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| The Nigerian scam...Finale http://w-ww.luthiersforum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=10102&t=1181 |
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| Author: | HankMauel [ Mon Feb 28, 2005 8:26 am ] |
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Well, I finally got weary of the buffoon from Nigeria and his lame scam attempt. Gave him the "Dear John" letter yesterday. With permission from Lance K., here are the email exchanges I had with him. Hope everyone gets a chuckle. The Nigerian Scam The Initial Inquiry, with great command of English... From: nurat ope To: whmauel@inreach.com Sent: Wednesday, February 02, 2005 5:49 PM Subject: ORDER ENQUIRY....INT ORD HELLO SALES, THE SALES MANAGER OF NURAT PART NIGERIA LIMITED..I WILL LIKE YOU TO PURCHASE SOME ITEMS FROM YOUR STORE IN NIGERIA. LET ME KNOW THE COURIER SERVICE YOU ARE USING TO SHIP ITEMS AND I WILL LIKE TO TELL YOU THAT PAYMENT IS GOING TO BE BY CREDIT CARD AND LET ME KNOW THE TYPES OF CREDIT CARD YOU TO COLLECT AS PATMENT.. SO KINDLY GET BACK TO ME IF YOU CAN SHIP TO NIGERIA,SO I CAN GIVE YOU THE LIST OF ITEMS NEEDED FROM YOUR STORE..AND SEND US YOUR WBSITE. AND GOD WILL BLESS YOU IN YOUR ORGANISATION. HOPE TO READ FROM YOU SOONEST THANKS. NURAT PARTS I pull out the fishing rod... Sure thing...send your list. We take M/C and VISA. From: nurat ope Sent: Wednesday, February 02, 2005 9:19 PM HELLO, I WILLLIKE YOU TOLIST OUTTHE AVAILABLE GUITARS YOU HAVE IN STOCK NOW. THANKS. NURAT I bait the hook... I have a McCloud @ $3800, a Trinity @ $3500 and a Tuolumne (Brazilian rosewood) @ $6000. I ship by FedEx, DHL or UPS. I need your address to estimate shipping charges. He wants two each!... From: nurat ope Sent: Thursday, February 03, 2005 2:53 PM Subject: TOTAL COST INCLUDING SHIPPING COST TO NIGERIA HELLO HANK, THANKS FOR THE LAST UPDATE..HERE IS THE TYPE OF GUITAR I WANT FROM YOU... Trinity...................2pieces McCloud ...................2pieces SO GET BACK TO ME WITH THE TOTAL COST COST INCLUDING SHIPPING COST TO LAGOS NIGERIA,SO THAT I CAN FORWARD YOU MY CREDIT CARD DETAIL TO CHARGE FOR MY GUITARS. AND HERE IS MY SHIPPING ADDRESS BELOW................ NO 12 DANIEL STREET,OFF OLUSHOGA,MUSHIN STATE....LAGOS. COUNTRY..NIGERIA.. ZIPCODE..23401 CONTACT PHONE..234/8035155239 THANKS ASAP. NURAT Casting the hook... Based on your order, and the destination, the total is $14,700 for the instruments and $789.69 each for 2 packages. Each package will hold two instruments in their cases. The size of all four instruments together exceeds what FedEx will accept, so I broke it down to 2 shipments. The Grand Total for instruments, packing, shipping and insurance comes to $16,279.38. They can be packaged and into shipment by next Wednesday. FedEx indicates they should be there in 5 business days, or about Wednesday, February 16th. The chump rises to the bait... From: nurat ope Sent: Tuesday, February 08, 2005 12:55 PM Subject: Re:PAYMENT INFO Hello hank, Thanks for the good response, I have really enjoyed the transaction we have transacted and i pray we do more business again. I would like you to charge the below card account number for my Bills: 1 acct: Name on card:NURAT RILIWAN Credit Card Type: Visa Account Number:4334430003283387 Exp Date: 11/2005 2 acct: Name on card:NURAT RILIWAN Credit Card Type: Visa Account Number:4334430003284013 Exp Date: 11/2005 3 acct: Name on card:NURAT RILIWAN Credit Card Type: Visa Account Number:4334430003282041 Exp Date: 11/2005 i will like you to charge $5ooo for the three cards and the reamaninig amount you can charge it for the shipping cost. i would await confirmations of the card charged and the shipping details of my order so as to do follow up. I await your response asap now!!! Thanks NURAT I contacted FedEx yesterday re: this shipment. They advised me to use their shipping boxes due to the fragile nature of the merchandise...guitars. I will pick up the boxes today, get everything packed up and back to them on Friday. They said that these packages will go to their Los Angeles air freight center, then onto an airplane bound for Europe/Africa. Should take 7-10 days shipping time, depending on Customs at your end of the shipment. The fish gets anxious... From: nurat ope Sent: Friday, February 11, 2005 8:11 AM Subject: MY TRACKING NUMBER...WHY DELAYING hello hank, am waiting for the tracking number of the guitars,get back to me with the tracking number immediately.. i await your response asap.. thanks nurat Packages go to FedEx today. I play out some line... From: nurat ope Sent: Friday, February 11, 2005 8:52 AM Subject: Re: MY TRACKING NUMBER...WHY DELAYING thanks hank, so let me have the tracking number of the guitars now.. thanks. i await your response nurat I won't have them until I deliver the boxes to the FedEx center later today. There is paperwork to fill out there because of the export nature of shipment. My message of assurance... 