John Fairheart
23 December 2005, 14:30
The 'compensation' scam is relatively new. It is a form of "Accidentally Sent E-Mail" which offers a huge sum of money as a result of 'past' assistance that you have given. This is all about greed, not theirs... YOURS!
Alternatively this type of email could be used to 'rescam' someone who had previously been a victim. To quote one of our Support Team, Praxis:-
Designed to make the former victim think "Damn! The money really DID exist. If only I had made that one last payment..."
And now months, maybe years later, they get a second chance. Not millions, but a tidy sum which will leave them in profit and make them feel better about themselves. So maybe it is not entirely about victim greed, but self-respect and the respect of their friends/families.
1. The Proposal
Here is an example of this type of scam letter. Note that typically this type of email can be addresses to you personally.
From: kunle adeagbo kunleadeagbo007@yahoo.com
To: [your email address]
Date: 21-Dec-2005 09:14
Subject: your compensation
Hello [your name]
My boss gave me a certified bank draft of $800,000.00 (eight hundred Thousand United States Dollars Only) that I should send it to you as compensation for all your efforts to assist him get the funds.
Remember he contacted you sometime in the past to assist him repatriate the funds abroad so that the two of you can share the money. He directed me to notify you about his success in getting those funds transferred to Lebanon under the cooperation of a new partner from Lebanon.
He left to Lebanon earlier last week with some people and from there; he will go to the USA. Meanwhile, confirm your address so that I can send the original draft to you.
My boss is presently in Lebanon for investment projects with his own share of the total sum. He reiterated that he didn’t forget your past efforts and attempts to assist him in transferring those funds despite that it failed you somehow.
Now get in touch with me so that I can send you the certified international bank draft of total $800.000.00, which my boss kept for your compensation for all the past efforts and attempts to assist him in this matter. He appreciated your efforts at that time very much. So feel free and get in touch with me and instruct me where to send the draft to you.
Yours Faithfully
Kunle
2. The Facts
As with the vast majority of scam email's, this one has been sent from a free webmail provider (Yahoo). Any legitimate organization or person who handles such huge sums of money would not be using free services like this.
The email does not contain any specific details of the so-called "past assistance" that you supposed to be involved with.
Next there is the wish to confirm your address to which the cheque would be sent. This ploy is a form of 'phishing', though in this case it is designed to see how gullible you the victim is. By giving personal information, you could be willing to be scammed.
3. The Fiction
The money on offer does not exist, nor does the cheque. Nobody is going to offer vast sums of money to you for nothing. It doesn't happen, ever.
The talk about a partner in the Lebanon and a boss traveling to the USA is complete rubbish. They don't exist, other than words on the page.
4. The Scam
This particular scam is again called "Advance Fee Fraud", though initially it does not appear to be. Following on from the proposal letter, if you were to respond with your personal details, you would be faced with a response similar to the one below.
From: kunle adeagbo kunleadeagbo007@yahoo.com
To: [your email address]
Date: 22-Dec-2005 16:35
Subject: what they told me
I went to about 5 courier companies to send the bank draft of $800,000.00 (Eight Hundred Thousand United States Dollars Only) to you but I was told that since it is an International payment draft with high volume, it must be insured before they can transport it.
I do not know what to do. Can you come to Benin Republic and pick your draft?
Even I even went to DHL, FedEx and they insisted that the draft must be adequately insured considering the huge amount of money in it. From the calculation given to me buy the numerous courier company I visited, it will cost about $300 for the insurance and the $92 is for courier to send the draft. That is the least I could get. What are we going to do?
Can you send me $392 so that I can make necessary payment and send the original draft to you? Will you come to Benin Republic and pick the draft?
I went to airmail service provider here (Nipost) and I was told that I will have to register the mail considering the huge amount in the draft and I was told that it would cost about $415. But their service is not guaranteed However, It will be done via registered express mail.
Can you get $415?
The courier companies insisted that the draft be insured because of the amount in it to avoid loss on transit but even at that, I do not trust NIPOST. The best would have been for you to come here?
What is your opinion?
Bye for now
Kunle
The email above is the proof itself. Asking for money, to send money. This is at the root of all Advance Fee Frauds. If someone was foolish enough to send money, it would be gone forever.
Why would someone want to send a cheque by a courier service? Why not simply send it by normal post. Despite what people think, sending high value cheques via normal or registered postal services isn't risky. It would be very difficult for someone to pass off a cheque as their own if it were stolen.
Fear of loss of the cheque is the driving force behind the apparent need to send via a courier. This feeds into the greed of the person [victim] being sent the cheque.
Surely the organization (if it were a real one) handling the cheque, would have been paid for their services by the people issuing the cheque?
But remember... there is no cheque, and no money. All they want is YOUR money.
