Lottery, Investments, Inheritance (email) Scams

I have been, as of late, receiving an alarming number of hits on the 'Have You Received This' post listed under 'scams'. Googlers (from all over the world) somehow arrive at my blog via search results for the Barrister Mohammed Azim Ali or of the same 3 names in various orders.

There are only 4 reasons I can think of as to why that is:

1. The scamming 'entity' has been very busy spamming these past few weeks.
2. People are verifying if there's any truth to it - why not, $12M is $12M and who would not want it - why I didn't even bother googling it....who the h*ll gives out $12M just like that.
3. There's a real Barrister in Malaysia named 'that' and together with his friends and associates are trying to find out about their sudden rise in popularity (or infamous-ness).
4. Or, or....people are already trying to find out how and where to claim their money.....and I just lost Ms of $s!!!!....which, btw, I highly doubt.

In lieu of this non-event and except for the few that can be found at scopes.com, below is an excerpt of (scam) spams I have received over a period of....(only) 2 months. If any of the following is at all legitimate then I just lost a lot of money - money I did not work hard for with nary a finger lifted except probably to click the mouse on the send button to give some unscupulous individual (or group) my personal and banking details!

Please be warned:

1. HASSAN BILLY
email: h_billy01@voila.fr
Organization: Bank of Burkina
Amount: 35% of $9.5M (from a deceased client)
Requirements: bank name, bank acct#, private tel and fax nos.

2. BARRISTER TERRY THOMPSON
email: barrister.thompchamber@googlemail.com
Organization: Terry thompson and Associates
Amount: $30.1M - typed this way: $30,100.000.00USD (inheritance left to YOU...in this case, ME by the late Engr.Jürge Krügger - which, according to Mr. Thompson I must have met at one of my travels???????? )
Requirements: to contact him at the above email add.

3. CARINA FERNANDEZ
email: mrs_carina_fernandez@yahoo.com.hk
Organization: Hang Seng Bank
Amount: 30% of $19.5M (from a deceased client)
Requirements: full name, current residential address, private tel no.

4. MRS. MARY JONES
email: richard.carpentrer0@btinternet.com (or Tel:+44,7035,9129,03)
Organization: UK Dell Electronics (Awards 2008)
Amount: £1,200,000.00 (winnings)
Requirements: Fullname,Occupation, Nationality,Resedential (sic) Address, Phone.

5. DAVE GILLELAND
email: gilleland.dave32@googlemail.com
Organization: non mentioned
Amount: unspecified (assist in receiving funds for mutual benefit)
Requirements: to contact him at the above email add.

6. SIR THOMAS BRADLEY
email: powerballl_dept@hotmail.com
Organization: UK Online Promo (zaret@optonline.net)
Amount: £500K (winnings)
Requirements: full name, address, age, sex, marital status, occupation, phone and fax nos., country.

7. PAUL JAMES
email: financierventure4@yahoo.com.hk
Organization: Financier Company
Amount: unspecified (winnings)
Requirements: full name, address, country, city, state, zip code, phone no.

8. MISS MARIA SAVIMBI
email: mariagoodday1989@gmail.com
Organization: Bank of Burkina
Amount: 30% of $22M (from deceased (prominent) father) and arrangement for her to go to your country
Requirements: respond to her email add above.

9. STELLA ROBERTS
email: hamiltonreeds.transfermanager@google.com
Organization: Great British Promo
Amount: £1,263,584 (online lottery winnings - YOU, or I, in this case never consciously joined)
Requirements: full name, age, nationality, occupation, sex, country, tel no.

10. DAVID WILLIAMS
email: h_billy01@voila.fr
Organization: UK national Lottery Board
Amount: £500K (lotter winnings)
Requirements: full name, age, nationality, occupation, sex, country, tel no.

11. ADVOCATE LOYEN VAN SMITH
email: barrloysmithesq@aol.com
Organization: Loyens and Smith Law Chambers Netherlands
Amount: 30% of Euro19.7M (from a deceased client - Rachel Harriet Kahn)
Requirements: respond to email add above.

12. RICH ORGARANYA
email: nfah101@atlas.sk
Organization: Sierra Leone Diamond mining co-operation (of deceased father)
Amount: 15% of $15M (from deceased father)
Requirements: respond to email above to transfer full amount to your acct...ergo, requiring your acct details.

13. SANDRA BERNOIT
email: sandrabernoitt1@live.com
Organization: Global Email Promotion
Amount: 38K (in unspecified currency - I'm assuming £) - (lottery winnings)
Requirements: contact eamil add above to provide personal info.

