Scam Money Transfers -
Fake Grants
Example - UNITED NATION ORGANISATION
Mr. Ben Kerry, MR MICHAEL LOWE,
London
Here's a variation on the basic scam money transfer email. You received a a check in the mail from "UNITED NATION ORGANISATION", possibly using a name of "Mr. Ben Kerry" or "MR MICHAEL LOWE", of which you are supposed to return 10% to them (at this point you should be asking yourself, why they didn't just keep the 10%!)
Did the email say something nonsensical like:
U.S.A GOVERNMENT,WORLD BANK,UNITED NATION ORGANIZATION OFFICIAL APPROVAL PAYMENT VALUED $10.2M United Nation Organization Fund Office in collaboration with British /U.S.A Government and World Bank, do hereby give this irreversible endorsement order with Release Code: GNC/3480/02/00 in your favor for the 2008 United National Grant Alleviation Allocation Entitlement/Award Winning payment with the United Nation to your nominated bank account.
That gibberish is meaningless.
There is a real United Nations, but it's name is not "UNITED NATION ORGANISATION" and it is based in New York, not London . Don't let the familiar name fool you. The scammer has nothing to do with them; the email and the grant are all nonsense. If you believe that there are organizations randomly handing out money like this, then we fear you may have been scammed already!
If you need more tangible proof, ask yourself this: why would an substantial organization with a website ask you to reply to a yahoo (or hotmail or other) generic, free email address, unrelated to the organization, which ANYONE could get?
In the specific case below (UNITED NATION ORGANISATION) there are quite a number of inconsistencies that add up to "scam" to us. See the email below and a review of the available facts following it.
And if you were crazy enough to write back to them, click here to a typical response the scammers send.
Sample actual scam letter from "UNITED NATION ORGANISATION":
UNITED NATION ORGANISATION" <unitednation011@universia.pt>
Subject: U.S.A GOVERNMENT,WORLD BANK, UNITED NATION ORGANIZATION OFFICIAL APPROVAL PAYMENT VALUED $10.2M
Date: Tue, 8 Apr 2008 09:58:57 +0100 (WEST)
To: undisclosed-recipients:;
THE UNITED NATION ORGANISATION
LONDON UNITED KINGDOM
UNITED NATION PAYMENT APPROVAL OFFICE
Special Duties/Logistics Department
FOREIGN CONTRACT/WINNING PAYMENT BUREAU
Our Ref: FGN /SNT/STB YourRef!-!-!-!-!-!-.
==========================================================================
U.S.A GOVERNMENT,WORLD BANK,UNITED NATION ORGANIZATION OFFICIAL APPROVAL PAYMENT VALUED $10.2M United Nation Organization Fund Office in collaboration with British /U.S.A Government and World Bank, do hereby give this irreversible endorsement order with Release Code: GNC/3480/02/00 in your favor for the 2008 United National Grant Alleviation Allocation Entitlement/Award Winning payment with the United Nation to your nominated bank account. Your Payment Release Code is as follows; United Nation Approval No; UN5685P, White House Approved No: WH44CV, Reference No.-35460021, Allocation No: 674632 Password No: 339331, Pin Code No: 55674 and your Certificate of Merit Payment No: UNGAAP-103, World Bank Released Code No: 0763; Immediate Citibank Telex confirmation No: -1114433; Secret Code No: XXTN013, Having received these vital payment number, Hence, you are now qualified to receive and confirm your payment from the United Nation Fund Office through the Citibank Plc London, immediately within the next 72hrs.
In other to justify the rationale for your nomination for this grant, you are required to Deal and Communicate only with MR MICHAEL LOWE, DIRECTOR INTERNATIONAL REMMITTANCE CITIBANK OF UNITED KINGDOM, with the help and monitory team from the INTERNATIONAL MONETARY FUND OF NEW YORK which is our official corresponding bank heading the Committee On United Nation Grant Alleviation Allocation Programme (UNGAAP) Payment Matters, So contact: MR MICHAEL LOWE on his contact information, FAX NUMBER:+447092883361,TELEPHON, OFFICE/BANK:+44 7511541841,Email: citibank.london47@yahoo.co.uk , for immediate release of your 2008 United Nation Grant Alleviation Allocation Entitlement Claim.
Note: Your personal Contact/Communication Code with Citibank is (678/UNGAAP); you are advice to send you full information to the Citibank of London International Remittance Director Headed by Mr. Michael Lowe and make sure you speak with him, with your new payment code for release of your payment.
1) YOUR FULL NAME:
2) ADDRESS, CITY, STATE AND COUNTRY:
3) PHONE, FAX AND MOBILE:
4) COMPANY NAME (IF ANY) POSITION AND ADDRESS:
5) PROFESSION, AGE AND MARITAL STATUS:
6) COPY OF YOUR INT'L PASSPORT/DRIVERS LICENSE:
As a matter of fact, it has come to our notice that most criminal syndicate has employ this opportunity to defraud innocent people, We warn you not to correspond to any unknown contact made to you without confirming from this office for prove as you might be lured with a similar opportunity that may sound interesting.
CONTACT CODE(678/UNGAAP)
OFFICER: MR MICHAEL LOWE.
POSITION: DIRECTOR, INTL, REMMITTANCE CITIBANK LONDON.
TELEPHONE OFFICE/BANK::(+44-7511541841), FAX NUMBER:+447092883361
EMAIL: citibank.london47@yahoo.co.uk
Mr. BEN KERRY
United Nation Grant Alleviation Allocation Programme (UNGAAP) Agent United Kingdom Regional Office
And please let us know about any suspicious calls or emails you receive. We look for patterns so that we can alert the authorities and victims to new scams, before it is too late!
For a comprehensive list of national and international agencies to report scams, see this page.