Here is a Japanese variation of the “lost relative” scam, sent to two different email addresses. None of them displaying the To recipient, but both publicly available on the www.

It’s a very strange setup, and I doubt it will actually work out very well. Also, didn’t these scammers stop even for a second to think about appearance? Why would a Japanese broker be using a free South African email address?  Read the rest of this entry »

How many times can you say urgent and confidential in one single scam mail without breaking your cover? Well it looks as if Mr. Sani Bakoyo didn’t know the limit. This is a true Nigerian 419 mail if I ever saw one, an it has it all. He is asking me to participate in illegal activities, he is re-using an old scam to build a new one, and he doesn’t even try to hide the fact that the mail is coming out of Nigeria. I thought these scammers had learned something…

Come on! The deceised Shell employee scam is older than the Internet by now. Are there still anyone around who haven’t received at least on of these emails before? Read the rest of this entry »

The story about an elderly person regretting their former life and lifestyle is spreading in the scam mails. I received a similar mail last week (from Mrs. Rama Idris), and this one is supposed to be sent by Kelvin Spence, an elderly, British, hospitalised gentleman in Dubai. Kelvin Spence has a wish to mend his ways, and has this strong desire to assist helpless families. He now wants my assistance in doing this. The fact that he is now mute, will probably come in handy for the scammers who probably aren’t all that fluent in speaking English. Read the rest of this entry »

Mr. Cheung Pui, who claims to be a director at Hang Seng Bank, the second-largest bank in Hong Kong, has written me twice with the subject lines WRITE ME and CONTACT ME NOW. I won’t answer him, but in case you received a similar mail, I just thought you would maybe like to know that you weren’t the only one getting Mr Cheung Pui’s “obscured” business suggestions, and that I think the whole business is more than obscure. In fact, I think it’s nothing but a scam:

From: cheunggpuii05@fastermail.com
Subject: WRITE ME.
Date: February 6, 2005 00.57.58 MET

FROM: CHEUNG PUI
(cheunggpuii@yahoo.com.hk)

Dear Sir,

Let me start by introducing myself. I am Mr. Cheung Pui director of operations of the Hang Seng Bank Ltd. I have an obscured business suggestion for you.

Before the U.S and Iraqi war our client Major Fadi Basem who was with the Iraqi forces and also business man made a numbered fixed deposit for 18 calendar months, with a value of Twenty Four millions Five Hundred Thousand United State Dollars only in my branch. Upon maturity several notice was sent to him, even during the war early this year. Again after the war another notification was sent and still no response came from him. We later find out that the Major and his family had been killed during the war in bomb blast that hit their home.

After further investigation it was also discovered that Major Fadi Basem did not declare any next of kin in his official papers including the paper work of his bankdeposit. And he also confided in me the last time he was at my office that no one except me knew of his deposit in my bank. So, Twenty Four millions Five Hundred Thousand United State Dollars is still lying in my bank and no one willever come forward to claim it. What bothers me most is that according to the to the laws of my country at the expiration 3 years the funds will revert to the ownership of the Hong Kong Government if nobody applies to claim the funds. Against this backdrop, my suggestion to you is that I will like you as a foreigner to stand as the next of kin to Major Fadi Basem so that you will be able to receive his funds.

WHAT IS TO BE DONE:

I want you to know that I have had everything planned out so that we shall come out successful. I have contacted an attorney that will prepare the necessary document that will back you up as the next of kin to Major Fadi Basem , all that is required from you at this stage is for you to provide me with your Full Names and Address so that the attorney can commence his job. After you have been made the next of kin, the attorney will also fill in for claims on your behalf and secure the necessary approval and letter of probate in your favor for the move of the funds to an account that will be provided by you.

There is no risk involved at all in the matter as we are going to adopt a legalized method and the attorney will prepare all the necessary documents. Please endeavor to observe utmost discretion in all matters concerning this issue.

Once the funds have been transferred to your nominated bank account we shall share in the ratio of 70% for me, 30% for you . Should you be interested please send me your full names and current residential address and I will prefers you to reach me on the email address below

(cheunggpuii@yahoo.com.hk)

and finally after that i shall provide you with more details of this operation.

Your earliest response to this letter will be appreciated.

