Ghana Gold Bar Theft/Insurance

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Hello I'm New here! Joined: 02 Oct 2008 Posts: 8

My first post but do these details mean anything to anyone?
My friend is being scammed...
Beautiful female about 30-35 coming to Australia, gold bars bought from her family at 1/3 value, he insured them in Ghana, stolen at London(?) airport, she returned to Ghana, accident costs involved, insurance payout not leaving country, large Govt charges, family member recently died leaving a gold mine, other relatives now popping up, may need assistance for them etc etc.
Not sure how much out of pocket he is but around $100,000 I think.
Continual contact with this lady and a lawyer and Govt agency workers.
What does anyone think??

Posted: Thu Oct 02, 2008 2:03 pm

Scam

Very sorry for your friend.
But he won't see his money back.
He should go to the closest police station right away.

Hello I'm New here! Joined: 02 Oct 2008 Posts: 8

I am disappointed that I've only had one comment on this disaster.
Thanks "bertrand79".
Has no one heard of anything similar?
I thought the extra insurance stuff was a clever play.
These people/person seem very very organised and have come at my friend from all directions of the story.

Posted: Mon Oct 06, 2008 5:55 am

As Bertrand said - I don't think your friend will see his money again.

Don't worry about the lack of replies so far - we have baiters in Oz, but I think the majority are over here in Europe & the US, & it's a trifle early in the morning yet! Wink

You'll find a lot of similar stories on our sister site:

www.scamwarners.com

Your friend might want to have a look over there. Gotta dash - off to work. Sad

Posted: Mon Oct 06, 2008 6:26 am

Your thread title did not indicate that you were new here or looking for help, both of which tend to bring people running to assist. There's a lot going on here, and most people don't have time to read everything. That said, I am sorry you feel we have not been as helpful as we might have been. Sad

The information you give is short, but the warning signs are clearly there, and it looks like a scam to me. I'd echo the advice already given to get your friend to report this to the police urgently, and he should cease all communication with the scammer. I am afraid it's extremely unlikely (as in 99.9999%) that he will ever see a penny of the money back, and anyone who approaches him saying they can recover it (whether they pretend to be an official govt dept or not) is lying - the same scammer or a collegaue of his will often try to scam the same victim over again, especially if they have been a good payer before, by saying they can get the money back.

Your friend is going to be going through a huge range of emotions, and he needs support - please ask him to visit ScamWarners, and to ask his local police for a referral to local victim support services - they will understand what he's going through. I'm sorry for the lost money, and even more sorry for the betrayal that he'll feel now. He's welcome here, as well as at SW, if he signs up. Smile

Posted: Mon Oct 06, 2008 6:27 am

Since it's unlikely your friend will get the money back and it's unlikely that the scammer will even be arrested... Perhaps you and he might like to bait the guy/group? You won't get the money returned, but you may be able to lead 'em on a merry chase and frustrate them a bit.

Create totally new 'identities' and email the scammer as if you'd only just now received one of his/her scam emails. Lead them on, ask for silly things, etc. There are lots of hints in the forums here and you can request a mentor. Just remember to bait safe, no real details, etc.!

If you could get ahold of the original email, you could also post it in the surplus letters section. It's likely to get at least a couple bites.

Posted: Mon Oct 06, 2008 8:30 am

Sounds like safari material. If they have taken that much money (sorry for the loss), they just may be confident and arrogant enough to fly long distances, and waste a great deal of their time. The best chance at landing these scammers in trouble (that I can think of) might be to include them in the Chad bait that is currently running.

Posted: Mon Oct 06, 2008 9:08 am

There's not much we can add to what bertrand79 said. I don't recall seeing that combination before, but there are very many variations of the advance fee scam.
I'm a bit worried that you say "My friend is being scammed".Has he realised yet? It can be very hard for victims to accept it.

