Tag Archives: Western Union

Beware of “Pet Care” texts or emails

Posted on by The Old Wolf

Scam Alert-stamp

Over at a post about working over a Craigslist scammer, I got a few comments about a particular scammer that’s working the “pet care” angle. I thought I’d respond to his email address and see how it works.

I wrote to jamesbrenard1@gmail.com: “Someone said you were interested in pet care. Where are you located?”

Here how the drone responded:

Hello and how are you doing?

Glad to read from you and since you were refereed by CARE, I feel comfortable discussing this opening as it concerns the comfort of my fur babies who happens to be the only babies i have presently but hoping for that to change soon. My name is James and my wife’s name is Maha, I contacted Care i needed a Caregiver so am trusting their judgement. I am relocating to your neighborhood from Canada. I recently got a contract with a company on a private research job and i’ll be in charge. My wife is 6 months pregnant, she was in a little accident few weeks ago so am a little indisposed and this is going to be a big change in my family so we want everything to move smoothly and stress-free, so i am going to have a limited time for our fur babies and this is where i hope you come in and help.

I need someone to work 4 hours in a day for an 3 days in the week, someone that is mature whether young or old, loves pets, reliable, attentive, honest and punctual. You will be taking care of 2 Dogs, Billy a yr old Australian Terrier and Misty a 4 years old German
Shepard for any three days of your choice excluding Sundays and will have to take them on a walk at least once a week, give them a bath, brush their hair and make them comfortable while we are away. I can handle the feeding but the rest i wont be able to do, so you can work for us as long as you want. I plan on getting 2 fishes on the other hand; one is a Fancy Goldfish, while the other is an Auratus Cichlid, we’ve never had fishes but i wish to have the very best care for them so i’ll need advise on names that you think will befit them. I trust you can do this for us.

Our arrival date will be on the 28th of January and we’ll be having a face to face meet on the 29th the day after our arrival. I will be offering you $415 weekly,and also will be needing your services for 4 hours at any suitable time of yours. Bonus will be paid if there are any overtime, If you believe you are fit for this position in as much you will prove yourself to be a reliable and good person, I will instruct my financial clerk to pay for the first week before our arrival so as to secure your service in advance and to show our commitment on our part. 

My financial clerk will require this information to be able to make out a check to you;

Full Name:
Full address with Apt Number:
City, State and Zip code:
Phone number:

I await to read from you soon.

Warmest regards

Note a couple of things:

  1. This bozo has no idea where I live. Even if legitimate, he or she could be living in Fairbanks, Alaska, and I might be responding from Key West, Florida.
  2. The promise of advance payment. Anyone who “bites” would be sent a check of this nature: Secret Shopper Bogus Check
  3. The next thing that would happen is that the criminal would send too much money and ask the victim to wire a large part of it to someone else via Western Union. Of course, the check is bogus, your money is gone, and you’re on the hook to the bank for the full amount – including possibly facing criminal charges of your own for negotiating false documents. That doesn’t happen often, but some banks and police departments are anal-retentive enough that it has happened, and will probably happen more often in the future.

I sent the drone a fake name but a real address… and never heard back. I wrote back once saying “Hey, what happened? You were going to send me a check to get Pet Care started. Did you change your mind,? Should I still be looking?” but never had a response. Either he somehow twigged that he was being played for a fool, or simply had moved on to a new victim.

At any rate, watch out for this individual and any others using the same ploy.

Be careful out there.

The Old Wolf has spoken.

Send now, $115 through Western Union or Money Gram!

Posted on by The Old Wolf

nigerians

As soon as you see the words “Nigeria,” “Western Union,” “MoneyGram,” or anything else that has to do with sending your hard-earned money to Africa, run the other way and don’t look back.

While these letters may seem repetitive, I post them here in case anyone who is considering acting on these scams does a Google search. If I can keep a single person from losing their funds to these scumbags, it will have been worth it.

From: Info Desk <ndlea1@yahoo.com>
Subject: RE: We have completed the Automated Access code number program.

