The things these scammers say…

Posted on June 10, 2014 by The Old Wolf

Time to yank another scammer’s chain. As usual, my side of the conversation is in blue. Notes point out the kinds of red flags that reveal email messages like this as cruel and dishonest scams, just in case you were wondering.

Got this in my email yesterday – no body text, just this in the subject line.

I have a project. If interested. reply,

What kind of project? I would need more details.
-Wolfington X. Analemma

Good day

This is my personal reference number law/chamber/solicitors/je/rs/WILL/928473012 and My Name is Mrs. Bella Fernandez. please send this to my attorney with the contact information below – he would provide all information to you. Due to my Sickness ^[1], i have been touched by God ^[2] and want my WILL to be donated to you rather than allow my relatives to use my Late husband hard earned funds ungodly. My doctor told me that I have limited days to live due to the cancerous problems I am suffering from as I will be going in for an operation later today. What bothers me most is the stroke that I have in addition to the cancer. With this hard reality that has befallen my family and me I have decided to donate this fund to you and want you to use this gift which comes from my Late husbands effort to fund the upkeep of widows, widowers, orphans, destitute, the down- trodden, physically challenged children, barren-women and persons who prove to be genuinely handicapped financially. ^[4]

I am currently sending you this mail from my sick bed in the hospital, I do not need any telephone communication ^[3] in this regard due to my deteriorating health and because of the presence of my Late husbands relatives around me. I do not want them to know about this development. With God all things are possible. I believe in Charity and I believe your faith is guarantee for me to trust you. Contact on the Attorney Kennedy Email: ( legalconsultantkennedy@live.co.uk) I sold my Inherited All belongings and deposited the sum of All $ 5.2 million dollars with A Security Company. I am diagnosed of cancer and have a time limit to live on this planet.

As for how I got your email, it was gotten after a proper search via your area zip code with the help of the lord leading me. At the moment I cannot take any telephone calls right now and my Doctor knows i have changed my Will.Lord will Bless you Abundantly as you extend the good works to others and Ensure to use a greater portion of the funds for its purpose in fulfillment of my last wish .. My contact on the Attorney Email – legalconsultantkennedy@live.co.uk

Sincerely,
Mrs. Bella Fernandez.

I have been instructed to contact you regarding the disposition of this fund, reference number law/chamber/solicitors/je/rs/WILL/928473012. Please forward further instructions.
-Wolfington X. Analemma

Dear Beneficiary,

It is my great pleasure to read through your mail, I wish to inform you that this WILLED funds claim is at its peak of legitimacy, please if you wish to claim the WILLED Funds, send below information for funds release. In respect of Mrs. Bella Fernandez’s Will, it might interest you to know that Late Mr.Wilson Fernandez and his wife (Mrs. Bella Fernandez) are very honest and a nice family you could ever think of ^[4], It’s so sad now, to see Mrs. Bella Fernandez suffering from cancer disease for about 2 years ^[1], I still have the faith that nothing is too difficult for God to do in her case ^[2]. As a matter of fact, she has told me that anybody that writes me either she is dead or alive and quote the reference numbers, I should not hesitate to deal with the person in respect of the deposited cash of $5.2 Million US Dollars to carry out her Charity assignment on physically challenged persons and orphanage. Right now, the cash is currently deposited with a save keeping Security Company/Security Firm. ^[4]

If am sure and pleased with your willingness and sincerity to carry the responsibility in accordance to the donor’s good intention, am going to give you proceeding for funds release to you. Please you have to be highly confidential in this transaction ^[5], till we finalize this project and you now have the funds in your hand/custody because I would not want anything to jeopardize the funds release to you.

However, Attached to this email is a scan copy of The Affidavit Of WILLED FUNDS, you must print out the Affidavit form, fill in the required information ^[6] in Black or Blue ink with the a passport photo size as required and return back to us as an ATTACHMENT. You are also required to send any form of ID PROOF/DRIVERS LICENCE ^[6] that will proceed the funds release documents to you and the requested detail will also enable the British High Court Commision to validate the WILL of Mrs. Bella Fernandez. You need not to worry because this transaction is problem free & legit. ^[7]

I have just been informed earlier today by the doctor that Mrs. Bella Fernandez is in coma. ^[1] She had earlier told me about you that if situation gets worse I should contact you in order to process all relevant documents in your favor regarding the status of her account to your name. You are being reminded of the task ahead to use a reasonable part of the funds to build a temple of worship and also help the less privileged in your society ^[4] and also remember that 30% of the fund should be for your personal use. I want you to include her in your prayers. ^[2]

MY CONDITION
-The total sum of US $5.2 Million Dollars will be transferred/released to you confirm able in 2 working days.
– All correspondence will be strictly by private email / telephone, for security purposes.
– There should be no other third parties ^[5] as most problems associated with such payments are caused by their agents/representatives/advisers.

Note: You may as well view the attached pictures of Mrs. Bella Fernandez before she went into coma. ^[8]

If you AGREE with my conditions, l will advise you to send the requested information earlier asked for action and to enable the British High Court validate the WILL funds transfer Documents in timely manner.

I await your response.

Best regards,
Barr. Kennedy Andrew Esq.
Tel: +(44)7017043832 ^[9]

So I fill out the “affidavit” and include a bogus driver’s license from California that I’ve photoshopped together:

Dear Barrister Kennedy Andrew Esq.:

Attached please find my completed affidavit and a driver’s license photo for your consideration.
Please let me know how the funds will be transferred.

Sincerely,

Wolfington X. Analemma

[If these bottom-feeders had any brains at all, they’d see things on the affidavit that would be immediately recognized as red flags that they were being taken for a ride, but the truth is that they don’t.]

———————–

KENNEDY ANDREW AND VICTOR LAW CHAMBER
179 GREAT PORTLAND STREET,
LONDON, W1A 2AW.
UNITED KINGDOM.
Tel: +(44)7017043832.

20/02/2014

Dear Beneficiary,

This is to inform you that Barr. Kennedy Andrew Esq has received your information (Filled Affidavit of Willed Funds)and its content was well read and noted, it will interest you to know that we are working on the preparation of the necessary WILLED Fund release documents in your NAME, and as mandatory by the UK Acts/Laws, we are to submit to the High Court Commission here in United Kingdom, for final endorsement after preparation, so that the funds can now be transferred to your Bank Account.

Further more, You will have to wait a maximum time of 24 hours for the preparation to be completed, once preparation is completed, you will be notified by ordinary email and detail of submission to the High Court Commission will be emailed to you.

I will immediately write an application to the British High Court to grant a letter of authorization which would enable you contact the bank, I will inform you immediately it is granted. And also this project is meant to be kept strictly confidential^[5], that is the wish of my client and i hope you honor it until the whole transfer is completed.

I want you to inform me on how you intend to make use of the funds to affect those around you, and also do you have any investment in mind that you would want to put some of the funds into in order to sustain the projects?.