Hello I'm New here! Joined: 02 Oct 2008 Posts: 8

Thanks everyone for your responses.
No, he doesn't know. He's hanging onto his last threads of hope I guess.
Is waiting for the insurance money (from the Unique Ins Co) to arrive
but continues to fill in bank info forms for the money's arrival etc.
I hope there are no extra costs but he won't say.
He believes that the pay out due to him is now much bigger due to the change in Aussie dollar value.
I bet they tell him that.
The current world financial mess is providing him reasons for it being delayed in New York etc.
It is always expected "next week". Has now been over a month I think.
He e-mails me about hearing from the "corresponding bank" but doesn't name them.
The young lady is still supposed to be arriving in Australia, after the money of course.
Not sure about the gold mine activities and if there is further progress.
I've read everything on the web I can find re scams etc and this has to be one of the longest ongoing for sure.
The scammers are incredibly daring.
Sometimes i say to myself, maybe...maybe??

Posted: Thu Oct 16, 2008 7:59 am

Quote:

Sometimes i say to myself, maybe...maybe??

Please explain.

Hello I'm New here! Joined: 02 Oct 2008 Posts: 8

Maybe...maybe....
it's not going to turn out to be a scam after all.
Maybe he will really get his money?

Wannabe Baiter Joined: 12 Sep 2008 Posts: 90

Not a chance. If you can get a few of the early emails written to your friend, or his correspondent's email/phone/name/IP address, I bet dollars to delicious, sugary, fresh-from-the-fryer donuts that someone can find significant evidence that this is a scam.

First warning sign - are the "lawyer" and "government workers" using free email addresses, like yahoo, gmail or hotmail?

I'm really sorry about your friend and his money and heartbreak.

Posted: Thu Oct 16, 2008 3:39 pm

Quote:

Maybe he will really get his money?

Sorry. It IS a scam and he will NOT get his money. That's the cold, hard truth of the matter.

Elite Baiter Joined: 16 Jul 2008 Posts: 1407

If your friend sees the light, and realizes that he has been screwed over by these cheats, the second "punch" of the scam are the weasels that pop up representing "recovery" firms. These firms specialize in "recovering" the lost funds.

They do nothing but further drain your pocketbook as the scammers demand more money to cover expenses, paperwork etc.

Please warn him/her about this possible future development.

Hello I'm New here! Joined: 02 Oct 2008 Posts: 8

Latest news....not atall good but no surprises.
Ghana IRS put a hold on the money, they require $5500 tax before funds are released to my friend's account,
which will take 3-4 days anyway.
Ok so what about the Corresponding Bank 's letter of confirmation
to say it was on it's way thru New York (why there?)?
I have no answer yet for those questions but of course he won't either.
Because this scam can't be matched with anything the same,
I know there is no point trying to get him onto these sites.
This payment is on top of bank charges already paid (I guess)
and he says that he knows they are corrupt officials with something for them in this
but everyone has to do it.
Originally, the amount was a lot higher...until he spoke to someone in a high position of authority within the IRS.
Can you really believe all this is being carried out? It never stops.
I am lost now as to how much money he may have totally paid into this.

Posted: Sun Oct 19, 2008 11:06 pm

Unfortunately nothing new .. it will continue with increasing amounts, there's not much we can do about that from here.

If you PM his personal information to a moderator of this forum, he/she can contact the proper channels to warn him.

Hello I'm New here! Joined: 02 Oct 2008 Posts: 8

Just an update on this thing, now 5 months old.

My friend has now been told that $150,000 US is arriving in Diplomatic pouch but needs $12,500 US to be paid to the diplomats (?) before handing over. My friend (who is now just about believing me, thank God) is 5000kms from the money. It has mistakedly ended up in Sydney instead of Perth, Australia. However, if he sends over the money they can forward it...therefore there will be no checking of the bag's contents.

He has a consignment number and a registered description of the package and the payment required on a web site called WOEXP, I have seen all of this, poor spelling and grammar.

He is dealing with a very sympathetic Dr who works for the Govt in Ghana and can get his hands on his insurance monies (well, some of it)
He sends my friend e-mails at 3am, a hard working Govt official??

All the obvious questions have been asked of my friend (by me) and he is $currently 100,000 out of pocket and feeling so desperate. He will never recover from this, emotionally and financially

I now want to try to get some details that would be valid to put up here and serve as a warning, including the photo of the original lady.