Kind Regards
Mr. Cheung Pui

_________________________________________________
Mail sent from WebMail service at somalifree
- http://somalifree.com

Here is a new variation of the Mikhail Khodorkovsky series of scam mails. I think the aclaimed alleged (Ms. Kimaeve Lioudmila whow name is probably something else) has done her best in trying to obscure searches for her name, and therfor it is well worth publishing here in the iScam area of N!kke’s Index.

Every time I get these I’m surprised by the use of rather difficult economic lingua. Actually, I haven’t the faintest idea of what a profiling amount is. But it sounds as if the scammers are in a hurry: Read the rest of this entry »

I think this is the first time I receive a 419 type of scam mail from Hong Kong. It is of the no next of kin type. A large sum of money has been left with no heirs, and the scammer wants to “save” the money from supposedly corrupt and greedy government officials.

The recepient is invited to help, thereby participating in quite illegal activities. Those who reply, will be asked to start paying bribes and cover costs. And believe me, it can be quite costly. The bottom line however, is always the same. There are no money to collect.

From: chelder@gmx.net
Subject: Your Assistance Sollicited
Date: Januari 22, 2005 15.22.02 MET

MR. Wang Qin.
HANG SENG BANK LTD,
DES VOEUX RD.BRANCH
CENTRAL HONG KONG
HONG KONG.

I am Mr. Wang Qin, credit officer of Hang Seng Bank Ltd, I have an urgent and very confidential business proposition for you.I honestly apologize and hope I do not cause you much embarrassment by contacting you through this means for a transaction of this magnitude,but this is due to confidentia lity and prompt access reposed on this medium,sorry my English is not very good.

Furthermore,due to this issue on my hands now, it became necesary for me to seek your assistance, and it is imperative for me to know your opinion.On sept.6,1999, an American Oil consultant/contractor with the chinese Solid Minerals Corporation, Mr. Richard Nault made a numbered time (Fixed) Deposit for twelve calendar months, valued at US$30,000,000.00 (ThertyMillion Dollars only) in my branch.

Upon maturity,I sent a routine notification to his forwarding address but got no reply. After a month, we sent a reminder and finally we discovered from his contract employers, the Hong Kong Solid Minerals Corporation that Mr. Richard Nault died from an automobile accident. On further investigation, I found out that he died without making a WILL, and all attempts to trace his next of kin was fruitless.

I therefore made further investigation and discovered that Mr. RichardNault did not declare any kin or relations in all his official documents,including his Bank Deposit paperwork in my Bank. This sum of US$30,000,000.00 is still sitting in my Bank and the interest is being rolled over with the principal sum at the end of each year.

No one will ever come forward to claim it. According to Laws of Hong Kong, at the expiration of 5(five) years,the money will revert to the ownership of the Hong Kong Government if nobody applies to claim the fund.Consequently, my proposal is that I will like you as a foreigner to stand in as the next of kin to Mr. Richard Nault so that the fruits of this old man’s labor will not get into the hands of some corrupt government officials.This is simple, I will like you to provide immediately your full names and address so that the attorney will prepare the necessary documents and affidavits that will put you in place as the next of kin.

We shall employ the services of an attorney for drafting and otarization of the WILL and to obtain the necessary documents and letter of probate/administration in your favor for the transfer.The money will be paid into your account for us to share in the ratio of 70% for me and 25% for you and 5% for Expenses Incurred in the course of the transaction.

There is no risk at all as all the paperwork for this transaction will be done by the attorney and with my position as the credit officer guarantees the successful execution of this transaction.If you are interested,please reply immediately.You may reply to my email box, qinwang45@netscape.net Upon your response. I shall then provide you with more details and relevant documents that will help you understand the transaction.Please send me your confidential telephone and fax numbers for easy communication. You should observe utmost confidentiality, and rest assured that this transaction would be most profitable for both of us because I shall require your assistance to inves my share in your country.

Awaiting your urgent reply.

Thanks and regards.
Mr. Wang Qin

There is a first time for everything, and this is actually the first time an iScammer has gotten back to me after I publish their emails. Well, Kwezi Sibeko certainly did. He even made sure to put my address in his mail, thus making the double threat of taking legal action (which he will get nowhere with), and at the same time reminding me of the fact that he knows my address. What he sais is the old “we know where you live”.

Frankly, I don’t care if it’s me, his superiors, his company or his government he is trying to scam. I put the mail here in the iScam section since I strongly dissaprove of this type of emails. It was sent to not one, but two of my email addresses, and I’m quite sure more people than me received it. If you did too, please contact me.