Further Reading:
Money Recovery Scams (http://www.fraudwatchers.org/forums/showthread.php?t=262)
Alternatively this type of email could be used to 'rescam' someone who had previously been a victim. To quote one of our Support Team, Praxis:-
Designed to make the former victim think "Damn! The money really DID exist. If only I had made that one last payment..."
And now months, maybe years later, they get a second chance. Not millions, but a tidy sum which will leave them in profit and make them feel better about themselves. So maybe it is not entirely about victim greed, but self-respect and the respect of their friends/families.
1. The Proposal
Here is an example of this type of scam letter. Note that typically this type of email can be addresses to you personally.
From: kunle adeagbo kunleadeagbo007@yahoo.com
To: [your email address]
Date: 21-Dec-2005 09:14
Subject: your compensation
Hello [your name]
My boss gave me a certified bank draft of $800,000.00 (eight hundred Thousand United States Dollars Only) that I should send it to you as compensation for all your efforts to assist him get the funds.
Remember he contacted you sometime in the past to assist him repatriate the funds abroad so that the two of you can share the money. He directed me to notify you about his success in getting those funds transferred to Lebanon under the cooperation of a new partner from Lebanon.
He left to Lebanon earlier last week with some people and from there; he will go to the USA. Meanwhile, confirm your address so that I can send the original draft to you.
My boss is presently in Lebanon for investment projects with his own share of the total sum. He reiterated that he didn’t forget your past efforts and attempts to assist him in transferring those funds despite that it failed you somehow.
Now get in touch with me so that I can send you the certified international bank draft of total $800.000.00, which my boss kept for your compensation for all the past efforts and attempts to assist him in this matter. He appreciated your efforts at that time very much. So feel free and get in touch with me and instruct me where to send the draft to you.
Yours Faithfully
Kunle
2. The Facts
As with the vast majority of scam email's, this one has been sent from a free webmail provider (Yahoo). Any legitimate organization or person who handles such huge sums of money would not be using free services like this.
The email does not contain any specific details of the so-called "past assistance" that you supposed to be involved with.
Next there is the wish to confirm your address to which the cheque would be sent. This ploy is a form of 'phishing', though in this case it is designed to see how gullible you the victim is. By giving personal information, you could be willing to be scammed.
3. The Fiction
The money on offer does not exist, nor does the cheque. Nobody is going to offer vast sums of money to you for nothing. It doesn't happen, ever.
The talk about a partner in the Lebanon and a boss traveling to the USA is complete rubbish. They don't exist, other than words on the page.
4. The Scam
This particular scam is again called "Advance Fee Fraud", though initially it does not appear to be. Following on from the proposal letter, if you were to respond with your personal details, you would be faced with a response similar to the one below.
From: kunle adeagbo kunleadeagbo007@yahoo.com
To: [your email address]
Date: 22-Dec-2005 16:35
Subject: what they told me
I went to about 5 courier companies to send the bank draft of $800,000.00 (Eight Hundred Thousand United States Dollars Only) to you but I was told that since it is an International payment draft with high volume, it must be insured before they can transport it.
I do not know what to do. Can you come to Benin Republic and pick your draft?
Even I even went to DHL, FedEx and they insisted that the draft must be adequately insured considering the huge amount of money in it. From the calculation given to me buy the numerous courier company I visited, it will cost about $300 for the insurance and the $92 is for courier to send the draft. That is the least I could get. What are we going to do?
Can you send me $392 so that I can make necessary payment and send the original draft to you? Will you come to Benin Republic and pick the draft?
I went to airmail service provider here (Nipost) and I was told that I will have to register the mail considering the huge amount in the draft and I was told that it would cost about $415. But their service is not guaranteed However, It will be done via registered express mail.
Can you get $415?
The courier companies insisted that the draft be insured because of the amount in it to avoid loss on transit but even at that, I do not trust NIPOST. The best would have been for you to come here?
What is your opinion?
Bye for now
Kunle
The email above is the proof itself. Asking for money, to send money. This is at the root of all Advance Fee Frauds. If someone was foolish enough to send money, it would be gone forever.
Why would someone want to send a cheque by a courier service? Why not simply send it by normal post. Despite what people think, sending high value cheques via normal or registered postal services isn't risky. It would be very difficult for someone to pass off a cheque as their own if it were stolen.
Fear of loss of the cheque is the driving force behind the apparent need to send via a courier. This feeds into the greed of the person [victim] being sent the cheque.
Surely the organization (if it were a real one) handling the cheque, would have been paid for their services by the people issuing the cheque?
But remember... there is no cheque, and no money. All they want is YOUR money.
Further Reading:
Money Recovery Scams (http://www.fraudwatchers.org/forums/showthread.php?t=262)