419 Scam Blow-by-Blow

timbos writes "Check out this six-page dissection of a 419 scam at The Register. In particular, the fake banking site that the fraudsters set up is interesting..."

Article quote:

[shackma2]

"how could they be so stupid?", and "surely everyone is aware of these scams by now"

Thats about how I feel. Also its important to realize that scams like this exist everywhere, not just the internet.

Yeesh

[Otter]

This seems like a lot of work that could have been just as easily been expressed as "Hey, dumbass -- do you go around mailing random Africans to give them stacks of money? Well, they don't do that either! Just delete the damn emails!"

Yikes

[Giant Ape Skeleton]

The article makes for chilling reading.

Never before (outside of a David Mamet script) have I seen such a detailed picture of con artist
playing on someone's combined greed and credulity.

The art of the Con is alive and well...

Just plain stupid

[Blindman]

Whenever I see the make money fast schemes on television or on the internet, my first question is always, "What do they need me for?" Schemes that actually make money sell themselves. All I know initially is that rather than invest money into the scheme itself they are spending it recruiting new people. Does this sound fishy? A person that really intends to commit fraud probably won't trust a random stranger.

I understand that people fall on hard times and get desperate for salvation, but outside of cinema does it ever just fall into your lap? I once went to a meeting that I didn't realize at the time was for a pyramid scheme when I was looking for a job. I assume I was being recruited based on that fact. I shudder to imagine how worse it would have been had I bought into that crap.

Hope is a beautiful thing until it makes people stupid.

Greed

[Mr_Silver]

At the end of the day, all these scams center around one thing - that is, that the person is greedy enough to be prepared to bend a few rules to get hold of a seemingly preposterious amount of money.

Every time I see a TV programme where someone who was interviewed who had been ripped off, I have to keep remembering that all semblence of common sense and decency went out of their minds in the pursuit of wealth.

For example, who really thinks that there is nothing wrong with going about pretending to be a dead persons uncle to claim money that isn't rightfully yours?

If it seems to good to be true....

[Dark Kenshin]

I'm not the most careful person in the world, and I often do dumb things, but when it comes to my money I try and make sure that something is legit. Services like Paypal aside, why on earth would you want to pick a bank that you can't actually go to their physical location?

Maybe I'm just ignorant and need to get on the all spam is telling the truth bandwagon....

Re:Article quote:

[fishwallop]

No bank communication I've ever seen has had such poor grammar and spelling. Furthermore, reputable institutions tend to prefer traditional mail to e-mail.

Consider a few sentences from a letter from one "Clive Bannister, head of international operations including private banking at HSBC Republic", which should have triggered suspicion:

"Cash movement across

boarders has become especially strict since the incidents of 9/11"

"Four days later, information started to trickle in, apparently Moser was dead. A person who suited his description was declared dead of a heart attack in Canne, South of France"

And then this, which I think in English means "hey, wanna join my scam?":

"What I wish to relate to you will smack of unethical practice but I want you to understand something. It is only an outsider to the banking world who finds the internal politics of the banking world aberrational. The world of private banking especially is fraught with huge rewards for those who occupy certain offices and oversee certain portfolios."

Two words

[Anonymous Coward]

No sympathy

If you were down to your last $1000 why in the world would you willingly hand it over to someone you have never heard for the promise of untold riches?

Ok, maybe it's just me then that, while certainly admitting to being a greedy little coward (thanks Daffy), can think of better things to do with my last $1000.

one rule to bind them

[MikeHunt69]

I usually just follow one simple rule:

Don't touch anything that uses Western Union.

Unless you're the one recieving the cash of course...

Re:Mother nature at work.

[raehl]

Furthermore, a lot of the "stupid" have already spawned.

Well, that's at least good news for us morally bankrupt folk. Nice to know your market is expanding.

Re:Article quote:

[GoMissedAtTheMAP]

It is hard to have much sympathy for someone who was so unethical as to think that this was OK if it was for real. It was spelled out for him that the money was not rightfull his, but here are the 'deceased's' personal details so that you can assist me with stealing the money. There were multiple thieves involved here, and hard times or not, the karma train took his $1000.

Re:419 is Ohio

[Anonymous Coward]

HAHAHA. I never thought of what you just did. Post anonymously and see if it gets modded up and then post regular to get the points. Amazing how you can post something twice and get both modded up.

Mods please mod this guy as redundant and mod up the AC. Don't reward this guy for stupidity even if his post is good.

Here's a HUGE FUCKING HINT

[Ayanami Rei]

Relatives of really rich or powerful people DO NOT email random people to move money out of the country.

There are plenty of other, easier, and safer ways to do that, especially for rich people.

There's nothing reasonable about it.

Re:Hmm

[Scorchio]

That was my initial thought. Well, the first part anyway. I can only assume they were (at least attempting to) scam several people through the same setup at the same time. I'm sure they didn't send out just the one email. What we don't know is how many other people fell for it and gathered up the full $8000 requested. They must have been disappointed that this guy didn't manage the full amount, but still squeezed what they could out of him.

Re:Article quote:

[gurps_npc]

This is the exact same arguement used by Nigeria for why they don't persue these cases.

Yes, the "victim" was not a nice person, but he never actually committed any crimes and people did in fact steal from him. Perhaps he would have had a change of heart and not gone through with it (Yes I know it is unlikely, but stranger things have happened.)

The law is for everyone, even the greedy morons. The fact that the victim was a scumbucket is irrelevant/offtopic, not insightful

El Reg know the guy's address and phone number

[InsomniaCity]

If the Register know his address and phone number, and probably know contact details for a victim, surely the local police would be interested... all the detective work has been done for them!

All they have to do is pick up the guy for questioning!

I know that the police don't seem to be interested in this, (El Reg says that the National High Tech Crime Unit referred them to the local force), but we pay our taxes for a reason!!

Re:Article quote:

[Oligonicella]

"It can happen to anyone."

No. It can only happen to those who desire to get rich by participating in what is obviously a shady deal. Tuff.

Re:Just plain stupid

[mabu]

My favorite is the guy on TV selling an information package on "How to make big bucks in real estate". Of course, he's not in the real estate business. He's in the merchandising-of-information-package business.

This reminds me of an e*trade commercial that showed a guy saying, "Want to make lots of money? Simply buy my book, 'How to get people to send you $50 for a book.'"

Re:1-419-COM-CAST.

[Lord_Dweomer]

"If you have to mention it, your attempt failed."

Unfortunately, many jokes don't translate to the internet well because of the tone of voice often times needed to convey sarcasm.

If his joke was obviously a joke when spoken because of the tone of voice, it is completely appropriate for him to inform us so that we can read his post with a different "voice" in our head.

That, and there are some really anal mods around here who mod first and ask questions later.