2-12-04 Nurat... Here are the tracking numbers assigned by FedEx. You will not be able to see them until Monday or Tuesday. FedEx has a new procedure, to meet new Government regulations, that only makes the Tracking Numbers available after the Export Shipment has been processed at their Los Angeles freight center. They said it's something to do with security, customs and shipping illegal goods out of the U.S. All small shipments, like this, are required to go through this process. FedEx assured me that you will get what's coming to you. I even saw them place the boxes onto the truck headed to Los Angeles (last night) and they placed them on top of the load so as to reduce the chance of damage. I can access these numbers through my account, as can FedEx. I have a receipt for the boxes showing all the details and the Insured value. Tracking Numbers: 03862130000702 03862130000715 From: nurat ope HELLO whmauel, thanks for the tracking number. nurat The catastrophe develops... Sent: Wednesday, February 16, 2005 9:21 AM Subject: Your guitars Terrible developments here. I just got off the telephone with a supervisor from FedEx. They called to advise me of a terrible vehicle accident on the Interstate highway last weekend that involved their truck carrying your shipment. Apparently there were 16 vehicles involved in the accident. The FedEx truck driver was in the middle of the accident, and when he tried to avoid another vehicle, the truck ran off the highway, overturned and caught fire. Fortunately, the driver escaped with minor injuries, but the entire cargo was destroyed in the fire. Fedex will be sending me Insurance Claim forms today. They are going to expedite the claims process, but it will still take 7-10 days to get the settlement money. At that time I will credit back your VISA cards. That credit process will allow me to recover the Credit Card processing fees associated with the transaction as soon as the credit card company verifies with FedEx that this was the result of an accident. There is not much else I can say or do at this point. I know how much you were counting on those instruments and I am just sick that they were destroyed in the accident...they were great sounding instruments. Hank The panic sets in... From: nurat ope Sent: Wednesday, February 16, 2005 2:06 PM Subject: RE: Your guitars hello Hank Mauel, whats is this all about why all this i hope you have ship those guitars,so then i want you to advice me on what to do.. Yes, they were shipped. The truck they were in going to Los Angeles was in a major traffic accident on the highway. All the cargo was destroyed, including your guitars. FedEx insurance will cover the loss. I am filling out the insurance claim tomorrow and should have a settlement within 2 weeks. Then I will credit back the charges to your VISA cards. You do not have to do anything. Since the guitars were not into the FedEx Export center yet, I have to do all the paperwork for the insurance claim. This is a terrible turn of events, but I'll deal with it here as best I can. Hank The fish calms for a bit... From: nurat ope Sent: Thursday, February 17, 2005 8:18 PM Subject: Re: Your guitars hello hank, i await your response for my guitars aftereverything has been sought out. thanks. nurat Basically I will credit back the charges against the 3 VISA credit card numbers you gave me as soon as the insurance is paid. Hank I decide to jack him up a bit... From: nurat ope Sent: Friday, February 18, 2005 7:36 PM Subject: Re: Your guitars hello Hank Mauel, am waiting for your response,i need those guitars urgently why delaying me. Nurat...READ MY MESSAGES! The guitars were DESTROYED in a highway accident involving the FedEx truck. I will have to get the insurance money, then credit back the 3 VISA card numbers you gave me. There is no delay. There is nothing else I can do until the insurance money arrives. If you can't understand this, please get someone who understands English to read it for you. Hank He starts to go ballistic... From: nurat ope Sent: Saturday, February 19, 2005 3:46 AM Subject: Re: Your guitars hello hank, why are you talking like this ,so you are trying to tell me that i dont understand english right,all am asking is that when should i be expecting those guitars again. You don't understand that there are NO more guitars to send. I would have to build new ones and that will take at least 6 months because I have other work to complete. I will have to send your money back in the VISA accounts after I receive the insurance from the accident. Don't expect any guitars! Hank He regroups... From: nurat ope Sent: Wednesday, February 23, 2005 9:57 AM Subject: Re: Your guitars hello hank, sorry for what happened i will wait so that insurance will recover