Beware....

Beware ladies and gentlemen if you receive an email from a Bangledesh gentleman asking to publish your book in his country. While he is a bonefide journalist, I am pretty sure this is a scam. I asked how much royalties his company paid to see a draft contract and he's disappeared into the ether.

Do you have a name that we can look out for Jenny?

Yes, The name on the email was Humayun Kabir Dhali

He also gave me two website to look at:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Humayun_kabir_Dhali
http://www.ketaketi.org/ketaketi/bsoftmore.php?AID=62


A number of members of the Authors Register (http://authorsregister.com) have also received the same email.

Hi Jenny,

I think a group of "phishers" are using the guise of authors to gather information. The email was most probably not sent by Mr. Dali but by someone using his name. These unscrupulous people ask questions about books but they also ask for a bio in the hope that you will give personal details that they can use for false documents (credit cards etc.)

Thanks for the heads up!

~Shelagh

A challenge to the traditional Nigerian dominance.

Thanks for the heads up Jenny. Scammers and Phishers are leaving no stones unturned!!

Thanks for the heads up and background ladies. For those poor authors looking for any opporunity to get their message "out there" it's not hard to imagine people getting sucked in.

Like it wasn't difficult enough to make it in this business already...

The scams catch many. Once caught, people become skeptical about everything and will often turn away from legitimate offers. That’s the sad part.

Someone else I know has received an email from this gentleman. They write self help books, they agreed to talk with this gentle this evening - if I learn any more I'll pass the information on.

Like most of you, I receive many scam emails, most wanting to 'help' me with certain body parts I don't even have, and others just waiting to enrich me with millions from a secret inheritance.

But how conniving the new ones are to target writers with promises of publication. Wow. Some of us could easily fall for it. Certainly something to watch for.

Thanks for the heads up, Jenny.

I agree, Brenda!

I'm frequently offered male enhancement, too. If the wording weren't so silly, I might read some of the announcements with professional interest as I'm always on the lookout for new, compelling and appealing ways to describe romantic equipment and things to do with it.

Professional as in authorial.

Best wishes,

Now that you mention it folks, I wanted to share a frequently repeating type of scam business e-mail I been getting for a while now. (btw, this is in addition to all the ones about cheap viagra and adding a few extra inches to my manhood ones...)

These business invitation e-mails that I speak of always have a very similar style and theme, but purportedly come from different people in African countries like Chad, Nigeria, Sierra Leone and Ghana.

They usually have a subject heading like this:

FROM THE DESK OF Dr AMINU MUSA

And the letter heading at the tope of the e-mail is like this:

FROM THE DESK OF Dr AMINU MUSA,
AUDITING AND ACCOUNTING UNIT.
BANK OF AFRICA (BOA).
OUAGADOUGOU BURKINA-FASO.
{WEST AFRICA}


Then the body of the e-mail phrasing is something like this (I don't know why it is all in block capitals):

ASSALAM MUALAIKUM.

I AM Dr AMINU MUSA, THE MANAGER IN CHARGE OF AUDITING AND ACCOUNTING SECTION IN BANK OF AFRICA OUAGADOUGOU BURKINA FASO IN WEST AFRICA WITH DUE RESPECT AND REGARDS I HAVE DECIDED TO CONTACT YOU ON THIS BUSINESS TRANSACTION THAT WILL BE VERY BENEFICIAL TO BOTH OF US AT THE END OF THE TRANSACTION.

By now... one begins to suspect there's something fishy. However, the e-mail carries on with its business-like tone:

DURING MY INVESTIGATION AND AUDITING IN THE BANK, MY DEPARTMENT CAME ACROSS A VERY HUGE SUM OF MONEY BELONGING TO A DECEASED CUSTOMER,IN AN ACCOUNT THAT BELONGS TO ONE OF OUR FOREIGN CUSTOMER WHO DIED ALONG WITH HIS ENTIRE FAMILY IN A PLAN CRASH THAT TOOK PLACE IN KENYA, EAST AFRICA, THE LATE DR. GEORGE BRUMLEY, A CITIZEN OF ATLANTA, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA BUT NUTURALISED IN BURKINA FASO, WEST AFRICA AND A CONTRACTOR WITHECOWAS,(ECONOMIC COMMUNITY OF WEST AFRICAN)

