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March 02, 2012

An advance-fee scammer's email claiming to be from FBI DIRECTOR (with an aol.com email address -- haw haw) makes me wonder what fantasies whirl through the minds of these crooks. The stories they invent often defy logic, but I guess those who fall for these tricks ignore the disconnected dots on the way to a supposed multimillion dollar payday.

Today's example uses up a lot of 419 material. It starts out with a threat that the recipient is engaged in illegal activity (including the first time I've seen them refer explicitly to puppy scammers). Suddenly they shift gears to tell the potential victim of a massive "Contract / Inheritance payment" (that covers the gist of a lot of long-winded, non-lottery 419 scams) of $11 million...in the form of an ATM card that needs to be claimed.

Next they show the names and UPS or FedEx tracking numbers of previous payment recipients. I referred to these tracking numbers in earlier posts, and unfortunately, the ones in this email are real tracking numbers for deliveries to various U.S. towns. Only one record showed the origination point of a shipment, in Pennsylvania. I strongly doubt the crooks had anything to do with those shipments, perhaps entering random numbers into the tracking services to find real ones to use in their email messages.

As has been happening in several 419 scams of the ATM card variety recently, this one reveals up front that the victim needs to wire $255 for the card to be shipped. The victim is to believe that "there is no other payment attached to this after the payment for your delivery has been confirmed." If you believe that, I have a beautiful red bridge spanning the Golden Gate I'd like to sell you.

I must say that the part of this message that tickled me the most is the following: "please if you know you cannot be able to afford the US$255 for the shipment of your ATM card, then do not bother to contact Mr. Frank Diru for your ATM card shipment." That's right: Don't unload your poverty sob story onto the crook. He doesn't want to hear it.

And now, for your coffee break enjoyment, the full text:

Attn: Beneficiary,

This is to officially inform you that it has come to our notice and we have thoroughly investigated with the help of our Intelligence Monitoring Network System that you are having an illegal transaction with impostors claiming to be Prof. Charles C. Soludo of the Central Bank Of Nigeria, Mr. Kelvin Williams, Zenith Banks, Mr. Michell Brown From union bank, kelvin Young of HSBC, Ben of FedEx,Ibrahim Sule,Larry Christopher, puppy scammers are impostors claiming to be the Federal Bureau Of Investigation.

During our Investigation, we noticed that the reason why you have not received your payment is because you have not fulfilled your financial obligation given to you in respect of your Contract / Inheritance payment, and also the wrong people that you have been dealing with earlier.

Therefore, we have contacted the Federal Ministry Of Finance on your behalf and they have brought a solution to your problem by coordinating your payment in total US$11million in an ATM CARD which you can use to withdraw money from any ATM MACHINE CENTER anywhere in the world with a maximum of US$5,000 per daily withdrawal.

Below are few list of tracking numbers you can track from FedEx website to confirm people like you who have received their payment successfully.

Name: Donna L. Vargas: UPS Tracking Number: 1Z966AR90105033136 (www.ups.com)
Name: Rovenda Elaine Clayton: UPS Tracking Number: 1ZA0T5861379047617 (www.ups.com)
Name: Linda Emlina: FedEx Tracking Number: 468888861983 (www.fedex.com)
Name: Susan T. Love: FedEx Tracking Number: 949856926109095 (www.fedex.com)

You now have the lawful right to claim your fund in an ATM CARD. Since the Federal Bureau of Investigation is involved in this transaction, you have to be rest assured for this is 100% risk free it is our duty to protect the lifes. All i want you to do is to contact the ATM CARD CENTER via email for their requirements to proceed for the delivery of your ATM card, and it will cost you US$255 only and note that without this payment your ATM card cannot be delivered to your doorstep.

This is the only payment legally requested of you to do for ATM CARD, to be delivered to you safely. there is no other payment attached to this after the payment for your delivery has been confirmed.

After the your payment has been confirmed by the courier company your ATM card will get to your doorstep within 24hrs, this was the assurance giving to the us by them, and it was officially signed by the fedex courier manager. And after your package leaves for a tracking number will be giving to you, where you can track your package in their website http://fedex.com/ng/

CONTACT INFORMATION, ATM PAYMENT CENTER:

NAME: Mr. Frank Diru
Address: 86b Peterson Close Off Moblie Road Apapa Lagos
EMAIL: xxxxxdiru@yahoo.cn
Telephone:+234-815-xxx-xxxx

Do contact Mr. Frank Diru with your correct details, to avoid mistake during delivery:

FULL NAME:
HOME ADDRESS:
TELL:
CELL:
CURRENT OCCUPATION:
GENDER/ AGE:

So your files would be updated after which he will send the payment information which you will use in making payment of $255 via (WESTERN UNION TRANSFER) or (MONEY GRAM TRANSFER) for the procurement of your APPROVAL SLIP after which the delivery of your ATM CARD will be effected to your designated home address without any further delay.

You are advice to call him with his number +234-815-xxx-xxxx before sending him e-mail and please if you know you cannot be able to afford the US$255 for the shipment of your ATM card, then do not bother to contact Mr. Frank Diru for your ATM card shipment.

Note: Do disregard any email you get from any impostors or offices claiming to be in possession of your ATM CARD, you are hereby advise only to be in contact with Mr. Frank Diru of the ATM payment center who is the rightful person to deal with in regards to your ATM CARD PAYMENT and forward any emails you get from impostors to him so we could act upon and commence investigation.