CSc 8370
Fraud
Much of this discussion is taken from Fred Cohen's Book Frauds, Spies and Lies. Some is derived
from Kevin Mitnick's book on Human Engineering.
Also see: http://419eater.com, and http://scamorama.org
Fraud is stealing by using a false pretext to get the victim to turn over something of value (time, goods,
money) by persuasion rather than threat.
There are two basic steps to any fraud:
1) Get the victim (the “mug”) to believe you.
2) Take the money.
Privacy is important because it makes step 1) harder. Phishing works when it is inexpensive to send a
vaguely plausible message to many targets and select for the idiots. While email makes phishing
easier, it is not necessary – for example people have used their employer's postal account to pay for
sending relatively expensive physical letters to potential victims and the abuse of trust in phishing is
not different in kind from other frauds.
Electronic banking has made step 2 easier. There is a big difference in the time it takes to cash a
physical check or Western Union wire order and to transfer funds out of an account. (days vs.
minutes). A common trick is to overpay or pay “earnest money” with a slow means of payment and
then remove the excess via electronic transfer. When the check eventually “bounces” the victim is
required to make up the difference.
Steps in a fraud:
1) Identify a Target (a “mark” or a “mug”). Try to identify people, typically older single adults
who are lonely and maybe senile, who have money and are likely to believe you. Many email
frauds will only identify a range of email addresses to try.
2) Gain the Mark's confidence. Present a believable story. The story can be: difficulty with bank
or government, lottery winnings, investment opportunities, or job offers. Support this story
with fake documentation, photographs, and irrelevant but real documents. A fraud might use a
fake passport, a fake statement of deposit, a photograph of something that looks like a chest of
money, and links to news stories related to the story. In addition to documents an “impartial
third party” is often used to be convincing. Of course this “impartial third party” known as a
“shill” is part of the scheme. Shills often include “lawyers” and “bankers” involved in the
mechanics of the transfer.
3) Show the Mark the money. One important motivation in a fraud is greed. The target must
believe that he is going to get something out of the transactions. Sometimes “the money” is
part of helping with a shady deal – sneaking money out of another country, sometimes “the
money” is legitimate-looking and sometimes “the money” is a job. Being shady is helpful
because the Mark is less likely to go to the police if he thinks he is breaking the law.
4) “deliver” on the investment. Give the Mark something that appears to be valuable. It can be a
hotel reservation in beautiful downtown Lagos (perfectly placed for kidnapping) or a slow
5)
6)
7)
8)
transfer. Sometimes it can be sample goods.
Get the Mark to invest. “There are these Demmurage Fees (whatever they are) that we need to
pay to deliver your 40% of the $100,000,000. Please send me $5000”. Ideally get the Mark to
supply bank account or credit card or personal information so that a lot more money can be
taken.
Take the money.
Threaten the Mark with exposure, retribution, or legal action if he objects. This helps make
step 8 work.
Disappear.
A Job Scam
From chene@britneyclub.com Tue Oct 31 09:43:33 2006
Date: Tue, 24 Oct 2006 20:38:43 +0300
From: Ronnie BECKER <chene@britneyclub.com>
To: rharrison@cs.gsu.edu
Subject: Manager position available
[ Part 1, Text/PLAIN (charset: Unknown "windows-1252")
[ Unable to print this part. ]
26 lines. ]
[ The following text is in the "windows-1252" character set. ]
[ Your display is set for the "ISO-8859-1" character set. ]
[ Some characters may be displayed incorrectly. ]
Would you like to earn some extra cash working part-time? We have a great
offer for you!
Our corporation Ship It, Inc. is constantly looking for trustworthy
people to be our representatives in your country!
You'll need NO money and NO special skills to start working. Anyone can
work with us, why not you?!
Our requirements:
- We don't work with persons under 21
- PC, Internet, E-mail handling skills
- Bank account to receive payments
- Promptness of operations, responsibility
- Be able to answer phone calls
- Basic knowledge of English
If you want to know more and join our team, please visit
http://www.shipit-hr.com/jobs.html and fill in the online application
form.
Thank you.
Have a nice day.
Ship It, Inc.
Another more crafty job offer scam. It is very easy to send funds to the UK via normal banks.