I await your response.

Best regards,
Barr. Kennedy Andrew Esq.
Tel: +(44)7017043832.

Dear Barr. Kennedy Andrew Esq.,

Thank you for your kind response. Aside from using some of the funds to pay for my wife’s long-term medical expenses*, the bulk of the bequest will be used to support cancer research and the support of families who have children in cancer treatment.

I look forward to further communication with you. Thanks very much.

-Wolfington X. Analemma

*I’ll almost always put in some nonsense about how strapped I am for cash because of a loved one’s long-term medical expenses, just to see if it awakens some sense of human decency in the hearts of these sewer-dwellers. It never does.

——————-

KENNEDY ANDREW AND VICTOR LAW CHAMBER
179 GREAT PORTLAND STREET,
LONDON, W1A 2AW.
UNITED KINGDOM.
Tel: +(44)7017043832.21/02/2014Dear Beneficiary ,The content of your last email has been noted and recorded as per your interest in diferent project and how you intend to carry out Mrs Bella Fernandez Will, the Letter of authorization has finally been approved by the British High Court.You are to contact the bank with this scanned copy in order for the bank to effect any change to the account (Change of Account Holder’s Name). I have sent the bank a copy of this document for them to be aware.You are therefore directed to contact the bank with this attached document in order for the bank to commence the relevant processes to enable you have full access to the account. Below is the contact details of the bank:Fibibank London
24 Creechurch Ln, London,
EC3A 5JX. United Kingdom.
Email: fibi-bnk-desk@outlook.comYou are advised to contact the bank immediately with their email as given above, so that the Bank process can commence with the transafer.You are also to update me on the process for LEGAL ADVISE . Please confirm the receipt of this mail. Please try and attend to emails early.

Note: Please fill in the Blank space in the attached document with your information as required before you sending to the Bank.

To: Fibibank London

Good day. I have been instructed by Barr. Kennedy Andrews Esq. to contact your bank with regards to the attached Letter of Authorization, so that the bequest in THE WILL can be transferred to my account. Please contact me with any further questions.

Most sincerely yours,

Wolfington X. Analemma

————————–

Fibi Bank Plc
24 Creechurch Ln, London,
EC3A 5JX. United Kingdom.

Direct Tel: +44 70 10046144
EMAIL: fibi-bnk-desk@outlook.com

APPLICATION FORM FOR CHANGE OF ACCOUNT OWNERSHIP.

24/02/2014

Dear Esteemed Customer,

FIBI Bank (UK) plc is authorised and regulated by the FSA. I am Mr. Thompson Mog, your assigned account officer to assist in the change and re-activating of account.

The account of which its details and ownership will be stated in your name shall be released to you in the earliest.

Please see attachment and download the application form print out and fill in your data correctly and completely then send back to us.

On receipt of the information, you shall be educated on the process
mastered to facilitate this transaction in the earliest.

Yours faithfully,
Mr. Thompson Mog
For FIBI Bank:
CC: GENERAL MANAGER (Fibi Plc)

Fibibank is apparently a legitimate concern, a subsidiary of the First International Bank of Israel. The address given by the scammers is correct, but the phone number is (again) one of those 44-70 redirects which is transferred to some throwaway cell phone in Nigeria. Notice also the email address – legitimate businesses will almost never use a generic email service like hotmail, outlook, or rogers.com – a valid email from Fibi Bank would be something @fibi.co.uk

I send them a form which I have filled out via computer, and get this back:

Fibi Bank Plc
24 Creechurch Ln, London,
EC3A 5JX. United Kingdom.

Direct Tel: +4470 10046144

EMAIL: fibi-bnk-desk@outlook.com

APPLICATION FORM FOR CHANGE OF ACCOUNT OWNERSHIP.

Dear Esteemed Customer,

Thanks for your email to this Bank and on the inquiring about the Funds of Mrs Bella Fernandez, we have all instruction and permit to connect with you on this matter. However, you have failed to complete the necessary document as regards to the Letter of Authorization which is required to be filled in BLACK or BLUE INK PIN and return to us for immediate transfer procedure.

You must fill the Letter of Authorization with a BLACK or BLUE INK (NOT WITH A COMPUTER EDITING) before you send the Document to us, we can only commence further transfer once we have the Letter of Authorization filled and sent by you.

On receipt of the information, you shall be educated on the process
mastered to facilitate this transaction in the earliest.

Yours faithfully,
Mr. Thompson Mog
For FIBI Bank:
CC: GENERAL MANAGER (Fibi Plc)

Now, that’s interesting. I’ve never had one of these drones reject a certificate. Perhaps they are using this ploy to lend a certain cachet of legitimacy to their scam. I’ll never know, but I send them the following form anyway:

Since sending this form in, I have heard nothing and it’s been over a month. So I send them the following email:

Dear Mr. Thompson Bog,

I have filled out and returned all the documentation you requested and have not heard anything for over a month. I’m wondering what has happened here.

Sincerely,

Wolfington X. Analemma

Never heard back from them. They either figured out that they were being played for fools, or someone else shut their emails down. Well, no loss. I was able to waste some of their time at any rate, which is the whole point – so they can’t be using that time on others who might fall for their foolishness.

The takeaways, as usual: NEVER send money by Western Union or Money Card anywhere, to anyone, unless you are initiating the transaction and you know your recipient. NEVER give out personal or financial information to unknown parties on the internet. ALL SUCH EMAILS are SCAMS.

The Old Wolf has spoken.

[1] The Pity Pitch – feel sorry for me, I’m dying. This fraudulent email is full of repeated references to terminal illness
[2] The God Ploy – Faith, blessings, prayer, Christianity – all are mentioned and used heavily to influence potential victims into parting with their cash.
[3] Unable to talk by telephone – because “Mrs. Bella Fernandez” is actually some sweaty, flea-ridden scumbag working out of an Internet cafe somewhere in Lagos (most likely).
[4] Humanitarian work – this is what I want you to do with the money.
[5] Plea for confidentiality – don’t talk to the authorities or anyone else (because they would be sure to put the kibosh on the deal.)
[6] Request for personal information. Even if their scam fails, the scumbags will have details that can later be used to defraud you or others via identity theft.
[7] Sincerity – Look, nothing up my sleeve…
[8] Some random picture from the Internet – notice that Mrs. “Bella Fernandez” is decidedly Asian
[9] The Global Redirect phone number: All 4470 prefixes are global redirects; this scammer is probably in Nigeria, or Ghana, or somewhere in Africa.

