Nigerian Scam Masquerades as the FBI

[Number Six]

I have been getting some solicitations from a few of the Nigerian scammers. Jokingly, I responded, wondering what I would do with all that money, maybe a humanitarian charity could use it, Oxfam or World Vision, etc.. When I was contacted with the ruse that some extremely shady criminal had left millions and millions in a bank account, I responded that there were some shady Americans that don't trust the banks here and need to move the money out of the U.S. to an African bank.

A couple of days ago, one of the scammers masqueraded as the FBI. undisclosed recipients: ; Cc:
Bcc:
Sent: Sat, Dec 12, 2009 08:56 AMDownload All |




FEDERAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION




FEDERAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION
FEDERAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION SEEKING TO WIRETAP INTERNET

J. EDGAR HOOVER BUILDING
935 PENNSYLVANIA AVENUE,
NW WASHINGTON, D.C. 20535-0001, USA
robertmuller302@aol.com
Telephone: +1 206 462 5484

ATTENTION

We believe this notification meet you in a very good present state of mind and health and also we want you not to panick or be afraid because we contacted you. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Washington, D.C in conjunction with some other relevant Investigations Agencies here in the United states of America have recently been informed through our Global intelligence monitoring network that you presently have a transaction going on with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) as regard to your over-due contract payment which was fully endorsed in your favor accordingly.

We wish to inform you that we intercepted your fund so as to make sure all necessary steps and arrangement was taken in order for you to receive your fund. Your Fund is in our office here in Washington, we will want you to reconfirm the following informations which we have in our file so as to avoid double claiming from another person.


NAME:
ADDRESS:
TELEPHONE


All you need to do is contact the Foreign Despatch officer in order to conclude with him in order to get the Approval Slip / Clearance.

And in case, you are already dealing with anybody or office claiming to be from the Central Bank of Nigeria, you are further adviced to STOP further contact with them in your best interest and then contact immediately the real office of the Foreign Despatch officer

NAME:MR GODWIN BENSON
TELEPHONE: +2347040515874 / 0112347040515874
EMAIL: godwinbenson72@gmail.com


NOTE: In your best interest, any message that doesn't come from the above email address and phone number should not be replied and should be disregarded accordingly for security reasons. Meanwhile, we will advice that you contact the Foreign Despatch officer of the Central Bank of Nigeria immediately with the above email address and make sure you provide us with the Approval Slip immediately.

Feel Free to email us back with the below email addresses so that we can brief and guide you through in receiving your fund because they are intact in our office and sealed.


Thank you very much for your co-operation in advance as we earnestly await your urgent response to this matter.

We await your mail and call soonest


Regards,
Robert MullerIII
Federal Bureau of Investigations
robertmuller302@aol.com
Telephone: +1 206 462 5484




CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE: THIS COMMUNICATION AND ITS ATTACHMENTS MAY CONTAIN NON-PUBLIC, CONFIDENTIAL OR LEGALLY PRIVILEGED INFORMATION. THE UNLAWFUL INTERCEPTION, USE OR DISCLOSURE OF SUCH INFORMATION IS PROHIBITED. IF YOU ARE NOT THE INTENDED RECIPIENT, OR HAVE RECEIVED THIS COMMUNICATION IN ERROR, PLEASE NOTIFY THE SENDER IMMEDIATELY BY REPLYING TO THIS EMAIL AND DELETE ALL COPIES OF THIS COMMUNICATION AND ATTACHMENTS WITHOUT READING OR SAVING THEM






They must be getting desperate. Eventually the international authorites will bring these people to justice.

[fortinbras]

Another gimmick to squeeze money out of suckers. This is probably kept in reserve for those who actually fell for the widow's e-mail and now it lulls them into thinking that everything is OK and the authorities don't need to be notified if the money doesn't show up on the promised date. I must admit that its English is so bad as to turn it into a "How Dumb Can You Be?" puzzle.

