Need Help Serious Issue!

[Nodnarb]

Welcome to the Plat Lounge, Graham... Great stuff!

 

[nicpal]

What these sites tend not to do that yours could is concentrate on the ways of tracing persons or cash, and the ways of stopping them from reoccuring. In particular I've seen little in the way of tracing emails, looking behind websites (simple whois information to establish the legitimacy of websites to the wayback machine on www.archive.org which I'm sure all readers know provides the history of any and every website). Whenever I've hit back on a personal level to 419 scams and reported them to the ISP following an email trace using VisualRoute.com the crooks have got very annoyed and innundated me with viruses.

Thanks Graham,

Forgot all about that software. I ran an email check and the VisualRoute and got back:

| 12 | | 212.23.64.155 | sdialup2.mplik.ru | ?Ekaterinburg, Russia | | 211 | x | Ural Relcom interfaces network |
| 13 | | 195.58.1.49 | dcn-as.mplik.ru | ?Ekaterinburg, Russia | | 211 | x | Ural Relcom technical network |
| 14 | | 213.140.126.217 | 217-dcn.dialup.mplik.ru | ?(Russia) | | 1588 | ----x---- | RU-MPLIK-20020621

These are the last three IP's from where she is. Where do I go from here?


I will email you shortly regarding the site text for ScamLaw.com. Your help and text would be a major contribution to the site and I thank you for offerring and for your help here. I would gladly link any sites to yours to help you out as well.

 

[Graham Easton]

No problem Nicpal,

Others will have to weigh in on what to do with the IP address info. All I would have used it for is to contact the ISP and report the abuse on [email protected] That gets the scammers email shut down which helps in a lot of cases because the scam requires people to email back and communicate for a while before the sting.

Email me when you're ready and we should meet up for a chat on www.mirc.com or similar chatroom.

Thanks for the offer of site linking. I'd appreciate any help I can get (which with limited knowledge of the tecky field) means I think I need to link to PR5 or higher sites (mine is a PR5 presently).

 

[puravida]

This was a product that he and 20 friends had paid $20,000 each for the patent to some alleged device he'd never seen

Breaks my heart :-/
How in the world do people fall for this stuff? Especially those 419 scams. I mean they sound like such crap --and that's before I get technical and check whois on their sites, etc (not to mention NEVER trusting anything from russia or Africa) --nothing from russia is ever "with love" anymore.

Scary part is those bastards are getting better at "thinking." I got a paypal scam mail again the other day, but this one really looked legit and the site looked ultra-legit (except for the URL -which is always a deadgiveaway).

Whenever I've hit back on a personal level to 419 scams and reported them to the ISP following an email trace using VisualRoute.com the crooks have got very annoyed and innundated me with viruses.

I thought I was fighting a one-man battle. I have shut down at least 10 scammers/spammers this year so far. And, boy do I know what you mean about the viruses... all from .ru emails. I get about 10 a day (if they weren't filtered). They actually did a search on all of my sites and spam every email I listed (which has to be done manually because they are only .gif's -not actual links).

I would love to have your job, Graham! I do this for free, and it's tough to find the time with all of my online work. At least I work for myself so I can still fit it in occasionally. There is no greater satisfaction that seeing a scam or spam site go offline for a week before finding a new russia hosting firm.

It just sucks that it's that easy for them, but I follow them around for awhile and keep reporting them until they remove me from their list.

To nicpal: You remind me of how I get when it comes to scammers and spammers and nothing would deter me either. I do it simply because I hate knowing they make a living off other people's misery and misfortune.

However, even though I won't give you reason after reason why you should "let it go"; I will warn you that you do need to know what you're in for. These bastards being a world away doesn't mean they don't have reach all the way to where you are.

They are more powerful than you; believe that. They are more protected than you; believe that. And, they most likely have a lot more money and resources than you.

I have been inconvenienced to the tune of $25,000 so far this year alone in my efforts to inconvenience those bastards, but it's worth it to know I might have made them lose credibility and sales. Also, these people do not fight fair, but you are bound by laws. So, keep that in mind as well.

Your living in the US means you are less protected than just about anyone anywhere else in the world. Everything is available for a price.

I was a high profile security consultant for several major corporations and several of the largest bankers banks in the US. So, I know a lot about the security (or lack thereof) in regards to the US nation. So, in closing. Be careful and do not take what you're doing lightly.

