EMAIL PHISHING

This is a copy of an fraudulent E-mail 

From: Al Walid Khalid [mailto:7walid@myway.com]
Sent: Wednesday, May 23, 2007 6:15 AM
Subject: From Saudi Arabia
Hello Friend,
It is indeed my pleasure to write you this letter, which I believe will be
a surprise to you as we have never met before, and I am deeply sorry if I
have in any manner disturbed your privacy. Please forgive this unusual manner of contacting you.My name is Al Walid Khalid A Saudi Arabia national. I have been diagnosed with Oesophageal cancer .It has defied all forms of medical treatment, and right now I have only about a few months to live, according to medical experts. I have not particularly lived my life so well, as I never really cared for anyone (not even myself) but my business. Though I am very rich, I was never generous, I was always hostile to people and only focused on my business as that was the only thing I cared for. But now I regret all this as I now know that there is more to life than just wanting to have or make all the money in the world. I believe when God gives me a second chance to come to this world I would live my life a different way from how I have lived it. Now that God has called me, I have willed and given most of my property and assets to my immediate and extended family members as well as a few close friends .I want God to be merciful to me and accept my soul so, I have decided to give alms to charity organizations, as I want this to be one of the last good deeds I do on earth. So far, I have distributed money to some charity organizations in the U.A.E, Somalia and Malaysia. Now that my health has deteriorated so badly, I cannot do this myself anymore. I once asked members of my family to close one of my accounts and distribute the money which I have there to charity organization in Bulgaria and Pakistan; they refused and kept the money to themselves. Hence, I do not trust them anymore, as they seem not to be contended with what I have left for them. The last of my money which no one knows of is the huge cash deposit of Six Million dollars ($6,000,000.00) that I have with financial institution abroad. I will want you to help me collect this deposit and dispatch it to charity organizations.
N/B: KINDLY NOTE THAT 80% of these funds must go to victims of recent
disasters and another 20% for your effort and time. Upon receipt of your
response, I shall communicate with you, and let you know the details of the transfer. Whatever your actions and your decision, I thank you for taking the time to read this email
Regards,

Al Walid Khalid

 

This is one version of a common scam.  There is a large some of money that needs to be moved out of a country or distributed to needy people and you will be given some for helping.

There is no money

Do not respond

Do not click on any links provided in the e-mail

Never give out your account information 

The author's intent is to get your account information and steal your money.  If a check or money order  is sent to you, the thief  will ask you to deposit it in your account and immediately  wire transfer most of the money to a location usually outside of the United States and keep a percentage for yourself.  THE CHECKS/MONEY ORDERS ARE COUNTERFEIT  if you send the money before the deposited funds are cleared by your bank you will be out the money. 

Warning signs to look for

Large dollar amounts are used to have greed win out over good judgment, if it sounds to good to be true.....it is.

Poor spelling  and grammar.  If the email is coming from a different country or the thief does not speak English,  things get lost in the translation

Requests to act quickly and to keep the transactions a secret. 

If your have any doubts or on concerns you can always contact the  police department's Crime Prevention Unit or your bank's Fraud Prevention agent(s) who are very knowledgeable and will be more than happy to help prevent you from becoming a victim

If  you are a victim you should report it to the police

If you are not a victim and would like to help in the prevention of these crimes you can forward suspected emails to http://www.anti-phishing.org/  

TELEPHONE PHISHING SCAM USING 809, 284, AND 876 AREA CODES

Scammers are using greed or scare tactics to influence potential victims into dialing a telephone number to one of the three area codes. Often, the scammers leave a message indicating a loved one is injured or inform you are the winner of a contest. Instructions are left to call a certain telephone number immediately.

• Remember to only return calls to familiar telephone numbers. Questions about telephone numbers and area codes can be directed to your long distance operator and directory assistance.
• Carefully read your telephone bill. Make sure you only receive charges from your provider of choice, or services you have authorized to bill your telephone number.

If you believe you have been a victim of this scam or a related telephone scam you may file a complaint online with the Federal Communications Commission.