Nigerian pleads guilty in $2m bank scam

[dArKeR]

A Nigerian man pleaded guilty to running an international investment scam that defrauded investors of more than $2,1-million.

Roland Adams (37) admitted that he conspired with others in Nigeria, South Africa and Canada to run the scheme, in which people were mailed letters supposedly from African government officials who wanted help in diverting millions of dollars held in bogus trusts or accounts.

In exchange for a future share of the fictitious money, the victims were persuaded to send in thousands of dollars to individuals or accounts around the world.

Adams, who owns Adams Business Services, gave the scheme an illusion of legitimacy by setting up websites such as Bancofafrica.com and Bancofeasterncarribean.com where victims could track the false transactions.

http://www.mg.co.za/Content/l3.asp?ao=19245

I got 100 emails from this guy! I can't believe anyone actually sent him money? As far as I'm concerned you'd have to be pretty stupid to have done so! Maybe these are the people who answer GOP/Media Whore polls?

http://darker0darker.tripod.com/

[Tandalayo_Scheisskopf]

1. I think the worst crime he committed is...

TYPING IN ALL CAPS!!!!! ;-)

[TahitiNut]

3. Indeed. Here's an example.

FROM: BARRISTER LIONEL UDOKPA
LEGAL PRACTITIONER.
NIGERIA



COMPLIMENTS OF THE SEASON. GRACE AND PEACE ANDLOVE
FROM THIS PART OF THE ATLANTIC TO YOU. I HOPE MY
LETTER DOES NOT CAUSEYOU TOO MUCH EMBARRASSMENT AS I
WRITE TO YOU IN GOOD FAITH. BASED ON THECONTACT
ADDRESS GIVEN TO ME BY A FRIEND WHO WORKS AT THE
NIGERIAN EMBASSYIN YOUR COUNTRY. PLEASE EXCUSE MY
INTRUSION INTO YOUR PRIVATE LIFE.

I AM BARRISTER LIONEL UDOKPA, I REPRESENT MOHAMMED
ABACHA, SON OF THE LATE GEN. SANI ABACHA, WHO WAS THE
FORMER MILITARY HEAD OF STATE IN NIGERIA. HE DIED IN
1998. SINCE HIS , THE FAMILY HAS BEEN LOOSING A
LOT OF MONEY DUE TO VINDICTIVE GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS
WHO ARE BENT ON DEALING WITH THE FAMILY. BASED ON THIS
THEREFORE, THE FAMILY HAS ASKED ME TO SEEK FOR A
FOREIGN PARTNER WHO CAN WORK WITH US AS TO MOVE OUT
THE TOTAL SUM OF US$75,000,000.00 ( SEVENTYFIVE
MILLION UNITED STATES DOLLARS ), PRESENTLY IN THEIR
POSSESSION. THIS MONEY WAS OF COURSE, ACQUIRED BY THE
LATE PRESIDENT AND IS NOW KEPT SECRETLY BY THE FAMILY.
THE SWISS GOVERNMENT HAS ALREADY FROZEN ALL THE
ACCOUNTS OF THE FAMILY IN SWITZERLAND, AND SOME OTHER
COUNTRIES WOULD SOON FOLLOW TO DO THE SAME. THIS BID
BY SOME GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS TO DEAL WITH THIS FAMILY
HAS MADE IT NECESSARY THAT WE SEEK YOUR ASSISITANCE IN
RECEIVING THIS MONEY AND IN INVESTING IT ON BEHALF OF
THE FAMILY.


THIS MUST BE A JOINT VENTURE TRANSACTION AND WE MUST
ALL WORK TOGETHER. SINCE THIS MONEY IS STILL CASH,
EXTRA SECURITY MEASURES HAVE BEEN TAKEN TO PROTECT IT
FROM THEFT OR SEIZURE, PENDING WHEN AGREEMENT IS
REACHED ON WHEN AND HOW TO MOVE IT INTO ANY OF YOUR
NOMINATEDBANK ACCOUNTS. I HAVE PERSONALLY WORKED OUT
ALL MODALITIES FOR THE PEACEFUL CONCLUSION OF THIS
TRANSACTION. THE TRANSACTION DEFINITELY WOULD BE
HANDLED IN PHASES AND THE FIRST PHASE WILL INVOLVE THE
MOVING OF US$25,000,000.00( TWENTY FIVE MILLION UNITED
STATES DOLLARS ).