“Mega Millions” scam from Jamaica

Posted on May 29, 2014 by The Old Wolf

Had a call today from “Mega Millions Corporation” about a “coupon” that I had filled out at one of my “local convenient grocery stores,” supposedly “last March.” I was told that I had won a bank check for $1.6 million dollars, and a beautiful, luxurious Mercedes-Benz valued at over $125,000.00. Of course, there were taxes to be paid… but thanks to a “special offer,” those would only be $399.00, payable with a Green Dot money card. I’ve got a phone number to call back (1-876-856-8974) when I have that card in my possession, so I can take delivery of all these fantastic prizes.

I kept the drone on the phone for as long as I could… I wasted about 20 minutes of his time, scorched his eardrums with some choice insults, and hung up. I may call the number back later on the drive home, just to see if I can yank their chains some more. The guy’s accent sounded very Indian Subcontinent, with a hint of Nigeria thrown in. Sheesh. Some people’s children.

This is a good example of the Jamaica 876 scam. Another good website about this scam is here. These phone calls originate from Jamaica, even though they look like they are coming from toll-free numbers. Unless you know exactly whom you are calling, stay away from calls that come from area code 876. These calls, like the UK 40 70 prefix, can be routed to other countries, so you have no idea where these scumbags are hiding (beside under slimy rocks, naturally.)

Of course, the basic rules always apply: Never pay money to collect a prize of any sort. If people want you to wire money or use some sort of money card or ask for your private financial information, you are being scammed.

Be careful out there, folks.

Relentless Spammers

Posted on May 29, 2014 by The Old Wolf

These people don’t give up. Despite my sending them the vilest possible insults in Chinese, along with demands that they cease and desist, I get one of their spam messages almost every week.

From: “Kevin” <cijiajiajiaixoauio33@msn.com>

To: Everybody in the whole flipping world

Subject: [SPAM] Photo Retouching Services – Photo Cut Out

Hi,

We are one of the best digital images retouching team located in China. We provide all kinds of image editing solutions to different companies all over the world.

We Specialize in:

. Cut out/masking, clipping path, deep etching, transparent background

. Beauty retouching, skin retouching, face retouching, body retouching

. Colour correction, black and white, light and shadows etc.

. Dust cleaning, spot cleaning

. Fashion/Beauty Image Retouching

. Restoration and repair old images

. Product image Retouching

. Jewellery image Retouching

. Real estate image Retouching

. Vector Conversion

. Wedding & Event Album Design.

. Portrait image Retouching

We Offer Best Quality; Best Service and the Most Competitive prices.

Every day we process and manipulate large volumes of images from U.S.A and Europe. So you will be in good hands when it comes to quality, service and the most competitive prices.

Waiting for your images for the free trial so that you can judge our quality of work yourself.

We are waiting for your reply.

Thanks & Regards,

Kevin

Kanucssa Imaging Professionals

Contact: <redacted>

Just remember:

Rule #1: Spammers/Scammers Lie.
Rule #2: If a spammer seems to be telling the truth, see Rule #1.

Do NOT do business with these bottom-feeders.

(For more discussion about the nature of spammers, visit this thread at Spamcop.net.)

The Old Wolf has spoken.

There is no “weird trick.”

Posted on May 13, 2014 by The Old Wolf

I’ve written about this bit of Internet stupidity before. It boggles my mind that scummy advertisers continue to use this, but it must generate revenue, or they wouldn’t do it.

Lower My Bills ^[1] is one of the worst offenders.

You see, I never encounter ads on my desktop machine; Ad Blocker Plus and a few other good extensions take care of that. My smartphone is not so lucky. Here’s an example; check out the ad with the little T-Rex running across it as an attention-getter below.

Now I don’t fall for such rubbish, but today I decided to jump down the rabbit hole just to see where it leads. I was taken to screen after screen requesting my personal information; the usual stuff about what cars I had, how I use them, and what kind of coverage I wanted. They also wanted my address, my phone number, my date of birth, my email address, and a whole bunch of other stuff. Naturally, as with Nigerian scammers, I provided bogus information for everything.

Finally, I got to the last page, where I was promised my free results, and – supposedly – the “ridiculously easy trick”.

Before we click, let’s look at that text disclaimer:

By clicking the button above you agree to be matched with up to 8 partners and/or providers from the LMB Partner Network and their agents and partners and for them and/or us to contact or market to you (including through automated and/or pre-recorded messages/means, e.g. automated telephone dialing systems and text messaging) about insurance information via telephone, mobile device (including MSM and MMS), and/or email, even if your telephone number or email address is on a corporate, state, or the National Do Not Call Registry, and you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You understand that your consent is not required as a condition to purchase a good or service.

Now that’s just scary. If you enter your real data, hoping to learn a “ridiculously easy trick” or even get quotes for low-cost insurance, this is the kind of marketing you will get by mail, by phone, by email, and on your cell phone:

That’s right. A virtual Niagara Falls ^[2] worth of spamvertising, and you’ve just given these putrescent scumballs your permission to do it.

That’s how Lower My Bills works: T’hey gather your personal information, and sell it to every single possible entity on earth that wants to spam you, who will in turn sell it to the rest of the universe. They offer no other goods or services, even if they claim to do so. This is the height of disreputable, dishonorable marketing, and their ads infest the net like a plague of locusts.

If that’s not scary enough, look at that last sentence:

You understand that your consent is not required as a condition to purchase a good or service.

This means that you have given them permission to sell you their and their partners’ excrement without your explicit agreement, thus opening the door to fraudulent charges on your credit card.

Now let’s see what all that PII got me:

Yup. Exactly nothing. They suggest a few providers, but no “ridiculously easy trick,” no promised quote, nothing. But they would have had all my information, and that information would result (usually within minutes) in a flood of calls, emails, texts, and other ongoing hqiz from people wanting to sell me everything under the sun.

Do yourself a favor. Any time you see that “one weird trick” or anything like it, realize that you’re dealing with a borderline criminal operation, and stay as far away from such drones and scumbags as you possibly can. If you see Lower My Bills, run like hell in the other direction. Oh, and spread the word, too; if you have vulnerable loved ones who are not terribly computer-savvy, make sure they understand this.

The Old Wolf has spoken.

[1] Have a look at this lovely entry at Ripoff Report; also check the Wikipedia entry on this shady outfit.

[2] Slowly I turn!

Bypassing Spam Filters

Posted on April 29, 2014 by The Old Wolf

The scumbags are getting more inventive.

Thanks to Unicode, many characters will display on the Internet which won’t flag spam keyword detectors, allowing such rubbish to trickle through. Things like this:

——————

From: Ƕσᵯȅ₳ppliaŋce₡overage contact@techas.ws via amazonses.com

First Month₣RḖḖ on ComprehensiveǶσᵯȅWarrantyCoverage .