Best wishes and good luck making them pay!

Wesley

 

[Graham Easton]

Wesley,

My job can be satisfying, but also has it's downside. Usually I'm approached when it's too late, and the money has gone. I don't often get to people to save them from themselves in quick enough time. As such I'm too often dealing with aftermath. Telling someone that they haven't won millions on the lottery and that they have in fact lost several hundred thousand dollars to a scam is akin to being a policeman assigned to deliver the news that a relative has died - not fun.

Unfortunately we are losing the battle. It sounds amazing but I can assure you that the 419 scams have a 1% success rate. So if you send out 10m emails you get 100,000 people trying to send you cash. That's why they'll never go away. The other negative aspect is that my role is really to protect my bank rather than its customers.

I'll explain how the 419 scams work, because most people don't know (all of this will be posted on Nicpal's site when it's up). You get an email promising 25% of $100m if you help them get the money out of Zimbabwe or wherever. You return it driven by greed and the fact that you think you're dealing with a dummy (the emails are always badly written to make people think this is easy money). They tell you that all they want to do is get the money out and need to use your bank account to do so. All you have to do is pay some cheques in and you get 25%. What's the downside in that you ask yourself?

Cheques duly arrive made out to you for any amount between $1k and $30m. These days they tend to be several USD cheques for 30-50k because the $30m cheques can be spotted miles away by the bank. You pay them in, bank accepts for your account and attempts to clear them. The bank will give you cleared funds after a point in time - it varies from bank to bank but lets call it 5 days. Around 5 days you'll be asked if the funds have cleared and as soon as they do you'll be asked to wire 75% of the money to the Lebanon (or another lawless place). You do as instructed very happy that you've just made $250k on the $1m of cheques you paid in. $750k leaves your account and is wired abroad.

Trouble is the cheques were counterfiet (usually good forgeries, sometimes encoded with the numbers of a real draft - supplied by a paid insider in a bank). Cheques bounce on say day 7 (US cheque law is weak and they can bounce at any time up to 6 years later) and your account goes $750k overdrawn. (Good forgeries are sometimes paid and only noticed when customers read their statements). YOU are liable for the sum, meanwhile the terrorists are dancing around the Bureau de Change in the Lebanon or cave in Afghanistan or wherever as it's the happiest day in their miserable lives.

The bank will seek recourse from you - it is your debt. I am in the course of repossessing properties from customers who did this, it's a real situation and not a pleasant one for us. The customer is always liable. The customer becomes the banks problem if they don't have the money and that becomes a P&L hit when they are bankrupt. Banks are thus spending millions in transactional monitoring software to see unusual activity and try to catch it before the money is even paid in.

Some would say the folk that lose deserve it as they were driven by greed. True to some extent, but this is one of the ways terrorism is financed so we all have a duty to do what we can to stop it be that Nicpal's site to educate folk or Wesley's one man crusade to shut them down.

 

[nicpal]

Thanks for the guidance and warnings. I have weighed the options and know what I am in for.

I don't know how people fall for these scams at all. He wouldn't give me all the emails they sent back and forth, but the couple he did send me that had her conversing on a personal level were really cheesy and every hard to believe that they were truthful and legitmate. But, you have to remember that everyone is not the same and do not have the same level of interaction on a personal or professional level that we may have. Alot of people are inexperienced in certain facets of life that we regard as commonplace. So these crooks feed off these weaknesses.

I have begun to realize that these are protected scams as I have sent out hundreds of emails already to people who could help in this scam and have not received one reply. I have sent a couple of emails to the address of the perpetrator regarding the legal ramifications and our intent to prosecute if the funds are not returned immediately. I have not gotten a reply, but my brother in law got another email yesterday from her alleged friend Natasha:

I sorry. I so bad feel and cry and not sleep because Katya
die. I not see Katya mother because she go to town Omsk. I know that
Katya and driver of taksi die to go to airport. It be in
Ekaterinburg. She(it) not go in Moscow. I know that they crush truck and
be fire and all die. I bad understand your letters. I sorry. I
know you love Katya too. She be angel always. I always be love Katya
and be remember. Money. I know you sent money. I not know where money.
It be fire. I not see money late. I be write letter you. I not speak.
I know Katya loved you. She loved you very much and want be with you.
I cry every day. Mother ill. She not believe. She lost Katya and I
too. I so very much sorry. I am know you loved Katya too very much
. Condolences. Natasha

They are still using the same email address and same IP. I did email the ISP but have not gotten a response from them yet. There are only 4 internet cafes in that town and they are using one of them so it could be easier to track down if I can narrow down which ISP serves that cafe.

