EarthLink Protection Control Center Blog

So I told Frederic that I wanted to proceed with getting a Nigeria lawyer and that I couldn't afford to fly down to meet him. He told me to contact the bank via email and tell them I had a medical condition and was requesting a lawyer to speak on my behalf.

The "lawyer" then emailed me and said the following, "To proceed further on this matter, you are required to send us a scanned copy of your International Passport or Driver’s license, your full address + telephone & fax number with the probate fees as listed below:

(i) Affidavit: $820
(ii) Application / registration: $200
(iii) Fund Release authorization Bond: $1850
(iv) Judiciary Approval Order: $2700
(v) Stamp duty: $500
(vi) VAT $283.5

Total: $6,353.5 (USD).

These fees are non deductible as they are the official government rate for the afforementioned documents. For the expedition of the process, you are advised to send the money to this law firm through Western Union or moneygram via the name and address below:

Name: Mohammed Lamin
Address / City: Abidjan
Country: Cote d'Ivoire (Ivory-Coast)"

I played along and told the lawyer I'd be happy to send the money but I'd need proof that the money was in the account and the bank was real. He sent View image" and View image which actually looked pretty authentic. He also sent me a link to a bank site (which I won't link to) that looked very very real but it was in French. My EarthLink ScamBlocker client went nuts and told me the site was fake, but I already knew that.

I then decided to tell Frederic that I was very apprehensive about sending a large amount of money to someone who I didn't know. I proposed that we split that 6 thousand dollar fee and that way we'd both have some "skin in the game". Frederic liked this idea and told me to wire my half immediately.

Of course there was no way I was going to send my money to him so I asked that Frederic send the money to me and I'd send the money to the lawyer. Frederic thought this idea was ridiculous and told me that god was not looking favorably on me. I explained that since we were supposed to split the money that I needed to proof that he was just as vested in this endeavor as I was. My last communication from Frederic said that he was very angry in my decision to not go any further and that he would simply ask someone else for help in getting the money.

I can see why many people fall for this scam despite all the Internet safety information out there. Greed is a trait inherently strong in a lot of us and the opportunity to make a quick buck will make people go against conventional wisdom. This scam has been around for years yet it is still going strong because people just think that money will magically fall in their lap. The best thing to do when you get an email offering you money for almost nothing is simply to delete it and think about a more productive way to get rich quick!

Posted by at 1:06 PM | Permalink

Part 2:
As I mentioned in my previous post I was contacted by one the thousands the people across the Internet who send out email spam claiming you can become rich. The following was my first contact with Frederic who claimed to work for the offical bank of the Ivory Coast:

"My name is Mr. Frederic Nelson, a Banker with one of the leading banks here in Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire (West Africa). I am the personal accounts manager to Mr. Morrison Kaplan, who used to be a contractor with an oil servicing company based here in Cote d’Ivoire.

All I require is your honest cooperation to enable us seeing this deal through. I guarantee that this will be executed under all legitimate arrangement that will protect you from any breach of the law. If you can handle this with me, reach me by sending the following informations:"

I decided to play along and send him some information that was fake but realistic enough that he wouldn't know any better. Frederic immediately emailed me back telling me how happy he was that we could work together and become rich. He then said, "I have successfully legalized the account files and other related documents in your name as the legal beneficiary of the account. Now you have the legal right to claim the money.
All you have to do is to simply copy the text of application below and send it to the bank at the e-mail given on it.

Ben Kaplan"

I sent this information to the email listed and I got a response back within 1 day telling me that I needed some special forms and affidavits that proved who I was and that was in fact related to the deceased Mr.Kaplan. Frederic also emailed me and told me I could either get a "affidavit of claim and judicial authorization" which would costs $35,000 and would require me to come to the Ivory Coast in person or I could hire a lawyer who would represent me. The latter cost only $6,000 and Frederic could arrange for me to have the best lawyer in the country. Frederic said the lawyers would know how to cut through the red tape and get us the money as quickly as possible. He then said he needed my decision within 2 days or we risked losing the money. Stay Tuned!

Posted by at 10:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Part 1-

So I assume most have you have received at some point, an email proclaiming that you've either been chosen to receive a large cash inheritance or you're an heir to a vast fortune of money from another country. At first glance you might think this is a miracle and this must be your lucky day. Then hopefully your senses kick in and you realize this is one of the thousands of email scams going around the Internet; most likely originating in Nigeria or the Ivory Coast.

The email asks you to give provide some very basic information which is then used to "bait" you in to thinking you may actually be able to get some money from some random person half around the world. Over the course of the past month I've been corresponding and pretending to be interested in receiving this fortune with a man in the Ivory Coast. Over the next couple of blog entries I'll detail what I've done and what I've been told. The detail and manipulation tactics that these would be criminals try to employ are very impressive and I can see why your average Joe might fall for these ploys that are too good to be true.

Posted by at 12:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

This past week I was at a Anti-Spyware Coalition (ASC) conference in Boston. The ASC is an organization made up of the world's most prominent anti-spyware providers as well as key public interest groups committed to combating the rise of unwanted spyware clogging computers and endangering Internet communications.

This group meets every so often to discuss the latest spyware threats, current issues surrounding spyware, and the newest technologies designed to defeat spyware. At this particular meeting we listened to Cindy Southworth from the The National Network to End Domestic Violence (NNEDV) speak to us regarding the rise of spyware and its ability to aid perpetrators of domestic violence who use these technologies to further their abusive and controlling behavior.

I never thought about this specific aspect of the danger of Spyware before, but let me tell you it is very very real. Cindy brought in a guest who we'll call "Betty" for the sake of confidentiality and her continued safety. Betty was a victim of domestic violence perpetrated by her former husband (we'll call him Chuck) and father of her children. To make a long story short: Betty's relationship with Chuck started off wonderfully but over the years the abuse started verbally and then moved into the physical realm. It got to the point where Betty was afraid for her life b/c her husband said if she left he would kill the children.

Betty tried to contact her friends via email but Chuck would always seem to know what she was doing while online. He knew what sites she went to (even when she cleared her history), what she typed, and who she corresponded with. All of these activities infuriated Chuck and led to several physical abuse incidents. Little did Betty know that Chuck had installed monitoring software that allowed only him to track ALL of what Betty did online. Betty had no clue she was being watched online b/c this special software hides itself from its victims.

The really scary part is that this software is accessible to anyone. Typing in "Software to spy on Spouse" yields over 600k Google hits. Betty ended up getting out of this terrible relationship but to this day has to be very careful about what she does online. She no longer has a permanent email address, she does not shop or pay bills online, and she is very cautious about what personal information she gives out to anyone. Chuck has no idea where she is but if Betty wasn't careful, little bits of personal information could add up to big pieces which would lead to her location etc.....

As a professional who focuses more on the identity theft angle of spyware this was a wake up call to an area I had not thought about. For more information about domestic violence and the Internet please visit the NNEDV.

Posted by at 11:49 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)