New Phishing Scam

[Stepjam 118]

This is a pretty clever phishing scam. I got an email at my office that was smarter than the average phishing scam. It went like this:

"Dear BBVA USA (SM) Customer:

This is not a promotional e-mail. A review of your account has shown recent high-risk activity. Please contact our Customer Service Unit at 1-800-408-9561. We're available 24/7 to take your call.

Please disregard this e-mail if you've already call us since the date this e-mail was sent. We appreciate your prompt attention to this matter. Thank you

BBVA USA Card Fraud Prevention Security Department."

Now, the beauty of this is that it had an official looking logo for the bank. I don't have an account with this particular bank (it's a legitimate Mexican bank), but because many banks buy and sell each other's loans and mortgages, I stopped and read it. There is no web link provided, but the 1-800 number connects you to a roboteller, who advises you that there is an extraordinarily hig amount of fraud lately, then it asks for your sixteen digit credit card number. I hung up, realizing that once you punch that number in, it will almost certainly ask for you zip or your SSN#, then your sunk.

These bastards are getting better all the time, so be careful!

Edited September 9, 2008 by Stepjam

[DaRock98 76]

Here is one I got the other day as well:

Liu Yan

1 Garden Road

Hong Kong,

I sincerely ask for forgiveness for I know this may seem like a complete intrusion to your privacy but right about now this is my best option of communication. This mail might come to you as a surprise and the temptation to ignore it as frivolous could come into your mind; but please consider it a divine wish and accept it with a deep sense of humility

This letter must surprise you because we have never meet before neither in person nor by correspondence,but I believe that it takes just one day to meet or know someone either physically or through correspondence.

I got your contact through my personal search, you were revealed as being quite astute in private entrepreneurship,and one has no doubt in your ability to handle a financial business transaction. I am Liu Yan a transfer supervisor operations in investment section in Bank of China Ltd. Secretariat of the BOCHK Charitable Foundation 13/F. Bank of China Tower, 1 Garden Road,Hong Kong I have an obscured business suggestion for you.Before the U.S and Iraqi war our client General Mohammed Jassim Ali who work with the Iraqi forces and also business man made a numbered fixed deposit for 18 calendar months, with a value of (I will disclose amount upon your reply) in my branch.

Upon maturity several notices was sent to him, even early in the war,again after the war another notification was sent and still no response came from him,We later find out that General Mohammed Jassim Ali and his family had been killed during the war in a bomb blast that hit their home.

After further investigation it was also discovered that General Mohammed Jassim Ali did not declare any next of kin in his official papers including the paper work of his bank deposit. And he also confided in me the last time he was at my office that no one except me knew of his deposit in my bank. So, (I will disclose amount upon your reply) is still lying in my bank and no one will ever come forward to claim it. What bothers me most is that, according to the to the laws of my country at the expiration 3 years the funds will revert to the ownership of the Hong Kong Government if nobody applies to claim the funds.

Against this backdrop, my suggestion to you is that I will like you as a foreigner to stand as the next of kin to General Mohammed Jassim Ali so that you will be able to receive his funds.I want you to know that I have had everything planned out so that we shall come out successful.

I have contacted an attorney who will prepare the legal documents that will back you up as the next of kin to General Mohammed Jassim Ali,

all what is required from you at this stage is for you to provide me with your Full Names, private phone number and Address so that the attorney can commence his job. After you have been made the next of kin, the attorney will also fill in for claims on your behalf and secure the necessary approval and letter of probate in your favor for the transfer of the funds to an account that will be provided by you with my guidance.There is no risk involved at all in the matter as we are going adopt a legalized method and the attorney will prepare all the necessary documents.

Please endeavor to observe utmost discretion in all matters concerning this issue.

Once the funds have been transferred to your nominated bank account we shall discuss the percentage issue on your reply.

If you are interested please send me your full names and current residential address, and I will prefer you to reach me on my private and secure email address below and finally after that I shall provide you with more details of this operation.

Best Regards

Liu Yan

liuyan_boc2008@yahoo.com.hk

Edited September 9, 2008 by DaRock98

[Guest feraldan]

That 2nd one is an old school scam. Been around for probably 5 or 6 years. They change the context but the premise is always the same. Most of them are run out of Uganda.

[EMS Solutions 0]

Do you mean to tell me that I am NOT getting my 1.7 million dollars deposited into my bank account within the next 48 hours?

