Has someone offered you a huge sum of money or a valuable consignment? It's a 419 or advance fee fraud - find out how they work, and what to do to be safe.
#9432 by newvictim Tue May 05, 2009 1:18 pm
hi i'm a new victim, i gave a person i totally trusted money, just yesterday i discovere that he is a scammer, i talked to the police and they told me to talk to a lawyer cause it is not their matter, i already blocked the account, please let me know if there is anything i can do.
thank you
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#9433 by The Enchantress Tue May 05, 2009 1:23 pm
Welcome to Scamwarners newvictim. I am sorry to hear you have given money to a scammer.

Scamwarners are happy to advise and answer your concerns. Can you please post details of this scam and scammer.

Please do not post any of your personal detail, your online safety is also our number one priority.

This link click here and click here gives Scamwarners advice on your best options.

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Never send money by Western Union/Moneygram.
Never give personal information.
Online anyone can claim to be anyone, any age and from anywhere.
#9449 by Jillian Tue May 05, 2009 10:14 pm
Hi newvictim. I'm sorry to hear you lost money. As The Enchantress said, please do post more information about the scam so that we can give you specific advice.

First of all is to stop all contact with the scammer. He will tell you lie after lie in an attempt to continue to scam you. Please also be on the lookout for any emails purporting to be from an agency or law enforcement official offering to help you get your money back or to catch the scammer. Those emails will be from the same scammer, just using a different name and email account, in an attempt to steal any more of your money.

If you have given the scammer personal information beyond what is publically available (address and phone number) please take steps to secure it. This would include bank account information, etc.

Welcome here. I'm sorry it is under these circumstances.

Have you sent a payment to a scammer with Western Union and now realize it's a scam? If the payment has not been picked up, you can cancel it immediately! 1-800-448-1492

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#10185 by beatriz Mon Jun 01, 2009 6:20 pm
Is spourgeons an scam???? I receive a mone order to cashed and send them the money, so, this is not real?
#10186 by Jillian Mon Jun 01, 2009 6:27 pm
Hi and welcome here, beatriz. In what context did you receive the money order? Where are you supposed to be sending money? Are you asked to send it with Western Union?
It certainly sounds like a scam, as the sending on part of the money is the key part to a fraudulent check or money order scam. If you give us a bit more information we can give you a more conclusive answer.

Have you sent a payment to a scammer with Western Union and now realize it's a scam? If the payment has not been picked up, you can cancel it immediately! 1-800-448-1492

Follow ScamWarners on Twitter: http://twitter.com/ScamWarners
#10188 by AlanJones Mon Jun 01, 2009 6:30 pm
Hi beatriz and welcome to Scamwarners.

I did a search for spourgeons and couldn't find any results. Did you mean spurgeons? as there seem to be some results for that name (an Aids charity and a Bible College).

Perhaps you could post some of the emails that you have received (minus your personal details) and we can tell you better whether it is a scam, although I suspect that it is very likely that it was. Were you asked to receive a cheque/money order, cash it and then send some of the money to someone by MoneyGram/Western Union? If so then it is what is known as a Company Representative scam and unfortunately the Money Order that you have received is a fake and will eventually be rejected by your bank and the money deducted from our account.

You might also like to take a look at the posts here. Do they look similar to what you were asked to do.

Please do not tell scammers that they are listed here - it will take them seconds to change their fake details and their new details will not be listed for any future victims to find.
#10231 by Alice Tue Jun 02, 2009 10:48 pm
I believe I could possibly be a new victim. I will describe the emails I have received and await a reply. I was approached through a dating site, to assist Drs. working in Iraq to get their wages out of a S. African securities company. I received an email by the said company requesting I scan and send a copy of my passport or drivers license to them for verification. I am unsure of what to do at this point because as I said I am unsure if this is actually a scam. Has anyone heard of such a scam? I am desperate to find out. I would like to help if these are legitimate Drs. I have read a little about the 419 scams and am wondering if this is just a new one that I have not read about yet. The securities company is legitimate as far as the internet goes but they look like a group that I might be best to leave alone. They so far have not asked me for money but.....The amount of transfer is much less than most scams that I have read about. Help....
#10237 by Holly Brown Tue Jun 02, 2009 11:05 pm
Hi, Alice!

It would help us to find out information and determine the nature of your email if you could post the email, complete with headers (if you don't know how to find them, tell us what email provider you use and someone willl give you directions). One of the staff members here will tell you where the email came from and also if the message has been flagged as scam on other sites.

At first glance, the story seems rather improbable, but it is just different enough to bear investigation.

It is a change from the US soldier trying to "liberate" millions of dollars hoarded by Saddam Hussein. ;)

[email protected] if you want to ask me more questions.
#10255 by Underwater Wed Jun 03, 2009 11:11 am
Alice,

The clue that this is a scam will be if they are asking you to cash checks using your own bank, and then "wire" them the money via Western Union or Money Gram. That is ALWAYS a scam. Legitimate organizations don't do that. The check will turn out to be fraudulent, but your bank may not find that out for weeks or even months - long after the money you transferred them is gone, and you will be on the hook for the whole amount.

Also, the method in which they came to you is another clue. Legitimate organizations, including charitable operations, do not need to go to strangers to deal with their payments and finances. Certainly, if there were real doctors involved, they would have other connections to people they know who could help them.

I agree this is a new twist - it's the first time I'm hearing the "Drs. working in Iraq" twist - but the overall scam is very common.

But as Holly mentioned, if you can post more information (their emails, and especially the headers) we can give you more specifics to confirm this is a scam. Also, assuming they are a scam, posting their information here will allow other potential victims to be able to find them here in a search, and avoid falling victim.
#10257 by Arnold Wed Jun 03, 2009 11:33 am
Welcome to Scamwarners!
Alice wrote: a S. African securities company.

I don't recognise that scam format either, but that's the bit that says scam to me. Security companies often feature in scams. Usually holding a trunkbox containing a few million dollars.
Unless the security company employed the doctors (unlikely), where does it fit in?

#10281 by Diana Prince Wed Jun 03, 2009 5:08 pm
Hi, Alice --

I'm not as experienced in these matters as the posters who have already replied to you, but I endorse their replies and I ask you to consider the following questions:

(a) Why would a (supposed) charitable organization run by doctors approach a person who had posted on a dating (!!!) site?

(b) Are you prepared to cope with the loss of your personal information, if you send a copy of either your passport or your drivers license to an internet stranger? They won't have to request any money from you at all, once they are in possession of your legal information. Think of the mischief that they could do in your name!

Believe me, I don't doubt your good intentions, Alice. A real-life local doctor whom I know, who treated me for potentially serious problems, works with a charity in Asia which I am certain does remarkably good work. I verified their status as a legitimate charity via a USA website which rates nonprofit organizations. I have met the doctor in real life. And all I had to do to help, was to mail his organization a check, for which I got a receipt. No drivers license, no passport, just a heartfelt donation.

I'm so glad that you posted here, because your instincts are, I think, exactly right!

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