 

[Graham Easton]

Nicpal

Trust is always gained first. Depending on the size of the scam this can be done over a period of years. Most of the bigger scams involve meeting with official looking folk all over the world (usually 2 or 3 foreign trips). I have 2 customers right now who have been scammed for $xm. They have been travelling off and on with the scammer for 3 years. Even though they have lost several millions to him (all being paid back any day......) I cannot convince them they have been and continue to be scammed. The reason being that confidence has been built over a period of years and they now simply don't believe me. I know the scammer is fake because I've found 3 passports, a conviction for fraud and no money in any of his bank accounts around the world. He's supposed to be a billionairre. My customer hates me and thinks I'm an idiot. Swears down the phone at my whenever I try to speak to him. He truly believes he has $1.5bn in a bank account because the scammer told him. He doesn't know the account number nor did he open the account (of course there is no account). I'm at a point with this guy of saying sod it don't come to me when you have no money left.

That is a real live example, today. My approach in this case is to try to press the US authorities into action on account of the multiple passports. That is something that uncle sam takes seriously these days so I think I'll get this scammer arrested soon.

Your case is more straightforward and thankfully you just lost the cost of a plane ticket and some cash. Same principle though, the victim may suspect but they don't want to believe. Even more so when beautiful young ladies are involved.

 

[nicpal]

Graham, email being sent to your address regarding the web site content from [email protected] "Ben Delanoy".

 

[puravida]

Wesley,

My job can be satisfying, but also has it's downside. Usually I'm approached when it's too late, and the money has gone. ...is akin to being a policeman assigned to deliver the news that a relative has died - not fun.

Yeah, I suppose I can see how that would put a damper on the few good days of successful prosecution you might get. :worried:

Unfortunately we are losing the battle. It sounds amazing but I can assure you that the 419 scams have a 1% success rate. .

Your post was very enlightening and really pissed me off (not at you).

The 419 scams are much worse than I had even imagined. I thought that they were probably going to ask for your bank account information and then clean out your bank account.

That would limit your loss to what you had. However, it's much worse in that these people can lose quite a bit more than they ever thought possible. With a 1% success rate, no wonder the banks are suffering and the terrorists are so well funded.

Is there nothing we can do?

I do not want to post my plans in a public forum because people with plans like mine are hunted down and killed everyday --at least I know how to disappear. But, I am sending you a PM to see if you have any insight...

Keep up the fight,

Wesley

 

[puravida]

My customer hates me and thinks I'm an idiot. Swears down the phone at my whenever I try to speak to him.

Granted. This is definately another downside...

 

[nicpal]

Well, I finally got a response to one of the emails I sent, from a consular in her hometown. To show you how much he cares, he just refers me to the web site. Obviously I checked all of those and she is not on there. At least he did look her up and showed that the VISA was denied on their end. This possibly means that it is a valid name and hence a good lead. He probably just did it so she could treat for dinner tonight:

June 3, 2004

Dear Mr.Delanoy:

Dear Sir:

Thank you for the information on Naumova Ekaterina Valeryevna.

The person with this name has applied for a non-immigrant visa in April of
2004 and was refused at this consulate. There was no visa issued under the
control number indicated.

We urge American citizens to read our Dating Service Caution on our website.
Americans who have relationships with foreigners they met on the internet
may find it useful to travel abroad first to meet their correspondent in her
home country. It is not uncommon of the scams that prompted us to create
the Dating Service Caution that several men will write to us simultaneously
to inquire about the same woman (sometimes a fictitious identity) requesting
money from them. We cannot be responsible for money they send overseas, but
ultimately it is their own decision and we urge American citizen to use
their own best judgment and common sense in sending money to a person they
have never met before.

Thanks again for the information, we will keep it on our files.

There is a lot of information on scam agencies and individuals at the
Internet www.womenrussia/blacklist.html in case you are interested.
However, the Consulate cannot verify this information for you.