14. PHIL HERALD
email: philclaimsunit@btinternet.com
Organization: UK/Camelot Lottery
Amount: £891, 934 (lottery winnings)
Requirements: Fullname,Occupation, Nationality,Resedential (sic) Address, Phone.

15. DR. DANNY FORSTER
email: dr_dannyforster25@yahoo.com.uk
Organization: UK-Promo
Amount: £1M (winnings)
Requirements: Name,Address,Phone,Sex, Occupation, Age, Country.

,,,,and 30 others with the same theme!

Clicking on links from unknown sources is always ill-advised...in fact, NEVER do it, dog knows what kind of 'robot' you are downloading into your computer - these nasty creatures can either wreak havoc or worse collect information and could even be unwittingly sent out to your email contacts!!!

Why do I bother giving this blog space? Because people bother to research them and if I can prevent one internet fraud from happening...I've done my job. If anyone out there has actually become even a Million dollar richer, good for you - I guess I don't need the money that much (not bad to have, though)!

FYI!!! Better yet, visit this page for fraud reporting and enlightenment!

Bank account details, my A*S

Sorry for the title but I mean it. Sure it's in my spam folder which I check every now and then as legitimate mails sometimes for whatever reason gets redirected there. $12.5M does sound REAAALLLLY good but not good enough for me to throw my details around. Are there honestly st***d people who fall for these kind of scams that's why they still proliferate? Unbelievable!

If it's real...I just lost $12.5M. I can live with that.

FROM MRS GRACE COMPAORE,
BILL AND EXCHANGE MANAGER,
FOREIGN REMITTANCE DEPT,
BANK OF AFRICA (BOA),
OUAGADOUGOU, BURKINA FASO.

MY DEAR,

I AM MRS.GRACE COMPAORE, THE BILL AND EXCHANGE MANAGER AT THE FOREIGN EXCHANGE DEPARTMENT OF BANK OF AFRICA (BOA) OUAGADOUGOU IN BURKINA FASO. WITH DUE RESPECT AND REGARDS, I HAVE DECIDED TO CONTACT YOU ON A BUSINESS TRANSACTION THAT WILL BE VERY BENEFICIAL TO BOTH OF US AT THE END OF THE TRANSACTION.DURING MY INVESTIGATION AND AUDITING IN MY DEPARTMENT, I CAME ACROSS A VERY HUGE SUM OF MONEY BELONGING TO A DECEASED PERSON, A FOREIGNER WHO DIED IN A PLANE CRASH WITH HIS ENTIRE FAMILY.PLEASE THIS IS A CONFIDENTIAL MATTER AND IT REQUIRES URGENCY.

THE FUND HAS BEEN IN HIS ACCOUNT WITH THE BANK WITHOUT ANY CLAIM OF THE FUND IN OUR CUSTODY EITHER FROM HIS FAMILY OR RELATION BEFORE OUR DISCOVERY TO THIS DEVELOPMENT.ALTHOUGH PERSONALLY, I KEPT THIS INFORMATION SECRET WITHIN MYSELF TO ENABLE THE WHOLE PLANS AND IDEA BE PROFITABLE AND SUCCESSFUL DURING THE TIME OF EXECUTION. THE AMOUNT INVOLVED IS USD$12.500, 000 (TWELVE MILLION FIVE HUNDRED THOUSAND U.S DOLLARS.) MEANWHILE THE WHOLE ARRANGEMENT AND DIRECTIVES NEEDED TO PUT CLAIM OVER THIS FUND AS THE NEXT OF KIN TO THE DECEASED WILL BE FORWARD TO YOU UPON YOUR ACCEPTANCE. INFORMATION WILL BE RELEASED TO YOU AS SOON AS YOU INDICATE YOUR INTEREST AND WILLINGNESS TO ASSIST ME AND ALSO BENEFIT YOURSELF TO THIS GREAT BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY.

IN FACT I COULD HAVE DONE THIS DEAL ALONE BUT BECAUSE OF MY POSITION IN THIS COUNTRY AS A CIVIL SERVANT, WE ARE NOT ALLOWED TO OPERATE A FOREIGN ACCOUNT AND WOULD EVENTUALLY RAISE AN EYE BROW ON MY SIDE DURING THE TIME OF TRANSFER BECAUSE I WORK IN THIS BANK. THIS IS THE ACTUAL REASON WHY IT WILL REQUIRE A SECOND PARTY OR FELLOW WHO WILL FORWARD CLAIMS AS THE NEXT OF KIN TO THE BANK AND ALSO PRESENT A FOREIGN ACCOUNT WHERE HE WILL NEED THE MONEY TO BE TRANSFERRED INTO ON HIS REQUEST AS IT MAY BE, AFTER DUE VERIFICATION AND CLARIFICATION TO DESIGNATED BANK ACCOUNT.

