Current Status

This blog is not frequently updated because most case-by-case scam reports are now listed in subordinate blogs. At this point in time, most of my efforts are targeted at documenting employment scams in the Suckers Wanted blog.

2006-03-28

News: More 419ers to Face Justice

According to a report in The Register, four of twelve Nigerians arrested in Holland last night have been indicted by a New York grand jury. One of the four is still at large, but they all face extradition to the USA for trial (since that's where most of their victims are). The article also ranks the top three favourite haunts of 419 gangs as Holland, the UK, and Spain.

2006-03-22

Job Scam: ICH IMPORT AND EXPORT

This is just another generic troll for suckers willing to launder money on the pretext of being some kind of payment processor. It's terribly non-specific -- rather like they've taken a company name at random and pasted it in the blank space. No website or anything fancy to back it up.

From: legal right <legal21@sympatico.ca>
Date: 22-Mar-2006 22:48
Subject: REQUEST FOR COMPANY REPRESENTATIVE
To:



ICH IMPORT AND EXPORT
2-7, Roppongi 3-chome
Minato-ku, Tokyo
JAPAN.


REQUEST FOR COMPANY REPRESENTATIVE
I represent the branch office of ICH IMPORT AND
EXPORTbased in
Japan and headquarter is based in (JAPAN). We are
searching for representatives who can help us
establish a medium of
getting to our customers in America, Europe and other nearby
countries aswell as
making payments through you as our payment officer.
It is upon this
note that we seek your assistance to stand as our
representative inyour
country.
Note that, as our representative, you will receive
10%(ten
percent) of whatever amount you clear for the company
and thebalance will
be paid into an account we will avail to you. Please,
to facilitatethe
conclusion of this transaction if accepted, do send
me promptly
by email the following:
(1)Your full names:
(2)Contact address:
(3)Phone/fax numbers:
(4)Occupation and
(5)Age
For more correspondence please contact me through my
personal
email: Email: agfureness5@yahoo.co.uk

Thank
you for your time.
Very Respectfully,
Mr. A.G. Furness
MANAGING DIRECTOR
KINDLY CONVEY ALL CORRESPONDENCE TO:
agfureness5@yahoo.co.uk

2006-03-21

Job Scam: Timothy Overseas

This is a fairly typical and nondescript attempt to recruit people into illegal money laundering. I haven't a lot to say about it, other than "don't touch". The telephone number given in the message body is a "find me anywhere" number in the UK, so the culprit's location (inside the UK) isn't obvious from the number itself.

From: TIMOTHY OVERSEAS INTERNATIONAL <timothy11111@sympatico.ca>
Date: 21-Mar-2006 19:40
Subject: COMPANY'S REPRESENTATIVE NEEDED.


TIMOTHY OVERSEAS LIMITED

Units 3A & 3B, Olympic Way,
Sefton Business Park, Aintree Liverpool,
L30 1RD, UNITED KINGDOM

ref: CHG/CW/001/05

Dear Sir/Madam,

I am MR EVANS TIMOTHY, PRESIDENT AND FOUNDER, TIMOTHY OVERSEAS LIMITED
We are A group of humble businessmen who deal on raw materials export
into America And Canada We are in deep search for TRUSTWORTHY representatives
and Book-keepers In your country who can assist us in establishing a good
Relationship and process payments from our clients, in America,North America,
South America, Europe and Oceania
Who Can also keep our company issues confident as to our company
policies.
This process will enable you work from home via the Internet and make
Money Without affecting your present job.

Our Clients make payments from our supplies, which are not readily cash
able Outside America,North America, South America, Europe and Oceania

ALL YOU NEED TO DO IS RECEIVE THIS PAYMENTS FROM OUR CLIENTS IN THE
UNITED STATE/CANADAGET IT CASHED IN A DESIGNATED BANK THEN DEDUCT YOUR 15%
COMMISSION AND FORWARD THE BALANCE TO THE COMPANY, VIA WESTERN UNION MONEY
TRANSFER OR AS YOU ARE BEEN INSTRUCTED TO DO. ALL WE NEED IS TO FORWARD
ALL
YOUR REQUIRED INFORMATIONS TO OUR CLIENTS AND THEY WILL ISSUE ALL PAYMENTS
IN YOUR NAME.

