Scammers beware! WA ScamNet is fast becoming a global network, warning consumers from around the world about your activities

Scammers beware! WA ScamNet is fast becoming a global network, warning consumers from around the world about your activities.

Thanks to our regular band of national and international contributors, we are now alerting more consumers about the current scams arriving by mail, fax, telephone and email.

WA ScamNet receives emails from around the world including Brazil, Canada, Chile, Israel, Iceland, India, Portugal, New Zealand, Norway, South Africa, Spain, Turkey, United Kingdom and the United States of America.

These are some of the comments from our global customers who have avoided being victims of scammers after reading our website.

We have also included emails from some of our customers in Australia.

The consumers' names and addresses have not been published to protect them from being bombarded with yet more scams :-

Sent: 13 December 2007
From: Australia
Subject: Beneficiary/advance fee fraud

Your information and advice is of great assistance, and I really appreciate you getting back to me in such quick time!I did manage to find a similar scam (quoting the same particulars as the one I lodged with you yesterday) on the Internet yesterday, so I am reassured by the fact other people have identified this scam for what it is also.Once again many thanks and keep up the excellent work that your Department carries out!

Sent: 8 December 2007
From: United Kingdom
Subject: UK Microsoft Jackpot Lottery

I recently received the 4 emails (regarding a win in the UK Microsoft Jackpot Lottery) along with further emails from the courier company requesting a Western Union money transfer. I actually Googled the two courier companies they said they were using, contacted them & they replied saying that it was a scam & thanked me for notifying them. They said there are loads of scams in the UK using reputable companies names. Thanks

Sent: 28 November 2007
From: Australia
Subject: Lottery scams

Hello all,I think I have nearly been a typical sucker for scams. I nearly gave all my details to one. Things just didn’t seem right because both "courier and Bank" payment options had a fee sort of thing as you would have seen. That’s what made me suspicious. Unfortunately both of the two scam groups may be able to do identity fraud with me as they both have full name, address, phone etc. I am just glad that you have a website. Unfortunately I don’t think many people know about your service, especially the older people. Do you think you could get funding to do some radio advertising? It gets to a lot of people around the place and wouldn’t cost the most. Thank you for such a top service anyway, I shall ignore any more emails similar to what I have received.

Sent: 27 November 2007
From: USA
Subject: Australian International Lottery

We have got an e-mail from Mr. George Morrison that we had won a lottery of 1 million US$ from Australian online Lottery. When we replied him, he sent us few documents to be scanned and filled up and send back to him. We had done as he told us. Then he asked us to meet his banker Mr. Joe Madu, he also gave us few documents and we done as he told us to do. Now they are asking us to give 1250 US$ and transfer charges of 3950 US$ to get our prize. So we want to know that do we had really won the prize or not, or all this is fake.
WA ScamNet response: Unfortunately this is a fake. There is no such lottery. This is called an advance fee fraud and is very common. You can read more about these types of scams at “Have you won an overseas lottery”. Consumer Protection is investigating any promoters who may be operating in Australia. We are keen to hear from anywhere in the world if people are promoting from Australia.

Sent: 23 November 2007
From: Kenya
Subject: International Lotto Commission

I received a letter written from International Lotto Commission. They said I have won ero 785,790. The contact name is Dr Santos horemans. I have spoken to him today and he is asking me to send euro 1,178 as bank transfer charges. I believe this is a con. Could it be true? Please help me. WA ScamNet response: This is an advance fee fraud. You have not won the lottery. Read more about these types of scams at “Have you won an overseas lottery”.

Sent : 3 November 2007
From: Belgium
Subject: Postal scams

Sometimes it happens that somebody in your own family will be seduced by the letters of scam organizations. My father-in-law, born in 1915 and now living in the south of France, started some years ago to respond to such scam mail. And he continued to send money to these organizations. During the last three years he has spend more than €200.000! Recently we stopped him sending any more money. But we cannot stop the scam organizations who persist in sending their seducing and misleading letters.

However, nowadays we manage the mail to my father-in-law in such a way that the mail is screened by a third person in the family. So we hope that my father-in-law is to some extent protected against this malicious information.I do not know if our measures will be enough effective and sufficient. We hope so. May be that you, as experts in this field, can advice me about a possible strategy to eliminate the destructive influence of the scam companies. In advance I will thank you very much for your advices and your support.WA ScamNet note: A number of scam promoters are now providing details about how to get names and addresses removed from their mailing lists. You can read more about this in our Fight Back section on Prizes and Lotteries. We also provide a template letter that you might want to use.

