Here is a new scam letter received today which also made it through Yahoo e-mail spam filters. This is a follow-up to the previous post regarding the African scam letters people receive which entice people with a very large sum of money. After the victims choose to follow through with the agreement they are informed that they must first wire money in order to claim their extremely large settlements or something along those lines. All of these letters and anything like them are just a big hoax on unsuspecting people. They sound so enticing that people from all walks of life have fallen for these deceitful ploys and in the end have lost thousands of dollars. Here is a link to more info on how this type of fraud is carried out:

http://www.lookstoogoodtobetrue.com/prdocs/Postal2007-10.pdf

As you can see this one also involves the BANK OF BENIN from COTONOU BENIN REPUBLIC. Notice how it says “your Representatives from Canada“?
This guy is obviously not too bright because for one why would he use the same originating location as another current scam letter and secondly he should at least know the proper country of the email recipients he is sending them to. Apparently these new letters from Cotonou Benin Republic are a replacement of the well known and well worn out Nigerian scam letters from Africa. Below is the copy and paste of this new letter I received today Friday March 28th, 2008:

CENTRAL BANK OF BENIN
OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENCY,
THE HONORABLE, GOVERNOR OF CBB.
ELIZABETH SQUARE, COTONOU BENIN REPUBLIC.
Email:(cbbpaymentoffice2008@yahoo.fr)
Date:28th MARCH 2008.
Our Ref: CBB/OHG/OXD1/2008
Your Ref:……………..
TELEX: CENBANK.
PAYMENT FILE: CBB/BEN/08.

ATTN: Dear Beneficiary,

CBB DEBT PAYMENT NOTICE OF OVERDUE FUNDS

This letter will definately be amazing to you because of its realisticvalue.Sorry for the inconveniences that was rendered to you in your line of Inheritance Payment transaction with some Benin Republic Officials some while ago.

I know that this letter will hit you by surprise, but firstly I will like to introduce myself; I am (Prof. Edward Okeke) the rightful Governor of The Central Bank of Benin (CBB) and the Executive Chairman of “E.C.D.R”.

On the 1st of October 2007, the Former President of The Federal Republic of Benin (Chief Kerekou) introduced a Commission named the “E.C.D.R” (Executive Committee on Debt Recovery) which is duly registered under the United Nations (U.N.) and the Federal Government of Benin.

This particular Commission was initiated to detect fraud/fund delays/interrupted funds Payments and to also Settle foreign debts/fraud victims/Un-paid beneficiaries to satisfactory in other to maintain peace in the world at large.

Presently, we are being paid by the American government in other to avert Scam and also to avert beneficiary funds delays here in Benin Republic So far, we have succeeded in Settling the likes of (Mrs.Daisy Fox,Mr.Edward Smyth etc).

You are being contacted by this office today dated (28th March 2008) because your Case File (A) is the very first File on our Settlement Files Cabinet. Your Inheritance Funds were Re-depositted into the “Federal Suspense Account” of CBB last week, because you did not completely forward your Claim as the Right beneficiary.

Through the Intelligent investigations and verification processes of our Intelligent Monitoring Unit (I.M.U), we also discovered that this Funds valued(1.500,000,00(USD ONLY)) is in your name and to this note The International Remittance Department was ordered by the Executive Committee on Debt Recovery to Release this Funds to you with immediate
effect.

On this course of duty, two foreigners (Mr. Tim Parker and Mr.Rowland Gulf) visited this office today in other to inform us that they are your Representatives from Canada, whom will be collecting your Funds for you.

For the fact that this Committee is faithfully in my full governance as the Chairman, I will like you to clearify to me if this Bank should proceed to Release your Funds to you Representatives Mr. Tim Parker and Mr. Rowland Gulf.
In receipt of this confidential Letter, you are required to
respond immediately to : (cbbpaymentoffice2008@yahoo.fr)

OFFICIALLY SIGNED.
PROF. EDWARD OKEKE.
GOVERNOR, CENTRAL BANK OF BENIN.
C-B-B

CERTIFIED
DESPATCHED ON THIS DAY:28th MARCH 2008.