Here’s a copy of a mail from him received this morning. (I guess he must have made a Google search for his name.)

From: “Kwezi Sibeko” kwezi@mail2world.com
Date: January 20, 2005 08.46.51 MET
To: [the address posted on the bottom of this page]
Subject: You have breached confidentiality issues

I remember writing to you asking for assistance, if you did not want to participate constructively in our request then why did you have to put it on your website without even having to call me to validate if my facts checked out or if your suspicions would come to nought.

I would please implore you take my letter off your site immediately and if my superiors find out I would showe no restraint in travelling to your country and seek legal redress on this issue because in my first letter, i warned you not to disclose any information given to you, so this can be considered a breach of confidentiality on your part.
Good day Sir.

Ph +46 (0)733 700 723 |
Fleminggatan 28
SE-112 32 Stockholm
Sweden

I guess this would be a good time to re-publish the non-disclosure footer in the original mail from Kwezi Sibeko:

This e-mail and any attachments are privileged and may contain confidential information intended for the use of the individual or entity to which it is addressed. If you are not the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that any disclosure of this information is prohibited under applicable law.
The person addressed in the e-mail is the sole authorized recipient. Please notify the sender immediately if it has unintentionally reached you and do not read, disclose or use the content in any way.

I am certainly the person addressed in both the original emails. So it was intended for my use.

I have acted according to the privacy announcement used on this site, it’s available for anyone to read at
www.lindqvist.com/en/privacy-and-email-policy/

Here is my reply to him:

Good day to you too sir,

Actually, I have acted according to the privacy announcement used on Nikke’s Index. And since I was the intended recipient of your initial mail (I must have been, I recieved two emails with the exact same wording), and your email therefore was considered unsolicited spam as well as an attempted iScam, I did publish.

I have also published your the mail below. You’ll find it at
http://www.lindqvist.com/iscams/index.php?ID=1841

You’ll find the privacy announcement at
http://www.lindqvist.com/index.php?ID=1252

I truly hope this will be the last I hear from you in this matter.

Regards,
Nikke Lindqvist

Added: Actually, after seeing a very similar version of Sibeki’s original mail, published at 419legal.org, I’m not at all worried about his position with the Departement of Minerals and Energy. Read it at
www.419legal.org/pipermail/scamletters_419legal.org/20040920/002636.html

This is actually the first time I see a Danish Tiscali address used for sending iScams. But that’s not the only strange detail in this offer from the so-called Mrs Rosa Jonas. I can’t help but wonder why she inherited the first name of late UNITA leader Jonas Savimbi instead of his surname Savimbi… And why should I contact Charles, and not “Mrs Jonas” herself?

Questions and more questions…

Here goes, a piece of Nigerian-Angolan-Danish 419 iScam. According to the headers, it actually looks as if it has been sent from Denmark. Read the rest of this entry »

This scam actually looks totally new. I’ve searched all the ordinary sources, both for the name Kwezi Sibeko, the Projects & Planning departement, as well as The Department of Minerals & Energy, but can see no other instance of this fraudulent email. Still I’m positive that it is a scam.

—
Update: 1/16 2005:Kwezi Sibeko did not like the fact that I published his mail. See www.lindqvist.com/iscams/index.php?ID=1841
—

The discaimer in the footer is a nice touch I think. How can I valuate the mail if I’m not even allowed to read it through? [kursiv:"Please notify the sender immediately if it has unintentionally reached
you and do not read, disclose or use the content in any way."] Well sorry, if you send a bait to me like this I will swallow, and my way of treating a scam is to publish it.

