Write a check for $299.25 and send the money through Western Union.

They had me until Western Union entered the mix.

erupt2001: Write a check for $299.25 and send the money through Western Union.

They had me until Western Union entered the mix.

yeah much better to use paypal instead.

I find it fun to write back to those scam "you won a bunch of cash" emails, have a bit of a go with them, lead em on.

/too much time on my hands.

"What are we paying them for?" he asked.

so, moral of the story is: "Don't ask, don't bother"? story ended how i figured, FBI could care less.

...the most popular person in Nigeria Jamaica. I RTFA subby.

Luckily, since he didn't claim the money or car, the contest company let me keep them.

This is funny, as over the past few years i have gotten a few of these calls. I was selling a couch i think on craigslist. So i start getting those "well i'll have a guy come by and pick it up, im out of the country so ill give him a $1000 certified check, even though you want $600, so just give him $400 and the couch and well be all set" After a few of these i decided to play along. "sounds like a good deal, when can you come by" figuring it would be fun to see what happened. I tried three or four times to get different people to come over, but they wouldn't show! so i was left wondering, if they wont DO it, why do they waste their time? I know this is a little different, as they are trying to get money sent to them.

scammers suck, get a job!

this is how you properly mess with a money fraud scammer

Link (^)

what? The police don't care? TO THE ROMEROCOPTER!

Needs HERO tag for the kickass old fella. That or FAIL for the FBI response of "meh."

The calls have tapered off now, but Corl said he was surprised that law enforcement didn't seem more interested in protecting the public from such con artists, especially when those victimized most often are the elderly.

"What are we paying them for?" he asked.

To defend against terrorists and Mexicans, remember?

I believe the saddest part of this story is, there really is people out there that will do this...

w00ty: "What are we paying them for?" he asked.

so, moral of the story is: "Don't ask, don't bother"? story ended how i figured, FBI could care less.

What should the FBI have done?

WTF is the FBI so busy doing? I guess I should move to Jamaica and start scamming people because evidently no one is going to do anything about it.

Lumi: Needs HERO tag for the kickass old fella. That or FAIL for the FBI response of "meh."

Why the fail the FBI failing to respond to this tax paying citizen? Don't you know they have more important things to do like bust cancer patients for growing and using medical marijuana instead of wasting their time returning a phone call to this tax paying citizen.

Over the years I've received invoices for materials my company did not order and did not receive, usually for fluorescent lights, copy paper, or some other common item. Scammers will target larger companies this way, even going to the point of sending a brochure/document to the company via common carrier in order to be able to produce a proof of delivery with recipient's signature to back up their claim that their invoice is valid (hoping you don't notice the package signed for weighed less than a pound). It's important to have the purchasing department review invoices before accounting pays them to avoid this kind of fraud. These scam artists can be very insistant, sending 2nd & 3rd overdue notices, and will act very confident when contacted by telephone. Letting them know that their billing and shipping address shows up on Google Maps as a tract house in a Reno suburb and that the package delivered weighed 5 ounces usually stops them from persisting with their payment demands.

Sherjo311: this is how you properly mess with a money fraud scammer

Link (^)

Very funny, loved the video. I heard the scambaiters on NPR talking about sending this Nigerian guy around the country and to another country just a day behind the "victim" he was trying to scam, not knowing he was being fooled.

The FBI really needs to change their policy here.

I remember the first time I got the Nigerian scam sent to me, it was by fax to my office about 10 years ago before the emails started. We wondered about it for a bit, decided it was a hoax and had some laughs. Funny that I have get maybe 200 or more emails a year from these folks now. I am impressed that it ever succeeds.

They can be any place in the world, the number is just from Jamaica. What is the FBI going to get the CIA to chopper over and fast rope into a house and pull a few guys out and beat the shiat out of them in Cuba. Although maybe we should spend millions on this, it seems like the billions we put into air security does little. And would save $40billion a year going to these criminals... plus it would be fun.