everything. thanks. nurat Nurat... I just had contact with the insurance settlement for FedEx. They want to credit back the VISA cards that you used to make the purchase. Doing it this way will save me the processing fees of $447.68 associated with the transaction. I will contact the VISA center tomorrow and start the process. Hank Let’s give him another spin... Sent: Thursday, February 24, 2005 5:53 PM Subject: Re: Your guitars Nurat... Tried to start the refund process for your guitars. The Insurance was going to credit your VISA cards, but when we contacted VISA they said there was a freeze on the cards and no transactions could be processed. Are you having trouble with the cards? Have they been stolen or is somebody using them fraudulently? There is over $16,000 worth of insurance funds waiting to be claimed. Hank Mauel From: nurat ope Sent: Thursday, February 24, 2005 7:59 PM Subject: Re: Your guitars hello hank, nobody is using my card,ok so advice me on what to do ok Well, I am required to refund to those VISA account numbers to recover the processing fees already charged. If those cards do not work, then it will cost me the $447.68 I mentioned previously. I am sure you would not want me to lose money on this transaction. My only other thought would be for you to directly reimburse me the $447.68 in US dollars and then I could have the insurance check of $16,279.38 released directly to you. I could have the insurance company mail it directly to the address you gave me to ship the guitars. Other than that, I'm at a loss as to how to settle this matter for you. The spin increases speed... From: nurat ope Sent: Friday, February 25, 2005 2:51 AM Subject: Re: Your guitars hello hank, i dont understand what you are trying to say,so you are trying to tell me that the card i gave to you declined just like that for no reason,i will like to advice you that you find something to do about my card,i dont expose my card to anybody. i await your response. nurat Nurat… I have no control over what VISA tells me. They do not share information about your accounts with me. Perhaps you should contact them and find out why there is a freeze on those 3 VISA account numbers you gave me to pay for the guitars. Hank I’m getting to him, so check the verbose response I send. Hey, he said he “understands English”!... From: nurat ope Sent: Saturday, February 26, 2005 6:46 AM Subject: Re: Your guitars hello hank, you are playing games with me ,contact the visa company and get backto me because i cant just loose my money like that. nurat. Ahhh…shades of W.C. Field’s eloquence:... I'm playing games with you?? This is a most egregious breach of communicative etiquette! Do you doubt my veracity in this endeavor? Do you think I have stooped to tarradiddle? I have been most perspicuous in conveying the factual details concerning this transaction. It is beyond my purview to engage in discourse concerning your credit status, or any defalcation that may be occurring within your account, with the VISA financial institution. The rectification of this enigma lies within your universe. I will be unable to continue this exchange until you have assumed the responsibility to discern the problems emanating from your relationship with the VISA organization. Well, so much for his grasp of English... From: nurat ope Sent: Sunday, February 27, 2005 9:25 AM Subject: Re: Your guitars HELLO HANK, I DONT UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU ARE TRYING TO SAY OK. I SENT YOU MY CREDIT CARD AND YOU TOLD ME THAT IT WAS OK. SO THEN HOW COME YOU ARE NOW TALKING LIKE THIS,MY MANAGER IS TRYING TO SACK ME OUT OF WORK,BECAUSE OF THE VISA CARD THAT DECLINED I AM ASKED TO PAY $16,500DOLLARS OR ELSE I WILL BE PUT INTO JAIL. KINDLY ADVICE ME ON WHAT TO DO . I DONT WANT TO LOOSE MY LIFE,MY JOB AND MY FAMILY,KINDLY ADVICE ME I AWAIT YOUR RESPONSE, NURAT I have grown weary of this buffoon so I’ll give him the heave-ho... Well, Nurat, My naive Nigerian nincompoop. You are a CHUMP! You have been played like a violin! Do you not think I knew this was a scam from the very beginning? Nobody comes to me "wanting my guitars" without serious prior discussion. They are all built on a custom order basis for people who have specific needs. You were so dumb that when I said I had one example of several of the models I build, you wrote back wanting "2 of each", identical with no differences. Nobody buys custom guitars that way, not even my retail dealers. And of course, coming from Nigeria, the capital of scam countries, your purchase effort was transparent as glass. Then when you gave me three VISA cards, all the same except for the last 4 digits, all with the same expiration date, your fate was sealed. When I contacted VISA, they did a background check for me. Came back that those numbers did not relate to the name and address you sent me for shipping. I played you along so that VISA could begin an investigation of the transaction. And the use of a "hotmail" address means you are hiding behind that screen....by the way I am contacting "hotmail" to report your attempted fraudulent use of the VISA cards for the purchase. I have been sharing these emails with several friends. They have laughed their heads off at your feeble attempt to scam me. But I grow weary of this game with you, so I'll just tell you that next time you had better stick to illiterates like yourself. You went up against a big dog, and the big dog took you to the woodshed and beat the snot out of you! And don't bother responding...I have put you into my killfile. Have a great rest of your life! Hank |
