Before
reading the following, think about this for a moment: We are told that hundreds of millions, maybe billions of
American $$$ are scammed from us each year, by scams similar to this. Not only are they scammed but you are more at risk
of identity theft and any of you who have had this happen, know that it is not a fun walk in the park. All it would take to ward off
most of these scams is communication. Why don't we see coverage on this in the news media? One 5 minute spot weekly
would save us hundreds of millions of dollars in lost revenue each year.
If the Feds and Banks know all about these scams
and their history, why don't they get more involved in warning the public and businesses. Why don't banks
warn small businesses about these scams and how they are perpetrated, when they open new accounts. We all need
to raise awareness!
I have been sent scam alerts from "rooms for rent" companies who have fallen prey
to similar scams. This is a wide-spread problem that is getting no media coverage.
We need your help!!!
Spread the word!!!
MAKE SURE YOU SHARE THIS INFO WITH YOUR BANK AND WARN THEM!!
BANKERS, DO NOT CLEAR
CHECKS IMMEDIATELY, IF YOU DO NOT RECOGNIZE THE DEPOSITOR, OR IF IT COMES DIRECTLY TO THE BANK THROUGH SNAIL MAIL!!! (Believe
it or not, it happened!)
BUSINESSES, DO NOT TRUST WIRE TRANSFERS ANYMORE, WITHOUT FIRST CALLING YOUR
BANK TO VERIFY THAT, WHAT YOU SEE ON YOUR END, IS IN FACT, A WIRE TRANSFER!!!!
MORE OF US ARE REQUIRING WIRE TRANSFERS
AS PAYMENT PRIOR TO SHIPMENT OF GOODS, BECAUSE WE TRY TO STAY AHEAD OF THESE SCAMS. WE HAVE LEARNED NOT TO TRUST
"CASHIERS CHECKS" (or any checks for that matter) AS PAYMENT ANYMORE.
WE DON'T KNOW ALL OF
THE SCAMS YET, SO WE DEPEND ON THOSE WHO DO, TO WARN US. IT SEEMS THAT MOST BANKS AND THEIR FRAUD DEPARTMENTS KNOW ABOUT,
AND ARE FIRMILIAR WITH, MANY OF THESE SCAMS BECAUSE THEY HAVE BEEN TARGETS OF THEM. BUT IF THE BANKS DROP THE BALL,
OUR EFFORTS ARE USELESS.
Do not trust wire transfers
anymore! If it looks like a wire transfer on your end, you still need to check with your bank to verify that it was
a wire transfer, unless of course, it is from your trusted or known clients... If you want to make perfectly sure
there is no question, then we would advise you to sit down with your banker and wait for them to pull up the transaction to double
check that it was a wire transfer. No one will look after your interests, if this happens to you!
Then, I would go as far as to have them sign a receipt to acknowledge that it was, in fact, a wire transfer.
There are reasons for this strong language, which I cannot explain at this time.
This new scam
is elaborate. They either send people to your bank, or send a check directly to your bank,
to make a deposit. Somehow, they convince the teller to release the funds immediately, or the (counterfeit) check is
from a large, well known, Banking Firm within your country, and your bank clears it immediately, which
looks like a wire transfer on your end.
Then you ship the product or wire the overage back, only
to later find out, that it was actually a fraudulent deposit from a counterfeit check!! (We are still trying to figure
out how this worked, how they tricked the bank, and will follow-up as soon as we know more)
In
the mean time, it is our obligation to warn as many people, businesses and banks, as we possibly can. This is where
you can help others too, by spreading the word!
If this does happen to you, contact your local Police Department
immediately and try to get a photo of the depositor, or a copy of the cancelled check from the bank. If they
have a photo, make sure they follow-up and get that info to Airports, FBI, Secret Service or the Homeland Security
Department in your area!! (Of course, if you're from another country, you would contact your own Police Department,
etc.)
This scam was done from an address in Deira, Dubai, UAE, which was probably bogus. The
address, phone numbers and names (probably AKA's) of the Perp or Perps, are at the bottom of that email, which you
will find a link to below.
We thought the country of UAE would be safe to do business in, unlike Nigeria.
Let's hope the Police in the UAE will help us find them and turn this around quickly, before they get away with it again.
If
anyone from Dubai, UAE reads this, you need to help us find these people! Do not let these evil people ruin the
business reputation of that great country of yours!!!
Update: This
group could be working this scam to raise money to support Al-Qaeda or other terrorist groups!
Like Bin Laden, this group doesn't have the guts to face the people they prey on, of course.
It
seems our crackdown of terrorist funding around the world, has caused them to get desperate and try other means of support.
Now we may know their next desperate move. Time to stop them here as well.
So,
continue to be careful! Don't fall for the Nigerian scams, and now we need to watch out for the UAE scams,
as well as scams from other countries, including our own.
If you have
information on this group, and want your information to be handled confidentially, please fill out the CONFIDENTIAL form below
and send us that info... Thank you!
There will be no $$$$ reward. The reward will be, one
less group of thieves out there to prey on good, hard working people, our banks and businesses. Possibly one less
source of funding for the terrorists.
If this webpage has helped you, your bank, or your company, to ward
off this scam, please send us a note to let us know.
We have stringent International laws, with harsh punishments for money laundering
and counterfeiting. Q: Does check counterfeiting fall under the same
(strict Enforcement) laws? If not... why not? We are trying to get an answer to this question.
If anyone has the answer, please let us know.
Update: We've been told that there are laws on the books against check counterfeiting as
there are for money counterfeiting. Our next step is to seek out that information, ask our banks and government officials
why they aren't, either enforcing these laws, or taking swift action, as they would with money counterfeiting.
You all make sure they don't get you or your banker!!
Send this to everyone!!
Respectfully yours,
Robert Harton