I WANT TO TELL YOU THAT, THIS TRANSACTION IS ENTIRELY LEGAL AND AS SUCH YOU DO NOT HAVE ANY REASON FOR FEAR; ALL THE NECESSARY DOCUMENTS THAT WILL BACK UP THIS TRANSACTION WILL BE SENT TO YOU SO THAT YOU CAN KEEP ALL THE RECORDS CONCERNING THE TRANSCATION, IN CASE YOU ARE ASKED BY ANYONE TO PRODUCE THESE EVIDENCE, ALL THE PROCEDINGS ARE LEGAL.

AND,THE FUND HAS BEEN DORMANT IN HIS ACCOUNT WITH THE BANK WITHOUT ANY CLAIM OF THE FUND IN OUR CUSTODY EITHER FROM HIS FAMILY OR RELATION BEFORE MY DISCOVERY TO THIS DEVELOPMENT. ACTUALLY, THE LATE CUSTOMER WAS ABIG MERCHANT WHO TRADES ON GOLD, DIAMOND, ELEPHANT TUSKS AND CRUDE OIL FROM AFRICA TO ASIA AND EUROPE AND THIS MONEY HE DEPOSITES IN OUR BANK TO PAY FOR HIS PURCHASES.

ALTHOUGH PERSONALLY, I KEPT THIS INFORMATION SECRET WITHIN MYSELF TO ENABLE THE WHOLE PLANS AND IDEA BE PROFITABLE AND DURING THE TIME OF EXECUTION (TWO IS SECRET). THE AMOUNT INVOLVED IS $18.2 MILLION USD(EIGHTEEN MILLION TWO HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS).MEANWHILE ALL THE WHOLE ARRANGEMENT AND DIRECTIVES NEEDED TO PUT CLAIM OVER THIS FUND AS THE BONAFIDE NEXT OF KIN TO THE DECEASED, WILL BE FORWARD TO YOU UPON YOUR ACCEPTANCE. INFORMATION WILL BE RELASED TO YOU AS SOON AS YOU INDICATE YOUR INTEREST AND WILLINGNESS TO ASSIST ME AND ALSO BENEFIT YOUR SELF TO THIS GREAT BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY.

IN FACT I COULD HAVE DONE THIS DEAL ALONE BUT BECAUSE OF MY POSITION IN THIS COUNTRY AS A CIVIL SERVANT,WE ARE NOT ALLOWED TO OPERATE A FORIEGN ACCOUNT AND WOULD EVENTUALLY RAISE EYE BROW ON MY SIDE DURING THE TIME OF TRANSFER BECAUSE I WORK IN THIS BANK. THIS IS THE ACTUAL REASON WHY IT WILL REQUIRE A SECOND PARTY OR FELLOW FROM A FOREIGN NATION WHO WILL FORWARD CLAIMS AS THE NEXT OF KIN WITH AFFIDAVIT OF TRUST OF OATH TO THE BANK AND ALSO PRESENT A FORIEGN ACCOUNT WHERE HE WILL NEED THE MONEY TO BE RETRANSFERED INTO ON HIS REQUEST AS IT MAY BE, AFTER DUE VERIFICATION AND CLARIFICATION TO DESIGNATED BANK ACCOUNT.

I WILL NOT FAIL TO INFORM YOU THAT THIS TRANSACTION IS 100% RISK FREE. ON SMOOTH CONCLUSION OF THIS TRANSACTION, YOU WILL BE ENTITLED TO 30% OF THE TOTAL SUM AS GRATIFICATION, WHILE 10% WILL BE SET ASIDE TO TAKE CARE OF EXPENSES THAT MAY ARISE DURING THE TIME OF TRANSFER SUCH AS TELEPHONE BILLS ETC, WHILE 60% WILL BE FOR ME.