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| Author: | JJ Donohue [ Mon Feb 28, 2005 8:54 am ] |
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Well played, Hank! I laughed till it hurt! I wonder when that scam will end...it's been around for years. Regrettably, there must be some naive suckers who have made it worthwhile for them to continue. |
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| Author: | Don Williams [ Mon Feb 28, 2005 9:02 am ] |
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| Author: | Dave Rector [ Mon Feb 28, 2005 9:14 am ] |
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Good job Hank 
You probably had him sweating bullets. |
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| Author: | Pwoolson [ Mon Feb 28, 2005 9:34 am ] |
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Hank, that was awesome!!! I've been following this from your first post. Funny thing, the night of that first post I got a strange phone call from someone at a TTD center (that's where hearing impaired people type the message and this operator relays it to me). Basically the person on the other end of the conversation wanted me to ship him guitars to Nigeria. When I said that I don't ship internationally, he said that was fine and wanted me to ship 6 guitars to Gerogia. When I replied with "what the heck are you talking about, nobody buys 6 guitars without first playing at least one of them" the operator told me the line got disconnected. Go figure. |
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| Author: | Terry Stowell [ Mon Feb 28, 2005 11:26 am ] |
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Touche', Pussycat!
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| Author: | Dave-SKG [ Mon Feb 28, 2005 12:11 pm ] |
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Good one Hank...I am getting about ten of those "help Me " inheritance/whatever scam emails a day. It's becoming nausiating. I like your resolve. I have to wonder if these jerks are passing around a list(s). Seems like there should be a way to stop this sort of thing.
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| Author: | Don A [ Mon Feb 28, 2005 1:46 pm ] |
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Great tale Hank. I would be tempted to send him a picture of 6 guitars just to further rub it in. 
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| Author: | EricKeller [ Mon Feb 28, 2005 1:49 pm ] |
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I was going to say that you should have told him you needed bribe money to get the guitars out of the country, but the Visa fees were a pretty good substitute. My only concern is that there are Nigerians in the US who are actively running scams, so I'd be concerned about visitors. |
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| Author: | HankMauel [ Mon Feb 28, 2005 2:00 pm ] |
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I've had the TDD operator link also. Just replied, through her, that we are wise to the Nigerian scam and said Goodbye. Also get those dead/assassinated/imprisoned family member pleas. If they would just put a fraction of that energy/effort into a real pursuit, they would be incredibly successful. But the human mind...it's a terrible thing! I probably could have milked old Nurat awhile longer. I could have started in on him as to why it mattered to his boss what Nurat did with his VISA cards. That would have caught him in the middle of the big lie...but I have better things to do with my time. Just waiting for feedback from MSN Hotmail to see if they do anything against his e-mail account. |
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| Author: | Matt Gage [ Mon Feb 28, 2005 11:25 pm ] |
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Thanks for sharing this Hank, not only is it humorus, but helps keep us all on our toes. Matt |
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| Author: | Colby Horton [ Tue Mar 01, 2005 1:45 am ] |
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You did good Hank!
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