YOU CAN SEE THE WEBSITE BELOW COVERING THE PLANE CRASH BY CNN & BBC NEWS.

http://www.cnn.com/2003/WORLD/africa/12/26/benin.crash
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/3348109.stm

I WILL NOT FAIL TO INFORM YOU THAT THIS TRANSACTION IS 100% RISK FREE. ON SMOOTH CONCLUSION OF THIS TRANSACTION, YOU WILL BE ENTITLED TO 40% OF THE TOTAL SUM AND 10% WILL BE SET ASIDE FOR EXPENSES INCURED DURING THE BUSINESS WHILE 50% WILL BE FOR ME. YOU HAVE BEEN ADVISED TO KEEP TOP SECRET AS I AM STILL IN SERVICE AND INTEND TO RETIRE FROM SERVICE AFTER I CONCLUDE THIS DEAL WITH YOU.

I WILL BE MONITORING THE WHOLE SITUATION HERE IN THE BANK UNTIL YOU CONFIRM THE MONEY IN YOUR ACCOUNT AND ASK ME TO COME DOWN TO YOUR COUNTRY FOR SUBSEQUENT SHARING OF THE FUND ACCORDING TO PERCENTAGES PREVIOUSLY INDICATED AND FURTHER INVESTMENT, EITHER IN YOUR COUNTRY OR ANY OTHER COUNTRY YOU MAY ADVICE ME TO INVEST IN. ALL OTHER NECESSARY INFORMATION WILL BE SENT TO YOU WHEN I HEAR FROM YOU. I SUGGEST YOU GET BACK TO ME AS SOON AS POSSIBLE STATING YOUR WISH IN THIS DEAL.

PLEASE REPLY TO MY MASSAGE BY INDICATING YOUR BANK ACCOUNT DETAILS WHERE THE FUND WILL BE TRANSFERED TO. ALSO, SEND ME YOUR PRIVATE PHONE NUMBER FOR EASY COMMUNICATION.YOU SHOULD CONTACT ME IMMEDIATELY AS SOON AS YOU RECIEVE THIS LETTER.

YOURS FAITHFULLY,
MRS GRACE COMPAORE

Have you received this?

I wonder how many out there are as 'lucky' as I am to have my email add chosen randomly for this:

FROM THE DESK OF
ADVOCATE MOHAMMED BIN ALI
LEGAL SOLICITORS/PRIVATE
LAW 23 JIN JANG KEPONG FADASON
KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA.

Dear Friend,

We are Pleased to inform you that your e-mail address came up in a random draw conducted by our law firm, Mohammed Bin Law Chambers in Kuala Lumpur Malaysia.

My name is Mohammed Bin Ali personal Attorney/Adviser to the deceased Mr. Abdul Saaz, who worked for an oil firm in Malaysia. Mr. Abdul Saaz is a well known Philanthropist, died as a result of a sudden unexplainable shock. He made a Will in our law firm stating that (US$2,000.000.00) Two Million United States Dollars only, should be donated to the Needy.

We have made a random draw and your e-mail address was lucky picked as the beneficiary to this Will. I am particularly interested in securing this money from the Bank and make sure it gets to the beneficiary hand successfully, Hence we have been instructed to contact the beneficiary of this Will which happens to be you or else the money will be credited to the Government treasury.

I believe you will utilize this fund well and help others who are also in need; you are required to contact me immediately, to start the process of transferring this money to any of your designated official accounts of your choice. I urge you to contact me immediately via the email stated above. or

ali3_solicitators@yahoo.com

CONGRATULATIONS!

Best Regards,
ADVOCATE MOHAMMED BIN ALI (ESQ)
ENDEAVOUR TO USE FOR THE LESS PRIVILEDGED

It's obviously another con otherwise, I would have been $50M richer, having received similar generous offers in the past. Are there really people out there who will contact 'the solicitor', who then will require bank details necessary to complete 'the fund transfer '. It's so obvious, it hurts.

Hmmm, I wonder what would happen if I just tell Mr. Bin Ali to meet me in person and hand me the funds in cash. Anyone else out there receive exactly the same email?