I have a feeling the "unofficial" FBI position on this is the old adage "A fool and his money are soon parted".

They don't want to waste resources saving idiots from themselves.

CitizenTed: So let me get this straight: if a Jamaican sent a letter bomb to the house of a really dumb elderly man and it blew up and killed him, the CIA would work closely with the FBI under Homeland Security to solve the crime while every TV News anchor reported the story ad nauseum, Fox News changes its rotating station ID to a crying eagle, Dick Cheney blames it on Obama and demands to be instated as President for Life, and Glenn Beck weeps openly for America.

BUT...if the Jamaican scams the really dumb elderly man out of every penny he has, leaving him a destitute, destroyed man humiliated in his community after a lifetime of hard work for this country, the FBI shrugs its shoulders and tells him he's a stoop.

Is that how it works?

You really want the FBI going after someone who was trying to steal $500? I am not a fan of our law enforcement agencies, but that hardly seems like it would be worth the resources. Maybe if there were several reports about these same guys, but for just one report?

So what exactly is the FBI supposed to do? Fly to Jamaica and arrest these guys?

SharkTrager: You really want the FBI going after someone who was trying to steal $500? I am not a fan of our law enforcement agencies, but that hardly seems like it would be worth the resources. Maybe if there were several reports about these same guys, but for just one report?

What are the chances these guys are only doing one? Pretty damn minimal. They are probably going for a lot of people for little enough each that the FBI won't get involved.

Bernie Madoff, white courtesy telephone- it's long distance, from Jamaica.

CitizenTed: So let me get this straight: if a Jamaican sent a letter bomb to the house of a really dumb elderly man and it blew up and killed him, the CIA would work closely with the FBI under Homeland Security to solve the crime while every TV News anchor reported the story ad nauseum, Fox News changes its rotating station ID to a crying eagle, Dick Cheney blames it on Obama and demands to be instated as President for Life, and Glenn Beck weeps openly for America.

BUT...if the Jamaican scams the really dumb elderly man out of every penny he has, leaving him a destitute, destroyed man humiliated in his community after a lifetime of hard work for this country, the FBI shrugs its shoulders and tells him he's a stoop.

Is that how it works?

Not a fair comparison. The "victim" is a willing participant in one scenario, the one that appeals to his greed.

RocsFlight: w00ty: "What are we paying them for?" he asked.

so, moral of the story is: "Don't ask, don't bother"? story ended how i figured, FBI could care less.

What should the FBI have done?

The I in FBI doesn't stand for "do nothing"

SharkTrager: You really want the FBI going after someone who was trying to steal $500? I am not a fan of our law enforcement agencies, but that hardly seems like it would be worth the resources. Maybe if there were several reports about these same guys, but for just one report?

I agree the international angle makes it difficult... but what's your threshold? I mean, do think this was the only guy they were trying to scam? If scamming for $500 is OK, I could probably make a tidy living knowing I'd never even get chased because each individual act was too small to matter - and nobody would ever link all the little ignored scams together to find out I was stealing millions.

Here is an email that I received about a large sum of money, this is the second email in the string and my response

I am doing this business with you on trust.For this reason you have to assure me that this fund will be save when transfered into your account and that you, are not going to betray me in this business. In the first instance what I want you to do in this transaction is to stand as the bonofide next of kin or heir to the deceased Mr.Mohammad Mortazavi.

We are going to do all the paper work to show that you, are the next of kin to the decease because the man in question (Mr. Mortazavi) did not write any will before he died in the plain crash.For this reason the bank is ready to wellcome any person who will come up as the next of kin to the deceased by showing some proof like his account number with us , the amount involve,the name of the flight that had the accident , his age ,the flight number , the date the accident occur.I am going to furnish you with all this vital information.Your country of origin does not really matter because I will be here to take care of things till this fund is confirmed into your account.

We can transfer this money in two or three installments to avoid any question from your bank.I want to assure you that there is no risk involve in this business all the under ground work has been neatly done.