To: edcsservices@hotmail.com

From the desk of: Dr (Mrs) Sarah Alade,

Deputy Governor, Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).
Plot 33, Abubakar Tafawa Balewa Way CBD, Cadastral Zone, Abuja, FCT
Attn: Beneficiary
We have completed the Automated Access code number program.
All we need now is for an attorney from our legal department to sign and we shall give you the access code and the program which your bank or our accredited paying bank near you will use to access the escrow using the password and your will get your funds.
Truly, everything is ready to go. It would cost you US$115.
The US$115 is to obtain the authorization and legal signing fee of the accredited attorney from our legal department, who will sign to enable us give the release codes to either JP Morgan Chase & Co., Bank of America or BB&T Corporation to enable them access the escrow and pay the first $500,000 installments to you through check, draft or cash.
Due to nefarious activities of our corresponding banks and agents, we went into processing, management and online portal services pact with some banks in US.
We presently have three claimants in Georgia (U.S. state) and New York, one is from White Plains and 1 is from Ellijay.
We set up a secured escrow which can be accessed by and domiciled in JP Morgan Chase & Co., Bank of America or BB&T Corporation for the purpose of these transactions.
Once the claimant satisfies the rule, the authorization and legal signing by the Central Bank of Nigeria accredited attorney done, we will give remittance order/authorization to either JP Morgan Chase & Co., Bank of America or BB&T Corporation depending on proximity to the client. Then either JP Morgan Chase & Co., Bank of America or BB&T Corporation will access the escrow using the PIN and password, then update the programmed funds from the escrow and pay it to the client in $500,000 installments through check, draft or cash even through local wire transfer depending on the choice of the beneficiary.
The US$500,000 is to bypass bureaucratic bottlenecks and unending money laundering quagmire and brouhaha.
Send now, $115 through Western Union or Money Gram to:-
Receiver: Adamu Ahmed
Address: Plot 33, Abubakar Tafawa Balewa Way Central Business District, Cadastral Zone, Abuja, FCT
Question: Place
Answer: FCT
Thanks, and we regret any inconveniences you might have passed through.
Yours sincerely
DR. (MRS) SARAH ALADE,

DEPUTY GOVERNOR, CENTRAL BANK OF NIGERIA (CBN)

Scamming Scum

Posted on by The Old Wolf

The boys from Benin, like the Lads from Lagos, never seem to give up.

Subject: MTCN: 3784757648 Amount: $5000.00
From: DAVID JOHNSON <foreignpayments19497@gmail.com>

To: undisclosed-recipients:;

MR DAVID JOHNSON
Payment Director
West Africa zonal office,
Western Union.

Ministry of Finance,

WELCOME TO WESTERN UNION MONEY TRANSFER THIS MAIL IS ONLY FOR THE
OWNER OF THIS E-MAIL ADDRESS:

Below is the information of your first payments $5000 Dollars sent to
you today. But unfortunately, the managing Director of this department
called us this morning and
reported that you have not paid the required fee $100 which you are
supposed to pay earlier for the purchasing and updating of your
transfer files but we have
already sent out the payment out but not yet been putting on your name
as the receiver. You will be receiving $5000 daily until your total
amount of funds $520,000
is fully paid to you.

Since you are finding it difficult to get the $100 we have decided
that you are to go ahead and pay whatever you have out of the total
fee $100 required. But
remind you, no amount below $50 will be accepted so we expect you to
pay whatever amount from $50 and above. You are to pay what ever you
have and we will activate your
mtcn number and direct the transfer to your name as the receiver.

Send it to this information below:

Name:__________Joe Mba
Address:________Cotonou/ Benin Republic
Text Question____Transfer?
Answer_____________Yes

Please any amount you send let us know but remember any amount below
$50 will not be accepted. Send us the payment information’s
immediately after you send it.

HERE IS THE MONEY TRANSFER DETAILS MADE TO YOU!!!

MTCN: 3784757648
Sender’s First Name: CLARENCE
Sender’s Last Name: CORASS
Test Question:Color
Answer: Blue
Amount: $5000.00

Don’t expose this numbers to anybody else. If you need to check the
transfer online to see that the money is posted online for
you:https://wumt.westernunion.com/asp/orderStatus.asp?country=BJ
Note that the money detail given to you does not bear your name as the
receiver yet. As soon as we receive the fee from you, we will
immediately activate your
mtcn# and put your name as the receiver. Please take note; you need to
go along with your passport ID or Drivers license when you need to
pick up the transfer
okay.

We look forward to hearing from you. Contact me with this Email (
wudpt5@gmail.com)

REGARDS,
MR DAVID JOHNSON
WESTERN UNION BENIN -TRANSFER AGENT

This personal email, sent to “undisclosed recipients,” is certainly tempting. Okay.

So many things wrong with this, but sadly some people will fall for it.

In case you were wondering, it’s a scam. It’s always a scam. As soon as anyone mentions Western Union or Send Money, you can be sure it’s a scam.