Enjoy:

From: brad57@sympatico.ca
Subject: Mail dated 14.01.05
Date: Jan 15, 2005 09.52.04 MET
To: [two of my more widely known addresses]
Reply to: kwezi@mail2world.com

Date: Fri, 14 Jan. 2005 06:00
X-MSMail-Priority: Normal
X-mailer: 128 encryption secure e-mailer (DME/90162-3381)
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 128bit

Good Morning,
Kindly pardon the use of a medium as informal as this for reaching out to you to make a request of great importance to us.
My name is Kwezi Sibeko and I work as a Director of Projects & Implementation with The Department of Minerals & Energy here in Pretoria.
My colleagues and I would like to request that you assist us in re-profiling funds valued at Twenty-Two Million, Five Hundred Thousand U. S Dollars which we want kept safely overseas under your supervision. In other words, we would like you to receive the said funds on our behalf.
The Funds were derived over time from a project awarded a foreign firm
by my Department and presently the actual contract cost have been paid to the original project executors, leaving the balance in the tune of the said amount which we have in principle obtained approval to remit overseas.
I have the authority and approval of my partners involved in this transaction to negotiate a suitable compensation for your participation and I propose 22.2 percent, while we also propose that we receive 46.6 percent and 31.2 percent be earmarked for purposes of taxation. This Endeavour has a minimal risk factor on your part provided you treat it with the utmost discretion.
I am available on Tel:(International Dialing Code)+87 476 359 3635 or by fax: (International Dialing Code)+87 476 359 3636 to discuss further with you.

Yours Sincerely,

Kwezi Sibeko
***********************************************************
This e-mail and any attachments are privileged and may contain confidential information intended for the use of the individual or entity to which it is addressed. If you are not the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that any disclosure of this information is prohibited under applicable law.
The person addressed in the e-mail is the sole authorized recipient. Please notify the sender immediately if it has unintentionally reached you and do not read, disclose or use the content in any way.

I do love the standard mail disclaimer at the bottom of Sibeko’s mail.

An new year, and the post christmas season is, as always, a time when a load of new people come online. Fresh meat for Internet scammers - iScammers. Here’s a totally bogus proposition from a “Dr Dansuki Dan”, who tries to scam us into thinking that there is an easy way to earn a substansial amount of money. How much is quite unclear. The mail sais 38.5 M US$, and mistakes it for “thirty eight five hundred thousand” dollars…

All caps, really bad English, and lots of titles. Yes! It’s a true Nigerian 419 scam letter! Read the rest of this entry »

This Nigerian 419, from “Samuel Dakoru” has been around at least since early December, when it was published at 419legal.org, but since it is still in cirkulation I’d like to publish it here as well. Nota bene, I didn’t receive this one myself, and will therefore not disclose the originating email address. This mail was forwarded to me from Hungary.

The various spellings of the title Controller (”comptroller”, “comtroller”) is, I think, the highligt if this scam mail. I’m not a great spell checker myself, but I can spell my own title, at least most of the time. Read the rest of this entry »

Oh what a beauty! What a gem in the world of 419 scam mails this is. It’s supposedly from Nigeria, I’m supposed to help a shady chairman of some governmental committee to move 18 million dollars and I’m to receive a total of 40% of all that as a fee for opening my bank account for this transaction. And it is, of course, nothing but a redhanded old school Nigerian 419 scam.

Just imagine working for an organization named Senate committee on Pension, insurance and manpower development in the National Assembly of the Federal Republic Of Nigeria! Imagine the size of that business card… Read the rest of this entry »

What is this? Christmas eve for small-time scammers with big plans? I’m swamped in a year-end tidal wave of emails featuring new and old scams. And it looks as if there’s a new crop of iscammers picking up the stick. Really bad formatting, spelling that is worse than mine, and this one doesn’t even seem to know his/her email address. Last time I looked .ro was Romania, and to my best knowledge there just isn’t any one-letter domains. At least not withing the .ro domain. Read the rest of this entry »

This is almost too good to be true! Either there is a whole new wave of internet based scammers, or they have all come together to target my various email addresses. I just found this email in my GMail account, which is hardly spammed at all. I have hardly used the GMail address outside a few mailing lists. Still Mrs. Estrada from the Philipines claims to have found my address in “a business journal”.

It’s only mildly entertaining, but just to think that “relatives” to former ministers from both Haiti and the Philipines have contacted me during the last week! Read the rest of this entry »

My first Haitian 419 mail!

The sender claims to be Privert Rudy, the son of Jocelerme Privert, former interior minister in Haiti.

