whether a scam or not

[jevan]

[QUOTE=jevan]i got message from agirl to help her,she is curently living at dakar senegal as a refugee, originally a zibabawean, acc to her she has a inherited fund in malayasia.
acc. to her she can`t open bank account locally or internationally, so she wants me to provide with affidavit and power of attorney so that i can work as a partner to her and get her here to nepal. Looking forward from u for apositive reply whether she is really speaking truth or is a fraud. her name is aisha ahmed , is a orphan and his lawyer from malayasia barrister aziz bin mustafa contacted me his phone no is 0060 172250946 email of lawyer azizlawfirms@yahoo.com
email of the girl aisha_ahmed001@yahoo.com.
plz help me i`m in dilemma whether to help her or not whether it is is a illegal oneor not.

[FW Admin]

Hello jevan; unfortunately, the scenario you have described falls very much into a standard "Advance Fee Fraud" pattern. "She" is most likely a he, sitting in an internet cafe in West Africa; the "inheritance" doesn't exist, and the "barrister" is fake.

After a while, what will happen is that you will be asked to provide money for certain "fees" and "charges" in transferring thie imaginary fortune to your bank, and additionally the criminal will also ask you for your personal details such as bank accounts etc, as well as you needing to provide a scanned copy of personal identification. This is for the scammer to re-use it (after digitally forging it as necessary) against other potential victims.

If you have the first email you received, could you post its contents here? And even better if you could post it with the full headers - you can get information as to how to find the email headers at this link:
http://www.fraudwatchers.org/forums/showthread.php?t=585
- and we can then offer more information to you.

[Shamfien]

Hey Jevan,
This is typical of a scam.
The email address,azizlawfirms@yahoo.com and aisha_ahmed001@yahoo.com are free email addresses.This means that anyone with access to a computer can open an free account and call themselves any name they choose (eg..worldbank@yahoo.com or elvispresley@hotmail.com)

The phone number you were given is a mobile phone number which is untraceable
No reputable law firm would use a) an untraceable email address b) an untraceable phone number.

If you did pay for the lawyers expenses,for the affidavit and the power of attorney,You would then be required to pay for more and more ($20,000 to open a bank account,$30,000 for "yellow tag fees" $40,000 etc..etc..)

The person behind azizlawfirms@yahoo.com and aisha_ahmed001@yahoo.com are probably the same person.If not,they work in the same gang.

[Unregistered]

From : suria ahmed <suria_ahmed001@yahoo.com>
Sent : Thursday, 6 July 2006 10:30:16 PM
To :
Subject : From Suria,Please Contact the Attorney Bellow

Dear,

I was shocked When i read your mail,Cos i wonder why you sound this way As i told you in my previous mail All you have seen and read is all about me and how i found my life here as a refugee.There is nothing ilegal or risk in this transaction,I came to you with sincere heart and reality.This is my inherioted fund that was deposited by my late father But based on my status here as a refugee and according tothe law.I was not permitted to handle such transaction by my self.This is the exactly reason why i contacted you in this transaction based on my strong faith and also on trust for you to assist me for the safe transfer of my inherited fund to your account and also for my freedom Which is very much important to me Cos camp lives is so bad.

Meanwhile I appreciates your kind attention and concern may god bless you

As i told you, I choose you in this transaction, based on my present status here as a refugee under political asylum and it is only god who knows why i choose you
among the millions and you are the only one i have revealed this to, of which it`s where my future life depends on,

According to the financial governing laws of this country, people under refugees are not allow to participate personal into any monetary transaction or to operate an account international or locally.Therefore, I went into serious discussion with the financial outfit where this money was deposited in Malaysia, for them to advise me on what to do in order to have access to my inherited fund, Then the legal department of the financial outfit told me that in a situations like mine, that the best solution to it is by soliciting for assistance of a reliable foreigner who can assist me receive the fund and invest it on my behalf as I wish.I then decided to contact you knowing that with your advanced knowledge, we can be able to work together,so that if all things works out for us, we can go into life partnership, or to have me as one of your family member as i`m now living like an orphan.

I will furnish you with all the vital documents covering the deposited fund under the finance house in Malaysia only if you can promise me that you are not going to betray me or sit on my inheritance after it might have get into your account, and i need you to tell me a little bit more about your self also promise me that you will help me to have a bright future.