Sincerely,

Customer Service Unit
Consular Section
U.S. Consulate General, Yekaterinburg
Tel. 3432-793-001
Fax 3432-554-515
Web site: http://usa.ural.ru

 

[puravida]

$750k leaves your account and is wired abroad.

Another thought here... I thought that any transfer over $10,000 was tagged...?

Is it merely "tagged for later review" (which will be too late)?

I would have especially thought anything over $100 would raise eyebrows. Especially to middle eastern countries or countries (people) on the OFAC list.

-Wesley

 

[Jernet]

very interesting stuff here...

 

[Graham Easton]

Wes,

OFAC won't affect this. As the emails are just sent to anyone, many are outside the USA. OFAC is the USA's view on who's a bad apple. Cuba for example is a historical hangover that the USA should get over. Everyone else in the world will deal with them. All banks have transactional monitoring systems to prevent payments to and from OFAC punters. That's just 3000 individuals and companies. The scum send the cash to whomever, and there are plenty more people in Vanuatu or Nauru or Lebanon that are unknown.

The $10,000 is just the reporting threashold of cash sent out the USA. If the USD was sent from the USA (only USA citizens really) then it would be reported. That's not a pre-approval but a notification. Uncle Sam will therefore know you've been scammed after the event. Fat lot of good that is though.

Anyway, I don't want to detract from what Nicpal is trying to find out on this thread with endless scam stories. If people are interested in these scams I can and will outline them all on Nicpals site and we can discuss on the thread there in due course. Also, I don't want to inadvertantly teach people how to do it, because that would be counter productive. There's a fine line between teaching people the dangers and giving others ideas.

In fairness you techy folks should concentrate on helping Nicpal, if there is anything he's overlooked.

Graham.

 

[DeluxeNames.com]

Nicpal,

For fun, I'm toying with "Natalia", (probaly Boris), who's running an almost identical scam as yours. Were in the "Western Union" phase so it's fun. If you want to take over and communicate with "her" let me know. Today I was like, "Didn't you get the Western Union I sent?" "I don't understand, go back and check it again, I sent it." "OH CRAP! I sent it to the wrong number!"

and so on. It's fun as I can tell "Natalia is getting madder and madder as she address the letters:

"My Dearest Bryant..."

 

[DeluxeNames.com]

Hey Guys,
I know that most of you guys are more proficient about finding things on the web and anywhere else for that matter so that is why I am calling upon you guys for help. I can only do so much by myself.

Nicpal, This thread is pretty old so I don't know if your still interested in finding these guys that fooled your brother but I did get one to tell me their phone number and address:

Irina
Russia, Kazan, Baymana st. 28-34.
tel. 89600974950

Here's "her" email in case you want to correspond with "her":

[email protected] to me
More options 7:45 am (5 hours ago)

Dear
Each my letter and my ideas are directed to you. With
each your letter I feel, that we become more close to each other. My
soul is pleased when I read letters from you. This feeling is not
familiar to me also I cannot explain it it. But I very much like to
write to you of the letter. I with impatience wait from you for each
following letter. I with excitement sit for a computer to receive and
read your letters. Certainly there are some language handicapes
between us, but it seems to me, that it not a barrier to us. I shall
try to improve the English language that you completely understood me.
Every day I feel is more sure and is quieter with your letters. Your
letters installed in me confidence, that on the ground there is a man
which estimates my love and fidelity to him. I very obligatory girl
also try to carry out all duties and promises. I the frank person also
speak always the truth to people what she would not be. It seems to
me, that such quality should be in each person. I feel in
your letters there is a quality of fidelity, honesty and love. It is
very a pity to me, that we did not meet you earlier. Probably our
lives would develop on another. I understand, us with you unites while
acquaintance through the Internet, through letters, but this feeling
grows also to me it seems, that all depends on us with you, all in our
hands. If we met you and could get acquainted and find each other is a
destiny helped us. Now I know, that I am not lonely in this severe
world. I noticed in your letters, that you too not always can write to
me the big letters and answer every day. Do not experience, I
understand that we with you have duties and work which it is necessary
to carry out. It is which our life we got used to live. The main
thing, that we with you can write and wait for the letter from each
other. With your letters I changed. I felt other person. At me in
life, all was good also life went the turn, but I in life did not have
one is special the men, loving men. Which I would love and met houses.
There is no I do not want to tell it, that the man should work, and
the wife should wait for his house. I did not get used to sit at home
not working, I like to work. I understand, that the woman should care
of the house, family children but when children grow and become
independent, the wife should work and be engaged in loved to itself
work. At us so it is accepted in Russia. Write to me please, than at
you women are engaged? I understand, that any girl should watch {keep
up} itself and do itself beautiful, but all is necessary to try to be
in time. I have time everything, since morning, before work I shall
always have time to make up (I use cosmetics), to drink a cup of
coffee, to result myself and the house in the order, to make a
hairdress and I go for work. If the girl has not time to do the
duties on the house or to watch itself - her it is necessary to rise
on earlier. I got used so to do always. If I know, that I should make
much in the morning, I rise early and all I have time. Excuse me, I
something write all about myself and about myself. Write to me about
itself, what you like to do in the mornings? How passes your morning?
I yesterday found out about the instant messenger. I think that it is a fine opportunity to us to communicate. I think that I can establish it soon. Only I do not have microphone and video of the chamber for this purpose.
I shall write to you as soon as I shall make it. Well?
Now I in summer camp. At us all children now sleep. It refers to dream after a dinner. Soon rise and everyone will go to bathe. I very much like to write to you.
I shall soon try to make new photos for you.
How your mood? How is the weather?
Weather at us very hot. Not below +34С.
I shall write to you soon.
I with impatience and love shall wait for your following letter.
Your Irina
Irina
Russia, Kazan, Baymana st. 28-34.
tel. 89600974950