Oh well, guess I'll have to work in the rain again.

[abaduck 123]

This is not a promotional e-mail. A review of your account has shown recent high-risk activity. Please contact our Customer Service Unit at 1-800-408-9561. We're available 24/7 to take your call.

Called. Garbage deposited.

Give me ten minutes, I'll have written an autodialer program that calls them 20 times an hour and deposits garbage numbers...

Hope they enjoy it.

Mike

[TCD0415 26]

Sweet......... Love the reverse angle Mike !!!

[Jared1979 19]

I get Bank of America phishing emails all the time this scam never gets old they will get you some how hook line and sinker. You have to be smart with these emails dont respond to them just delete them or foward them to the banks email address that you can foward phishing email to.

[IzzyEng4 427]

Also there have been a lot of PayPal and eBay phishers going out again too. Be careful.

[INIT915 1,119]

That 2nd one is an old school scam. Been around for probably 5 or 6 years. They change the context but the premise is always the same. Most of them are run out of Uganda.

And the problem, quite simply.... People are still falling for these scams at amazing rates.

At any given time, ALMOST HALF of all the cases sitting on my desk are these scams. New victims come in almost daily, telling their tale of how they got "taken in" by these scams.

Percent solved? Roughly 0%.

[firefighter36 52]

You mean I am not the beneficiary of that deceased prince's fortune that is in the bank in Nairobi?

[Guest]

We own vacation rental properties in Myrtle Beach SC.

We get aprox 4-6 attempted scams against a year. Most often,

• it is the one where we are to receive a certified check to pay for the vacation rental.
• The bank check, looks great, but is counterfeit. It is in an amount that is more than the amount owed.
• We are asked to return the overpayment in a certified check, typically about $200.
• By the time our bank notifies us we accepted a phony check, the real bank check we sent back as a refund on an overpayment is long gone.

Anybody interested our condos can be found at http://www.mbcondo.info

uote name='7586' date='Sep 9 2008, 09:30 PM' post='149723']

In Nigeria (I think it said in the news paper), that the govt wants to arrest people who fall for the scams because they should know better.

Edited September 10, 2008 by fit5fire

[Stepjam 118]

We own vacation rental properties in Myrtle Beach SC.

Anybody interested our condos can be found at www.mbcondo.info

uote

I would be interested in viewing the available properties, but the link that you provided doesn't seem to work.

Also, do you accept checks........?

(Sorry, couldn't resist)

Edited September 10, 2008 by Stepjam

[joetnymedic 43]

and here i was thinking that the check was good and almost ready to give the guys shipper the money as requested - yeah-sure-right. on those they should do a sting and instead of arresting the guy, lay a good beat down on him. Because if he's taking cash he's involved. Find the big fish and lay the smack on him too. Sorry Guys, with all these BS scams going on I guess my BS meter is on overload again-lol. 3 of us will be in Queens today-let's see if anything happens. Think we're going to 302 at least thats what my buddy chuck said. Waiting for the wife to hand me my A** today cuz I kept David from school

[Guest]

My apologies the link is now correct;

http://www.mbcondo.info

Only counterfeit checks, lol

Actually we have never been burned, only because we are somewhat aware of the BS out there.

I would be interested in viewing the available properties, but the link that you provided doesn't seem to work.

Also, do you accept checks........?

(Sorry, couldn't resist)

[OnTheWheel 43]

Got this one today if anyone's interested in 800k. Im good myself, but thought Id share with all of you.

Dear Friend,

Iam very happy to inform you about my success in getting that fund Transfer,I

want you to contact my secretary information below: Name;Thomas Jim

:(thomasjim777@yahoo.cn) send you the total sum of ($800,000.00)Eight hundred

thounsands us dollas in a bank draft,which I kept for yourcompensation.

CONTACT HIM ON this email;(thomasjim777@yahoo.cn)

Regards,

Jose Barro

[eckyphats 0]

ok by now everyone should know that anything from an official bank, financial institution, credit card etc etc problems will not come by email.... I really do not feel bad for anyone that gets scammed by on of these emails, its not brain surgery

[Guest]

In Nigeria (I think it said in the news paper), that the govt wants to arrest people who fall for the scams because they should know better.

Yep, typical a$$ backwards government over there. Let's punish the victim, not the person committing the fraud.

Edited September 17, 2008 by PA Firefighter