Internet/email scam.... what can i do?

OmegaRed

So I got this email a few days back:

AUDITING AND ACCOUNTING UNIT,
FOREIGN REMITTANCE DEPT,
BANK OF AFRICA OUAGADOUGOU,
BURKINA WEST AFRICA.

MY DEAR FRIEND,

REQUEST FOR COOPERATION ON A PRIVATE BUSINESS DEAL. EVERY SEVEN YEARS
BANk OF AFRICA TRANSFER TO ITS TREASURY, MILLIONS OF DOLLARS OF UNCLAIMED
DECEASED DEPOSITORS FUND IN COMPLIANCE WITH THE BANKING LAWS AND
GUIDELINES TO THE MAJORITY OF CASES, WITH REFERENCE TO MY BANK-BANK OF AFRICA, THE MONEY NORMALLY RUNS INTO SEVERAL MILLIONS OF DOLLARS. UNTIL A CUSTOMERS
DEATH,ALONG WITH HIS WIFE AND THEIR TWO SONS IN A PLANE CRASH.

I WAS HIS FOREIGN CURRENCY DENOTED BANK ACCOUNT MANAGER WITH CONSTANT
BALANCE IN EXCESS OF EIGHT DIGITS. EVER SINCE HIS DEATH AND UP TILL THIS
TIME OF WRITING NO NEXT OF KIN OR RELATION OF HIS HAS COME FORWARD TO CLAIM
HIS MONEY WITH US. NATURALLY, AS LONG OUR LATE CUSTOMERS MONEY
REMAINS UNCLAIMED, THE BANK REMAINS RICHER IN FREE FUNDS WITH HIS
MONEY.

HOWEVER, WITH ME BEING IN DIRECT AUDITING AND ACCOUNTING UNIT IN THE
FOREIGN REMITTANCE DEPARTMENT OF MY BANK.
I HAVE ALL THE NECCESSARY INFORMATIONS THAT YOU WILL PRESENTS TO THE BANK AS
A NEXT OF KIN OR RELATION OF LATE KURT KAHLE ON PRIVATE BUSINESS DEAL
BASIS.

NOW THE GAME PLAN AND THE PURPOSE OF MY WRITING YOU EXCLUSIVELY HAVING BEEN
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED AS THEN RIGHT AND PROPER PERSON TO HANDLE THIS DEAL BY A
MANAGEMENT CONSULTANT FRIEND OF MINE, WHO HAS TRAVELLED WIDELY, INCLUDING
YOUR COUNTRY IS THAT I WANT TO PULL OUT THIS UNCLAIMED MONEY AMOUNTING TO
U.S$15.5M (FIFTEN MILLION FIVE HUNDRED UNITED STATES DOLLARS).

WITH YOUR COOPERATION AND ASSISTANT BY JUST DOING THE FOLLOWING:
(A) PROVIDE YOUR DIRECT AND PRIVATE TELEPHONE/FAX NUMBER FOR EFFECTIVE
COMMUNICATION.
(B) GIVE IMMEDIATE REPLY TO THIS E-MAIL FOR DETAILS ON HOW TO
PROCEED.UPON RECEIPT OF YOUR RESPONSE, I WILL SEND TO YOU THE TEXT OF APPLICATION YOU ARE REQUIRED TO FORWARD TO THE BANK.

FOR YOUR COOPERATION AND EFFORTS 30% OF THE MONEY WILL BE FOR YOU AS OUR
FOREIGN PARTNER, WHILE 70% WILL BE FOR MY COLLEAGUE AND MYSELF THAT WILL
EVENTUALLY VISIT YOUR COUNTRY FOR DISBURSEMENT OF OUR PORTION. SEND ME YOUR
REPLY IMMEDIATELY YOU RECEIVE THIS MESSAGE FOR MORE DIRECTIVES.

LOOKING FORWARD TO A MUTUAL BENEFICIAL BUSINESS RELATIONSHIP.
BEST REGARDS,

BASHAAR AMEEN

Knowing full well what this crap is all about I decided to see what kind of information I could get from the Dude. So I sent a reply saying that I was very interested in hearing more about the offer but I was in between jobs and currently had no contact numbers available (loads of b*llox basically)

So then today I get the following reply

Dear “My Name taken out for placement on boards”,
Greetings,
Thank you for responding to my proposal.
Your race or background has nothing to do with this transaction because what matters is for you to give the correct information when required and I will guide you through.

