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

1-419-COM-CAST.

[garcia]

Please carry out the following tasks, if it doesn't work then try from a different PC.
1.Click On Internet Explorer
2.Go to The TOOLS MENU
3.Go to Internet Options
4.Go to Advanced
5.Scroll down the list and Click/Tick the check box enabling Java
6. Restart Your Computer
7. Log on to UMCIB and go to e-banking then enter your usernameand password, this will take you to the transfer page.

If this doesnt work, please call me, my direct line is: +44-778 057 2211

The accounts department insist that there is no problem from here and the problem is from your end.

I apologise most sincerely for the delays and your inability to access your account, however it is not a problem from our end as the system shows that everything is working perfectly and you are the only one with this problem, please try again and if the system persists please let me know.

Sounds like a Comcast technician talking to a subscriber about why their billing system charged twice the month's bill every month for six months or why there has been intermittent block sync on the cable modem.

Service Tech: "Oh, if you were to purchase this $50 line filter we could install it for $90/hr and you wouldn't lose block sync anymore!"

The 419 scammers can't get away with it why should Comcast?

Moderators please note: this was an attempt at humor.

Re:1-419-COM-CAST.

[Anonymous Coward]

Moderators please note: this was an attempt at humor.

If you have to mention it, your attempt failed.

Article quote:

[shackma2]

"how could they be so stupid?", and "surely everyone is aware of these scams by now"

Thats about how I feel. Also its important to realize that scams like this exist everywhere, not just the internet.

Re:Article quote:

[fishwallop]

No bank communication I've ever seen has had such poor grammar and spelling. Furthermore, reputable institutions tend to prefer traditional mail to e-mail.

Consider a few sentences from a letter from one "Clive Bannister, head of international operations including private banking at HSBC Republic", which should have triggered suspicion:

"Cash movement across boarders has become especially strict since the incidents of 9/11"

"Four days later, information started to trickle in, apparently Moser was dead. A person who suited his description was declared dead of a heart attack in Canne, South of France"

And then this, which I think in English means "hey, wanna join my scam?":

"What I wish to relate to you will smack of unethical practice but I want you to understand something. It is only an outsider to the banking world who finds the internal politics of the banking world aberrational. The world of private banking especially is fraught with huge rewards for those who occupy certain offices and oversee certain portfolios."

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".

Re:Article quote:

[GoMissedAtTheMAP]

It is hard to have much sympathy for someone who was so unethical as to think that this was OK if it was for real. It was spelled out for him that the money was not rightfull his, but here are the 'deceased's' personal details so that you can assist me with stealing the money. There were multiple thieves involved here, and hard times or not, the karma train took his $1000.

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.

Greed

[Mr_Silver]

At the end of the day, all these scams center around one thing - that is, that the person is greedy enough to be prepared to bend a few rules to get hold of a seemingly preposterious amount of money.

Every time I see a TV programme where someone who was interviewed who had been ripped off, I have to keep remembering that all semblence of common sense and decency went out of their minds in the pursuit of wealth.

For example, who really thinks that there is nothing wrong with going about pretending to be a dead persons uncle to claim money that isn't rightfully yours?

Re:Mother nature at work.

[Anonymous Coward]

I love natural selection.

Me too, taking your lunch money and giving you swirlies helped me get the cheerleaders in high school, which increased my confidence, leading to better jobs, which further increased my attractiveness as a potential mate, which led to me having much better luck in my mating endeavors than you.

Sincerely,
the rest of the world who is tired of attempted slashdork elitism

Re:419 is Ohio

[Anonymous Coward]

Yes! There several things that are out there to help promote knowledge about these types of scams. There are a couple of websites this:
1) http://www.secretservice.gov/alert419.shtml : website from the Secret Service providing info about the 419 scam

2)www.419eater.com : this website is dedicated to scambaiting and information about 419. Includes a forum. "scambaiting" is a term used often to describe when someone pretends to be interested in a scam, but tries to waste as much of the scammer's time and resources as possible, in an attempt to keep him busy on the scambaiter, rather then on a potential victim

3) Scamorama.com : similar to 419eater.com. Includes news on 419 scams, forum as well.

4) aa419.org : this is dedicated to attacking 419 scammers with websites. It does this by stealing bandwidth from scammer websites, fake banks, etc. For example, the one listed in this article, www.umicb.com, is a fake bank. This site does it by taking images from the fakebank's websites, and then reloading its webpage, thus stealing bandwidth. At the first of every month, there is a 419 "Flash mob", where about a dozen or so fake bank sites' images are loaded to a specific page, and then many, many people go to these sites, in an attempt to shut down as many sites as possible.

5) if you do a search on google for "419 scam", there are also lots of sites.

Re:OMGWTFLOL SLASHDORK

[Anonymous Coward]

You're new here aren't you?

I doubt it, that poster has the appropriate level of Slashangst.

Note to Soviet moderators: This humor is an attempt at you!

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"

Here's a HUGE FUCKING HINT

[Ayanami Rei]

Relatives of really rich or powerful people DO NOT email random people to move money out of the country.

There are plenty of other, easier, and safer ways to do that, especially for rich people.

There's nothing reasonable about it.

ScamCop

[cbr2702]

Dear Sir,

I am moved by your plight and would sincerely like to help however I can. Would you please leave your contact information so I know where to to send the money?

-- Clive Bannister

Nigerian scammers have no shame...

[Dimensio]

I know of two Nigerian scammers who are willing to defraud a church of over $20,000. How do I know this? Because I claim to be a pastor of the church with the means to give them church funds. They are so greedy that they were willing to be baptized in the name of our Church. I even got them to sign the church membership agreement.

Now if I can just get a tithe from them...

419 Victim Blacklist - PROTECTED FOR LIFE!

[dekashizl]

I have a SOLUTION for 419 victims. If you've been a victim of a 419 scam, you can sign up on my "419 Blacklist". The way it works is that all 419 scammers are required to check their victims against this list, and if they are on the list, THEY CANNOT BE SCAMMED!

This is like a "Do Not Scam" registry (like the FTC's "Do Not Call"). It REALLY WORKS!

All you need to do is send your Name, address, SSN, and the credit card numbers, bank account numbers, and PINs of any and all accounts you wish to protect. Just a single email, and you're PROTECTED FOR LIFE!

This service normally costs $100 initially plus $50 per account you wish to protect, but I am making it available to Slashdot members for a special rate. I will WAIVE THE $100 SIGNUP FEE! Just send the information and paypal the fee to me and you will be PROTECTED FOR LIFE!

How can you lose? See what other members are saying:

"I feel protected. FOR LIFE!" -- Jack Hortens, 2003
"Thanks for protecting me for life." -- Peter Luzzo, 2003
"I've never felt so protected, especially for life." -- Thomas Frank, 2004

Sign up now.