William(s) Cheng doesn’t seem sure how to spell his own name, but he’s got a big deal for you if you just reply to this “hook” message. Is it money from a foreigner who died in a plane crash? From a deposed dictator? From an over-invoiced account? More likely it’s your money, and he’s looking for a way to get it into his pockets.
from: Mr.William Cheng (cheng_williams00@yahoo.com.hk)
reply-to: cheng_williams06@yahoo.com.hk
date: Sat, Oct 3, 2009 at 7:58 AM
subject: Hello “””
Goodday,
I am Williams Cheng, Retail Commercial Banking Group manager for Industrial and Commercial Bank of China Ltd. (ICBC) .
I wish to intimate you on a fund transfer of great magnitude that will be beneficial to both parties
I shall eleborate further on the receipt of your mail indicating your interest, Contact me via my private and confidential email/phone number below.
Sincerly,
William Cheng
Tel: +852-30508847
Email: cheng_williams06@yahoo.com.hk
NB:This e-mail (including any attachments) is intended only for the recipient(s) named above. It may contain confidential or privileged information and should not be read, copied or otherwise used by any other person
Here at the Scam Hunter website (scamhunter.org) we document scam messages like the one above in order to help people stay safe from online frauds and scams.
Scammers depend on public ignorance to keep their scams alive. Please share our scam alerts with your friends, family, and coworkers today.
Milwaukee Schaffer? Sounds more like a beer brand than a British House of Commons official. And how about Chavez Rudenick Flaharty? The author of this scam message really got carried away with name invention. And he’s a man of the world, too, with one email address in China, one in Taiwan, and one in South Africa. Which country do you suppose he really operates his scams from?
from: Dr.Mil Schaffer (mailling@ethome.com.tw)
reply-to: rhtuk-notice@9.cn
date: Wed, Sep 30, 2009 at 7:49 AM
subject: My Proposal
Hello,
I hope my business proposal will be a pleasant surprise to you, as we have had no prior business relationship before now. First let me place upfront by letting you know that this proposal is not a scam and will not in future time be related to any term mark illegal and it is 100% risk free. I am Dr. Milwaukee Schaffer Vice President The House of Commons-Treasury Committee United Kingdom. In my section I have acknowledge a case file N0:HBUK/FD12M/10039/04 with the sum of £75,700,000.00GBP at the time of deposit, deposited by late CHAVEZ RUDENICK FLAHARTY a Canadian oil consultant/ contractor in a major bank in London without declaring a next of kin or willing it to any beneficiary.
According to Laws and Constitution, the government could confiscate this money if unclaimed for another two years. I want to solicit your indulgence to assist me file claim for this funds by declaring you as the next of kin to the decease willing the above sum to you with the help of his attorney. In completion of this transaction I have the intention of investing in a possible profitable business in your country as well as donating to the less privilege under your directive and supervision of SIR.DAVE JOHNSON, Please realize that I cannot divulge too much at this stage because of the office i am occupying.
Please send your acceptance respond to Sir.Dave Johnson at: davejohnson@jmail.co.za he shall provide to you further details for the transfer.
Thanks for your time and I hope to be hearing from you soon.
Some scammers spin long elaborate stories about dying widows, lonely orphans, and millionaires killed in plane crashes. Other scammers take the simple route. All they have to do with their first message is get you on the hook. Then they’ll depend on their own manipulative skills to keep you on the hook until they can extract some cash from you. What is “Mr. Chen” up to? The mystery is part of the hook. It almost makes you want to reply, just to find out. And that’s what he’s counting on.
from: Chen Guangyuan (cheng5@fuse.net)
reply-to: guangyaun.cn@w.cn
date: Tue, Sep 29, 2009 at 8:42 PM
subject: RE
I am Mr.Chen,I got a Deal for you.Get back for details
Here at the Scam Hunter website (scamhunter.org) we document scam messages like the one above in order to help people stay safe from online frauds and scams.
Scammers depend on public ignorance to keep their scams alive. Please share our scam alerts with your friends, family, and coworkers today.
Email fraudsters commonly use the names of people in the news, and the election of Barack Obama naturally led to a flurry of scams claiming to be connected with him in some way. In this example “Obama’s Foundation” wants to offer you a refund for having been a scam victim in the past — an example of the reverse-psychology approach that many scammers follow.
But why do you suppose a foundation associated with the United States president would have a return email address in China?
from: OBAMA’S FOUNDATION (info@foundation.com)
reply-to: obamafoundation49@9.cn
date: Thu, Sep 17, 2009 at 11:49 PM
subject: Donation grant 2009
Greetings to you,
On behalf of the Obama’s Foundation, we wish to notify you as a beneficiary of $99,000.00 USD in compensation of scam victims. Do contact Lloyds TSB Bank plc; London’s Branch for verification and release of your $99,000.00 USD that we have deposited
The account log on will be presented to you by the bank in order to access the funds before releasing into your nominated bank account.You will transfer the funds into your nominated account on-line as the Hlb Bank will provide the necessary information to you.Please if you are willing to accept the funds,do contact us Via: obamafoundation.49@9.cn
Yours Faithfully,
Mrs Joy Terry
Co-ordinator.