This money was deposited by my late father with a bank in Asia.
View this to understand my plight as what you may observed here is
truely the cause of my situation and seeking for your help. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/594522.stm
Please understand that there is no illegality involvement in this transaction, you are going to deal with the financial outfit direct. what I am required to do according to the banking procedure, is to grant you with power of attorney as my partner, authorizing you by the law of the financial outfit to claim the fund on my behalf. Finally, contact the attorney below for more
verification:-

Name: Barrister Aziz Bin Mustafa
Email: (azizlawfirms@yahoo.com )
phone:+60172250946

The above lawyer is to assist us to obtain power of attorney on your behalf, authorizing you by the law to claim the Fund on my behalf. But first of all introduce your self to him as my foreign business partner, find out from him exactly your needs to have the power of attorney on my behalf.Immediately you contact my attorney, I will also like you to discuss with him on how i can be able to have my freedom just like other citizen in the world as i` being frustrating here in the refugees camp, also to know how possible it will be for me to come and meet with you in your country as soon as the fund is being transferred to your nominated bank account. May the Almighty Allah bless you and your family.

Yours Faithfully
SURIA AHMED

Please update me on your discusion with him,So that i will know what is going on,Cos i won,t like any delay in this transaction Due to my health here Which is so bad.I want every thing to end quickly So that i will also regain my freedom,and be happy for my life like other citizen in the world.

[ron]

Good Day,

May I crave your indulgence to solicit your cooperation for investment partnership in your country.

I am in charge of excess Proceed rising from unclaimed and idle funds that was in a Bank in one european Country.

This substantial amount is already with a security firm.

Should this proposal interest you kindly revert back to me through this onfidential e-mail address(william_parker0055@hotmail.com) for futher details.

Yours truly,
Williams Parker




Prueba el Nuevo Correo Terra; Seguro, rápido, fiable.

[Frazzle]

Hi Jevan,

I agree with everyone else... I think this is a scam.

If you still think it might be legitimate, ask "Suria" where she got your email address. I predict she won't come up with some vague answer about praying and/or chambers of commerce lists, etc. Keep pressing for an exact answer... ask exactly what web site or email list she got it from. Now, think about the chances of your email address being chosen at random out of the billions on the Internet. One in a billion.

Also, you should never allow someone to appoint a lawyer on your behalf. Always choose a person you know and trust to be your own lawyer, because they will be handling your money.

[FW Admin]

Thank you for posting the email contents, jevan. A few flags are immediately apparent from this email...

Firstly, how do you think an alleged person living in a refugee camp is able to have such free access to the internet? They do not build internet cafe's or other such establishments in these camps. If you check on the header information of the email sent to you, you will probably find that it actually originates from elsewhere.

Secondly, the alleged barrister has a yahoo free and anonymous email account - this is extremely unusual for members of the legal profession anywhere in the world. The "barrister's" telephone number is a mobile one - again, members of the legal profession have their own offices with fixed land lines. Mobile phone numbers are disposable, and even though it is a Malaysian number, it can be called and directed to wherever the mobile phone is located - even to West Africa.

Why does this 'girl' have two separate email accounts? (aisha_ahmed001 suddenly becomes suria_ahmed001...) Possibly because the first one has been closed down for spamming? These email accounts are used to send out tens of thousands of emails every day - they often get closed down through complaints, which is why the scammers have to come up with new ones throughout the course of the scam (and they do - several hundred in some cases).

Last but by no means least, unfortunately these criminals are heartless enough to use religion in their scams. They have absolutely no feelings about using this ploy, but will do so freely if they think that it will ensnare their victims. They are very quick to "amend" their religious orientation as it suits them - you will note the references to both "God" and "Allah" in the same email - thereby playing the odds.

I would urge you to stop all communications with these criminals, and certainly do not send them anything whatsoever. If they have your phone number and call you, simply tell them that the person they want is no longer there and hang up the phone immediately. Once they realise that you are aware of this scam, they will move on.

[Unregistered]

I got an email from this young girl, who is in a refuge camp. Her father was well off (money) that she needs my help to get over to my country. This is what she sent me.