C-B-B C-B-B C-B-B C-B-B C-B-B C-B-B

C-B-B C-B-B C-B-B

This one made it past Yahoo Email Spam Filters today 3/25/2008. I thought everyone already knew that these foreign money making opportunities are just a big scam. I am copying and pasting the letter I received because apparently some people are still falling for them enough for those bozos to still take the time to concoct their big phony and elaborate stories. This one says he is John Malak Audit Manager from Bond Bank-Benin in the capital city of Cotonou Benin Republic. Don’t be fooled by these letters or any like them no matter how great they sound. Nothing but a hoax. So here you go:

CC:
From: “Mr.John Malak” Add to Address Book Add Mobile Alert
Subject: From:Mr.John Malak
Date: Wed, 26 Mar 2008 08:55:09 -0700
From:Mr.John Malak.
Audit and Accounting Office
Bond Bank-Benin: Avenue
Jean-Paul II, 08 BP 0879-Cotonou
Tel: +229 93 997 295
email:(malak.john@gmail.com)

My Dear,

I am Mr.John Malak Audit Manager Bond Bank-Benin. in the capital city of Cotonou Benin republic, and assistance, this is a very confidential proposition for you. On April 21st 1999, A Swedish Oil consultant/contractor with the Benenoise Solid Minerals Corporation, Mr.Soren Anderson made a numbered time (Fixed) Deposit for twelve calendar months, valued at US$8,000,000.00 (Eight Million Dollars only) in my branch.

Upon maturity on November 20th 2003 as his Credit Officer, I sent a routine notification to his forwarding address but got no reply. After a month, we sent a reminder and finally i discovered from his contract employers, the Benenoise Solid Minerals Corporation that Mr.Soren Anderson died on auto accident with his entire family.

Further investigations and all attempts to trace his next of kin was fruitless. Again, I made further investigation and discovered that Mr.Soren Anderson did not declare any kin or relations in all his official documents, including his Bank Deposit paperwork in my Bank.

This sum of US$8,000,000.00 is still sitting in my Bank No one will ever come forward to claim it. According to the International Banking ethics, codes and Laws, at the expiration of 7(Two) years, the money will revert to the ownership of the Benin Government if nobody applies to claim the fund.

Consequently, my proposal is that I will like you as a foreigner to stand in as the next of kin to Mr.Soren. This is simple, immediately with your full names and address so that we will prepare the necessary documents and affidavits that will put you in place as the next of kin.

The money will be paid into your account for us to share in the ratio of 70% for me and some of my colleagues who are aware of this transaction and 25% for you and 5% for Expenses Incurred in the course of the transaction There is no risk at all as all the paperwork for this transaction will be done by my colleagues and with my position as the Foreign Remittance Director guarantees the successful execution of this transaction.

Upon your response, I shall then provide you with more details and relevant documents that will help you understand the transaction. Please send me your confidential telephone and fax numbers for easy communication. You should observe utmost confidentiality, and be rest assured that this transaction would be most profitable for both of us because I shall require your assistance to invest my share in your country.

Awaiting your urgent reply.

Remain Bless.
Mr.John Malak
+229 93 997 295

Have you ever had anything really shady happen to you on the internet? I have and every time I do I feel extremely helpless. The internet is a wonderful and yet bizarre thing. There are really no “eye” witnesses on the internet and when have you ever seen the Internet Police speeding by?
Just 2 weeks ago something extremely strange happened. My 7 year old son asked for a particular movie so I went online in search of the movie download. I found one site. Oddly enough it stated that I had to sign up with a different website in order to pay for the download. It was a porn website. You know you love your kids when you go through the trouble and jump through whatever hoops necessary to adhere to their wishes. The website signed me up for a subscription but stated the first 30 days were free. I thought “well okay” I can cancel as soon as I get the download from the other site”. The weirdest thing was I went back to the original website and the link had disappeared! I e-mailed the porn site immediately and told them not to charge my Pay Pal account. They apparently didn’t care. I just noticed that they did charge my Pay Pal account for $39.99. Pay Pal says I have to call in. We will see what they are going to do about it.