MY CLIENTS ARE WILLING TO GIVE YOU A REASONABLE
PERCENTAGE OF THIS MONEY AS SOON AS THE TRANSACTIONIS
CONCLUDED. I WILL, HOWEVER, BASED ON THE GROUNDS THAT
YOU ARE WILLING TO WORK WITH US AND ALSO ALL
CONTENTIOUS ISSUES DISCUSSED BEFORE THE COMMENCEMENT
OF THIS TRANSACTION. YOU MAY ALSO DISCUSS YOUR
PERCENTAGE BEFORE WE START TO WORK. AS SOON AS I HEAR
FROM YOU, I WILL GIVE YOU ALL NECESSARY DETAILS AS TO
HOW WE INTEND TO CARRY OUT THE WHOLE TRANSACTION.

PLEASE, DO NOT ENTERTAIN ANY FEARS,AS ALL NECESSARY
MODALITIES ARE IN PLACE, AND I ASSURE YOU OF ALL
SUCCESS AND SAFETY IN THIS TRANSACTION.

PLEASE, THIS TRANSACTION REQUIRES ABSOLUTE
CONFIDENTIALITY AND YOU WOULD BE EXPECTED TO TREAT IT
AS SUCH UNTIL THE FUNDS ARE MOVED OUT OF THIS COUNTRY.

PLEASE, YOU WILL ALSO IGNORE THIS LETTER AND RESPECT
OURTRUST IN YOU BY NOT EXPOSING THIS TRANSACTION, EVEN
IF YOU ARE NOT INTERESTED.

ENDEAVOUR TO RESPOND THROUGH THIS MY CONFIDENTIAL EMAIL ADDRESS:

[e-mail]

I LOOK FORWARDS TO WORKING WITH YOU.

THANK YOU.

TRULY YOURS

BARRISTER LIONEL UDOKPA

[htuttle]

2. I noticed that two days ago...

...I got my first 'Charles Taylor' 419-type letter.

It only took, what, about a week?

I'd expect many more in the future (I suppose that Sese Seko was running out of shoestring relatives...).

[Terran]

4. Anyone who falls for that scam deserves what they get

Unlike ordinary securities fraud, this scam is always posed as asking the target to participate in illegal activity. So anyone who gets involved in it must believe they are a party to a crime, just to make a ton of money. No f*cking pity for any of them.

Dirk

[htuttle]

5. Well, that's the classic con, isn't it?

The most successful con strategies rely on taking advantage of the mark's greed.

Just look at the Republican economic plan for another example.

[Malikshah]

6. Not always

My partner and I were selling an entertainment unit via the Bargain Trader--

We got a message from a Kevin Smith who wished to purchase it.

Problem was-- he didn't have the funds to transfer
His "business partner" in the US did, though.
His "business partner" also owed him money.

Thus-- The business partner would send us a bank check to pay for the entertainment unit -- as well as what he owed "Kevin Smith"
We would then "send the change" to Kevin Smith after shipping the entertainment unit.

We checked w/ lawyers to make sure it wasn't laundering money--it wasn't. Then we waited.

We got the check (for 5000.00) and we would then send 3800.00 in change. We deposited the check (from Nations Bank--it was a "bank check") --and actually had access to all the money instantly.
We waited a day.

We then got e-mails from "Kevin Smith" with requests for his "change" His wife was in the hospital and needed emergency surgery and the doctor wouldn't operate w/o the money, etc. etc. God will reward you etc etc.

I then did a google search with "Kevin Smith" "Scam" or "Nigeria"

Came up with the 419 page (419 is the legal code for the crime)

We also found people that had fallen for it to the tune of 1000's of dollars and the merchandise they were selling.

10 days later-- the check proved to be a fraud--we lost 6 dollars for the returned check fee.

It was frightening to think what would have happened had we not been suspicious from the get go...

We always delete the e-mails--but the Bargain Trader scam was a new one. We've informed the authorities, but alas--there ain't much we can do w/o extradition orders etc. FBI's been on this one for a while. SO-- avoid "Kevin Smith" from Nigeria, Niger, Lesotho, Sierra Leone, South Africa...


BTW--we still have the entertainment unit to sell...:-)

[Terran]

7. That's right (and congratulations!)

Cons are just as often based on playing on people's better nature. But the Nigerian scam really stands out for me, because the pitch just very blatantly requests help in defrauding the government of a country. You really have to be pretty low as well as greedy and ballsy, to get involved in something like that.

Good job in avoiding that scam. It's better to be alert to these things. I worked for a few years as a securities investigator for the state of Missouri, and you would not believe how ignorant and naive people can be when it comes to investment schemes.

Dirk

[jmm]

8. Scary how some people can fall for this.

When I first started geting Nigerian scam emails, I didn't realize it had been around for awhile. I called the local police and they said many people fall for it but I should just ignore it.