I am sorry for the late reply Cos here in the camp We have a limitation access for using internets.Meanwhile i carefully read your two mails and it was quite understood But i still wonder why no trust again in the world,Actually we already been told here early on regarding things happening at the internets But that will never prevent truth from existing.As i told you in my previous mail All you have seen and read is all about me and how i found my life here as a refugee.There is nothing ilegal or any risk in this transaction.I came to you with my sincere heart and reality for you to assist me and also ensure me safe transfer of my inherited fund to your account and for my freedom and immediate relocation to your country which am desperately in need of Cos camp lives is so miserable.This is my first time in life to experience such a terrible situation which always makes me cry and fall sick all time here.

Please always follow up with him based on hios legal procedures to enable every thing end quickly and don,t fiorget always to remind him for my freedom which is very much important to me Cos life here is so bad.

The law firm is BRR.AZIZ BIN MUSTAFA.
TEL:+60 172250946

Please send me a reply: <admin edit - removed personal details>

[FW Admin]

Information on phone number range +60 17XXXXXXX
Number billable as mobile number
Country or destination MalaysiaA Malaysian mobile number - a favourite of scammers.

This is a 100% complete scam. Refugee camps do not offer any kind of access to their inhabitants; in many cases there isn't any even for the administrators of these establishments.

This is a very common scam format, and has been used (unfortunately, in some cases, successfully) by these criminals. Far from being in a camp, the scammer is probably male and sitting in a cybercafe, sending the same email to thousands of unsuspecting recipients.

The best thing would be to delete it, and disregard any other similar stories of vast fortunes being offered to complete strangers, as ultimately every one of them will insist on an "advance fee" along the way (sooner rather than later) which will escalate once anything is paid.

Ignoring them is the way to go, and also tell your friends and family about such scam dangers in their email inboxes. The more people that become aware of these crimes, the less success the scammers will have.

[Unregistered]

I have received the exact same emails from suria_ahmed002@yahoo.com
She found me through "Zorpia". I responded to her and wrote to her lawyer at azizlawfirms@yahoo.com. I was suspect so I was careful trying to ask the right questions. The lawyer sent me a affidavit to print off and send back the form was stamped it looked very good. The form asked the usual questions including my passport number. I don't have a printer or very much money. I asked the lawyer person how much money I would need to open this non-resident foreign bank account, I was told by email that it would be the minimum of $2500US. I said sorry but I can't from the 2nd time I have not had a response back. I was sent a photo recently so that I could recognise her when I pick her up at the airport.

[outbackmark]

azizlawfirms@yahoo.com or Aziz Mustafa is definatly a fraudster and is in fact one and the same person as the supposed refugee in this case.
azizlawfirms is the focus of two baiting programs at present. Delete all thier mail and ignor any further contact, his life as a scammer is about to take a turn for the worse.

[nightbaker]

she wrote and sent me her photo id, funny, she doesnt look african but indian.she said god almigthy chose me for her. i suposse god gave her my email aswell. she had the gall to ask me to adopt her into my family and i asked her which GOD? ALLAH or ABRAHAM? because I dont listen to that allah dude. so if her god led her, i dont care and my God wouldnt have ledher to me. because shes a thief.
they always say that they saw my profile in the chamber of commerce as a foriegn contact. i know this is a lie,i just wantto know where they are getting my email from, so i can stop it. i get 85 scams a month now.

[John Fairheart]

i know this is a lie,i just wantto know where they are getting my email from, so i can stop it.

Go to Google search engine and search for your own email address. You might get a shock. If you are being hammered by 'offers' in your email account it may already be too late to stop, simply because you are on a spammers database.

Best advice is to open another email account, but ONLY use it for communicating with people you actually know (family and close friends). Don't tell anyone else the email address. Next open another, and use that for general communications, signing up to websites and such.

[Kara]

Hello dear

Due to my careful search for an honest, reliable and
sincere business partner, i got your contact from
internet and i ask if you can be trusted not to break
an agreement? Still, it took me time to make up my
mind to contact you and to offer you this proposal of
mine of which my whole life depends on.