 

[WhoDatDog]

This girl did your brother a big favor. She gave him hope when he had none. He even received many months of that feeling of hope, and he got to buy her flowers and head to the airport. Alas, it was all a mirage, and he is left with nothing again.

He should be sending her money for the rest of his life. She gave him hope when he had none.

Your brother is a very lucky man that someone gave him something that he couldn't find on his own. Sounds to me that he is just a lonely guy who goes to work. If I were him I would send money every month and go to the airport with flowers as much as I could. It would be a lifestyle upgrade. Even if the girl dies in the cab every time.

Either that or quit his job.

 

[DeluxeNames.com]

This girl did your brother a big favor. She gave him hope when he had none. He even received many months of that feeling of hope, and he got to buy her flowers and head to the airport. Alas, it was all a mirage, and he is left with nothing again.
He should be sending her money for the rest of his life. She gave him hope when he had none. Your brother is a very lucky man that someone gave him something that he couldn't find on his own. Sounds to me that he is just a lonely guy who goes to work. If I were him I would send money every month and go to the airport with flowers as much as I could. It would be a lifestyle upgrade. Even if the girl dies in the cab every time.
Either that or quit his job.

Dude, those drugs are very bad for you. :hippie:

 

[LeeRyder]

This girl did your brother a big favor. She gave him hope when he had none. He even received many months of that feeling of hope, and he got to buy her flowers and head to the airport. Alas, it was all a mirage, and he is left with nothing again.

He should be sending her money for the rest of his life. She gave him hope when he had none.

Your brother is a very lucky man that someone gave him something that he couldn't find on his own. Sounds to me that he is just a lonely guy who goes to work. If I were him I would send money every month and go to the airport with flowers as much as I could. It would be a lifestyle upgrade. Even if the girl dies in the cab every time.

Either that or quit his job.

Completely inappropriate reply. Im guessing this is the reason you got beat up in highschool daily.

 

[labrocca]

This girl did your brother a big favor. She gave him hope when he had none. He even received many months of that feeling of hope, and he got to buy her flowers and head to the airport. Alas, it was all a mirage, and he is left with nothing again.

He should be sending her money for the rest of his life. She gave him hope when he had none.

Your brother is a very lucky man that someone gave him something that he couldn't find on his own. Sounds to me that he is just a lonely guy who goes to work. If I were him I would send money every month and go to the airport with flowers as much as I could. It would be a lifestyle upgrade. Even if the girl dies in the cab every time.

Either that or quit his job.

WOW...you are just itching to have everyone dislike you.


On a side note...what if everyone starting replying to these 419 scams and make them send forged checks all day long. I assume it has to cost them something to forge the checks well and then mail them. Then we can pile them up and burn them. Or even better start a gallery.

It seems like a small way to fight them. I might get a P.O. Box and start doing this. I can have them send check after check...I won't bother cashing any of them of course.