Don’t fall for this. Ignore any such emails. Please.

The Old Wolf has spoken.

Gasp! My $2,500,000 is gone!

Posted on by The Old Wolf
Subject: IF YOU FAIL TO SEND THE $40 THIS WEEK YOUR $2.500, 000.00 IS GONE
From: IMF OFFICIAL <imfpublicaffairs01@gmail.com>

To: undisclosed-recipients:;

INTERNATIONAL MONITORING FUND NATIONAL HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY COMPLEX
SENATE HOUSE – UPPER CHAMBERS WUSE DISTRICT, COTONOU/BENIN REPUBLIC
Our Ref: FGN /SNT/STB

IF YOU FAIL TO SEND THE $40 THIS WEEK YOUR $2.500, 000.00 IS GONE

I have to inform you again, that we are not playing over this, I know my reason for the continuous sending of this notification to you, the fact is that you can’t seem to trust any one again over this payment for what you have been in cantered in many months ago, but I want you to trust me, I cannot scam you for $40 it is for bank processing of your payment, the fees of $40 is clearly written to you before, I did not invent the bill to defraud you of $40 it is an official bank payment processing fee, and the good part of this, is that you will never, ever be disturbed again over any kind of payment, this is final, and the forms from there becomes effective once we submit your payment application processing fee and pay the form fee of $40 I don’t want you to loose this fund this time, because you may never get another such good opportunity, the federal government is keen and very determined to pay your overdue debts, this is not a fluke, I would not want you to loose this fund out of ignorance, I will send you all the documents as soon as bank payment processing fee is paid, you have to trust me, you will get your fund, find a way to get $40 you will not loose it,instead it will bring your financial breakthrough, find the money and send it to our bursary.

The reason why am sending you this IS because I want you to receive your USD2.5M immediately we are trying to round up for this payment program.The processing charges which was initially on the high price has been cut down by the payout bank considering the poor economic situations that make it difficult for the middle class citizens to meet up with the processing charges of their entitlement. Upon the confirmation of your processing charges you will get your $2.500, 000.00 into your account within 15hrs.

Here is the payment information through western union money transfer or money gram money transfer finally my advice to you is not to abandon this transaction because of the requirement of ($40) Account Officer Info:

Send the fee through Western Union or Money Gram only.

Receiver’s first Name: Joe Mba

City:::::::::::::: Cotonou
Country: ::::::::Benin Republic
Text Question: ::::::code
Answer::::::::code
Amount required: :::::::$40
Sender’s Name:::::
MTCN Number#:
Sender’s address:

As soon as the payment is received today, you will receive your $2.5M the same today without any delay.

Best Regards
Mrs. Waziri Lukman

Suffice it to say this is just another Benin scam; and as usual, the takeaway is that all such letters promising  you money from Africa are criminal enterprises designed to get your money. It’s interesting that these boys are scratching for the tiniest sums, but of course anyone who pays them will be asked for more, and more, and more until their funds are gone or until they catch on.

NEVER SEND MONEY BY WESTERN UNION OR MONEY CARD OR ANY OTHER SUCH SERVICE TO SOMEONE YOU DO NOT KNOW. IF YOU DO, YOUR MONEY WILL BE GONE FOREVER.

The Old Wolf has spoken.

Am I (DEAD) or am I (ALIVE)? [Scam]

Posted on by The Old Wolf

This Sam Nwa guy is working hard. A pity he doesn’t care to do anything but run an advance-fee fraud scam.

Subject: DHL COURIER SERVICE IMMEDIATE DELIVERY NOTIFICATION
From: Linda Williams <sarahkahls@gmail.com>
To: undisclosed-recipients:;

DIRECTOR DHL COURIER SERVICE.

TEL: +229 99935738

Dear Beneficiary,

I am writing to confirm the fact if you are (DEAD) or (ALIVE) and failure to reply back in the next 24hrs simply means what Mr Jude Betsy said was right that you are dead. Mr Jude Betsy has agreed to pay the needed charge fee valued of $50.00 dollars required for the Bond Stamp Duty Fee of your consignment box , but we have not gotten the money from him yet as we want to find out if you are DEAD or not, so if you are still (ALIVE) you are advice in your own best interest to reply back, The only money you will pay to our office here is just $50.00 for the paper works, Take note of this now, so we can stop further communication with Mr Jude Betsy and deliver the (Consignment Box) to your door step being the original benefactor of the $2.5 Million US Dollars. Be the reassurance that once we hear from you with this payment, i promise that your delivery will commence immediately without any further delay to hand over the consignment box to your designated address and do not miss this Good opportunity that you have to receive the consignment box at last for the pass effort that you are trying to get it receive to your home address this is an opportunity for you don’ t miss it is for you.