This business will take us 7 to 14 banking working days to complet .I want you to mentain the confidential aspect of this transaction.You have to keep it to your self( secret) because I am still a civil servant working under the government so I would not like any thing that will lead me to any sack till this fund is confirmed in your account then I resign immedaitely.I have make an arrangement to destroy all papers related documents we will use in this business to avoid trace.

1) I want to know if you can mentain the top secreat ?
2) I want you to assure me that you will not seat on my own share of this money 60% when it gets to your account.
3) Also to be sure as am still working with the bank that no one will know or hear that i have hand with you.
As soon as i see all this requestment answerd i will then advice you on how to proceed as you knows that i have programmed how the transfer will be. Awaiting to hear from you as soon as possible because the fund in the bank is long overdue there.

Sincerely,
Mr.Delchan Ouedraogo

Dearest Mr. Ouedraogo,

It is after much soul searching, and with no small measure of regret that I am compelled to answer your 3 concerns. As you expressed them, they were:


1) I want to know if you can mentain the top secreat ?
2) I want you to assure me that you will not seat on my own share of this money 60% when it gets to your account.
3) Also to be sure as am still working with the bank that no one will know or hear that i have hand with you.

1) I cannot lie to you good Sir. I must confess that I am the world's worst keeper of secrets. Already I have told over 26 other people (including a police officer) about your proposal to me. Many of them foolishly believe that you were somehow angling to obtain my checking account number not to deposit money, but rather to withdraw any funds that might be available. Knowing in my heart you to be a man of the highest morality and unfailing scruples, I have, to defend your honor good Sir, engaged in fisticuffs on three occasions as a result of these sinister accusations. I don't mind telling you that I prevailed quite decisively in all three cases, sending two of the three women straight to their respective beds in hospital.

2) Again honesty wins the day, and I am compelled to admit that I most clearly and certainly intended to swindle you, good Sir, my beloved and faithful benefactor, without whom I would have no percentage of additional monies, out of the very funds that you seek, by my involvement, to preserve. Woe be to he who trusts in my good nature. In this, I am reminded of the story of the farmer and the viper. The story concerns a farmer who finds a viper freezing in the snow. He takes pity on it and picks it up and places it within his coat. The viper, revived by the warmth, bites the farmer. The farmer cries out that he should have seen it coming.

3) In this respect, it seems I have already let you down yet again. I have contacted the Bank of Africa by both email and telephone to make inquiries about you. The fortunate news is, no one that I spoke with had ever heard of you before. One of the individuals with whom I spoke, believed as the others did, that your intent was to steal my money, not generously bestow great amounts of wealth upon such a lowly and unworthy person as myself. If only fists could travel telephone lines! I would have gladly crippled that smart mouthed woman for giving voice to such preposterous poppycock.

In closing, I throw my self proverbially at your feet, hoping that you can forgive me for being so terribly unworthy of your consideration. Sadly, I am not the man for you. Trust me, and I will only let you down.

Best regards,

red5ish: Over the years I've received invoices for materials my company did not order and did not receive, usually for fluorescent lights, copy paper, or some other common item. Scammers will target larger companies this way, even going to the point of sending a brochure/document to the company via common carrier in order to be able to produce a proof of delivery with recipient's signature to back up their claim that their invoice is valid (hoping you don't notice the package signed for weighed less than a pound). It's important to have the purchasing department review invoices before accounting pays them to avoid this kind of fraud. These scam artists can be very insistant, sending 2nd & 3rd overdue notices, and will act very confident when contacted by telephone. Letting them know that their billing and shipping address shows up on Google Maps as a tract house in a Reno suburb and that the package delivered weighed 5 ounces usually stops them from persisting with their payment demands.

My favorite is the Super Extended Toner cartrigdge scam.

WAs it this guy?



(George Agdedegwengo)

P.S.

And there is some type of 'AT&T' company outta Florida that will send a 'Phone' bill every now and then.... I still haven't figured out what is up with that.