My name is Miss Sonia Edris , the daughter of Mr. Behki
kaban Edris of blessed memory from Zimbabwe, During the
current crises against the farmers in Zimbabwe from
the supports of President Robert Mugabe to claim all
the white-owned farms to his party members and his
followers, he ordered all white farmers to surrender
all farms to his party members and his followers.
My father is One of the most successful multy farmers
in our country and because he did not support Mugabe`s
ideas, Mugabes supporters invaded his farm and burnt
everything in the farm, killing him and made away with
a lot of items in my fathers farm.
Before his death, my father had deposited with
FINANCE HOUSE IN ASIA the sum of (USD $6.5 MILLION).
After the death of my father, I decided to move to
Republic of GHANA where i re-located under
political asylum as a refugee to seek for foriegn
patner overseas that will assist me to move this money
out of THE FINANCIAL HOUSE to your country as i have
made up my mind to invest and live in your country.
As an asylum seeker i am not allowed to operate any
Bank Account within ACCRA GHANA.I have agreed to
offer you 7% of the total sum for your assistance as
soon as the money get`s into your account while 5%
will be mapped out for any expences that may be
incurred in the course of this transaction both local
and international.

I want truth and honest to be our watch word in this
transaction and please treat this transaction with
strictly confidential for the successful out come of
it. All I want you to do is to furnish me with
your personal phone and fax numbers and also your
private e-mail address for easy and urgent communication.

Note that this transaction is 100% Risk free and
absolutely confidential.

Thanks and God
bless you.
Sincerely Yours,
Sonia Edris,
soniaedris_11@yahoo.com

And this is the second one...

Thank you

I apreciate your kind attention and concern ,
may God bless you.

As i told you, I choose you in this transaction, based
on my present status here as a refugee under political
asylum and it is only God who knows why i choose you
among the millions and you are the only one i have
revealed this to, of which it`s where my future life
depends on.

According to the financial governing laws of this
country, people under refugees are not allow to
participate personal into any monetary transaction or
to operate an account international or locally.
Therefore, I went into serious discussion with the
financial outfit where this money was deposited in
Malaysia, for them to advise me on what to do in order
to have access to my inherited fund, Then the legal
department of the financial outfit told me that in a
situations like mine, that the best solution to it is
by soliciting for assistance of a reliable foreigner
who can assist me receive the fund and invest it on my
behalf as I wish.

I then decided to contact you knowing that with your
advanced knowledge, we can be able to work together,
so that if all things works out for us, we can go into
life partnership, or to have me as one of your family
member as i`m now living like an orphan. I will furnish
you with all the vital documents covering the deposited
fund under the finance house in Malaysia only if you can
promise me that you are not going to betray me or sit on my
inheritance after it might have get into your account, and i
need you to tell me a little bit more about your self, also promise
me that you will help me to have a bright future.

This money was deposited by my late father with a bank in Asia.
View this to understand my plight as what you may observed here is
truely the cause of my situation and seeking for your help. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/594522.stm
Please understand that there is no ilegality
involvement in this transaction, you are going to deal
with the financial outfit direct. what I am required to do according
to the banking procedure, is to grant you with power of attorney as
my partner, authorising you by the law of the financial outfit to claim
the fund on my behalf.

Finally, contact the attorney below for more verification:-
Name: Barrister Aziz Bin Mostafa
Email : azizbinchambers@lawyer.com
Persoanl email; baristeraziz@yahoo.com
phone:+60176292344

The above lawyer is to assist us to obtain power of
attorney on your behalf, authorising you by the law to
claim the Fund on my behalf. But first of all
introduce your self to him as my foreign business,
find out from him exactly your needs to have
the power of attorney on your behalf.

Immediately you contact my attorney, I will also like
you to discuss with him on how i can be able to have
my freedom just like other citizen in the world as i`m
being fustrating here in the refugees camp and my
relocation to your country if it pleases you.

May the Almighty Allah bless you and your family.

Yours Faithfully
Sonia Edris

[FW Admin]

Thanks for posting, Kara - of course the email is a fake from start to end, nothing but a complete fabrication. It's a wel known and very often used format that has reached millions of people. All the email addresses used (yahoo.com, lawyer.com) are free, untraceable webmail accounts always used by the scammers for anonymity.

The best thing to do with these emails is to ignore and delete them and any similar ones you may get from your inbox.