——-

From: __ɵṹṝ__ᵵᶖᵯe__dᶏᵵᶖng__ contact@cdblu-tk.ws via amazonses.com

Subject: __¶ŋȶeresȶed__¶ŋ__ȿiŋgles__ǿ˅erƼѻ?__

__¶ŋȶeresȶed__¶ŋ__ȿiŋgles__ǿ˅erƼѻ?
t.co/Ddphe5fBRI (This link redirects to an outfit called OurTime; Stay away from them.)
TryAmerica’s__1__site__for___ȿiŋgles__ǿ˅erƼѻ
Joinɵṹṝ__ᵵᶖᵯe.comAnd meetȿiŋgles ǿ˅erƼѻ

—————-

Unicode allows you to uʍop ǝpısdn ǝʇıɹʍ, among other things, or send people clever greetings:

♫♪♥♥[̲̅̅H̲̅][̲̅̅A̲̅][̲̅̅P̲̅][̲̅̅P̲̅][̲̅̅ Y̲̅][̲̅̅B̲̅][̲̅̅I̲̅][̲̅̅R̲̅][̲̅̅T̲̅][̲̅̅H̲̅][̲̅̅D̲̅][̲̅̅A̲̅][̲̅̅Y̲̅]♥♥♫♪ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ•*¨`*•♥ •*¨`*•

But unfortunately, evil people have a way of turning anything good to their twisted and nefarious purposes. These two things should go without saying, but I’ll say it anyway:

Any company that spams you is operating very close to the line of ethicality, and
Any company that spams you in this underhanded way is probably running a criminal enterprise, and should be avoided like the plague.

Depending on what you read, spam can account for up to 90% of all email; at this point, 62% of all web traffic is generated by non-humans, although not all of this is malicious. As for me and my house, any company that spams me is guaranteed not to get my business, and bad reviews in public if they happen to be extra-obnoxious. Halting the flood is like spitting in the ocean, but the best I can do is raise awareness.

The Old Wolf has spoken.

Packaging Snake Oil

Posted on April 15, 2014 by The Old Wolf

I’ve posted numerous times about health-related scams and sleazy marketing. For this reason, I have no small sense of irony spending time as a temp worker for a local nutraceutical company that serves many herbal and health-food concerns. Today I spent 8 hours helping to package about a million capsules of… wait for it… garcinia cambogia.

Temp work is fine, I guess. It’s pretty mindless work, although it can be physically demanding, and it provides some income where there would otherwise be none. But as one works, one’s mind drifts to the customers who will be buying this stuff at grossly inflated prices, thinking that this is the magic bullet to help them lose weight; it’s not, and they won’t. They’re just throwing money away on a powdered fruit product of dubious value.

From “Lucky Luke 18 – In the Shadow of the Derricks”

Competition was also lively in the 1740’s among some half a dozen proprietors marketing a form of crude petroleum under the name of British Oil. Early in the decade Michael and Thomas Betton were granted a patent for “An Oyl extracted from a Flinty Rock for the Cure of Rheumatick and Scorbutick and other Cases.” The source of the oil, according to their specifications, was rock lying just above the coal in mines, and this rock was pulverized and heated in a furnace to extract all the precious healing oil. (Old English Patent Medicines in America, George B. Griffenhagen and James Harvey Young. Found at the Gutenberg Project.)

Snake-oil salesmen have been around since the dawn of time. Sometimes they took the guise of shamans or medicine men – now they’re just con men and marketing specialists. Now, don’t get me wrong – I am a proponent of optimal nutrition including an adequate intake of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and co-factors, and there is a significant body of peer-reviewed science that documents beneficial effects from many natural sources: fruits, vegetables, plants, herbs, chemicals (think of aspirin), and so on. I have nothing against natural remedies, especially when there is adequate proof to show that they are effective. What rubs me the wrong way more than anything are the outrageous claims touted by advertorials and infomercials, picked up on by celebrities such as Oprah and Dr. Oz, and marketed in multiple millions of dollars to the gullible proletariat.

The nutritional industry is a trillion-dollar scam waiting to happen, and very little of what is sold imparts benefit commensurate with price paid. Add to that the fact that the landscape is so unregulated that one can claim almost anything as long as you include the standard disclaimer that your product is not intended to cure, prevent, diagnose or treat any disease, and that your claims are not approved by the FDA. That makes nutritional labeling similar to the CAN-SPAM act… you can get away with selling the moon as long as you word it right.

Let’s look at another product: Galaxy juice marketed by Joy Life international, a Chinese MLM company.

From their web page:

——–

GALAXY HIGH IMPACT JUICE BLEND

Boosts energy levels in a novel way

Contains a unique proprietary blend of antioxidant ingredients that may slow-down the aging process

Enhances ability to focus and concentrate

Taken with breakfast, this product has the singular unique property of reducing stress and in some manner enhances a positive outlook for the rest of the day

Ingredients: Water, Super Fruit Blend: (Acia, Pineapple, White Grape, Pomegranate, Red Raspberry, Aronia, Red Grape, Cranberry, Elder-berry, Plum, Red Sour Cherry, Mangosteen, Goji), Chicory Root Extract, Xylitol, Super Food Blend: (Barley, Cayenne Pepper, Buckwheat, Flaxseed, Alfalfa Sprout, Lactobacillus Acidophilus, Soy Isoflavones (40% Extract). Garlic 4:1, Wheatgrass 33:1), Antioxidant Blend: (Green Tea Extract, Alpha Lipoic Acid, DMAE, Idebenone, Ascorbic Acid), Citric Acid, Lecithin, Xanthan Gum, Potassium Sorbate, Sodium Benzoate.

——–

If this stuff boosts energy levels, it does so because of the natural sugars contained in the fruit blend, which is hardly novel; but I especially love the “in some manner,” which conjures up visions of handwavium and unobtainium. Don’t ask questions, it just works. Remember that Chinese medicine has largely been marketed to a Chinese population, a large percentage of whom are essentially ignorant of modern scientific realities. Were it not so, the rhinoceros would not be an endangered species today.

In Bernard Read’s translation of the 1597 Chinese materia medica “Pen Ts’ao Kang Mu”, the complete section on rhinoceros horn (“the best is from a freshly killed male animal”) reads as follows, with no mention of any aphrodisiac qualities:

“It should not be taken by pregnant women; it will kill the foetus. As an antidote to poisons (in Europe it was said to fall to pieces if poison were poured into it). To cure devil possession and keep away all evil spirits and miasmas. For gelsemium [jasmine] and snake poisoning. To remove hallucinations and bewitching nightmares. Continuous administration lightens the body and makes one very robust. For typhoid, headache, and feverish colds. For carbuncles and boils full of pus. For intermittent fevers with delirium. To expel fear and anxiety, to calm the liver and clear the vision. It is a sedative to the viscera, a tonic, antipyretic. It dissolves phlegm. It is an antidote to the evil miasma of hill streams. For infantile convulsions and dysentery. Ashed and taken with water to treat violent vomiting, food poisoning, and overdosage of poisonous drugs. For arthritis, melancholia, loss of the voice. Ground up into a paste with water it is given for hematemesis [throat hemorrhage], epistaxis [nosebleeds], rectal bleeding, heavy smallpox, etc. (Found at Save the Rhino)