That hasn’t been the first time I have been totally ripped off on the Internet. I bet tons of others have been scammed as well. If you have, please post your experience here. This website is a True Crime Blog – From the People who were there.. USA Eyewitness Accounts. AmericanNeedsYou@TrueCrimeBlog.NET, please post your TRUE INTERNET CRIME AND SCAM ALERTS UNDER THE “INTERNET SCAMS” category and put the internet con-artists out of business.

A few years ago I sold an $800 printer through The Sacramento Bee a very well established local newspaper. I accepted a Wells Fargo cashiers check because I knew what they looked like due to a recent re-fi.. It turned out to be counterfeit. Thankfully, I am with Pete Schiro State Farm agency in Sacramento. Pete and Rosemary have saved me more than once and I got the full $800 back because State Farm filed it as a “Special Circumstance” claim. I began calling to warn other advertisers that this might happen to them. Much to my dismay, a few of them were aware of this scamming ring because they had already been taken in. I also learned The Sacramento Bee was well informed that their customers were being victimized. I asked why they weren’t warning their customers? They told me they do put ads saying to be careful when selling. I suggested that maybe they should tell the customers when they are placing the ad. I am not going to read the ads if I am the seller. Not only that, but to this day it feels strange that these possible hard-core criminals were in my home with my 3 young children. I filed a report with the Sherrif’s Dept. and of course a case like this is so minor to them when they are so short-handed that they even need to have volunteers running the station. I even created what I believed to be a perfect composite of the female with my FACES software, but never got a chance to give it to them.

A couple years later I was sick for a couple of days and during that time someone bilked my checking account for $2400. My bank said my atm card was used with my pin number in LA. I told them there was no way because I have my atm card with me. Placer Sierra said that it was a common occurence. The criminals use what is called a skimmer and it can read and scan the info from up to about 300 cards including the pin number which is embedded in the magnetic stripe. Being the detective I am I immediately called Circuit City in Citrus Heights California. That was the ONLY place my atm card ever left my sight. I asked the manager if they had cameras? He said yes. I then told him that when I handed the cashier my debit card he said he would be right back and that he had to ask the manager something. Thinking back.. WHY? Why is right? Why would there be any reason in the world to take my atm card to the back of the store where customers weren’t permitted? Unless my card wasn’t working, there wouldn’t be any reason. I was paying by debit not by credit so why? After questioning the manager I told him I want to know WHERE the cashier went with my atm card. He said he would view the tapes and acted as if finding out where he went would not be a problem at all. He never called back which is a red flag tripper for me. For something this serious I believe if you have nothing to hide you would be in a hurry to let your customer know your findings. I finally called him and he said that he couldn’t tell where the employee went after viewing the tapes because there were no cameras in the back area. I have always wondered if that was true. There was also something strange that happened not too long afterward and I really don’t think it was a coincidence. After years of having their store set up to where everyone paid at the individual cashier stand for the correct type of product department, within months of this occurence the Citrus Heights Circuit City had a standard central checkout area. Like you would find in a grocery store. Coincidence?

I wish blogs were available back then. I would have been a blogomaniac trying make sure they were off the streets and where they belong. I had always wished there was a quick way for people to get the true details of what is going on locally. Knowing those skimmers could hold up to 300 cards I bet there were plenty of other victims in my area but there was no central place to match stories or to alert others to beware.

What about the police cars and commotion you hear down the street? Wouldn’t you like to know what is going on right now? Not have to wait until the news reports to find out what is going on in your neighborhood? What about home invasions, robberies and car thefts in your local area? Wouldn’t you like to have the heads up so you can be aware and be a little more alert in order to take the proper prevention precautions?

Let’s stand by eachother and keep eachother informed to create safer, happier, and possibly crime free communities.