Email Scams: Foreign business deal scams - need a business partner or rep where you live (lucky you!)
Put yourself in their shoes": you live in, say, China and your business is growing. You're shipping more and more to America or the UK, so now you need a representative there, to "process payments" because your bank can't accept money from the US or UK. What would you do? Go to the internet and pick a person at random from a list of email addresses and trust them with your money and business, of course!
Of course, it is a scam! But many people want to believe this one, and believe nonsense, like "our bank can't accept foreign payments". Have you EVER heard of ANY bank that would turn away money from ANYWHERE? Of course not!
Below are links to sample actual emails of this type of scam, along with how to recognize the scam and report them. These are of a type called "The Advance Fee Fraud (AFF)" email is also known as "419" after the section of the Nigerian penal law that deals with this type of fraud. It takes many forms, we have categorized the scams below as "Orphans and Widows of wealthy diplomats, generals, presidents, etc."
How to recognize a fake foreign business deal or partnership
Let's look at some actual emails people received and see how we can spot that they are scams. In general, notice the awesome amount of misspellings, poor grammar and run-on sentences. Even if they weren't scams, would you go into business with someone who writes like that?
- wijaya mulya, Singapore, "Do you accept credit cards?"
- David Cowbell - "looking for an Au Pair or Nanny that is Flexible with our time. I work for Textile Company in United Kingdom"
- Samuel Christopher, Investec Group of Company
- Yusuf Sulieman, Victor Brown - Due to your effort and sincerity, courage and trust worthiness you showed during the course of the transaction. I have left a certified international bank cheque for you
- Patrick Chan, who claims to be Executive Director & Chief financial Officer of Hang Seng Bank Ltd in Hong Kong
- Abel Dabul - I know that this mail will come to you as a surprise owing to the fact that you may not remember me. I contacted you sometimes in the past concerning a funds transfer
- Akeen M Markons, Ayead Akpali, compensation for your past effort
- Aiseti Qingdao Fu Yuan Arts and Crafts Co, Ltd
- Anhui Guofeng Plastic Industry, Mr. Peter Duka
- B and B TEXTILES LTD: FRED THOMAS NEEDS you to be their book-keeper
- Bufori Motors Needs You to be Their Advertising Manager
- Dr Dean Maxwell - Basic Money Laundering Scheme
- Dr. Marshall Clarks, Dravill Trading Incorporation
- MR MIKHAIL DZYUBAN, "Mr. Mikhail Khordokovsky former C.E.O of Yukos Oil Company in Russia"
- Selling scams: Henry Dickson - Due to the company's policy this check has to be made out in this amount to you because...
- Albert Glover, with a client who is a "deceased erstwhile top-ranking member of a frontline liberation movement in Angola"
- Hassan Kassim: Compensation for your past effort
- LINYUAN EXPORTS CO LTD
- "Looking for an American partner" another Anhui Guofeng scam
- Martin Williams - Agricultural Research Institute of Northern Ireland
- I am Patrice Zuma, Director of Projects, South Africa Department of Minerals and Energy. I am making this contact with you based on the committee's need...
- Kim Chung: My name is Mr. KIM CHUNG a citizen of North Korea and I would like you to guide me through...
- HUAMAO ART AND CRAFTS NEEDS A HONEST PARTNER, Xiao Jun
- POSCO Corporation, 3f Komca Bd, 647 Naebalsan, , Seoul 157280, Korea.
- RAC Plc, UK: Ronald Dewitt NEEDS you to handle their money!
- "Smith Clark: We require competent representatives who can help us establish a medium of getting to our customers in the USA, Canada and Europe as well as making payments through you to us."
- Mr. Sanni Abbas, I WORK WITH ECO BANK PLC
- And here is a version in French of the Eco Bank scam: Mr. Sidib� MANDE, ECO BANK, Arnold EPKE
- T and B International Limited, a Burns textile company, Tony Burns
- Wu Kwon, Korea
- Yukos Oil: MRS.LARISA SOSNITSKAYA, "PERSONAL SECRETARY TO MR.BORIS MIKHAIL KHODORKOVSKY,THE ARRESTED CHAIRMAN/CEO OF YUKOS OIL"
- Yukos Oil: Mrs.Skoromnik Marina secretary to "Mr.Platon Lebedev, Yukos Oil"
- Yukos Oil: scam 3 - Mr.Roland David, "Mr. Mikhail Khordokovsky former C.E.O of Yukos Oil Company in Russia"
- Yukos Oil: scam 4 - Miss Kima Lioud, "Mr. Mikhail Khordokovsky former C.E.O of Yukos Oil Company in Russia"
- ENGR.PATRICK ZUMA, Federal Ministry of Works and Housing,(FMWH), Lagos
And please let us know about any suspicious calls or emails you receive. We look for patterns so that we can alert the authorities and victims to new scams, before it is too late!
For a comprehensive list of national and international agencies to report scams, see this page.