Unsung_Hero: SharkTrager: You really want the FBI going after someone who was trying to steal $500? I am not a fan of our law enforcement agencies, but that hardly seems like it would be worth the resources. Maybe if there were several reports about these same guys, but for just one report?

I agree the international angle makes it difficult... but what's your threshold? I mean, do think this was the only guy they were trying to scam? If scamming for $500 is OK, I could probably make a tidy living knowing I'd never even get chased because each individual act was too small to matter - and nobody would ever link all the little ignored scams together to find out I was stealing millions.

And if there are many more reports coming from this number, absolutely. But I'm not going to assume they have. They take the report, send it to Washington and if enough accumulate then I'd be all for doing something. But the faux outrage that the FBI didn't act immediately on this one guy's story is ridiculous.

olddinosaur: I play along with these bastards all the time, and even when I can get a name and address out of them law enforcement is "---too busy---" to look into it.

Just received a fake check for $5900 today, from some guy who wanted to buy a motorcycle which I had NOT listed on craigslist, but which I said I had, and would take $1450 for.

For the best Fark/419 scam, google Miss Solomon Part Zento" and that will take you to a hilarious thread; crazy sh*t starts at about midpoint.

\\\ good times.

Be sure to check the laws in your state. If it's printed up like a real check, and only is a "fake" check because it has something like "not a real check" printed on it, it might still be a viable utterence, and you might still be able to cash it. There was a guy that bankrupted a nacent savings and loan because state law specified that writing "this is not a check" and the like did not nullafy the agreement, and the savings and loan had sent out promotional materials including a "fake" check for $10,000,000... which this guy cashed.

The one time I tried to report a scam to the FBI I was told that they wouldn't even mess with it until the sum total of damages were in excess of at least $500,000.

CitizenTed: So let me get this straight: if a Jamaican sent a letter bomb to the house of a really dumb elderly man and it blew up and killed him, the CIA would work closely with the FBI under Homeland Security to solve the crime while every TV News anchor reported the story ad nauseum, Fox News changes its rotating station ID to a crying eagle, Dick Cheney blames it on Obama and demands to be instated as President for Life, and Glenn Beck weeps openly for America.

BUT...if the Jamaican scams the really dumb elderly man out of every penny he has, leaving him a destitute, destroyed man humiliated in his community after a lifetime of hard work for this country, the FBI shrugs its shoulders and tells him he's a stoop.

Is that how it works?

Depends, is the elderly man black or white?

/ducks

Yup

40 billion fraud per year?

I did not think Americans were quite that stupid.
Of course when I see 20 million breeding illegal aliens with their hordes of kids waltz into the US,being fed,housed by our bankrupt social security system and local taxes,supported by dual passport carrying enemies in CONgress,I can see the arrogant,ignorant Americanos deserve what they got coming.

P-P-P-POWERBOOK.

Honest Bender: RocsFlight: w00ty: "What are we paying them for?" he asked.

so, moral of the story is: "Don't ask, don't bother"? story ended how i figured, FBI could care less.

What should the FBI have done?

The I in FBI doesn't stand for "do nothing"

I'm referring more to the fact that the FBI wouldn't have jurisdiction in Jamaica.

FTA:An FBI agent returned Corl's call the following week, after the Times inquired about his complaint. That agent told him the field office can't do anything about an overseas operation, but suggested Corl send in the information anyway, so it could be forwarded to the Washington, D.C., office.

This is probably the full extant to which they can act. Pass it up the chain to someone who can hand it off to another agency (which is probably busy with terrorists, drugs, or counterfeit goods which hurt the businesses with lobbyists).

foxo: Of course when I see 20 million breeding illegal aliens with their hordes of kids waltz into the US,being fed,housed by our bankrupt social security system and local taxes,supported by dual passport carrying enemies in CONgress,I can see the arrogant,ignorant Americanos deserve what they got coming.