It is true that most people make publicities in the internet that they have been scammed but if you were from here, you would have known that such publicities are made to cover up monies transferred out of Africa. Most of the people that claim they have been cheated did so to turn away the eyes of the people on them where as they have received the said money in their account.

Do not take this transaction to be a joke because it is my life. I am very happy to have heard from you.I want all your correspondences with me to be made through this i.d because I need everything to be secured. The time frame is the best time to do the transaction because after the long years of absence, the bank has decided to transfer the fund to the treasury if unclaimed at the end of the fiscal year which will elapse in 2007 that is why everything has to be done speedly if you wish that we make a success in this transaction.

I am also happy that you have some ambitons like me which is the more reason why I started this transaction.The owner of the said fund was a gold merchant and he got the money from the proceeds he made while he was mining in Sierra leone before the war broke out there. I will give you further informations about him later.
My concern is for you to keep absolute secret. I have given you the details of the transaction hereunder to enable you know whether you can run the transaction with me.

Sorry that I did not respond immediately as you expected because I was putting things in order before getting back to you and also I was praying over the transaction because I do not want to get in to any wrong hand.

I do not know you before but your carefulness in responding to my mail interested me that is why I decided to give you all the details to know whether you can make the transaction with me. You do not need to worry on how to be the next of kin because it is what will be used in filling the application that matters. You can either be a next of kin or partner or anything depending on what I decide. No one is aware of this fund and again the deceased has no one coming again for the fund.
I want you to know that if you are serious towards this transaction, we are going to make a success. You have to know whether you have the capacity to receive this money when transferred to your account but my concern is for you to maintain absolute confidentiality.

The percentage is subject to review depending on your committment to help me with full devotion. I am also ready to do charity works with part of the fund after we have succeeded.Be sure that you have no risks to fear about.

The gurantee is that I am working in the same bank and will also serve as an insider on your behalf.I am sure also that no one is coming later to ask you whether you are the real next of kin or not because I studied every thing before contacting you and moreover, I cannot involve myself to danger in the same bank where I am working.

I see this as an opportunity for me to be great and I want you also to be honest with me after the fund has been transferred to your account.
I want you to know that you were not the person I had in mind before sending out my message but another person that bears similar name like yours who was formerly living in my country but I couldn't get his email address when I searched for it and in place I got yours. I want you to re-confirm your account details where you want the fund to be transferred because I will use it in filling the application which is going to submitted to the bank on your behalf by me. Confirm whether I should use the account details sent already .
I will have to buy and fill an application which will be submitted to the bank secretly on your behalf by me.I will also use your account details to fill the application for transfer. After submitting the application on your behalf, the bank will contact you directly after receiving the application but you must not let the bank know that I am the one that informed you about it to avoid suspicions.I want you also to call me once you receive this message for more acquaintances in case there is any thing you never understood so far.
My private telephone number is +226 70 436 634. Dont be afraid because I am here to give you all the guidelines required.

I want you to tell me more about yourself also.
I have some questions for you.
1. Are you married and of what age are you?
2. what do you wish we can invest on when I will come to your country.
3. Are you ready to assist me honestly in this transaction?
4. Are there things you want to ask me?
5. I need you to tell me whether you are capable of receiving this amount or not when transferred.
For me, I am married with two kids and has worked in this same bank for years.
I will give you the updates when I hear from you.
I am expecting you to call me for more clarifications.
Best Regards,

MR BASHAAR

So my question is really, is there anyone that I could pass this information on to, such as an Irish organisation/bureau or would anyone be interested in it all?

Thanks

haz

OmegaRed wrote:

So my question is really, is there anyone that I could pass this information on to, such as an Irish organisation/bureau or would anyone be interested in it all?

You could read http://www.scambuster419.co.uk/ for a load of scam-baiting transcripts, or http://www.scambusters.org/

One of them in the UK has videos, photos and audio that he has been sent by scammers desperate to prove they are genuine.

hada

Have received many emails like this in the past but would you believe that we actually received a letter in the post in the same vein of fraud. It gave telephone numbers and addresses to where we could contact them. So I decided to take the step and actually rang the number (based in Spain) and quizzed the guy who then put me onto his "supervisor" as he was only a secretary (it was actually the same guy, pretending to be two people) Anyway long story short after catching him out, let's just say, told him exactly where to put the 615,000euro promised to me. You should have heard him lose the plot when he realised I had got him, brilliant.

Anyway, I'm actually dropping in the letter to the local garda station, let the b*stards who are trying to pull off this crap get caught.

Seth Brundle

National Consumer Agency/ODCA warns about multimillion euro Spanish lottery scam