The whole notion of scams designed expressly for separating a trusting individual from their money is nauseating, on its face, but especially so when the most vulnerable among us are subject to the most intense efforts on the part of the scammers. Disabled folks, or those who have recently lost a job—are particularly at risk, as money is often desperately needed to pay monthly bills, and feed one’s family.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation, while often involved in after-the-fact research, and bringing forth attempts to enact justice, has recently been used by scammers to promote legitimacy, and in response to this writer’s inquiry, related that various lists of disabled individuals along with lists of people receiving unemployment had been uncovered by agents as they sought answers to a most puzzling scam.
It works thus: An email arrives in your inbox. It looks like this:
“THE IMF HAS APPROVED YOUR ATM CARD FOR DELIVERY (FBI)
Attn: Beneficiary,
I am Dr Donald Moore, the personal secretary to the FBI Director; Robert S.Mueller III. After proper investigations, we discovered that your impending payment that have been withheld by imposters, claiming to be Professor Charles Soludo (Governor of the Central bank of Nigeria), Mr. Patrick Aziza, Mr. Frank Nweke, None existing officials of the Oceanic Bank of Nigeria and Zenith Bank, UK winning Lottery, Andy Lear of Hsbc bank, Coca-Cola winning lottery and among a list of others is now under our custody with the help of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Local Police Force.
Investigations revealed that you have spent a lot on your personal earned money just to conclude the successful transfer of your funds to your nominated bank account by obtaining transfer documents as requested by the imposters, costing you a lot of money but all to no avail.
The FBI had to send some financial crime investigators from our head quarters in Washington DC to Africa in other to carry out proper investigation, after receiving series of other reports similar to yours as you are not the only person awaiting the legal transfer of funds from Africa.
The FBI has giving authority to the International Monetary Funds (IMF) to assist the Federal Ministry of Finance and all the organization involved; such as the Central Bank, Zenith Bank, and Legit lottery organizations to immediately commence with the compensation of all the beneficiaries awaiting the successful transfer of their funds.
With the help of some of the best Internet investigators attached to the FBI, we traced your information from the Internet as one of the beneficiaries awaiting the successful transfer of funds to your nominated account.
I am pleased to inform you that a meeting was held as regards the best way to carry out with the compensation exercise for transparency and most especially to avoid reoccurrence of the delay in transferring your funds and the high cost of procuring transfer documents and came to a final conclusion as all head of organizations involved was duly represented.
It was approved to be issued to you as a valid international ATM card cashable at any ATM machine designation in the world. The ATM account has already being credited with Five Million Five Hundred thousand United States dollars. ($5,5000, 000.00 USD) , with a daily Limit of withdrawal of Fiftheen thousand United States Dollars. ($15,000, 00USD).The ATM card has already being packaged and approved to be delivered to your door step via express courier delivery service.
Contact Dr Donald Moore {Our FBI ATM Rep.} at the ATM PAYMENT CENTER and reconfirm your delivery information as stated below and your security code with five digit (24006) number has to be submitted alongside with your delivery information for security reasons.
DELIVERY INFROMATION:
FULL NAME:
DELIVERY ADDRESS:
CELLPHONE NUMBER:
CURRENT OCCUPATION
CONTACT INFORMATION:
NAME: Dr Donald Moore
EMAIL: donaldmoore039@sbcglobal.net
PHONE: +234-806-691-7298
NOTE: Under normal circumstances you are suppose to come and collect your ATM CARD in person and sign some documents as proof of the collection of your ATM CARD but the IMF and the Finance Ministry insisted that you pay for the delivery charges of your ATM CARD via western union money transfer, which will cost you only $450.00USD to cut down travel expenses in other for the western union payment receipt and the receipt of payment of $450.00 USD to the nominated courier company that will carry out with the delivery to your door step to be documented in your file as proof your collection.
We hope that is very clear.
A receipt to this effect will be sent to you and a copy kept in your file for future documentation.
We also advise that you stop further communications with these imposters and forward any correspondence / proposal you receive from them to Mr. Kelvin Williams in other for the FBI to bring justice to does still at large.”
Mr. Dr Donald Moore.
For: Mr. Robert S.Mueller III
FBI DIRECTOR
Naturally, the FBI disavowed any connection with these brazen crooks, and were very anxious to take action against them. Additional contact with their offices revealed that literally hundreds of people were taken in by this scam, and that the scammers had obtained the above described lists of disabled and unemployed people.
There are literally thousands of scams on the Internet, including foreign lottery scams, and now the FBI scam. The actual agents assigned the case had not located the origin of the offenders, but the last contact with them indicated they were ‘closing in’ on a group from Romania who were the probable source.
Please be aware that these scams can be very sophisticated and intriguing, and obviously ‘successful’ as the authorities made clear. As a company, The Disability Digest can determine the legitimacy of these type of schemes. Please do yourself a favor, and if you are about to send off some funds to a company or person in hopes of receiving a whole lot of money in return—don’t do it. Send us an email and we will check it out for you. Think about it—you cannot afford to lose your money, so don’t take any chances. If a proposal is real, we can determine this, and proceed accordingly.
In any case, we’re just looking out for you—–and I have personally worked with Fraud Watch and now the FBI in shutting down these low-life criminals before they can rip you off.
That’s it for now—-until next time.
Advocate