Sent : 27 October 2007
From: USA
Subject: Email lotto scam

I wanted your bureau to look at this attached email scam letter in the hopes that it may provide a trace to the originators of this scam. The scam was a bit brilliant I must say. Being Internet savvy, I decided to go online and search for the “German Lotto” the email said I won. The little devils listed in the email an actual winning lotto NUMBER, and even had the dates, event holder and contact information. Trust me, I hardly intend to contact them at all. I truly thank your offices for providing a website that clearly states what these scams involved, and some of the “key wording” that would trip up the interested reader. I hope the info provided in the email sent to me provides your agency enough information to nab the scoundrels.

Sent: Friday 10 August 2007
From:UK
Subject: Rebecca psychic scam

Hi. I received a letter today telling me that I had been unanimously elected to become the sole beneficiary of the secret of a lost treasure which will bring me wealth on the 18th September. Rebecca had allegedly returned from Brussels where an international assembly of diviners was being held which is "composed of the greatest clairvoyants and maguses in the universe" and that I was chosen to receive the well of treasure of Oak Island and the sacred money of Oak Island and the parchment of transcription of the well of treasure and with that I will become a millionaire on the 18th but I must act soon which is apparently the magic date of my destiny and told "Do not speak to anyone about the well of treasure or the secret powers that will be conferred on you.

Confidentiality is vital if you want them to retain all their validity and make you a MILLIONAIRE”. I found this quite upsetting as I am at quite a low place and finances are a huge problem in my life. I feel this should be stopped as there are many people like myself who would be prepared to act on this through pure desperation. I just decided, I don’t know why, that I would check it out and I am so glad that I did. I don’t feel it is about the money they ask for, it is how you would be left feeling being taken for a fool when you are at rock bottom already. I am just so glad there are people like you trying to put an end to these scams. Thanks to you I didn’t act on this rubbish so thank you.

Sent: Tuesday 24 July 2007
From: South Africa
Subject: Angela Almera

Hi Guys. I am from South Africa and I want to inform you that I also received a letter from Angela Almera. The letter claimed that if I sent 149 rands to this psychic, they would make me win the lottery since it thinks I have financial problems. The letter had the typical signs of a scam such as urging me to pay quickly, the fact that there was no telephone number on the letter to phone them and the fact that it was wrong to say that I have financial problems because I am doing well financially. I often wonder how they got my postal address since I have never been interested in such things. Thank you for your good work to stop such scammers.

Sent: Tuesday 16 May 2007
From: Australia
Subject: Various scams

Thanks to your website notice about Marie Callas (Clairvoyant) Scam. I did not proceed with responding to her letter. This letter is similar to the one you have listed on your website and has requested me to send cash, a personal cheque, local money order for AU$30.00 or credit card details. She has included a self-addressed stamp envelope.

I think she must have got my mailing address somehow and attempted me to lure in to her scam. I appreciate your time and effort to alert people of these scams.

By the way there was another scan letter I received with regards to claiming inheritance money from a plane accident which happened in Benin. The letter was sent from the U.K by a bogus solicitor named Martin. I checked out the Solicitor firm list and they were not registered. The claim was that I am next of kin to a person who died in the plane crash and was left a fortune in pounds which I am entitled to. The Benin Plane crash victim list was difficult to trace. But the UK solicitors were a bogus address.

I wish there is a way to stop receiving these scam letters. I hope there would be national registry where one could sign in not to receive scam letters and a hefty penalty enforced for people sending these scam letters if they continue to do so. Like the one recently introduced to prevent call centres harassing innocent people offering shabby deals.

Keep up the good work.

Thank you so much for you website. It has saved me a lot of money and heartache. A letter arrived from Gabriel this morning and I went straight to your website and checked it out.

Kind regards

Sent: Saturday 17 March 2007
From: USA
Subject: National Awards Advisory Center

To whom concern:
I received an offer to enter to a sweepstakes of $1,900,000. I though at the beginning it was for free. But after read the nonsense vocabulary in the letter I realized that was a big scam. I received that letter on 16 March 07 claiming that I have only 12 days to respond and I have to send $19.99 to secure my entry, if not I'm out if I do not respond before the 24 March 07. I researched to see who they are, and confirmed that they are a scam. I write to see if I can help to fight it. Thanks for your information I never sent that letter back.

More Info : WA ScamNet