Scam, the Nigerian way!
Joined: Mar 2002
Posts: 112,963
Likes: 150
From: Doh!!
Folks. This may be an educational thread. Don't get it locked by calling (generalizing) people as monkey. The next thing we know, there will be name calling. If you have a beef with Nigerians, take it to PM.
Thread Starter
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 4,695
Likes: 13
From: Mom!!! The Meatloaf!!
Originally Posted by Evilkittie' date='Feb 10 2005, 09:56 AM
i'm lost 
how do you have fraudulent money orders???
how do you have fraudulent money orders???The girl said she was from London, wanted to come here for other work and modeling(I work with a buddy who does this on the side, so my wife thought nothing of it) and would pay us for the rent and deposit(how we got the money orders).
This whole transaction was over a month of communication. She was to come and live with us.
Next my wife gets a IM from here saying her mom died, who was a missionary in Nigeria and flew over there to bury her. She needed the funds that paid for rent to help bury her mom.
The worst part is the bank checked and my wife checked to see if the money orders were real. Passed by both of them! It has watermarks and everything.
The agencies we talked to said it could take months before they were found out to be fake. Western union contacted us and told us this person has done it before and was red-flagged. This is how we know they are fake.
My wife isnt dumb, just good hearted(36 on her MCAT). People who say stupid sh!t have no idea how she felt. She never knew of a scam like this. Her first thought was its not my money, send it back. Money orders are just like cash and have the same value. No need to wait unless YOU THINK YOUR GETTING SCAMMED.
Just be careful and spread the word. Internet communication from Nigeria=BAD
Registered User
Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 1,126
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From: Pittsburgh..south side..
sorry to hear about your loss. Smart people do stupid shit all the time because people want to trust people. Now, let's just hope she doesn't become too untrusting and skeptical, as I feel like I am.
Thanks for the warning.
Thanks for the warning.
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 251
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From: Lake Forest
Originally Posted by f20kills' date='Feb 10 2005, 09:39 AM
The thing that is so different about this scam is my wife contacted the "roommate" because that is what the service is setup for(she fit the profile).
The girl said she was from London, wanted to come here for other work and modeling(I work with a buddy who does this on the side, so my wife thought nothing of it) and would pay us for the rent and deposit(how we got the money orders).
This whole transaction was over a month of communication. She was to come and live with us.
Next my wife gets a IM from here saying her mom died, who was a missionary in Nigeria and flew over there to bury her. She needed the funds that paid for rent to help bury her mom.
The worst part is the bank checked and my wife checked to see if the money orders were real. Passed by both of them! It has watermarks and everything.
The agencies we talked to said it could take months before they were found out to be fake. Western union contacted us and told us this person has done it before and was red-flagged. This is how we know they are fake.
My wife isnt dumb, just good hearted(36 on her MCAT). People who say stupid sh!t have no idea how she felt. She never knew of a scam like this. Her first thought was its not my money, send it back. Money orders are just like cash and have the same value. No need to wait unless YOU THINK YOUR GETTING SCAMMED.
Just be careful and spread the word. Internet communication from Nigeria=BAD
The girl said she was from London, wanted to come here for other work and modeling(I work with a buddy who does this on the side, so my wife thought nothing of it) and would pay us for the rent and deposit(how we got the money orders).
This whole transaction was over a month of communication. She was to come and live with us.
Next my wife gets a IM from here saying her mom died, who was a missionary in Nigeria and flew over there to bury her. She needed the funds that paid for rent to help bury her mom.
The worst part is the bank checked and my wife checked to see if the money orders were real. Passed by both of them! It has watermarks and everything.
The agencies we talked to said it could take months before they were found out to be fake. Western union contacted us and told us this person has done it before and was red-flagged. This is how we know they are fake.
My wife isnt dumb, just good hearted(36 on her MCAT). People who say stupid sh!t have no idea how she felt. She never knew of a scam like this. Her first thought was its not my money, send it back. Money orders are just like cash and have the same value. No need to wait unless YOU THINK YOUR GETTING SCAMMED.
Just be careful and spread the word. Internet communication from Nigeria=BAD
Registered User
Joined: Apr 2004
Posts: 1,996
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From: CFL
Originally Posted by f20kills' date='Feb 9 2005, 11:53 PM
This has nothing to do with an s2000 but I would like the word to spread as much as possible so people like my wife can have a better idea on what goes on around the world.
To make a long story short, we have a 4 bedroom house and we rent out the rooms to students or people our age. We meet our current roommate through roommates.com and received another inquiry from a prospective roommate from the same service.