From c___ta@walla.com Tue Oct 31 09:54:58 2006
Date: Fri, 11 Aug 2006 22:02:24 -0300
From: Paul Kluivert <c___ta@walla.com>
Subject: JOB OFFER
Dear friend,
My name is Paul Kluivert, I am an artist with my Wife Susan Kluivert, and
we are the owners of Sus Art World you were recommended to us on the
basis of your honesty
and character by an agency based in the united states to which we first
made this application to before you where recommended to us as been
competent.
I live in London, with my two kids, four cats, one dog and the love of my
life my Wife Susan. It is definitely a full house, I have been doing
artwork since I was a small child, That gives me about 23 years of
experience, I majored in art in high school and took a few college art
courses, Most of my work is done in either pencil or airbrush mixed with
color pencils.
I have recently added designing and creating artwork on the computer, I
have been selling my art for the last 6 years and have had my work
featured on trading cards,
Prints and in magazines, I have sold in galleries and to private
collectors from all around the world.
I am always facing serious difficulties when it comes to selling my art
works to Americans, they are always offering to pay with money order,
home equity, insurance equity, property equity, check or q-check and
other forms of payment acceptable only in the united states, which is
difficult for me to cash here in the London.
I am looking for a representative in the states who will be working for
me as a par-time worker and I will be willing to pay 10% for every
transaction, which would not affect your present state of work, someone
who would help me receive payments from my customers in the united
states, i mean someone that is responsible, reliable and
credible, cause the cost of coming to the state and getting payments is
very expensive, I am working on setting up a branch in the states, so in
the interim I need a representative in the united state who will be
handling the payment aspect, These payments are in q-check and checks and
they would be specifically drafted to you in your name and sent to you
personally, so all you need to do is cash the money order,check or
q-check and order form of payment deduct your percentage and Wire the
rest back. But the problem I have is trust, But I have my way of getting
anyone that gets away with our money, I mean the FBI branch in Washington
will gets involved when our Money get missing, It would not cost you any
amount to receive payments which will be sent to you via
FedEx, ups or any other credible courier from my business partners and
associates,If you are interested, please get back to me as soon as
possible via email with your full name, address, direct contact telephone
number and a scanned copy of any identity card of you, the form of
identification you choose to present must not have
your social security number on it for your own privacy and security
reasons.
Please do not reply if you are not a honest, committed reliable
individual.
If you are interested, please fill this form as soon as possible
APPLICATION FORM
NAME:__________SURNAME:__________________
SEX:_____ AGE:______MARITAL:_______________
COUNTRY:_______CITY:---------------STATE _______ZIPCODE:_______ CONTACT
ADDRESS:________________________
PHONE NO#___________FAX
NO#_________________
OCCUPATION:______________POSITION:_____________
DATE:___________
SIGNATURE:__________________
N.B :All return mails be sent to: paulkluivert@o2.pl
ATTESTATION
According to how you have been briefed earlier by me. You are required
and mandated to receive payment on behalf of the above-mentioned firm.
You are to deduct 10% of all funds processed on a particular order and
forward the balance payment via Western Union Money Transfer and
MONEYGRAM to any sus art world branch You will notify
me a week ahead if eventually you want to discontinue this job so as to
terminate all payment coming your way to avoid on flick.
I look forward to hearing from you
Paul Kluivert
TELL: +44 701 421 3941
Sus Art World
________________________________________________________________________________
Msg sent via YemenNet-Mail - http://www.yemen.net.ye/
A Funds transfer – advance Fee scam
From ibn_martinss@universia.net.mx Tue Oct 31 09:43:49 2006
Date: Tue, 31 Oct 2006 07:15:57 +0300
From: ibn_martinss@universia.net.mx
Reply-To: ibrmartins01@tsamail.co.za
To: undisclosed-recipients: ;
Subject: ACKNOWLEDGE MY MAIL (Mutual Benefit)...31/10/2006
ACKNOWLEDGE MY MAIL (Mutual Benefit)...31/10/2006
Ecobank Nig. Plc.
Lagos, Commercial Bank
2, Ajose Adeogun Street.
Victoria Island, Lagos.
Nigeria.