Posted: Wed Nov 26, 2008 11:45 am

I was thinking (I WAS!) if you or someone else baites him, try to get his bank acc and "Allan" it. Just maybe there will remain some of your friends money there. And you would have superb evidence from your mate. Don't know what the chance of him providing the info to his motherload is, but I'd say it is worth the try!

Im sure your fiend would be alot happier knowing the funds were atleast confiscated as opposed to being spent by some low-life.

Posted: Wed Nov 26, 2008 11:46 am

banana wrote:

My friend (who is now just about believing me, thank God) is 5000kms from the money.

I don't like the sound of that. If he thinks the "money" is in Australia, he may think it worth risking another payment.
Scammers regularly use "diplomats" to transport imaginary large amounts of cash around the world
If the courier is http://woexp.com/international-couriers.html, it looks bogus to me.
According to http://samspade.org/ it was set up in April 2008 for one year only, using yahoo email addresses.
If you can provide a scam email mentioning them, there are people her who can get bogus sites shut down. See the FAKE Scammer, banks & sites forum.

Baiting Guru Joined: 04 Jan 2006 Posts: 3193

This is not a very unusual scam. It is precisely the same in almost all respects to a great many others that we see. The theft of the gold is a twist I haven't seen before, but it's not surprising, and it's well within the bounds of a scammer's imagination and ability. It probably seems different to you because the only examples you have seen are the early emails. Your friend's scam is now several months down the line, and this is how the scams develop in that time. The mention of the young girl makes me think that this was originally an orphan scam, but really this far in they are almost identical to one another.

You must make your friend understand that there is no money, no gold and almost certainly no young lady. (Certainly not one that will go to Australia to see him but the scammer's girlfriend or sister may be available to talk on the phone.) The money is not in Australian customs or New York, or London, because it does not exist. It never did exist and it never will exist. It is a figment of the scammer's imagination. The only real money is the money your friend has sent to the scammer and which the scammer has probably spent on drugs, women and cars. None of the people he is talking to are real government officials or bank managers or doctors or anything else. They are just evil young men sitting in internet cafes, and wherever they say they are, they are probably sitting side-by-side in West Africa.

Baiting Guru Joined: 07 Jul 2006 Posts: 5727

Also, once your friend stops sending them money and cuts off all contact with them (and hopefully he will), he is sure to get an email from some official looking place (that probably has a yahoo address) telling him that they can recover his money, for an upfront fee, of course. This is called a "recovery scam", and will be coming from the same people that scammed your friend before. It is not true, and any money that your friend sends will be lost.

Just an fyi

Posted: Wed Nov 26, 2008 8:13 pm

I am putting a database entry request for that fake site.

Posted: Thu Nov 27, 2008 12:44 am

Your friend is going feel pretty dreadful when the penny finally drops, likely quite depressed, humiliated, vulnerable, and really in need of your support - sadly some people are so ashamed they can't even face the humiliation and do the thing nobody wants to think about, it'll be a lot of pressure for you to bear, but you may be saving his life. Give him a lot of support, direct him to scamwarners to see he's not alone, to his doctor if he gets depressed, and hopefully with some words from you in time he'll hold his head high again.

As mentioned above, the money is absolutely 1000% not going to show up - they WILL just keep trying to pump for more and more, and won't care if your friend lives or dies. Seriously, between you and us (your friend may not want to hear this) there are a bunch of posturing boys in West Africa spending your friends money on shiny crap and guns and prostitutes and laughing at how they're ripping him off - bastards is too weak a word, but there are no words strong enough to convey the cynical greedy thieving attitude of these shits. And that's why your friend will really need you, and soon I hope, not in another $12,500 time. You're serious better off burning the money than letting those buggers get away with any more.

Please excuse the tirade, it gets me so upset.

Posted: Thu Nov 27, 2008 1:23 am

If www.woexp.com/international-couriers.html is the site your friend has been sent, show him it is now dead. What legitimiate business loses a web page 2 hours after someone reports it?

Sorry for your friend. As MBL says, give him a lot of support when he realizes hees been had. Let him know it happens all the time, and he is not stupid for being taken.

Posted: Thu Nov 27, 2008 1:30 am

nobody suggested scamwarners.com?

this is a terrible story to hear about, and makes you want to bait more!

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