The setup is classic with the mention of five million British pounds. The mail is backed up with some good links. But still, it’s an obvious variation of the well known 419 mails. However, it has a nice flaw, an that is the mail footer from the Thai email provider, Hunsa.com. I’m not sure the Thai characters will be visible for you, but they are the funny looking things at the bottom of Privert’s mail. Read the rest of this entry »

The first time this scammer contacted me, he went under the name of Fidelis Izuka. This time the attorney’s name is changed to Richard Ubani. The company name in the setup is changed from Eleme Construction & Development Company into Chevron Oil, but otherwhise it’s pretty much the same mail. Both are based on the fact that my family name should be Niklas, which it isn’t. It might be the same scammer, or it might be a copycat. Read the rest of this entry »

It’s actually been quite a while since I last received a true Nigerian 419 scam mail. And this is almost too good to be true. Allcaps, a 30% share of over 30 million US dollars… the only anomaly is the Belgian e-mail address, but who am I to be picky about such small details after receiving such a gem? Read the rest of this entry »

Someone calling himself Graham Usman thinks I’m a fool. If anyone else wants to be fooled by his offer please feel free: Read the rest of this entry »

iScammers just like any other kind ov scam artists like to bait their plot with something just about legal. If you bite, their notion is that you will be less inclined to report the scammer to the authorities. In the scam mail below, the bait is 18 million dollars, and the hook is that the operation is quite illegal plus the fact that the so called barrister Fidelis Izuka happenes to have contacted the wrong person. My first name is Niklas, but ny last name is Lindqvist. Sso why should I be a relative to the deceased?

The mail is probably formed to match lots of first names (or at least first positions of email addresses). Of course I have no relative who died in a Nigerian explotion, but the double bait is that by going futher, pretenting to be this relative, I will provide the scammer with an opportunity to pull out in the last moment, while holding on to any administrative costs that I would have paid during the process.

From: “Fidelisizuka” fidelisizuka@3000.it
To: fidelisizuka@3000.it
Subject: FROM BARRISTER IZUKA TO NIKLAS
Reply to: “Fidelisizuka” fidelisizuka@3000.it

CHIEF HON FIDELIS IZUKA L.L.B. L.L.M B.L
REGISTERED ATTORNEY AT LAW
LEGAL PRACTITIONER AND CONSULTANAT
MEMBER CONSTITUTION DRAFTING COMITTEE 1995
ADDRESS:Suite 8 Falomo Shopping Complex, Ikoyi LAGOS

Dear NIKLAS,

I am Barr. FIDELIS IZUKA (SAN) personal attorney to Engr. B.NIKLAS, a national of your country, who used to work with Eleme Construction & Development Company here in Nigeria herein after shall be referred to as my client.

My client was involved in the explosion in Lagos, Nigeria, on January 27, 2002 which, claim many lives and property. Unfortunately, my client lost his live in that disaster that needed not to have happened. Since then I have made several enquiries to your embassy to locate any of my clients extended relatives this has also proved unsuccessful. After these several unsuccessful attempts, I decided to track his last name over the Internet, to locate any member of his family hence Icontacted you.

My purpose of contacting you is to assist in repatriating the money and property left behind by my client prior to his death before they get confiscated or declared unserviceable by the company where this huge deposits were lodged in, where the deceased had an account valued at about US$18 Million dollars. The company had issued me a notice to provide the next of kin or have the account confiscated within the next 14 official working days.

Since I have been unsuccessful in locating the relatives for over one year now I seek your consent as the next of kin of the deceased since you have the same last name/surname so that the proceeds of this account valued at US$18 million dollars can be paid to you. I hav all the necessary official and legal documents that can be used to back up your claim. All I require is your honest co-operation to enable me as the legal attorney to the deceased in seeing that you receive your inheritance fund. I guarantee that this will be executed legitimately to protect you from any breach of the law.

See the website of the bomb explosion below:

http://www.disasterrelief.org/Disasters/020130Lagos3/

Please get in touch with me by my personal email address to enable us discuss further. Email: fidelisizuka@bareed.com

Best regards,

Barr. FIDELIS IZUKA (SAN)

The disasterrelief.org website looks quite legitimate, and the explosion has occored. The most horrible thing is that there even exists a Dr. Fidelis Izuka (just try a Google search for his name). However, his name has been hijacked by the scammers in the above mail.

Liberian 419 scammer Robert Bada is new to me. He poses as the EX personal assistant of Charles Taylor, and promises me 20% of his take of 25 million US$. Not bad…

Strangely enough, Robert Bada worries about infinging my privacy. Well, Robert: It’s not as much you writing to me that makes me publish your mail. What ticks me off is the fact that you are actively trying to steal from me! Read the rest of this entry »