FROM THE DESK OF: DR IBRAHIM MARTINS
POSITION: SENIOR MANAGER, BILLS AND EXCHANGE
Dear respectful one,
I Sincerely Write To Seek Your Co-Operation And Trust To Enable My Colleagues And I
Carry Out An Urgent Business Opportunity In My Department. I Work With The Ecobank
Trust Bank Of Nigeria PLC, Currently I Am The Senior Manager Of Bills And Exchange
At The Foreign Remittance Department Of My Bank.
I Have An Urgent And Confidential Business Proposal For You. On June 6, 1998,An
Australian Oil Consultant/Contractor With Via National Petroleum
Cooperation(NNPC)Mr. Ali B. Ashraf Made A Numbered Time (Fixed) Deposit ForTwelve
Calenderer Month Valued at US$51,000,000.00(Fifty _One Million US Dollars) In My
Branch.
On Maturity, I Sent A Routine Notification To His
Reply After Months We Send A Reminder And Finally
Employee (Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation)
An Automobile Accident. On Further Investigation,
Making A WILL.
Forwarded Address But Got No
We Discovered From His Contract
That MR. Ali B. Ashraf Died From
It Was Clear That He Died Without
All Attempts By The Australian To Trace His Next Of Kin Were Fruitless. I Therefore
Made Further Investigation And Discovered That Mr. Ali B. Ashraf Did Not Declare
Any Next Of Kin Or Relations In All His Official Documents Including His Deposit
Document In My Bank. The Total Sum US$51,000,000.00 Is Still In My Bank As Dormant
Acct.
No One Will Ever Come Forward To Claim It. According To Nigerian Banking Law,After
Five Years,The Money Will Revert To The Ownership Of The Nigerian Government. If
The Account Owner Is Certified Death And Nobody Comes Forward To Claim It. This Is
The Situation , And My Proposal Is That I Am Looking For Aforeigner Who Will Stand
In As The Beneficiary/Next Of Kin. This Is Simple.
All You Have To Do Is To Immediately Send Me The Details Of A Bank Account Anywhere
In The World For Me To Arrange The Proper Money Transfer Document. The Money Will
Then Be Transferred Into The Account For Us To Share In The Ratio Of 50% For Me 40%
For You While The Remaining 10% Will Be Set Aside For Expenses Incurred With Here
And There. There Is No Risk Involved. I Am Using My Position And Connection In The
Bank Here To Do All The Document Work For The Transaction. We Shall Employ The
Services Of An Attorney To Draft The Will And Obtain All Necessary Documents And
Letter Of Administration In Your Favor For The Transfer.This Transaction Is Risk
Free Guaranteed. If You Are Interested, I Will Send To You The Text Of The
Application That You Will Send To The Ecobank Trust Bank Authority For An Approval
Tosubmit Your Claims.Send Your Reply Through My direct And Private Email
Address(ibrmartins01@tsamail.co.za) Indicate Your Direct Fax And Telephone Numbers
For Effective Commu
nication That This Transaction Needs.Do Not Reply Through The Ecobank Email
Address Because It Belongs To The Senior Staffs For Public Use.
Please Note That You Are Not To Appear In Person, As Every Thing Regarding This
Project Will Be Strictly On Documentations And Every Banking Documents Needed For
This Transaction Will Be Taken Care Of By My Self. Looking Forward To Hearing From
You.
Yours Faithfully
Dr Ibrahim Jubr Martins
MAKE IT A GREAT DAY!
THANK YOU, I HOPE YOU ARE HAVING A GREAT DAY!
A Lottery Scam
From informailer_06@mynet.com Tue Oct 31 09:44:25 2006
Date: Tue, 17 Oct 2006 15:42:36 +0300 (EEST)
From: informailer_06 <informailer_06@mynet.com>
Subject: Your Email Won European Year Award 2006
[ Part 1, Text/PLAIN (charset: ISO-8859-9 "Latin 5 (Turkish)")
[ lines. ]
[ Unable to print this part. ]
[ The following text is in the "ISO-8859-9" character set. ]
[ Your display is set for the "ISO-8859-1" character set. ]
[ Some characters may be displayed incorrectly. ]
Email Prize Award
C/.Isabel 45,28008.