PLEASE,YOU HAVE BEEN ADVISED TO KEEP TOP SECRET AS I AM STILL IN SERVICE AND INTEND TO RETIRE FROM SERVICE AFTER I HAVE CONCLUDED THIS DEAL WITH YOU. I WILL BE MONITORING THE WHOLE SITUATION HERE IN THE BANK UNTIL YOU CONFIRM THE MONEY IN YOUR ACCOUNT AND ASK ME TO COME DOWN TO YOUR COUNTRY FOR SUBSEQUENT SHARING OF THE FUND ACCORDING TO PERCENTAGES PREVIOUSLY INDICATED AND FURTHER INVESTMENT, EITHER IN YOUR COUNTRY OR ANY OTHER COUNTRY YOU MAY ADVISE ME TO INVEST IN. ALL OTHER NECESSARY INFORMATION WILL BE SENT TO YOU WHEN I HEAR FROM YOU. I SUGGEST YOU GET BACK TO ME AS SOON AS POSSIBLE STATING YOUR WISH IN THIS DEAL AND ASKING ANY QUESTIONS THAT ARE NOT CLEARED BY YOU FOR A GOOD FOLLOW-UP. PLEASE VISIT THE WEBSITE BELOW FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE PLANE CRASH AND THE TRAGIC DEATH OF THE DECEASED AND HIS ENTIRE FAMILY LATE DR.GEORGE BRUMLEY

http://www.cnn.com/2003/WORLD/africa/07/20/kenya.crash/index.html
WAITING TO HEAR FROM YOU SOONEST.

Email aminu_musa2007@yahoo.com

BEST REGARDS
Dr AMINU MUSA



Now, I was wondering if anyone in this group gets this type of e-mail or knows which sham authority is issuing them ...??

Ahad,
for first-time recipients, many fall for this scam. The greed element comes out in people and they think, "what if it is true or legitimate?"

Since they keep sending these scam messages, it would seem that they are having some success. I understand that they have a step-by-step methods in their ability to grab your cash. It has to do with getting the name of your bank account number so they can send you the money. In some cases, they require some upfront cash on your part to show good faith. In the end, they take whatever cash they can get and disappear.

As was once said, "there's a sucker born every day."

I understood that most of these do originate in some interesting corners of the world. Often referred to as the "Nigerian Scam" or a variation therein, they have actually been circulating for years (pre-internet - and snopes.com says even in the 1920s). In Canada we are asked to forward them to the RCMP (our national police force) where apparently they work with other agencies such as Interpol and the FBI on quahing these things. Not sure how much they actually succeed given other priorities, and I do hear of people continuing to get lured in, but the recommended recourse is to forward the notices to the police for handling, and get people to think, think, think before opening their wallets...

Pam, I never imagined there'd been any scams going that far back to the 1920s, but you've hit the nail on the head as the "Nigerian Scam" since that's where most of my e-mails seem to come from.

Abe F. March wrote:

As was once said, "there's a sucker born every day."

I was watching that 80s movie Wall Street a while back and Gordon Gekko rightly said "Greed is good." I guess that's why the stockmarket always goes up in the long run, as greed prevails over fear

Hi Abdul,

This site may help you to learn more about scam emails:

http://www.fraudaid.com/ScamSpeak/Nigerian/index.htm

Perfect link, Shelagh. Thank you!

Scams in abundance. I have been getting those 'Nigerian' scams for years, and have gotten fairly good about just deleting emails that come uninvited to my inbox. Unless the subject says it is from .NING or somewhere that I recognize, they go right into the trash. And I use the theory that if something sounds too good to be true, it's probably a scam.

There are several great sites where you can check on scam e-mails:

http://www.scambusters.org/index.html

http://www.snopes.com/snopes.asp

http://www.truthorfiction.com/search.htm

http://hoaxbusters.ciac.org/HBHoaxIndex.html

http://www.breakthechain.org/

These are the ones I turn to when seeking the authenticity or validity of anything I feel important enough to forward to my friends. It is surprising how many alarming missives are sent around without anyone checking them!