She was a female who was from London and had her masters and wanted to move to Omaha because she had a job in modeling lined up for her. She sent us pics, asked my wife questions, so all was good. She said she wanted to pay a years rent up front which is not uncommon and told my wife the funds would be sent.
My wife had told me she was from London, but never told me she was talking to her from Nigeria. My wife has never heard of these scams from Africa but I have. The lady sent my wife 5 money orders(USPS) for $950 each.
My wife tells the lady that she had received the money orders. Soon after, the lady tells my wife that her mother died and she needed the money to pay for the funeral.
What happens next is obvious to all, but at the time my wife felt sorry for the lady. The lady requested that the money be sent western union to help pay for the funeral.
My wife sent 2 money orders in the amount of 2000 each. One went through and the other was stopped before it was received by the lady(thank God).
This whole time I have been so busy and did not ask my wife many questions about this girl. I wish I had because it could have saved us 2grand because I have heard of these scams from Nigeria. This is just a whole new twist to these scams and they are getting smarter.
I am leaving out some details because the story is long enough. Be careful and don't trust people over the internet!
We are out 2240 including fees from western union. If they did not catch the second transaction we would be out 4240!!!
Take care all..
Chris
To make a long story short, we have a 4 bedroom house and we rent out the rooms to students or people our age. We meet our current roommate through roommates.com and received another inquiry from a prospective roommate from the same service.
She was a female who was from London and had her masters and wanted to move to Omaha because she had a job in modeling lined up for her. She sent us pics, asked my wife questions, so all was good. She said she wanted to pay a years rent up front which is not uncommon and told my wife the funds would be sent.
My wife had told me she was from London, but never told me she was talking to her from Nigeria. My wife has never heard of these scams from Africa but I have. The lady sent my wife 5 money orders(USPS) for $950 each.
My wife tells the lady that she had received the money orders. Soon after, the lady tells my wife that her mother died and she needed the money to pay for the funeral.
What happens next is obvious to all, but at the time my wife felt sorry for the lady. The lady requested that the money be sent western union to help pay for the funeral.
My wife sent 2 money orders in the amount of 2000 each. One went through and the other was stopped before it was received by the lady(thank God).
This whole time I have been so busy and did not ask my wife many questions about this girl. I wish I had because it could have saved us 2grand because I have heard of these scams from Nigeria. This is just a whole new twist to these scams and they are getting smarter.
I am leaving out some details because the story is long enough. Be careful and don't trust people over the internet!
We are out 2240 including fees from western union. If they did not catch the second transaction we would be out 4240!!!
Take care all..
Chris
Registered User
Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 1,440
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From: Harbor City
Dang, i always thought money orders are like cash. I've received my fair share of money orders from people. Most i've never even heard of the bank, quickie mart, whatever. How can I see if real or not if banks can't detect??
Thread Starter
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 4,695
Likes: 13
From: Mom!!! The Meatloaf!!
She cashed the money orders immediately. It is the same as depositing counterfeit dollars, they both hold instant funds. The "Nigerian roommate" told my wife that her mother had passed away and that she needed to money immediately to pay for the funeral.
This is the reason that my wife cashed the money orders and sent the funds through Western Union. The reason that there is a hold on our bank account now is that the bank is waiting for the money orders to be traced and returned as no good.
Lesson learned. This didn't break us ($2250 loss, $4750 hold on the account) but it could easily break others who are willing to help. There are stories where people are out millions like a Brazilian bank, a professor at the University of Miami, a physician, and countless others.
There are different versions of the scam, but the lesson should be NEVER send or wire money to LAGOS NIGERIA if you don't know them personally.
We're supposed to receive more fake money orders tomorrow. Once the Nigerian "roommate" realized that my wife was willing to send funds to her, she immediately said she would send additional funds and asked my wife to deduct a month's rent and wire her the remaining amount. I will post pictures when we receive them. They are VERY good counterfeits.
This is the reason that my wife cashed the money orders and sent the funds through Western Union. The reason that there is a hold on our bank account now is that the bank is waiting for the money orders to be traced and returned as no good.
Lesson learned. This didn't break us ($2250 loss, $4750 hold on the account) but it could easily break others who are willing to help. There are stories where people are out millions like a Brazilian bank, a professor at the University of Miami, a physician, and countless others.
There are different versions of the scam, but the lesson should be NEVER send or wire money to LAGOS NIGERIA if you don't know them personally.
We're supposed to receive more fake money orders tomorrow. Once the Nigerian "roommate" realized that my wife was willing to send funds to her, she immediately said she would send additional funds and asked my wife to deduct a month's rent and wire her the remaining amount. I will post pictures when we receive them. They are VERY good counterfeits.
