Internet Scammers Using The FBI Letterhead
Heres a real Brazen Scammer. They are now using FBI Letterhead in their arsenal of scam tactics.
Dont fall for any of these. If you get one claiming its from the FBI forward it to http://www.fbi.gov
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February 27, 2008
NIGERIAN FRAUD LETTERS USING FBI LETTERHEAD
Special Agent in Charge Robert E. Casey Jr. issues warning to the public of a new tactic on the Nigerian Fraud Letters. Recently, a number of unsolicited letters and e-mails were sent to various individuals in Texas using FBI letterhead and the identities of Dallas FBI officials as part of a mass marketing fraud scheme. These letters appear to come from one or more persons and are entitled "RE: Interim Stop Order of $10,000,000.00 USD." The letters and e-mails advise that a person carried $10,000,000.00 in cash to the Dallas Fort Worth Airport. To be able to retain the cash, this person "would need a "Tax Clearance Certificate". The author of the letter and e-mails seeks $5,300.00 which in return would allow him to keep the $10,000,000.00 and over $200,000,000.00 claimed to be in various locations around the world. While most law-abiding citizens will recognize these letters as obvious forgeries, it is important to note that millions of dollars in losses are suffered by victims of these schemes each year.
These fraud schemes combine the threat of impersonation fraud and identity theft with a variation of an advance fee scheme in which a letter or e-mail offers the recipient the "opportunity" to share in a percentage of millions of dollars that the author, a self proclaimed government official or friends of a high ranking government official, is trying to transfer illegally out of Nigeria, Ghana or other African nation. These fraudulent letters have been received for a number of years through the United States mail and increasingly are received through the Internet. The recipient is encouraged to send information to the author, such as blank letterhead stationary, bank name and account numbers and other identifying information using a facsimile number, e-mail address, and telephone number provided in the letter. Some of these letters have also been received via e-mail through the internet. The scheme relies on convincing a willing victim, who has demonstrated a "propensity for larceny" by responding to the invitation, to send money to the author of the letter, usually in several installments of increasing amounts for a variety of reasons.
Payment of taxes, bribes to government officials, and legal fees are often described in great detail with the promise that all expenses will be reimbursed as soon as the funds are spirited out of a particular country. In actuality, the millions of dollars do not exist and the victim eventually loses all funds they provided as a result of this solicitation. Once the victim stops sending money, the perpetrators have been known to use the personal information and checks to impersonate the victim, draining bank accounts and credit card balances until the victim's assets are taken in their entirety. In the past, some victims have been lured to Nigeria or other countries, where they have been imprisoned against their will or assaulted, in addition to losing large sums of money. The Nigerian government has created the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission in an effort to curb these and related schemes. However, the problem is so pervasive that is difficult for Nigerian law enforcement to arrest, prosecute or extradite all that are involved in these schemes. This problem is exacerbated by the number of Nigerian émigrés who are operating these schemes from other countries such as Canada, The Netherlands, Spain, England, and other African nations.
Tips to Avoid International Mass Marketing Fraud
· If you receive a letter, e-mail or telephone solicitation from another country asking you to send personal banking information, do not reply in any manner. Provide the information to the FBI as soon as possible.
· If you know someone who is corresponding in one of these schemes, encourage that person to contact the FBI.
· Be skeptical of individuals representing themselves as Nigerian, other foreign government officials, or claiming to be the FBI, U.S. Customs or the Internal Revenue Service asking for your help in placing large sums of money in overseas bank accounts or asking for advance fees so that you can collect any funds or alleged winnings.
· Do not believe the promise of large sums of money for your cooperation.
· Guard your account information carefully.
Individuals receiving these letters or other forms of solicitations are encouraged to report this criminal activity to their local FBI Field Office. The telephone numbers are located in local telephone books and can also be obtained on the Internet by accessing the FBI's official Homepage: http://www.fbi.gov. Additionally, the information can be reported to the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) via the FBI homepage.