[Nikki]

Plate tectonics seem to be accellerating at a mind-boggling rate.

The FBI headquarters building seems to have jumped, overnight, to (area code 206) Seattle, Washington.

[bmielke]

They have been doing this for a while.

They also like to use ICE and Border Patrol. Although usually they make up some Deputy Director using the Director is new to me.

[Number Six]

The F.B.I. was notified of this fraud yesterday--I had never before done a complaint with the F.B.I.. I provide the following link, if others are being scammed by the Nigerians or other criminals: http://www.ic3.gov/default.aspx

A lawyer advised me this morning against making certain complaints that could not be substantiated--that to do so could open you up to a defamation charge. I appreciated the warning....

[bmielke]

The F.B.I. was notified of this fraud yesterday--I had never before done a complaint with the F.B.I.. I provide the following link, if others are being scammed by the Nigerians or other criminals: http://www.ic3.gov/default.aspx

A lawyer advised me this morning against making certain complaints that could not be substantiated--that to do so could open you up to a defamation charge. I appreciated the warning....

I'm glad you filed a complaint, I thought you already had. Everyone should report this stuff.

[Arthur Rubin]

The F.B.I. was notified of this fraud yesterday--I had never before done a complaint with the F.B.I.. I provide the following link, if others are being scammed by the Nigerians or other criminals: http://www.ic3.gov/default.aspx

A lawyer advised me this morning against making certain complaints that could not be substantiated--that to do so could open you up to a defamation charge. I appreciated the warning....

Two points...making a complaint to the FBI cannot open you up to a defamation charge, but could (in the unlikely event that you are not telling the truth) lead to criminal charges of making a false statement to a Federal agency, like the balloon boy's parents and the White House crashers.

And, does ic3.gov really want reports where no one has (yet) been defrauded in the specific instance?

I've only contacted the FBI twice, once for a scam similiar to this, and when I was "targeted" (in the sense the *@hotmail.com can be said to be "targeted") by the "hit man" E-main scam.

[bmielke]

And, does ic3.gov really want reports where no one has (yet) been defrauded in the specific instance?

Yes.

They want any email where a US Government Agency's name, stationary, logos, or agent's names are used. They will take anything you send them but they are very interested when the FBI or ICE or Border Patrol are being used in this manner.

[Mr. Mephistopheles]

And, does ic3.gov really want reports where no one has (yet) been defrauded in the specific instance?

Yes.

They want any email where a US Government Agency's name, stationary, logos, or agent's names are used. They will take anything you send them but they are very interested when the FBI or ICE or Border Patrol are being used in this manner.

That's interesting. I've had a couple of scammer e-mails over the last several weeks masquerading as either the IRS or SSA. Like all scam/spam messages, close scrutiny will reveal that they aren't genuine. I guess I'll report any additional ones to the ic3.gov link.

[Number Six]

It's a new and complicated area of law, hopefully enough resources are being devoted to fighting back, but how does the FBI locate and bring to justice criminals living in a virtual world? I have seen a couple programs where a U.S. media team tries to nail the SOBs.

In a different sort of case, this organization was caught up in expensive litigation against defamatory posts: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Truong. Last I heard is that there is a charge that emails had been stolen in the defamatory campaign, and that the Secret Service has jurisdicition over such things and that the US attorney was also getting involved.

[bmielke]

I am pretty sure that the FBI doesn't so much go after Nigerian Scammers as they do European and American Scammers that use Nigerians for cover. Of course they would try and go after any Nigerian Scammer they identified, but the country is pretty much just a lawless cesspool. So While they might try I doubt they could get extradition if they tried, because I doubt the scammer would be located.

That being said I would imagine they block IP Addresses, and take other steps to try and shut down the scams without the expense and hassel of criminal charges. I am not really sure what would be involved with that but I think that's the kind of thing that's done.

I do know that the FBI in every release they put out about a scam requests that they be notified about any emails so I assume they do something, what they do I have no idea just some guesses.