OBAMA’S FOUNDATION
Here at the Scam Hunter website (scamhunter.org) we document scam messages like the one above in order to help people stay safe from online frauds and scams.
Scammers depend on public ignorance to keep their scams alive. Please share our scam alerts with your friends, family, and coworkers today.
Please share this scam alert with your friends on social media.
Mr. Ling Tia Liu has been busy! I got four copies of this message just this afternoon. This is much more well written than the usual advance fee fraud message, leading me to think at first that it might originate from a native English speaker in a Western country, but the appearance of “information’s” in the third paragraph is a giveaway: for some reason these scammers almost never spell/use the word “information” correctly.
from: Mr.Ling Tia Liu (infor.liutailing@yahoo.com.hk)
reply-to: mr.lliutaling@yahoo.com.hk
date: Thu, Sep 17, 2009 at 6:23 PM
subject: YOUR SWIFT RESPONSE
Good Day,
My name is Mr. Ling Tia Liu; I work with Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, Hong Kong. I have a business proposal in the tune of $21,300,000.00 US Dollars, to be transferred out of my bank with your assistance.
After the successful transfer, we shall share in ratio of 40% for you and 60% for me. Should you be interested, please respond to my letter immediately, so we can commence all arrangements and I will give you more information on the project and how we would handle it. Please treat this business with utmost confidentiality.
You can contact me on my private email: (mr.lliutaling@yahoo.com.hk) along with the Following information’s for documentation purpose:
(1) Full names:
(2) Private phone number:
(3) Current residential address:
(4) Occupation:
(5) Age and Sex:
I look forward to hearing from you.
Kind Regards,
Mr.Ling Tia Liu.
Here at the Scam Hunter website (scamhunter.org) we document scam messages like the one above in order to help people stay safe from online frauds and scams.
Scammers depend on public ignorance to keep their scams alive. Please share our scam alerts with your friends, family, and coworkers today.
This is a typical password-phishing scam, inviting you to send your (secret) username and password to the scammer’s address so he can gain access to your account. The broken English (“these information”) is always a giveaway, as is the fact that you may not even be a customer of the named company.
from: eMAIL Maintainance (tech_supportteam01@w.cn)
to: helpdesk@email-update.com
date: Sun, Sep 13, 2009 at 4:21 PM
subject: WEBMAIL USERS MAINTENANCE NOTICE (webmail@maintenance.org)
Dear WebMail Customer,
For your safer and faster Internet service, We are upgrading our DATABASE SERVER to better your service on the WebMail Network.
Please you are to follow Below information to Validate Your Mailbox And Increase Your Quota. Please provide all these information completely and correctly.
Here at the Scam Hunter website (scamhunter.org) we document scam messages like the one above in order to help people stay safe from online frauds and scams.
Scammers depend on public ignorance to keep their scams alive. Please share our scam alerts with your friends, family, and coworkers today.
Like many scam messages, this message employs a form of reverse psychology. There is a payment coming to you, but you have been in contact with unofficial representatives of our bank. This must stop. We are the true representatives, and if you want your payment you must speak to us. Oh, ok. Of course none of these people are bank representatives, and there is no money coming your way. They are just trying to get you on the hook so they can start extracting money from you.
from: Mrs.Lisa Johnson (lisa_l@gmail.com)
reply-to: lisajohnson1@yahoo.cn
date: Wed, Sep 2, 2009 at 1:13 AM
subject: NOTIFICATION OF PAYMENT VIA CREDIT CARD….
Dear Sir/Ma ,
This is to officially inform you that we have verified your contract/inheritance file presently on my desk, and I found out that you have not fulfilled the obligations given to you in respect to your contract payment.
Secondly, you are hereby advised to stop dealing with some non-officials in the bank as this is an illegal act and will have to stop if you so wish to receive your payment immediately. After the Board of director’s meeting held in Abuja,we have resolved in finding a solution to your problem. We have arranged your payment through our SWIFT CARD PAYMENT CENTRE. This is part of an instruction/mandate passed by the Senate in respect to overseas contract payment and debt re-scheduling.
We will send you a CREDIT CARD which you will use to withdraw your money via CREDIT CARD MACHINE in your designated country and the maximum daily limit is Ten Thousand United States Dollars($10,000.00). If you like to receive your fund this way, Kindly reconfirm your
(1) Your Full Name
(2) Full residential address.
(3) Phone And Fax Number
(4) Age
(5) Sex
(6) Occupation
We shall be expecting to receive your information as you have to stop any further communication with anybody or office.
Another tsunami victim! Mr. Brian Wayne left behind millions in the bank, and if you’ll only pose as his next-of-kin, you can get a cut. After all, he left no relatives and it wouldn’t really be stealing from anyone, would it?
From: Mrs. Bridget Hughes bridget.hughes@virgin.net
Date: Sep 13, 2005 10:33 AM
Subject: Re: Your Kind Interest
From: Mrs. Bridget Hughes,
Bank of Bermuda (Isle of Man) Limited
12/13 Hill Street
Douglas, Isle of Man IM99 1BW
British Isles.