Madrid-Spain
Sir/Madam,
We wish to congratulate you over your email success in our computer
balloting held on 16th October2006. This is a Millennium Scientific
Computer Game in which email addresses were used. It is a promotional
program aimed at encouraging internet users; therefore you do not need to
buy ticket to enter for it. You have been approve f or the star prize of
US $787:000:00 (Seven Hundred And Eighty Seven Thousand United State
Dollars Only).To claim your winning prize you are to contact the
appointed agent as soon as possible for the immediate release of your
winnings:
MR.Joseph G.Gudman
Nacional Seguridad S.A
E-mail: nacionalsegurida@aim.com
Batch No: WNTO/7416/VA/ES
Ticket No: TWMT/1800/806
Lucky No: 07-13-31.54-640
Serial No: MUOTI/82536
The Validity period of the winnings is for 30 working days hence you are
expected to make your claims immediately, any claim not made before this
date will be returned to the MINISTERIO DE E CONOMIA Y HACIENDA .
75 ]
Once again congratulations !!!
Best Regards,
Mrs.Maria Bravo.
(program Cordinator)
NB: In accordance with the EUROPEAN EMAIL PROMOTION PROGRAM E-games
policy and regulations, this notification is dispatche d directly to only
the 10 lucky consolation prize Winners. This notification also contains
information that is proprietary,privileged or confidential or otherwise
legally exempt from disclosure. If you are not the right recipient whose
email address attached to the lucky numbers along with the winning
informations you are not authorized to read, print, retain, copy or
disseminate this notice or any part of it.......
.
Another advance fee scam.
From patrick.williams12@virgilio.it Tue Oct 31 09:45:14 2006
Date: Thu, 28 Sep 2006 02:13:53 +0100 (GMT+01:00)
From: PAUL EZEAKU <patrick.williams12@virgilio.it>
Reply-To: prudentialinsurance19@yahoo.com.hk
Subject: DEAR SIR/ MADAM
[ The following text is in the "UTF-8" character set. ]
[ Your display is set for the "ISO-8859-1" character set.
]
[ Some characters may be displayed incorrectly. ]
FROM: MR. PAUL EZEAKU
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR;
PRUDENTIAL INSURANCE COMPANY.
My Dear Friend,
I feel quite safe dealing with you in this mutual
beneficial transaction. Though, this medium (Internet) has been greatly
abused, I choose to reach you through it because it still remains the
fastest, surest and most secured medium of communication. However, this
correspondence is purely private, and it should be treated as such. I
also guarantee you that this deal is hitch free from all what you may
think of. I am MR. PAUL EZEAKU, Executive Director incharge of Claims
and Indemnity of PRUDENTIAL Insurance Company. I am contacting you
based on Trust and confidentiality that will be attached to this deal
for the benefit of both of us.
The Management and the Legal / Treasury
Department of this PRUDENTIAL Insurance Company in a recent meeting,
recommended that the Assurance Contract of MR. ROBERT FINKELSTEIN, who
maintained a Life Assurance Policy, should be declared Dormant and
confisticated hence moving his unclaimed benefits funds to the
Treasury. Recently, I came across a very huge sum of money belonging
to
a deceased person (MR. ROBERT FINKELSTEIN). He is foreigner,
unfortunately He is now late as he was amongst those that died in the
recent plane crash, as you can confirm through this website
http:
//news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/859479.stm
This man was our client
and has a Life Assurance Policy WORTH the sum of Forty Five Million
United States Dollars (US$45,000,000.00). Right now, the fund is lying
unclaimed in our custody and there is NO next of kin mentioned in his
file and there is NO HOW we can reach any of his other relatives. All
efforts made by us to establish contacts with any other of his
relation
has proved abortive and unsuccessful. His Life Assurance
Policy will expire in the next few months from the date of this letter.
Just last week we received an instruction from Ministry of Social
Welfare to forward particulars of all unclaimed benefits that will
expire in the next few months.
Upon my personal finding on this
matter, I kept this information secret to myself until now that I am
contacting you. In view of the fact that the deceased customer is a
foreigner (from a
different country), it is Officially important for
the involvement of a foreigner who will pose as a next-of-kin. I will
use my exalted position in this Insurance Company to present you as his
Next of Kin as you can be his relative, friend or Cousin and the Money
(US$45Million) will be Safely transfered into your own bank account in
your country. Please include your telephone/fax
number/ Home Address
when replying this mail and I will give you more information as soon as
you indicate your willingness to assist in this viable transaction.
