI
WELCOME DONALD GENE GILMORE
WELCOME KURT OBAN
Welcome GUENTER REITH
Welcome RAYMOND SEAH
Welcome KENNETH W. BUSSA
WELCOME VINCENT STURDIVANT
WELCOME MONIQUE RODRIQUEZ
WELCOME ROYLEAN COLLINS
WELCOME Jean Paul Bouchet
Welcome ALBERTO T ORTEGA
Welcome Orin Gillian
Welcome Teimuraz Ramazashvili
Welcome HENRY PARK
Welcome MAURICE AMANG
"WELCOME DR. HENGAMEH GHAEN-MAGHAMI

Poor old DG, or should I say "DONALD GENE GILMORE"

interestingly the java class also contains the string "Please Produce Anti-Terrorist Certificate"