But how is Galaxy juice being represented to their sales force, and hence by the sales force to potential customers? As an anti-cancer agent. Now, if US reps don’t want to run afoul of the FDA, they won’t say anything about that in a direct manner, but have a look at some of the slides from their own inspirational Powerpoint presentation:

Joy Life found a willing scientist, gave him a research grant, and wildly extrapolated his results. And a bottle of this fruit/grain concoction sells for $130.00 in China. Is it worthless? Well, looking at the ingredients, it’s probably a good source of antioxidants, but it won’t cure cancer, and it’s hardly worth the end-user price. Let it also be mentioned that Joy Life sells a few other things in the USA that are highly questionable, including:

The “Energy Cup“, a filtration system that ‘converts everyday drinking water into ionized, alkaline water, helping sustain the body’s natural pH levels
The “Anion Emitter” which is supposed to ‘contain semi-precious stones infused with proprietary frequencies that carry a negative charge‘ designed to ‘bring the body into balance and energetic homeostasis while restoring health and reducing pain‘
The “Cation Shield“, Joy Life claiming it ‘helps strengthen your body’s bio-field while bathing you with the beneficial effects of negative ions to help combat EMFs.

Things of this nature fall directly into the quackery zone, and I’m astonished that they can get away with marketing this sort of garbage.

Fortunately for me, I won’t be working at this particular outlet much longer; another opportunity has come up which strikes me as being much more upstanding and worthwhile. But the size and scope of the former enterprise made me realize once again that the business of separating people from their hard-earned cash often has very little to do with providing honest value in return.

The Old Wolf has spoken.

Followup to the Irish Lottery scammer

Posted on April 13, 2014 by The Old Wolf

I mentioned a scam email from a Nigerian scammer earlier, and decided to yank their chains a bit. In the process, I discovered that these Lads from Lagos were a bit more inventive than the rest of their crowd.

So I wrote to “Mr. Stephanie Hughston” (is that anything like a Boy Named Sue?) just to see how they played their game.

To: transfer-online@ntwstbonline.co.uk

From: [redacted]

Subject: Contact Mr. Stephanie Hughston Re: Irish Prize

To whom it may concern:

I have been requested by Mr. Thomas Parker, online coordinator for the Irish Lottery, to contact you regarding the claim of my prize of €700,000, which is most wonderful. Please forward further details. I have included my data for your convenience.

Sincerely yours,

Wolfington X. Analemma

Here’s what came back:

From: NATWEST BANK ONLINE <transfer-online@ntwstbonline.co.uk>

To: [redacted]

Subject: RE: Contact Mr. Stephanie Hughston Re: Irish Prize

Attention: Wolfington X. Analemma,

Compliment of the day to you from RBS Bank, we are here to serve you better. I am Mr. Stephanie Hughston, the Operations Executive/ Officer at NatWest Bank of London. We are in receipt of your demand draft approval from IRISH NATIONAL IRELAND/UK for the transfer of your prize amount with effective, safe and secure service. This bank has been instructed by the Irish National Lottery Anniversary Department, to transfer the sum of €700,000.00 EUROinto an account in your name, in which your funds (BANK DRAFT) will be deposited to enhance further transfer to your local bank account into your Country.

Meanwhile Wolfington X. Analemma You may give us a call during working hours for brief explanation via communication sequel to this funds transfer from this great Institution. Where finding Banking at its best. You may call my direct line for easy communication.   <+447010089271>

We are mandated by the IRISH NATIONAL IRELAND/UK to transfer the sum of €700,000.00 EURO, which was indicated by Head office (Irish National Lottery Board Ireland/UK.) to receive from this bank. Note however that payment will be transferred into a temporary online OFFSHORE Domiciliary bank account with us, which we enable you transfer the funds online into your local bank account in your Country . You will be free to ascertain a limited confirmation on this account and amount as it appears. More so in view to your e-mail to us, Irish National Lottery Board has issued out your fund particulars, origin certificate forwarded to our association head department of the NatWest Bank Plc by the Company Board for fund release which has been received by the Bank. This means that you have being officially cleared for fund release by the Verification Department at the headquarters of the NATWEST Bank Plc.

To begin the Final step of the funds transfer process, which is the Payout of your funds as the legitimate beneficiary worth €700,000.00 EURO, with regards to this; you will have to set up an online temporary account for your winning prize online transfer to your local bank account in your Country.

ACCOUNT TRANSFER FORM
First Name________________
Last Name _______________
Residential Address_______________
Country Of Residence______________
City_____________
State________________
Zip Code________________
Valid Telephone Number________________
Office Telephone Number_______________
Date Of Birth ______________

NOTE: A SCAN COPY OF ANY OF YOUR IDENTITY CARD IS ALSO REQUIRED (PASSPORT OR DRIVER LICENSE)

   You are required to fill and send the form above to this office as soon as possible. On the above instructions, we solicit your co-operation to enable us dispense our duties and obligations swiftly. Thanking you in anticipation for your cooperation. Accept our felicitation and your immediate response is expected. We await your response. We thank you for your trust in our Banking System.

Thank you for your patronage.
Have a nice Day.

NATWEST BANK UK
London Branch Address:
45 Fulham Broadway,
London, UK,
United Kingdom
Telephone:  +44 701 008 9271
Branch Banking Timing
Monday-Friday: 09:00 – 17:00
Saturday: 09:00 – 12:30
Sunday / Bank Holiday: No Banking

If this guy’s from London, I’m from Madagascar. The English is typical Mugu-ese, which is no surprise – and of course, the phone prefix is (44 70) which goes to somewhere else in the world. I send the requested information, along with a bogus driver’s license.

To: Mr. Wolfington X. Analemma

From: Mr Nashit Khan
Ref: Online Account Opened,Proceed with transfer online!

Attn: Mr. Wolfington X. Analemma

Dear Client,
Sir/Madam,

Thank you for contacting the NatWest Banking Institute London , At NatWest we seek to delight all our customers.Your questions and comments are important to us. Your mail has been received.

I would like to say congratulations once again as your new account has been successfully set-up and credited. This is a notification to inform you that your account has been created/setup online from our transfer department to enable you transfer your funds to your nominated account online.

Please Note that you have a temporary Offshore Domiciliary account, the reason is because you are not our full client banking with us and because your account opening was free.

All temporary users must transfer their funds within two weeks,for this account is a temporary account. if it exceeds two weeks,your account will be inactive and can’t access statement of your account.

To Avoid this, all transfer must be made on time.
Here are the details of your Offshore Domiciliary account. You are required to Log into your internet Online Banking.
Here are the procedures to log in:

1: Click Here

Then click on ” Click here to enter “
2: When the Pop up Window Display please enter your Account Number and Pin.

