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Posted: Fri Sep 25, 2009 4:11 pm

I have been sent bank account details from a scammer for me to pay money into. Obviously I have no such intention but wondering how to proceed from here. How to drag it out even though I am rubbish at photoshop Embarassed

It's a citibank account in NY Surprised

Posted: Fri Sep 25, 2009 4:30 pm

Report it, instructions here:
http://forum.419eater.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=119780

Posted: Fri Sep 25, 2009 5:25 pm

If possible, to buy yourself more time, report a bank account to Alan immediately you receive it.

And then play for time with the Lad.

If, following your report, Alan has enough evidence for the bank account to be frozen or closed - in my own baiting experience - I think this will take one to two weeks. And so you will need to create a one to two week delay from receiving the account to the Lad (or Lad's accomplice) going to the bank, expecting to pick up the money.

NB If you are the first person reporting this particular bank account, it probably will not get closed. Or it may not get closed within a couple of weeks, but later. Nonetheless, still create the delay, just in case.

You can substitute all your own ideas for a delay, of course, but this my suggestion:

1. First of all, of course, delay actually getting to the bank. You'll need this to be 'reasonable excuse' for your character, so it is worth putting a few 'future appointments' in place (or mentioning the forthcoming public transport strike, or the problems with your car) from the first moment you believe that a bank account might be forthcoming. If you haven't done that, never mind, just move on:

2. When you do eventually get to the bank, make sure it is late afternoon, so that there is a reasonable likelihood that the transfer will not be activated until the next day.

3. Tell the Lad that the person at the bank told you it would take X or Y number of business days. Lads have a vastly different perception of men and women, so, for authority, make it 'the man at the bank', but for the possibility of mistakes, make it 'the woman at the bank'.

Number of days .... it is immaterial how long a bank transfer would really take. Lads don't know your character's bank. If the transfer is to a bank 'far away', then 'it will take 5 or 6 business days' is reasonable.

If it is to the same country as your character, then '2 or 3 business days' is believable. Some country inbetween the distance, '4 or 5'.

Try and make sure that those days fall to maximum benefit.

If you make the transfer, for example, on a Friday afternoon and say it could take 5 or 6 days, you could have the Lad (or his accomplice, or both) going to the bank on three separate occasions. Nice waste of time, that is: and the accomplice (if there is one) will get pretty fed-up with it, too.

(The following reads like a complicated bit, so it might be easier to understand if you actually take a calandar and count the days and see how it works out!)

Because: if you count 5 (business) days from Friday, you will make it the following Friday. (Mon, Tues, Wed, Thurs, Fri = 5 days.) So Lad goes to bank the following Friday. Money not there?

Well, 'the wo/man at the bank did say 5 or 6 days.' (And 6 days = Mon, Tues, Wed, Thurs, Fri, Monday.)

So back he goes on the Monday. Money not there? Well, of course not, it was Friday afternoon, when you handed over the transfer slip - so it would not have been activated until the following Monday morning. Therefore the day-count starts on the Tuesday.

Therefore it is only 5 days now, 6 days will be Tuesday (Tues, Wed, Thurs, Fri, Mon, Tues). So back goes Lad (& co) on Tuesday.

Three nice outings for him!

And a nice time-delay for you (and Alan).

4. If, by now, Alan has got the bank account closed, the Lad will have come up with some excuse as to why it can no longer be used. The usual excuse is that the owner of the bank account has had to leave town on some emergency. The Lad will then, hopefully suggest a different bank account to you for you to use. Report it immediately, then go for some additional delay while you recall the previous transfer you made (you won't get your transfer fee back, so you can moan about that a bit), and then start from the beginning again.

5. If the Lad has not come up with any excuse to cancel that transfer, however, you can assume that the account is still active (for now). Just wait and make small talk to the Lad, until he complains that the money has not arrived in the bank account.

Then be suitably horrified and concerned. You will go an make enquiries at your bank immediately.

'Immediately', of course, means in a couple of days time.

When you get to your bank, you will discover that the money you transferred has been 'rejected by the receiving bank' or 'returned from the receiving bank'.

Apparently when this happens, they never tell you why, but the man-at-the-bank you spoke with (make it an authorititive man this time) could have told you that it might be for one of the following reasons:

The bank account:

- Is not an international account
- Is overdrawn/in debt
- Is at its maximum holding limit
- Was not accessible that day due to power/computer failure
- Is under investigation

'Is under investigation' - I think it is debatable whether or not one should mention this possibility. On the one hand, this might cause some nice worry to the Lad (and the account holder, if it is a different person). But on the other hand, it might stop him using that particular account for scams anymore, which means that Alan cannot get further evidence about its previous/current use. I'm not sure what is best. You decide.

6. You could then ask the Lad, 'What shall I do now?' or 'Shall I try again?' The best outcome is that you do indeed try again. Just repeat all the above, with the same conclusion.

Naturally, as both times you have had to pay the non-refundable transfer fee, just for nothing, you are understandably getting a bit irritated (and/or suspicious) by now.

7. But, once soothed, you are prepared to try again if the Lad has another bank account he can use. Some Lads simply don't, and it will be back to Western Union or Moneygram time again. Some may be able to locate one in a while. Some may have many more at their disposal. My own record is five bank accounts from just one Lad. He is still with me, after all those failures.

Well, it wasn't my fault they all failed, was it?

419Eater is my life Joined: 17 Apr 2009 Posts: 351

What Branwen said.

Push for a second account!

Posted: Fri Sep 25, 2009 10:42 pm

Branwen, that belongs in Eater U! Nicely put, get a mod to copy/paste it Wink