Money Laundering (samples below)
Advertisers should be aware that fraudsters are scanning classifieds
in the press and on the Internet and offering above the asking price as an incentive to con sellers into cashing
cheques.
Fraudsters target people who advertise items for sale through the press or the Internet, usually for higher value items such as computers and motor vehicles.
Contact is then made by the fraudsters stating that they want to purchase the item and offering to send a cheque or get their business partner or creditors to send a cheque for more than the asking price. They then ask that the cheque be cashed and that the goods are then sent with the rest of the money via their courier who will come and pick it up. Variations are that the balance of the money should be paid by money transfer usually to Nigeria, or
with shipping, the balance be given to the shipping agent who arrives to collect the
item.
The cheque sent in the post to cover the cost of the item is likely to be stolen or a forgery but may well be cleared by the bank initially. Some time later when it is revealed that the cheque is not genuine, payment will be stopped and the seller will not only loose their goods but the balance as well.
Information and samples
of money laundering e-mails below.
The best thing to do is delete them when received .
How to spot
1. Any mention of shipping, cashier's check, shipment.
2. Emails full of bad grammar. (i much inerested, pls mail me
so we could arrange payments) or (I saw your advert and i'm
interested in purchasing your bike.)
3. Mainly Capitals with your description in lower case, or
relevant descriptions in brackets as sample 8 shown below.
4. E-mails arrive mainly from Holland and Africa.
- Suggestion that financial transactions should be done by
Telex
- (on your bank's advice)
- and interest suddenly melts away!!!
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- Samples:
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- 1.
- ANYONE RECEIVING THIS E-MAIL PLEASE BEWARE!
Hello , I am intrested in purchasing your (Mini Moto 4 Sale) which price is £420 and don't worry about the shipping agent i have a shipping agent that will carter for the shippment.I have a cleint in U.k who is owing me £2,500 . And he has promise that he will be sending the certisfied cashier check down on my behave,i want you Have it in mind that the remaining balance of the excess fund will be wire via money gamm to the shipping agent who is coming for the pick up. if this mode of payment is accept by you i will like you to send your Full name and address including your cell phone number in which you will receive a certified check drawn in U.k funds. Regards. bob...........
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- WAITING FOR YOUR IMMEDIATE RESPONSE
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- 2.
- hello good day gentle men , i am mr john rolland from london but i based in holland runing my busines and my business name is lakenation ,well is been nise this afternon been brouncing on my laptop then came across your [WHATEVER IT
IS YOUR SELLING) ] on the site which i am very hierly inpresed couse i have been loking for it to buy some days ago, pls incase you are willing to sell it mail me back with your last offer provided with the pics too, and i will be paying you with a well accepted cashiers cheque whos i am havint a store manger at the state that i have make an offer at his store eliear this week and at the end of the day my naighbour whom i help to buy the iterials goods then latter got it sheaper , i will tell him to send the payment to you and as son as you have it from him you will need to email me back so as to instruct you on how to cashes it at any were that will be very easier for you, i looking forward to read from you so soon this week so that transaction
could begine ontime.
thanks and god bless. John Rolland, l.k.m.d. -------------- 3.
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- Good day sir,
I saw your advertisment over the internet and i am pleased with purchasing your
good. Kindly intimate me with your personal information that will aid the transaction so that i will make the purchase immediately.
I f your good is still for sale, kindly provide these information so that i will effect your payment as long as i am satisfied with your details:
Your contact address
Your full name
Your telephone and mobile phone numbers
Your fax numbers[if any]
The picture of your good for sale
The price of good for sale
The details and condition of your good for sale
The mode of payment which will be most convinient for you.
As soon as all these information are sent to me and i am satisfied with them ,I will go on and effect your payment within seven[7]working days.
Regards,
Dr Benson Cole
No 7 Coker Av.,Ilupeju, Lagos, Nigeria.
---------------------------------------- 4.
My name is Park New,I am presently located in Spain and i have companies in some west africa countries.I buy goods for my
clients that comes from different parts of the world.A client of mine in interested in buying your Car,So i will like you to tell me the cost of your Car and it present condition.But my client will be paying
you with a certfied cashier check and he is oweing me
£5000 balance for the house i bought for him last month in London and he promise to include it in the
check which he will be issue out to you.So tell me the
cost of your Car and it present condition immediately. Get back to me immediately. Looking forward to your respond, Best Regards,Park New... NOTE:Don't worry about the shipping of the Car, my
client said he will send his international shipping agent to come to your location for the pick up of the Car.
5.Lots of
different versions of this.
- From a foreign lady who wanted to buy the bike.
- I quote" I will be travelling to Ireland for a crusade and I will like to ship the bike to Ireland to a friend who asked me to buy one for him, I should be travelling on tuesday, so all i will do is to instruct my client who is paying me the sum of £5000 to send the cheque to you, I will also make an arrangement with my shipper on how to ship it and for the cheque to you I will need the following information, your name, your contact address and phone no., as soon as I get all this information I will forward them to my client and you will get the cheque and immediately we are through with the payment my shipper will come and pick up the bike, before I travel we can discuss, i will tell you were to send the remaining balance when the time comes cos i will be in Ireland for three weeks, so i will like you to reply to this" But of course this is where the banking system starts to let us down as it can take some foreign banks (usually West African) up to six weeks to return unpaid cheques or drafts but if you ring your bank they will tell you that the money is cleared and will show on your statement as cleared funds however when the cheque or draft is returned the bank will debit your account for the full amount so you loose your goods & you pay the fraudster for taking them away.
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-
- 6.