ACCOUNT NO: 0777121047

PIN : 949

If this procedures are followed orderly,you won’t find it difficult to Log in. After you have successfully log into your account, you are to click of transfer and wait while a new page opens for you to input your bank account receiver details and click on transfer to proceed for your online transfer.

On the above instructions, we solicit your co-operation to enable us dispense our duties and obligations swiftly. Thanking you in anticipation for your cooperation. Accept our felicitation and your immediate response is expected. We await your response

We thank you for your trust in our Banking System. Do have a wonderful day as we look forward to providing you with all the best of our service. We await your swift response in other for we to proceed with your transactions.

Have a nice Day.
Regards,
Mr. Stephanie Hughston
NATWEST BANK UK
London Branch Address:
45 Fulham Broadway,
London, UK,
United Kingdom
Telephone: +44 701 008 9271
Branch Banking Timing
Monday-Friday: 09:00 – 17:00
Saturday: 09:00 – 12:30
Sunday / Bank Holiday: No Banking

Just as a point of interest, notice that it’s hard to tell if the email is from Stephanie Hughston or Mr. Nashit Khan. I followed the indicated link, and got the following screen:

Clicking on the appropriate link I am taken to an official-looking popup:

which, when I have entered the “data” they provided me, sends me to another website:

Wow, it really looks like they’ve deposited a bunch of money into this account. Most of the Nigerian scammers don’t go to the trouble of setting up phony websites like this. At any rate, I click on the “transfer money” link and I get this:

with an official-looking progress bar, but then this happens:

Well, they didn’t mention anything about a “COT Code,” so I dutifully contact my “account officer:”

Greetings,

I have done as you recommended, however when I attempt to make the transfer I am presented with a screen that asks for a COT code. Please advise how to proceed.
-Wolfington X. Analemma

And back comes the “money shot:”

From: Mr. Stephanie Hughston
To: Mr. Wolfington X. AnalemmaRef: COT Code requirement by NatWest Bank.

Attn: Mr. Wolfington X. Analemma
Dear Client,
Sir
Compliment of the day to you.

Thank you for contacting the NatWest Banking Institute London , At NatWest we seek to delight all our customers.Your questions and comments are important to us. Your mail has been received, and we are pleased to inform you that we have received approval for the transfer of (€700,000.00 EURO) to your local nominated bank account. Sequel to the information of your files in our system and the immediate need of transfer of funds to your account.

The remittance department of the NatWest Banking Institute London hereby write to inform you that, Your transfer of funds would only be fully transferred to your account immediately the cost of handling charges/Transfer is been paid by you as the beneficiary of the funds as deposited with our bank. We shall provide you with the code as soon as you pay for its cost.

Sir, COT code is known as (COST OF TRANSFER ), It is a code that is given by the Head Department of NatWest bank to complete your online transfer of funds into your local bank account in United State . The Cot code charged for your online funds transfer into your local bank account is (€645 EURO).

Mr. Wolfington X. Analemma, the COT code will be release to you sooner we confirm your payment for cot code charge. Sir, I would like to speak with you upon acknowledgement of this email for Instruction on how to make payment for your cot code charges or via email for the payment instruction.

Note that your total amount has been insured to its real value as the funds have been deposited with a cover premium insurance bonded draft and as such funds cannot be deducted. This is in accordance with Article 44 Sub Section 144 of the England banking commission regulations as amended in the 1999 constitution. This is to protect clients and to avoid Misappropriation of funds.

On the above instructions, we solicit your co-operation to enable us dispense our duties and obligations swiftly. Thanking you in anticipation for your cooperation. Accept our felicitation and your immediate response is expected. We await your response.We thank you for your trust in our Banking System.

We await your swift response in other for we to proceed with your transactions.
Have a nice Day.
Regards,
Mr. Stephanie Hughston

When I asked how this “COT Code” is to be paid, this was the response:

To: Mr. Wolfington X. Analemma
From: Mr. Stephanie HughstonRef: COT Code requirement & Payment Instruction.

Attn: Mr. Wolfington X. Analemma
Dear Client,
Sir/Madam,
Compliment of the day to you.

Thank you for contacting the NatWest Banking Institute London , At NatWest we seek to delight all our customers.Your questions and comments are important to us. Your mail has been received and the content was well understood.

The remittance department of the NatWest Bank,United Kingdom hereby write to inform you that, Your transfer of funds would only be fully transferred to your account immediately the cost of handling charges/Transfer is been paid by you as the beneficiary of the funds as deposited with our bank. We shall provide you with the code as soon as you pay for its cost.

The cost of handling charges for your transfer of funds is €645 EURO . This cost of handling charges must be paid without delay to enable the speedy transfer of your funds to your Account. Find below the amount to make for the transfer of funds to your account:

Sum Total: €645 EURO

Sequel to your email, the total payment of €645 EURO should be paid via the nearest Money Gram outlet close to you. You are to pay a total €645 EURO only. This cost of handling charges/transfer must be paid without delay to enable the speedy transfer of your funds to your Account upon applying the cot code online . Find below the amount charge for cot code to enable the speedy release of funds to your account :

This payment for the COT is to be made out to the account department agent of our Money Gram receiving Unit, here in London,. She is the bank’s Account Officer by the Money Gram transfer Service from overseas customers only.
Please you are advices to make the payment to;

ACCOUNT AGENT DETAILS:
Name of Receiver: MRS. KATE JEFFERSON
Address: LONDON WC2A 2AE,
UNITED KINGDOM.

You are require to get back to us with the information below after payment.

1. Name of Sender ………
2. Address of Sender ……..
3. Total Amount Sent ……….
4. Reference Number . (REF 8digit)………….

NOTE: A SCAN COPY OF YOUR MONEY GRAM PAYMENT SLIP SHOULD BE ATTACHED VIA EMAIL TO THIS OFFICE FOR REFERENCE PURPOSE.

The Money Gram service provides a flexible means of sending funds overseas and also we make such transaction in our bank, and has been specially designed to meet your business needs in terms of cost and speedy Payments are sent using an electronic bank-to-bank transfer. which is suitable for both urgent and less time critical payments and enables the secure transfer of funds from the United Kingdom to overseas beneficiaries. When we receive the above payment information we shall immediately dispense our duties by releasing the cot code to complete your transfer into your Nominated bank as applied online for your transfer.

On the above instructions, we solicit your co-operation to enable us dispense our duties and obligations swiftly. Thanking you in anticipation for your cooperation. Accept our felicitation and your immediate response is expected. We await your response.We thank you for your trust in our Banking System.

Note: Give me a call as soon as your payment is done and provide details as requested respectively. We await your swift response in other for we to proceed with your transactions.

So now we’re back to the regular protocol. “Send us money via Western Union.” If I have not repeated this advice enough throughout this blog, here it is again: NEVER DO THIS. It’s always a scam. I told the drone I’d send him the money later that day. A couple of days go by, and I get this from him:

To: Mr. Wolfington X. Analemma
From: Mr. Stephanie HughstonRef: COT Code requirement & Payment Instruction.