BELOW IS THE PAYMENT INFORMATION YOU WILL USE TO SEND THE $50.00 TO OUR CASHIER NAME THROUGH WESTERN UNION OR MONEY GRAM.

Receivers Name= = = Sam Nwa
Address:= = 12/1 Midombo Expressway Cotonou-Benin
Country= = = = = = Benin Republic
City= = = = = = = =Cotonou
Text question= = = =Who is father
Text answers= = = = God
Amount= = = = = = $50.00usd
MTCN Number= = = =?

You must send us the details provided by Western Union or money gram immediately you made the payment of $50 usd for us to receive it and commence for your delivery immediately.

Senders Name= = = =
Sender Address= = =
Sender Country= = =
Sender City= = = = =
MTCN= = = = = = =
Amount sent= = = =

Beside if you fail to comply with the needed $50 Dollars required there is no way we can deliver the consignment box to your country,

Looking forward to hear from you if you are still ALIVE, reply back for fast action so that your delivery will commence upon receipt of your payment.

Best Regards,

Dr Mrs.Linda Williams
DIRECTOR DHL COURIER SERVICE.
COMPANY BENIN REPUBLIC.
TEL/ +22999935738
Address 12/1 Midombo Expway Cotonou-Benin

Be careful out there.

The Old Wolf has spoken.

To Protect Yourself from Common Scams, Do This

Posted on by The Old Wolf

FIRST:

Be Very Careful with Cashier’s Checks!

Secret Shopper Bogus Check

These are extremely easy to forge on pre-printed forms available anywhere like Staples, Office Max, etc. All the criminal needs is a laser printer.

NEVER send money to someone who has sent you a cashier’s check until you have verified with your bank that it has cleared. If the check is bogus, you can also be arrested for passing fraudulent documents. This is a rare occurrence, but it has happened and probably will happen again.

SECOND:

Do Not Use Money Transfer Services with Unknown Persons

Generic_MoneyPak_Front

We’re talking here about Western Union, MoneyGram, and Green Dot MoneyPak cards, or anything else like it.

If you send money to a criminal with Western Union or a similar service, it’s gone. You can’t get it back. If a criminal asks you to buy a Green Dot MoneyPak card and send him/her the PIN, do not do it. Your money will be gone, and you won’t get it back.

These services irresponsibly enable fraudsters all over the world to perpetrate their scams on vulnerable or unwitting people. They should be regulated in much the same was as pawn shops.

THIRD:

Do not believe everything you read on the internet, or in your email box.

Scams are rampant. Criminals all around the world want your money, and they will stop at virtually nothing to get it. An example received just yesterday.

FOURTH:

Do not click on links in emails.

If you’re curious about a link in an email, type the address in your URL box directly, like this:

walmart1

If you click on a link directly in the email, you may be redirected to a bogus site:

redirect

In this example, the link that looks like it will go to a legitimate Walmart site is actually taking you to a questionable internet marketing website that is being used by criminals.

FIFTH:

Do not click on attachments in emails unless you know who sent them.

mail

This email looks like it has attached a .PDF file. However, any attachment can be deceptive. TXT files, DOC or DOCX files, PDF files, XLS or XLSX files, and many others – all can actually be .EXE files in disguise.

If you do not know who is sending you an attachment, never click on it.

SIXTH:

Never pay money to collect a prize.

This just goes without saying. You can’t win a lottery or sweepstakes you didn’t enter. Legitimate lotteries or sweepstakes, and there are precious few of these, will never ask you for up-front money to collect a prize. Again, never send money to a stranger hoping to get a large payout. If you do, you are being robbed.

SEVENTH:

There is no Nigerian prince or government official who wants you to help get money out of the country.

nigerians

This is the “419” fraud, so named for the section of the Nigerian legal code that makes this sort of scam illegal. None of the above schemes will work if people avoid sending money to strangers using Western Union or MoneyGram or other methods. This also applies to “reshipping work” or “lonely hearts” scams. At some point, all of them will ask you to send money somewhere. Don’t Do It!

There are more ways to get scammed and one post can’t cover them all, but if everyone would follow these few simple steps, the incidence of fraud would decrease dramatically. Protect your loved ones. Educate them, or watch over their finances. Be careful out there.

The Old Wolf has spoken.