- hello ,
thanks for your mail response and your understanding in this
transaction. As i said in my last mail, i have made arrangment
for the shippment of the Wedding dress as soon as we seal this
transaction. there"s one more thing i want you to
understand is that A client of mine in UK is owing me some
fund in (£3,900}and i have inform him about this transaction
and he told me that he will send you a cheque drawn from uk
bank as soon as possible,I will instruct him to issue a cheque
drawn from UK bank in your name and as soon as you receive the
cheque and once the cheque clear ,You will deduct the cost of
the { £700} and my balance will be send back to my shipping
agent via western union money transfer for immediate shipping
arrangment Because i have some car that i buy in france which
they will help me shipp with your Wedding dress . that
is the reason i want you to send them the money as soon as the
cheque is clear,so that they can come to your house for the
pick up.the reason why is that it takes 2-3 days for a cheque
to clear there while it takes a longer time for a cheque to
clear here.If this is okay with you do get back to me
immediately with your full name, contact address and phone
full number for me to instruct my client to issue the cheque in
your name. Thanks best regard kenvin.
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- 7.Please see copies with e-mails
below !!!!!!!
Subject : interested in buying wedding dress.
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- FIRST EMAIL
Helllo there , it's a wonderful advert you have there and I wouldn't mind
buying it.kindly tell me the least it goes for and how to come
about it so I can effect payment as soon as possible.
Kind Regards Lee
- second
Hiya, I
just contacted my associate in U.k and you will be receiving
the check any moment from now .the total amount am being owed
will be sent to you which is 2500pounds and when the check has
cleared you will deduct your money and use part of it to send
the remainder to my freighting company through western union
money transfer .this will enable them to pick my goods, things
I bought in the U.k and also come for the dress collection at
your door step .also give me your contact number so you
could be called by my freighting company when they need
description for the collection. Kind regards Lee
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THIRD EMAIL
Hi ,
I just got your e-mail and thot I would reply immediately.
Thank's for really willing to sell the dress to me .
Unfortunately am going to be off for summer and may not be
available for collection by hand , but will surely work a way
out. Also I would like to point out that at this time only
payment by check seems possible to put us ahead on this b'cos
of the reason mentioned above. Therefore you should email me
back with your name and address as you wish payment be
processed , if everything is ok by you and I shall keep you
posted with payment details via same medium, as soon as
possible.
Regards Larry.
I hope this helps Thanks Diane
-
- 8.
- First e-mail from "Nicolas Roxy" <nicolas_roxy@yahoo.com>
on April 19, 2004:
- Goodday,
i saw your advert that you have 1995 Acura Integra
forsale so am ver y much intrested in it and i will like you
to contact about the car, am located in nigeria and i will likeyou to give me the price
too. Regards.
Second e-mail: April 28, 2004
Hello Denise,
how are you am sory for the late reply to your email ti
was due tom something tha happend. so concering the vehicle i
am so much intrested in it and i will like to tell you that i
will be paying you by acashier check and when you get
the check myou will have to cash it and you will remove your $
4500 cod i i will be sending you a check of $5,500 so after
removing yours you send me the balance of the check so i will
need you full name and adres for me to send you the check and
your phone number.
-
- 9.
- I am intrested in purchasing your (whatever it is . )In which the price is ( £3,000 .), i have
a shipping agent that will carter for the shippment
Coupei have a client in U.S who is owing me ($10.500).
And he has promise that he will be sending the check
down on my behave,i want you Have it in mind that the
remaining balance of the excess fund will be wire via
money gramm transfer to the shipping agent who is coming for the pick up. if this mode of payment is
accept by you i will like you to send your Full name
and address including your cell phone number in which
you will receive a certified cashier check drawn in
america fund. REGARDS.
- I HAVE LEFT THE EMAILS ON THE LAST SAMPLES JUST IN CASE
SOMEONE WANTS TO CONTACT THEM!
-
- 9.Please read this emails I have received from my advertisers on this site. I have not named the websites they refer to, but please be wary of anyone contacting you about this subject.
Be wary of people phoning you offering to arranging finance
or sales for people who
want to buy a caravan.
-
- We have been rung by a mr.smith from ????????????? saying he
has seen our advert & said if we pay £49.95 he can send us some
people to look at our caravan this weekend
- they ring you on Friday pm
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- -------------------------
I am advertising a caravan with you and I have been happy with the cost and the service.
I would like to warn you about a company called ?????????? Two
weeks ago I got a telephone call from a women asking me if my caravan was still
for sale, I said it was and she asked if I would be available for a viewing
over the weekend. (She had got all my details from your site) She then asked
for more details about my caravan and then said that they were a finance
agency arranging finance for people who wanted to buy a caravan and that she
would pass my details on if I would like to register with her. I said no I
would not deal with another agency, because it was not the time of year to sell
caravans. She then told me she had definate buyers who wanted my type of
caravan, who wanted to view that weekend. The registration fee was £79.50 but when
she had arranged finance she would refund 70.00 of my fee. Foolishly I then
paid her by card! I went to view ?????????????? on the website and was
horrified to discover that the site was a very poor imitation of yours and it had cost me a lot more than you were charging for a very superior service.
I rang the company back immediately to cancel but the customer service
department was closed, I emailed cancelling my advertisement. They have not answered any of my emails and they have not refunded my money. I have reported
them to the Trading standards and I intend taking them to the small claims
court. Is there any way that you can warn your future customers about these people on your website or when you send confirmation details. They must be stopped because not only do they con people like myself, but it will have a
detrimental effect on your business. I do hope you will find a way to prevent
this happening to any one else. If you read the blaggers site for ???????????????????? you will find this company has done this same thing to many others.
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- THEY ARE EVERYWHERE AT THE MOMENT THE BEST THING TO DO IS
DELETE THEM.
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