by Bill Singer
FBI Victimized by Sloppy Online Fraud
July 7, 2008Below is an email that I received on Monday, July 7, 2008, around 5 am ET. Upon receipt, I immediately noted the message was fraudulent. What gave this amateurish effort away? For starters, the FBI Director's last name is "Mueller," not "Muellers" (as sloppily noted in his phony email address). I mean, come on now, the first rule of any decent fraud is to spell your alleged leader's name right! The next tip-off was that even the FBI knows that "Monetary" is not spelled "Monitory." Finally, I noted that my address was not under the "TO:" line but was sent from the blind-copy "BCC:"--that's usually an indication of a massive spam mailing. Seems to me that a really good scamster would have taken the trouble to personalize this message -- alas, it's getting difficult to find a good fraud these days...what with so many going around, the bar has been raised.
As all good citizens in this post-9/11 world should do with such crap involving any federal agency, I contacted the Washington Office of the FBI to warn of this fraud. The good folks there sort of laughed and reassured me that they were fully aware of this scam and told me to disregard it. They also suggested that in the future, such "foreign" frauds of this nature should be directed to the Secret Service at 202-406-9330. So, if you are disposed, contact the Secret Service; otherwise, here's the contact site for the Internet Crime Complaint Center http://www.ic3.gov/contact/
VERBATIM EMAIL REPRINT:
Federal Bureau Of Investigation (ATM CARD PAYMENT)
Federal Bureau Of Investigation Anti-Terrorist and Monitory Crimes Division.
Federal Bureau Of Investigation.
J. Edgar. Hoover Building Washington D.C
Telephone Number : (202)-684-6479
Attn: Beneficiary,
This is to Officially inform you that it has come to our notice and we have thoroughly Investigated by the help of our Intelligence Monitoring Network System that you are having an illegal Transaction with Imposters claiming to be Prof. Charles C. Soludo of the Central Bank Of Nigeria, Mr. Patrick Aziza, Mr Frank Nweke, none officials of Oceanic Bank, none officials of Zenith Bank and imposter claiming to be the Federal Bureau Of Investigation. During our Investigation, it came to our notice that the reason why you have not received your payment is because you have not fulfill your Financial Obligation giving to you in respect of your Contract/Inheritance Payment.
So therefore, we have contacted the Federal Ministry Of Finance on your behalf and they have brought a solution to your problem by arranging your payment in total of US$800,000.00 in an ATM CARD which you will use to withdraw money in anywhere of the world. You now have the lawful right to claim your fund in the ATM CARD.
Since the Federal Bureau of Investigation is involved in this transaction, all you did have to do is to be rest assured for this is 100% risk free because it is our right to protect the American Citizens. All I did want you to do is proceed and contact the ATM CARD CENTER via email for their requirements to proceed and procure your Approval Slip on your behalf which will cost you $150.00 only and note that your Approval Slip contains details of your PERSONAL IDENTIFICATION NUMBER (PIN) which you will use in activating your ATM CARD in any ATM MACHINE.
CONTACT INFORMATION
NAME: MR. PAUL SMITH
EMAIL: atm-card-centre@live.com
Do contact Mr. Paul Smith of the ATM CARD CENTRE with your full name, home address, mobile telephone number, home telephone number or work telephone number and bank name so your files would be updated after which he will send the payment informations to you which you will use in making payment of $150.00 via Western Union Money Transfer or Money Gram for the procurement of your Approval Slip after which the delivery of your ATM CARD will be effected to your designated home address without any further delay.
We order you get back to this office after you open contact with the ATM SWIFT CARD CENTRE and we do await your response so we can move on with our Investigation and make sure your ATM SWIFT CARD gets to you.
Thanks and hope to read from you soon.
FBI Director
Robert Mueller
Note: Do disregard any email you get from any imposter or office claiming to be in possesion of your ATM CARD, you are adviced only to be in contact with Mr. Paul Smith of the ATM CARD CENTRE who is the rightful person you are suppose to deal with in regards your ATM CARD PAYMENT and forward any email you get from imposters to this office so we could act upon and commence investigation.