Note that, as our commission agent, Be informed that THERE IS
NO FINANCIAL OBLIGATION AT YOUR END as a commission agent.
Please, to facilitate and proceed if accepted

Send the following informantion to my personal box to indicate your interest,
MR. EVANS TIMOTHY at;

timot_yone@email.com
Tel: +447031945936

[1] FULL NAME:
[2] FULL ADDRESS:
[3] AGE:
[4] FAX:
[5] TELEPHONE NUMBER:
[6] OCCUPATION STATUS:

As soon as we receive this information,all protocol will be observed,and your informations will be forwarded to our Clients And they will start making ready payments to you as a
companys' Representative.

Best Regards

2006-03-01

Job Scam: Unidentified

This half-baked little "get a job in money laundering" scam doesn't identify the alleged employer, and the link doesn't work. I'm pretty sure that the domain name owner has nothing to do with this scam.

Hello!

Vacancies available now:
Transaction Manager;
Main requirements:
-You are not less than 18;
-You must have PC with Internet;
-You must be able to receive SMS on your cell.
Full employment, work experience, higher education and primary investments
are not required to start working. 
It only will take you 1-1.5 hours a day 2-3 times a week.
It will not interfere with your permanent work and bring you sufficient
extra income of 2000 - 2500 AUD per a month.
Interested? Please click the following link to get the details.
http://sbfishing.com/moreinfo.htm

Info: Cruise Ship Job Scams

My interest was piqued by a couple of recent odd-looking job scams. Usually job scams offer you a position which involves illegal money laundering (under the guise of "financial officer" or similar), but these recent scams talk about jobs on cruise ships. A little bit of digging reveals that this is a case of Advance Fee Fraud: if you apply for the job, they'll tell you that you need to pay a certain amount of money to get government approval for something or other, and then something else, and something else, and so on for as long as they can keep bleeding cash out of you. At the end of the day, you'll have a pile of expensive fake documents and no job.

Source: Cruise Ship Employment Scam.

Job Scam: starlinecruise.com

(A more recent posting on this scam can be found here.)

A bit like the recent "Omni Canadian" job scam, it's not 100% clear what little game these fraudsters are playing. What is slightly amusing is that this particular spam had a text-file attached -- one that contained a list of 2100 email addresses, including the one belonging to this blog, so it's presumably the list of addressees. Do they (a) have a lot of job vacancies, or are they (b) just fishing for suckers to scam? I'm going with "b" on this one.

Also, I advise against going to their website: there may be hostile code there which attemtps to take over your computer. I'm not in a position to verify whether it's safe or not.

HUMAN RESOURCES DEPARTMENT
THE STARLINE CRUISE INTERNATIONAL CANADA SDN BHD
Lot 614 Section 54,KTLD Jalan Padungan,Kuching,Sarawak
MALAYSIA
Tele / Fax: 00-60-391011474
Hotline: 00-60-172762120

    GREAT JOB OPPORTUNITY! GREAT JOB OPPORTUNITY!!

                FOR PROSPECTIVE APPLICANT.

THE STARLINE CRUISE ASIA IS OFFERING JOB OPPORTUNITIES FREE TO PROSPECTIVE
INDIVIDUALS ACCROSS THE WORLD TO WORK IN A NEW SHIP LAUNCHED BY STARLINE CRUISE.
THIS IS IN COMPLIANCE WITH THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY CALL ON INDIVIDUAL AND COPORATE
BODIES TO ASSIST IN GLOBAL JOB OPPORTUNITIES.

VACANCIES AVAILABLE:

CONTACT US/ job_vacancies@starlinecruise.com
LOG ON TO www.starlinecruise.com
COUNTRIES IN THE FOLLOWING CONTINENT ARE QUALIFIED TO APPLY/

AFRICA
AUSTRALIA
ASIA
EUROPE
USA. and CANADA

FOR MORE DETAILS, YOU MAY WISH TO CALL THE UNDERSIGNED FOR URGENT RESPONSE.

THANKS.
DR. LEONARD ALFRED
CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER
Starline Cruise International Canada