Attn: Mr. Wolfington X. Analemma
Dear Client,
Sir/Madam,
Compliment of the day to you.

Thank you for contacting the NatWest Banking Institute London , At NatWest we seek to delight all our customers.Your questions and comments are important to us. Your mail has been received and the content was well understood.

Sir, what is the status of your payment as earlier promised?.

NOTE: A SCAN COPY OF YOUR MONEY GRAM PAYMENT SLIP SHOULD BE ATTACHED VIA EMAIL TO THIS OFFICE FOR REFERENCE PURPOSE.

The Money Gram service provides a flexible means of sending funds overseas and also we make such transaction in our bank, and has been specially designed to meet your business needs in terms of cost and speedy Payments are sent using an electronic bank-to-bank transfer. which is suitable for both urgent and less time critical payments and enables the secure transfer of funds from the United Kingdom to overseas beneficiaries. When we receive the above payment information we shall immediately dispense our duties by releasing the cot code to complete your transfer into your Nominated bank as applied online for your transfer.

On the above instructions, we solicit your co-operation to enable us dispense our duties and obligations swiftly. Thanking you in anticipation for your cooperation. Accept our felicitation and your immediate response is expected. We await your response.We thank you for your trust in our Banking System.

Note: Give me a call as soon as your payment is done and provide details as requested respectively. We await your swift response in other for we to proceed with your transactions.

Have a nice Day.
Regards,
Mr. Stephanie Hughston

He’s wondering where his money is. Sometimes, as you have seen before, I’ll send him a bogus MTCN and scan of a Western Union receipt just to see how many times I can get him scurrying back to Western Union to pick up non-existent funds, but this time I feel like it’s time to pull the plug.

To: NATWEST BANK ONLINE <transfer-online@ntwstbonline.co.uk>

From: [redacted]

Subject: Status of Payment

Cc:

Oh, did you actually think I was going to send you some money? I’m sorry I won’t be there to see the disappointment on your face. I’ve had fun wasting your time and getting your hopes up.You are a liar, a scammer, and a criminal. May Olumba Olumba Obu send black powder, disease and death to you and every other 419 onioburu.

Dem no born you reach, mugu – u no fit comot face, just skip along.

And their response?

cricket… cricket… cricket…

Once again, be careful out there. This one was well-crafted enough (despite the bad English, which amazingly some people won’t pick up on) to fool vulnerable or ill-informed individuals. Protect and educate your loved ones against this kind of douchebaggery.

The Old Wolf has spoken.

It’s only a Done Deal if you give these scammers your credit card number

Posted on April 6, 2014 by The Old Wolf

Notice the legitimate address for DoneDeal up there? It’s http://www.donedeal.ie, the home page of a legitimate Irish commercial site.

No surprises, then, that when the email leads you to http://recza.com.mx/donedealone/[obfuscated], red flags wave, sirens blare, and bells ring. Why would DoneDeal be using a web host in Mexico?

Of course, they wouldn’t. This is a phishing scam, pure and simple. I’ve received two in the last couple of days, the second pointing to a different website after the first one was shut down. You fill out an innocent-looking survey (and if you believe that they will pay you €150.00 for that 30-second effort, I have a bridge I’d like to sell you) and then you’re taken to a page where you enter your credit card details and other critical personal information:

Most of my readers here know how to recognize a phishing scam from miles away, but most of us have loved ones and friends who may not be computer literate. Protect them; educate them; teach them NEVER to give out their financial data online unless they know what they’re doing.

DoneDeal knows about these bottom-feeders; whether they can do anything about them is debatable, but forewarned is forearmed.

The Old Wolf has spoken.

Shipping Scams: One way the Nigerians find their accomplices

Posted on April 2, 2014 by The Old Wolf

I have received over the last year or so around a dozen fraudulent checks from Nigerian Craigslist scammers, about whom I have posted previously. I received an email today which illustrates one method by which they get people in the USA to act as their stooges.

—————————

From: Andrew Joycelyn JoycxuelfaynAncudrew@outlook.com

To: Me

A US based organization is looking for Mail Associates. This position requires no special knowledge besides entry-level computer skills and physical ability to work with correspondence and dispatches.

Perfectly fitting for stay-at-home moms, retirees and business owners who reside in the personal office during the day.

The work pressure is around five hours every day.

Duties:

– Accepting of correspondence and dispatches
– Checking whether the contents match the description
– Submitting photos
– Sending shipments to clients
– Submitting of simple reports via our website

Prerequisites:

– A postal address anywhere in the United States
– Can work take responsibility
– A personal car to deliver mail to the nearest USPS locations
– Physical ability to lift up to 25 lbs

This is a permanent job with a compensation of up to $2,000 net per month.

Should you become interested in this job offer, kindly reply to this email, and we will contact you at our earliest convenience.

——————–

Whatever kind of “work” these drones are offering, you can be certain it’s not legitimate. In addition to printing and mailing fraudulent checks, criminals also use people like this to forward illicit items or stolen property. My suspicion is that anyone who applies will also be taken advantage of monetarily in some way.

The following text is from the Postal Inspectors’ website:

Don’t Be the Victim of a Reshipping Scam!

Have you been asked to receive packages at your home or business and mail them to someone else? Postal Inspectors advise: Don’t do it!

Criminals who conduct reshipping scams recruit victims through a variation of one of these scenarios:

Work-at-Home Scams

Criminals often post phony job announcements at Internet career sites, offering positions such as “merchandising manager,” “package processing assistant,” or a similar title. Job duties generally include receiving packages and mailing them to a foreign address on behalf of a client. The websites may look legitimate, and they may offer to send you postage-paid mailing labels.

The real story? The offers come from criminals who buy merchandise with stolen credit cards and need help smuggling the goods out of the country. Even the mailing labels are phony. And you are committing a felony when you help out these criminals.

What should you do if you’ve been tricked into
one of these scams?

Don’t accept packages at your address for people you don’t know.

Stop all communication with operators who try to solicit your help in reshipping items.

If you already have merchandise from such an offer, don’t mail it.

Keep all correspondence (e-mails, faxes, etc.) related to these scams.

Contact Postal Inspectors at 1-877-876-2455. They’ll help you return stolen items back to the proper owners.

Also be aware of “Sweetheart Scams” and “Charity Scams” out lined in the same PDF document.

Stay away from such spurious offers; you’re dealing with the worst kind of soulless criminal, and will only stand to lose money and a whole lot more.

The Old Wolf has spoken.