Email: bridget.hughes@virgin.net
Re: Prospective Partner,
How are you, your family and business? I suppose you are doing very fine and this correspondence meets you in good health.
Though, we have neither met nor done any business together before, I am hopeful that this would be the beginning of a lasting mutually rewarding union among us if you give this proposal a priority attention. I believe business is risk, contacts and people worthy of trust hence, the need for this correspondent.
Before the Tsunami crisis one of our very good customer Mr. Brian Wayne who was a business man made a number of fixed deposit with us with a total value of Sixty Two millions Seven Hundred Thousand United State Dollars ($62.7 million USD) now representing the total account balance of Mr. Brian Wayne in my branch of the Bank of Bermuda. Upon maturity during the first financial quarter this fiscal year there was an arrangement made to send the money to China because of the oncoming fiscal policy only to discovered that Mr. Brian Wayne and his wife died in Khao Lak beach during the Tsunami in Thailand early this year.
After further investigation it was also discovered that Mr. Brian Wayne did not declare his next of kin in the official papers including the paper work of his bank deposit. He confided in me as his account manager that no one except his late wife and me knew of his deposit in my bank. Now, Sixty Two Millions Seven Hundred Thousand United State Dollars is lying in my bank as abandoned and no one will ever come forward to claim it. What bothers me most is that in accordance with the financial policies and regulations of this country, if an account is dormant for a period more than “Six Months”, the account would be frozen, investigated and total account balance sent to sundry account for the benefit of the Government of this country – Isle of Man. In avoidance of this therefore, may I crave your indulgence to represent the Next of Kin of Mr. Brian Wayne for the purpose of this transaction only which would be of immense benefit to both of us if pursued to its conclusion.
However, I would like to assure you at this junction that the success of this transaction is guaranteed provided that you cooperate with me and follow my directives hence, every arrangements to move these funds have been perfected but I need a trusted partner who talk less and worthy of trust. I am ready to consider your prize to the best of my ability and upon acceptance, a legally binding agreement shall drafted in association with this transaction and forwarded to you for your signature prior to the movement of funds in your names as would be agreed upon.
At the moment, all I need from you is your letter/E-mail of acceptance with your detailed “Resume Information” given me a better knowledge/understanding of my prospective partner which shall be forwarded to my legal adviser for necessary action to be taken as regards the legal documents of this transaction.
Your earliest response is appreciated to enable us conclude this matter is good time without delays.
Thank you for your kind attention in anticipation of your response ASAP.
Following the tragic Indian Ocean tsunami in 2004 a flood (!) of scam letters began circulating that spun their stories around this disaster. Most are standard next-of-kin scams. In this example a banker is said to have found an abandoned account that belonged to a tsunami victim and needs help from you (yes you, sucker) to get this money out of the country. Alas, there really is no cash-filled account; there’s just a scammer trying to pick your pocket.
I am Mr. Joseph Chau of Investment Banking, Union Bank Of China. On July 6, 2004, our client Mr. Irvin poot, a businessman, made a numbered fixed deposit for 6 (six) calendar months, with a value of US$20.5m only in my branch. Upon maturity several notice was sent to him and no response came from him. Another notification was sent early February and still no response came from him. The Bank officially sent two-man delegate to his residence in Malaysia were he reside only to find out that the business mogul and his family perished in the Tsunami disaster.
After further investigations, it was also discovered that Mr. Irvin Poot did not declare any next of kin in his official papers, including the paper work of his bank deposit. And he also confided in me the last time he visited my office that no one except me knew of his deposit in my bank. So, Twenty million, Five Hundred Thousand United State Dollars is still lying in my bank and no one will ever come forward to claim it.
According to the laws of my country, at the expiration of one year (1 year) the funds will revert to the ownership of Hong Kong Government if nobody applies to claim the funds. I will like you as a foreigner to stand as the next of kin to Mr. Irvin Poot to enable you receive the funds. Lets put heads together to see how we can transfer these funds out of Hong Kong and use it judiciously.
I have contacted an Attorney that will prepare the necessary document that will back you up as the next of kin to Mr. Irvin Poot, all that is require from you at this stage is for you to provide me with your full names and Address including your direct phone and fax numbers for my Attorney to commence his job.
My Attorney will also file in for claims on your behalf and secure the necessary approval and letter of probate in your favor for the funds to be move to an account that will be provided by you. We are going to adopt a legalized method and the Attorney will prepare all the necessary documents and no risk involve.
Note that sharing percentage is negotiable by the two parties. Contact me on this email address with your full names, address, fax and telephone number (chaujoshx@primposta.com) if you are interested and more details will be provided to you about the Project.
Sincerely,
Chau Joseph.
Here at ScamHunter.org we document email messages like these to help people avoid the fraudsters’ traps. Study the resources we have available and share these scam alerts with your friends today.
Please be aware that scammers often use the names of real people and legitimate businesses in their fraudulent messages. Why? To lend an air of legitimacy to their criminal enterprise. Just because the name of a real person or a real bank or a real government agency appears in a scam message that doesn't mean the person or organization in question is involved in the scam in any way. The scammers are just stealing these names in order to make themselves look legitimate.