I
will use my exalted position here to get all internal documentations to
back up the claims. The whole Procedures will last only 5 working days
to get the fund retrieved successfully Without trace even in future.
Please I need the following:
1. YOUR FULL NAME
2. PHONE AND FAX NUMBER
3. HOME ADDRESS/COMPANY'S NAME AND ADDRESS.
4. YOUR AGE AND OCCUPATION
The transaction will be done successfully and smoothly completed via
email and telephone. You don't need to come to my country. Send your
full name, address and telephone number to me via email urgently today
so that I will call you for discussions. I PROMISE that you must be
happy and shall rejoice greatly soonest for cooperation with me in this
transaction. After successful
conclusion of this transaction, we shall
share the money 50-50 (50% for you and 50% for me).
I await your good
response today. Thanks and remain blessed. I require you to maintain
the confidentiality of this transaction because it is important due to
the fact that I am still in
active services to the PRUDENTIAL
INSURANCE COMPANY. Your earliest response to this matter is very
important.
I AM WAITING YOUR REPLY TODAY.
Kind Regards,
MR. PAUL
EZEAKU
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR; PRUDENTIAL Insurance.
A stock “kiting” scam
From gdfgebbefg@careersbyemail.com Tue Oct 31 09:52:38 2006
Date: Tue, 31 Nov 2006 15:52:20 -0060
From: Mickey Michael <gdfgebbefg@careersbyemail.com>
To: rharrison@cs.gsu.edu
Subject: Quotes.com alert!
[ The following text is in the "Windows-1252" character set. ]
[ Your display is set for the "ISO-8859-1" character set. ]
[ Some characters may be displayed incorrectly. ]
that great art was as natural to him as the emotions and subtletiesthey could not enter into the natural
tendency to be happy and joyousplace for a boy to live. It contained mostly small two and threestorywas not considered brilliant mentally, he was known as a most reliablecrowding close to the
pavement in front, left a comfortable space in thethe Bank of the United States, the Drexels, the
Edwards, and others. Thebrokers knew him as representing a very sound organization, and while he
Please read this letter attentively. Tailor AquaPonics is going to rise! It will rise up to 70%
Company: TAILOR AQUAPONICS
Stock symbol: TQWW.PK
Current price: 0.07$
Expected price: 0.26$
Check this inside review. It will be published on MARKETWIRE on the 1st of November 2006
Hot news: TQWW.PK is going to conquer the US market. They^Òre coming to America!!!
Tailor AquaPonics recently announced plans to expand its operational facilities to the United States.
The Nevada-based company with operations in Australia recently decided to translate its track record
of success to the American market. TQWW.PK President Ron Almadova stated, "Our intention is to set
up in southern Nevada to capitalize in the Las Vegas, Los Angeles, and San Diego Markets...There are
more persons in that triangle than in the whole Australia. Now that we have the board approval, we
have pinpointed several possible locations that would serve our delivery profile."
After the publishig of that review TQWW.PK will grow constantly for 3-4 weeks. Buy it now cause it
is still cheap and you can enter almost for free.
About Tailor AquaPonics Worldwide:
Tailor AquaPonics Worldwide, Inc. owns a controlling interest in the international growth and
development rights to Tailor Made Fish Farms, a company that has developed a technology-driven,
easy to operate, land-based modular fish production system. This cutting-edge system is both
sustainable and environmentally responsible in keeping with the spirit of maintaining an
environmentally safe and friendly solution while producing high volumes of superior and healthier
farmed fish. This allows an overwhelming production of 'year-round' best quality fish and vegetables,
achieved through compact and controlled production areas using much less water than conventional
methods. Our technique conserves water, is environmentally responsible, fresh health products and
provides two crops from a single water uptake.
P.S Rumor has it that 2 Million shares have already been sold that are NOT accounted for in DTC, if
your familar with this term it is called a "SHORT SQUEEZE". We will be mailing TQWW.PK for the
next 3 weeks and the price will rise. It is your unique chance to double or triple your investments next
week.
the Bank of the United States, the Drexels, the Edwards, and others. TheCowperwood's connections
were increased as his position grew morethe rear was a yard, with trees and grass and sometimes
flowers, for