I just got the following message. It looks like a new way to fish for suckers, but I don't see the hook, yet. Has anyone seen what follows this initial message?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`
GOOD DAY,

I'LL LIKE TO INFORM YOU THAT, I'LL LIKE TO ORDER FOR
SOME LARGE FORM OF BIBLES, AS STATED BELOW.
Ultra Trim Bible: King James Version (KJV), burgundy bonded leather with snap flap
THIS I WANT 40 OF IT.
WITH 50 Franklin Electronic Bible:(KJV).


AND I HOPE ALL THIS INFORMATION INCLUDED WILL MAKE IT
EASIER FOR YOU.AND THE GOODS WILL BE SHIPPED
TO THIS ADDRESS BELOW VIA DHL OR UPS.
NAME:TUNDE OLOKO
ADDRESS: 95 LEWIS STREET
CITY: LAGOS ISLAND
STATE: LAGOS
COUNTRY: NIGERIA
ZIPCODE: 23401
TEL:234-8023525478
HAVE A NICE DAY AND GOD BLESS
MR.OLOKO.

Strange. Do you by any chance sell bibles? Do they expect that you would contact them regarding their request to purchase, then turn it into a regular overpayment scam?

How is this for a possibility:

If you actually had bibles for sale, you would probably request payment in advance; they would either "accidently" send you a cashier's check for more than the amount due or tell you they only have a check already made out for x amount. They ask that you refund the difference back to them.

Of course, you don't have any bibles for sale, so the theory is a little weak on that point.

Or, they hook someone who responds and says I don't sell bibles. The scamster says, well if you can get some I will give you a good price, the individual sees dollar signs and then this becomes a classic (new classic) phony cashier's check scam.

We should each send one bible to that address.

Having dealt with several Nigerian scams lately I would say that they are trying to figure a way to get you a cashiers check. My guess would be that you would get it "accidently" and they would ask you to wire it back. About a half dozen customers have brought us in correspondence from these people and they are extremely clever, don't let their broken english and poor grammar fool you.

BTW just as an update, the last counterfeit cashiers check that we saw had "Matured CD #*******" on the remitter line. Talk about throwing us a curve, now it just looks like the customer redeemed a CD.

Richard,
Have you responded to the email? I'd be very interested in seeing what more they have to say.

I hadn't considered responding. What kind of response would make sense & would likely get me to the second step in the scam?

Richard, I got the same e-mail yesterday. I agree with the concensus opinion that this is a variation on the phony cashiers check scam. I figured they picked me up from my membership on a couple of Christian-based discussion boards and figure any good Christian would go out of his/her way to help someone with a need for Bibles.

I like the idea of everyone just sending a Bible to the posted address. Of course, then they'd probably just come up with some type of scam to sell the Bibles.

We had a Dr. in town that received a similar type letter but they wanted to purchase foot cream. I agree that we should all send Bibles to the posted address.

I don't know about Nigeria, but in Muslim African nations (Algeria, for example), Bibles would be contraband and would be seized at the port of entry.

If this is the case with Nigeria, any chance the scammer knows this and would then ask for a refund (in good funds) of the bogus cashier's check? I know it's a stretch that would require good timing to pull off. Just a suspicious thought from my AML/SAR/fraud-soaked brain.

When an email is received that is one of these scams, are we suppose to forward the email to someone? Thanks for your help. Our bank received one today.

You are supposed to send them to the Secret Service. When an employee of ours was receiveing these emails on a regular basis, I talked to someone in their Financial Crimes Division at 202-406-5850. That individual said to send him a copy of the message received from the Nigerian, by e-mailing it to: 419.fcd@usss.treas.gov He said that no cover letter or other information was necessary. He also said that if no funds were actually lost as a result of the Nigerian email message that it was not necessary to file a SAR. He also said that probably nothing would ever come of reporting them to the authorities because there are thousands of these scams floating around as emails, faxes, letters, etc. and that unless someone has lost a substantial sum of money, there would be no followup investigation.

We complete a SAR. It only takes a minute because we don't have much info, but I attach a copy of the e-mail and forward it to FinCEN.

I would skip the SAR unless someone was foolish enough to lose money. FinCEN already has a problem with SAR overload & doesn't need more of this kind of garbage clogging the works.

There was a thread elswhere on BOL about doing a Google search on your phone number. Just for kicks I put this guy's phone number in Google and this is what I got. http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&ie=ISO-8859-1&q=234-8023525478&btnG=Google+Search
Apparently, he needs some medical books, too.

My guess is when you respond that you don't sell any of the stuff they ask for, they are going to ask you be so kind to help them out, and purchase the products, which seem innocuous, for them.

They have a name and the means to develop a re-pore to scam someone in to accepting their cashiers check with a little stipend for yourself.

We get quite a few of these email scam letters in weekly, now twice one of our employees has actually been personally addressed. I just forward the email (fax) to US Secret Service

Just wnated to throw my two cents in here . . .

The scammers are getting so greedy that they are starting to forget to update their emails from one scam to another. A recent email I saw was asking the seller of a dog about the condition of the dog, and if it had any major work done on it or features added to it. The original letter was from scam on a person buying a car, but they forgot to update the letter, just changed it from I want to by your car to I want to buy your dog.

The are messing up and that is only helping us out, because then people go searching for info on Nigerian scams.

Shawn Mosch
ScamVictimsUnited.com

Quote:

---

A recent email I saw was asking the seller of a dog about the condition of the dog, and if it had any major work done on it or features added to it

---

OH geez - that one gave me giggle! I can imagine sending a response to say that the dog was given cybernetic implants that increases horsepower (or perhaps dogpower?)

Either that, or a response saying the dog has been neutered/spayed? (I'd say that is major work!)

It is scary to hear the even-lastest Nigerian Scam twist involves setting up a phony bank website with "On-line" banking!

Do they speak Nigerian in Nigeria? I'll bet the Gideons have a Bible in their language. This fellow really needs to read one.

I hate to beat a dead horse but....

I have seen so many of these it's not funny but it has always been faxed or emailed. Until yesterday, I have never seen one come through mail. AND this one was actually post marked from South Africa.

Have I been just been oblivious OR has anyone else else actually seen one thru the mail from Africa?

Just curious.

To satisfy your curiosity (and ours), why don't you direct any questions you have about this to Wycliffe Bible Translators. They do translate into Nigerian. Maybe they can tell you what kind of fraud this surely is.

Nigeria Bible Translation Trust
PO Box 790, Old Airport Road
Jos, Plateau State
NIGERIA, AFRICA
Email: Jos_NBTT@wycliffe.org

Richard:

I just returned after nearly eight weeks on the road -- and this was the first post I viewed. Thanks -- first for the smiles, then for the laughter. All this from the country that's likely responsible for producing the folks who write bicycle assembly instructions and whose Gross National Product appears to be fraud . . .

The dog and the car comments were the best.

Just saw an ad that NBC will run a feature on the Nightly News about Nigerian Scams tonight