MAKE SURE YOU DIDNT BECOME A MULE - READ IT! Online criminal groups have gone to great lengths to recruit mules in recent years. Social networks like Facebook, MySpace and Twitter have all been used to recruit individuals willing to let their bank account be used to receive a transfer from an illegal account, then forward it along. In turn, the FBI has said that it was going to be stepping up efforts to crack down on money mules. Alternatively the ‘mule’ may be asked to receive goods, purchased online through fraudulently obtained funds, and requested to forward these on to an overseas address. A promised payment may sometimes be arranged, however in most romance scam related cases, promises of a new life together often substitute any monetary gain for the victim. Have you met someone online that has asked you to receive funds or goods on their behalf? Quite simply, this is money laundering and any individual assisting these criminals can be prosecuted and have their whole bank account frozen. A conviction for an offence of money laundering may carry a penalty of up to 20 years imprisonment. If you have received money in your bank account, or have received and/or forwarded goods under these circumstances, please immediately report the incident to your bank and your local police station. · For more information about reshipping and other fraud, visit our website at postalinspectors.uspis.gov/ (Safe Link) The Nigerian Scam This is effectively a variant of the Dating Site Romance Scam where the fraudsters have large teams of people who are actively trawling chat and matchmaking sites to generally recruit single western women. The grooming process can take a long time as the marks confidence is gained. Then, when a trusting relationship has been gained the criminal proposes to the woman and promises to marry her when he comes to her home country in the very near future. Arrangements are made, but the fraudster then makes some pretense and asks the permission of his future bride to ship some goods he is going to buy before he comes. As soon as the woman accepts the fraudster uses several fraudulent or stolen credit cards to buy goods at several internet sites simultaneously. Often the correct billing address of the cardholder is used, but the shipping address is the home of the unsuspecting future bride. Just before the packages are due to arrive the fraudster invents some excuse (sick family member, accident etc) to explain why he cannot come and he tells his wife that he urgently needs to pick-up all the packages. Since the mark has not spent any money and she is in possession of the goods she sees nothing wrong in this and as she loves the man she readily agrees. Soon after, she receives a package delivery company package with pre-printed labels that she has agreed to apply to the boxes that she already has at home. The next day, all boxes are picked up by the package delivery company and shipped to the criminals real address (in Nigeria or elsewhere). At this point all communication between the woman and the fraudster ceases after all her usefulness to her prospective husband is now entirely over. In many instances of this scam the fraudsters were even able to use the marks own address to create accounts with the package deliverer, based on the womans name and address. A week or two after the packages are delivered it is not uncommon for the woman to receive a huge freight bill from the shipping company. Unwittingly therefore the woman has been conned into becoming a criminal re-shipper and to help the fraudster with his criminal activities They ask you that to use you as a money mule and to launder money, which you will be held accountable and left to face federal chares and face up to 20 years in a federal prison, then you will also be know as an acoomplice to an international organized crime organization. Is that what you want to be? Also when EACH time you open a message to read you are sending them a message of interest. Scammers have a tracker on every email they send out. That tracker will alert them each time you read the message, how long you had it open, where you opened the message, and if you forward that message to someone else. You are still allowing the scammer to make you an accomplice just by reading their messages.... And that is not something you want to have brought up by the FBI if you get caught...
Posted on: Tue, 15 Jul 2014 05:36:26 +0000
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