Scam: You can’t win a lottery you didn’t enter

Posted on April 1, 2014 by The Old Wolf

TAKE NOTE:

From: IRISH LOTTERY <parkerdskirish@hotmail.com>

To: <redacted>

Subject: RE: Irish Prize

IRISH GOVERNMENT ACCREDITED LICENSED IRISH WEB LOTTERY

IS REGISTERED UNDER THE DATA PROTECTION ACT OF
(Registration Z720633X).

The Irish Lottery
47 Meadow Vale,
Sligo, Ireland
Ref: UK/9420X2/68
Batch: 074/05/ZY369
Tel (+44) 701 002 8673

CONGRATULATIONS!
We happily announce to you the draw (#1004) of the IRISH LOTTERY online Sweepstakes International program held on the 30th of March 2014. It is now available for claims and you are getting the final NOTIFICATION as regards this.

Your e-mail address attached to ticket number: 5647560050000 with Serial number 5368/02 drew the lucky numbers:02, 05, 09, 16, 18, 41, (bonus no.03), which subsequently won you the lottery in the 1st category i.e match 5 plus bonus.You have therefore been approved to claim a total sum of 700,000.00 EURO (Seven hundred thousand Euros) in cash credited to file KTU/902311308/03. This is from a total cash prize of 3,600,000 (Three million, Four hundred thousand euros) shared among the (6) lucky winners in this category i.e Match 5 plus bonus. All participants for the online version were selected randomly from World Wide Web sites through computer draw system and extracted from over 100,000 unions, associations, and corporate bodies that are listed online.Please note that your lucky winning number falls within our European booklet representative office in Europe as indicated in your play coupon. In view of this, your 700,000.00 EURO (Seven hundred thousand Euros) will be released to you by any of our payment offices in Europe.

We are once again happy with you that you have won the IRISH LOTTERY PROMOTION. Our European agent will immediately commence the process to facilitate the release of your funds.
Before we can gives you instructions on further step of your claims, you are advice to fill the claims below and get back to me for further instructions.

FULL NAME:________
SEX:________
COMPANY: IF ANY _________
FULL CONTACT ADDRESS:_________
PHONE:_________
AGE:____
CELL:____
CITY:_____
STATE:________
ZIP CODE:______
COUNTRY: ______
OCCUPATION: _____

For enquirers, more information and to file your claim, all contact should be forwarded to us via this email.

Congratulations from me and members of staff of THE IRISH LOTTERY.

Yours faithfully,
Thomas Parker (Mr)
Phone: (+44) 701 002 8673
Online coordinator for THE IRISH LOTTERY
Sweepstakes International Program.(Ireland)

EDIT: Just continuing on with these Lads from Lagos so you can see how the scam plays out. Red flags and gross errors are marked in red.

IRISH GOVERNMENT ACCREDITED LICENSED IRISH WEB LOTTERY
IS REGISTERED UNDER THE DATA PROTECTION ACT OF
(Registration Z720633X).

The Irish Lottery
47 Meadow Vale,
Sligo, Ireland
Ref: UK/9420X2/68
Batch: 074/05/ZY369
Tel (+44) 701 002 8673

Congratulations: Wolfington X. Analemma,
Congratulation once again your winning price has just been handed over to NATWEST BANK . We wish to inform you as a winner in this year IRISH ONLINE Award. Your check (Bank Draft) has been registered and deposited as a Bank Draft with the (NATWEST BANK) London, UK.

Contact the Bank via email as given below, NATWEST, Your winning check (700,000.00 EURO) was deposited with NATWEST, Kindly contact NatWest for transfer of your winning prize (BANK DRAFT) deposited from the National Lottery Department (IRISH LOTTERY).
You are to contact Mr. Stephanie Hughston ( +447010089271 ) Email: transfer-online@ntwstbonline.co.uk that is in charge of your fund right now in NATWEST BANK OF LONDON who will give instruction to the transfer department to commence on the transfer into the bank account details that is required by the NATWEST bank.

Operations Executive Officer NatWest Bank of London.
Mr. Stephanie Hughston
transfer-online@ntwstbonline.co.uk
+447010089271

Once again congratulation from me and member staff of the IRISH SWEETSTAKE ONLINE
For any clarification, kindly call IRISH Claim office Tell: +447010028673

Yours faithfully,
Thomas Parker (Mr)
Phone: (+44) 701 002 8673
Online coordinator for THE IRISH LOTTERY
Sweepstakes International Program.(Ireland)

By Mogg’s holy grandfather, can the grammar, spelling, and overall English be any worse? Who could possibly believe that this is from any official body in Ireland or the UK? Be aware that the Irish Lottery is aware of this ongoing game by the Lads from Lagos:

Please note – There are an ever-growing number of Irish lotto e-mail scams. Although these scammers have used our name and address in their fraudulent e-mails we are NOT involved in any way with any of these scams.

Please visit http://europeanlottery.net/scam/lotto_scams.html for more information.

An Excerpt:

There are an ever-growing number of lottery scams circulating in the world wide web. Although these scammers have used the name and address of Irish and UK Subscription Services in their fraudulent e-mails, we would like to stress that ILS is NOT involved in any way with any of these scams.

Please be vigilant. These lottery scams are cleverly and convincingly written, but deceptive and completely fraudulent. Thousands of people have lost money paying “commissions” and “charges” to receive cash prizes they’ve been told (falsely) they’ve won. Take for example, the latest Irish Lottery Scam which comes with a forged ILS cheque with your name on it! The opportunists behind these scams are stealing large amounts of money from gullible people and they tarnish the integrity of legitimate marketers of Government Lotteries.

If you have any doubt at all about the legitimacy of a lottery prize “win” you’re mailed or emailed about, just email us atsales@irishlotto.net or sales@irishsubscription.net An ILS Representative will be very glad to assist you.

The rest of the page is very informative and worth reading.

—————

Just posting this in case anyone else gets this fraudulent email and does a search on the information. Please note the following facts:

You can never win a lottery you did not enter
There are no “international tombolas,” or lotteries that choose winners from random emails
NEVER pay money to collect a prize of any sort.
Participating in overseas lotteries is illegal in many countries anyway, particularly the USA. The Irish Lottery and the Spanish Gordo are two favorite cover stories for liars, thieves, scammers, and hqiz-eaters.
Again we see a (+44 70) prefix. THIS IS NOT A UK NUMBER: If you call it, you’re speaking to someone in Nigeria or elsewhere in Africa, in all likelihood.

Be careful out there. The number of people out there who want your hard-earned money and who will stop at nothing to get it is rising as the Internet becomes more accessible to larger sections of third-world countries.

The Old Wolf has spoken.

Playing in the World Game

As One

Category Archives: Fraud

The things these scammers say…

“Mega Millions” scam from Jamaica

There is no “weird trick.”

Bypassing Spam Filters

Packaging Snake Oil

Followup to the Irish Lottery scammer

It’s only a Done Deal if you give these scammers your credit card number

Scam: You can’t win a lottery you didn’t enter

TAKE NOTE: