This is a particularly nasty scam in several ways.
This scam is run by a gang operating out of the Cote d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast). They are effective in creating the illusion of truth, by introducing many characters to their intended victims.
It starts out capitalizing on the death of a white farmer in Zimbabwe in 2002.
(follow the link for a story about the death of Terry Ford)
The victim claims to be his daughter and needs help with living and university expenses until she can get out of the country to join you along with all of her money that she is willing to entrust you with.
Here's her initial email:
The next step of the scam is to get you to pay for her day-to-day expenses, or perhaps her current university class, while she looks for a way to get her passport and visa from the government.
Hint: she may need to pay a bribe
In the meantime, she is asking you for a scan of your passport, in order to set up a bank account for you to act as her benficiary (and so they can use your passport on future victims).
But wait, there's a catch: her father's account has been dormant over the years, and now requires a re-activation fee in order to transfer the money out!!
Enter the helpful people at the "Royal Trust Offshore Bank". This bank appears in slightly different forms, as fake banks tend to be short-lived on the web!!
The banking characters this gang likes to use are Grey Goose, Martini Ross, Dona Paula, Jim Barry. (These names are quite humourous to English-speaking people, although this gang's typical victims do not speak English as a primary language)
Once they get that first payment, they pretend to transfer the money to the new offshore bank.
Remember I said this is a nasty scam in several ways?
They give you a private account number to view your account at the online bank. When you log in, it looks like the entire amount is there, in your account.
There is even a "Withdrawal" transaction, for transferring your money to another bank.
Problem is the bank is fake!! It is a website run by this gang, there is no money and there is no bank!!
When you try to transfer your "money" from their bank to your bank, you will find that there are many problems with doing that, all of which may be solved if you provide the various "fees".
They may introduce the "Financial Investigations Unit (FIU)", supposedly run by the US Treasury Department. Don't be fooled, it's just another fake website!
Their "agent" may tell you that a "anti-terrorist certificate" is required before you can transfer your money to your bank. Ridiculous as that sounds, victims have fallen for that!!
Remember, legitiimate US governmental agencies have a ".gov" or a ".org" at the end of their email address, it is fake if the address is "[email protected]".
If you pay the "anti-terrorist certificate" fee, there will be another fee. That is the idea, to keep victims paying fees, because they think that that is the last fee they have to pay befoer they get their money!
This gang has been known to keep people scammed for many months, because they believe they have 15 million euros in their private account!
Remember, there is no easy way to get rich quick.
Your best bet is to ignore "Miss Peggy's" pleas, the only pockets "she" is stuffing are the pockets of Gang leader Ikara and his lads
This scam is run by a gang operating out of the Cote d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast). They are effective in creating the illusion of truth, by introducing many characters to their intended victims.
It starts out capitalizing on the death of a white farmer in Zimbabwe in 2002.
(follow the link for a story about the death of Terry Ford)
The victim claims to be his daughter and needs help with living and university expenses until she can get out of the country to join you along with all of her money that she is willing to entrust you with.
Here's her initial email:
Dear Sir,
www.cnn.com/2002/WORLD/africa/03/18/zimbabwe.farmer (DOWNLOAD & SEE THE REMAINS OF MY FATHER)
I am Miss Peggy Ford the the only child of the late Terry Ford, a farmer In Zimbabwe.
I am contacting you for assistance due to the recent problems that my family is facing in Zimbabwe.After the last general elections in my country where the incumbent President Mr. Robert Mugabe won he adopted a very aggressive land reform programme. During this period of the Land Reform Act of which many rich White farmers were killed, our farmland was attacked, looted and burnt down by militants sponsored by the dictator President Robert Mugabe and in the process my father was killed.
Before his death, he had deposited the sum of €15,000,000.00(Fifteen Million Euros) with a Bank abroad, as he foresaw the Looming dangers in Zimbabwe. The amount was meant for the purchase of new machineries and Chemicals proposed for new farms in Zimbabwe.
This cash was kept with the Bank for fear of seizure by the Government, as President Mugabe had declared war on white farmers.
I have been unable to travel to out due to the recent problems in our country Zimbabwe, I cannot secure a visa. It is due to this situation that I have decided to contact you for assistance to make claims of this fund from the Bank on behalf of my family.
As soon as you claim this fund you will transfer it into your account, deduct your share and secure our share until we come over to your country. For your assistance you will be entitled to 30% of the total fund.
Note that you will assist me invest my share of this funds in a profitable business in your country with your supervision. Please get back to me immediately so we can proceed.
Regards and God Bless.
Miss Peggy Ford
The next step of the scam is to get you to pay for her day-to-day expenses, or perhaps her current university class, while she looks for a way to get her passport and visa from the government.
Hint: she may need to pay a bribe
In the meantime, she is asking you for a scan of your passport, in order to set up a bank account for you to act as her benficiary (and so they can use your passport on future victims).
But wait, there's a catch: her father's account has been dormant over the years, and now requires a re-activation fee in order to transfer the money out!!
Enter the helpful people at the "Royal Trust Offshore Bank". This bank appears in slightly different forms, as fake banks tend to be short-lived on the web!!
The banking characters this gang likes to use are Grey Goose, Martini Ross, Dona Paula, Jim Barry. (These names are quite humourous to English-speaking people, although this gang's typical victims do not speak English as a primary language)
Once they get that first payment, they pretend to transfer the money to the new offshore bank.
Remember I said this is a nasty scam in several ways?
They give you a private account number to view your account at the online bank. When you log in, it looks like the entire amount is there, in your account.
There is even a "Withdrawal" transaction, for transferring your money to another bank.
Problem is the bank is fake!! It is a website run by this gang, there is no money and there is no bank!!
When you try to transfer your "money" from their bank to your bank, you will find that there are many problems with doing that, all of which may be solved if you provide the various "fees".
They may introduce the "Financial Investigations Unit (FIU)", supposedly run by the US Treasury Department. Don't be fooled, it's just another fake website!
Their "agent" may tell you that a "anti-terrorist certificate" is required before you can transfer your money to your bank. Ridiculous as that sounds, victims have fallen for that!!
Remember, legitiimate US governmental agencies have a ".gov" or a ".org" at the end of their email address, it is fake if the address is "[email protected]".
If you pay the "anti-terrorist certificate" fee, there will be another fee. That is the idea, to keep victims paying fees, because they think that that is the last fee they have to pay befoer they get their money!
This gang has been known to keep people scammed for many months, because they believe they have 15 million euros in their private account!
Remember, there is no easy way to get rich quick.
Your best bet is to ignore "Miss Peggy's" pleas, the only pockets "she" is stuffing are the pockets of Gang leader Ikara and his lads
