Recovery scam with well covered tracks. Updated Dec 16

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Posted: Sun Dec 11, 2011 5:36 pm

This lad took all the precautions to hide his tracks. I'm still not sure what country he is in. Cell phone. Live mail with IP to Redmond Washington, etc. His mule if he exists is also very well covered. I pulled a few tricks to get info, but failed.

Quote:

BRITISH HIGH COMMISSION

Metro Plaza, Plot 991/992

Attention: snip

Be informed that we have been receiving complaints from many foreigners with reference to the scam activities of Africans. In an attempt to reconcile Nigeria with such affected countries as yours, the Sum of US$2,500,000.00 has been mapped out as recompense to each victim.

Note that the NFIU mapped out payment by Draft as the only certified means of payment, hence your recompense amount has been issued in Draft which shall be sent to you as soon as possible through which you can cash your money. Kindly send your

Full Name.................................................
mobile phone number........................ ..
contact address for processing of the delivery. .................
A copy of your international passport or drivers license................................
Occupation.....................................................

Yours in service
John Simmons

CONSULAR/DIPLOMAT
BRITISH HIGH COMMISSION
ABUJA.

IMPORTANT NOTICE:

You must go ahead and send your DHL A/c Number to enable us dispatch your draft to you through DHL Courier Service. On the other hand, if you do not have an account with DHL courier service then get back to me so that i will know what to do.You can call me anytime on phone +447924522757

Headers reveal little except the time zone..
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Message-ID: <[email protected]>
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From: John Simmons <[email protected]>
To: <[email protected]>
Subject: Attn snip
Date: Sun, 20 Nov 2011 22:57:44 +0000
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I give a simple reply expecting this to be a typical 419.. Sure enough the request for money is quick to arrive.

Quote:

BRITISH HIGH COMMISSION
Metro Plaza, Plot 991/992

Attention: snip

Be informed that we are in receipt of your email.We are in contact with the
DHL delivery section responsible for the delivery of your draft today.The
DHL courier service have computed the sum of $150.00USD only as delivery
charges to your present location since you do not have a DHL account.and
draft.once we get confirmation of your payment then your draft will leave to
your doorstep and we will get you your tracking number for you to track your
package.

Please kindly resend your mailing address to reconfirm and also your full
name.

You are hereby advised to send the charges to our affiliate agent in
california through western union money transfer See payment information
below:

NAME: SAMUEL LEE PIERRO.
ADDRESS:AllensWorth, California.USA
TEXT QUESTION: COLOR
ANSWER: BLUE.
Delivery Charge: $150.00USD.
Insurance Fee: $600.00 USD

Total :$ 750 00 USD

As soon as you make the payment,please do not hesitate to forward to us the
western union MTCN control number for verification and confirmation of your
payment.

Get back to us today so that your draft can be dispatched immediately the
charges is received.

Yours in Service,

Mr.John Simmons
CONSULAR

Wow. A recovery scam with a US mule. Nice. I need to let him know I am a vic first, so I mention I had a problem in the past with a westy.

From: [email protected]
To: [email protected]

Western Union charges are crazy for sending money within the country.
A personal check or money order is much less expensive and can be
delivered overnight. Please give me the phone number of the agent in
California so I can complete the transaction. I have had too much
trouble with Western Union services as they are not reliable and there
is no recourse when delivery fails.

Snip

He does not want me to get in touch with the mule. This is a theme for the rest of this bait. I'm suspecting the mule is not real. The town is very tiny. Look it up on Google maps. Due to the course I use to get him off script, he may have recruited a mule or he bluffed when I sent something to the post office there later.

Quote:

Attn: Snip,

I got your mail and all it's content's are very well noted but it would interest you to know that there are stipulated principles guiding the claims to your funds and these very steps can't be waved in anyone's interest as the Commission believes they're doing enough already to see that you get Compensated; so i'll advise you go to a nearby Money Gram location closest to you and make the payment as i wish to believe they're better secure and the tariff shouldn't be as much as that of Western Union within the country.

With all protocols duly observed, you wouldn't be able to speak or have any contact with the D.H.L agent in California as they are working directly under the Commission and there are laid down principles guiding all payments and claims. So you're hereby advised to make the payment at the nearest Money Gram store and send via email to me a copy of your payment slip along with the Money Gram control# for perusal records with us here within.

Lastly, i kindly implore you to send me your full name(s) along with your mailing address were you wish your draft to be sent to. Upon receipt of the information required of you, i'll give you a call in the evening your time. Kindly act in accordance to this mail so that your draft can leave on Friday, 25th Nov. 2011 as noted on our front desk. I await your swift response to this mail, thank you.

Yours in service,
John Simmons

Since he sent me a US address, sending money there will be much more secure than by wire. It is more secure and cost less. What could possibly go wrong.. I need to get past the missing street address for the mule though.

DHL mail, USPS next day insured, are all much more secure and less
costly than a Moneygram. What is the street address of the DHL office
you wish me to use in California.

I have had issues in the past with money transfers stolen when the
MTCN is sent by email, so I do the confidential finance. Money picked
up somewhere other than the designated destination with Moneygram can
not be recovered, so I don't use those services for money transfers
within the country.

A domestic MoneyGram Money Order is less than a dollar. Overseas
money orders are considerably more. Moneygram wire transfers are much
more expensive regardless of the destination and there is no guarantee
only the designated destination can pick up the transfer.

The delay for 2nd day or next day delivery should not be a problem.

Thanks for your kind attention to this detail for sending the money in
a secure fashion.

My attempt again to get in touch with the mule is not taken well.

This is just before Thanksgiving, so I posted an update to tell him the post office will be closed..

My apologies the post office, DHL, MoneyGram, Western Union, and all
will be shut down tomorrow. Enjoy the turkey dinner with your family.
I'm taking my Uncle to my Sister inlaws for dinner and will be away
from the computer for the weekend. Door busters on Black Friday will
keep me busy.

My Sister inlaw is baking the turkey. We are bringing Pecan and
Pumpkin pies. Our daughter is bringing the candied yams and cranberry
sauce.

I'll be looking for your email next week. Sorry for the delay.
snip

He ignores my request for the mule info and reminds me I have not sent him my details..

Quote:

Attn snip,

You did'nt send me your full names and address were you want your draft to be delivered,Kindly send it to me as soon as possible and make sure you make the payment as soon as the holiday is over so that we can start the processing of your draft.

I await your update

I reply with a mailing address so he can send me my draft. He didn't send me the mule info.. but I am in a hurry to get my hands on the millions so I sent the money.. Will this be a problem? Rolling Eyes

He was warned that I was NOT sending by WU or MG.

Sorry, I forgot to provide the update.

I was able to take care of business this afternoon.

I don't understand why the insurance on the draft is so expensive. I send stuff insured all the time and it is not a problem at all. If a draft is lost, there is a recovery procedure to void the lost draft and produce a replacement.

Anyway the details are as follows;

Name Snip
Amount $750 which includes 150 for the deliver charge and 600 for the insurance.

Because the destination is in the US, I sent it to the local post office in Allensworth.

The WU Money Order is mailed certified and insured. Postage was $0.65 for 2nd day air and Insurance was $1.65 for up to $1000 coverage. This was considerably less expensive than a wire transfer and much more secure.

I mailed it to;
Samuel Lee Pierro
C/O Postmaster General
Allensworth, CA 93219

This is a certified letter with return receipt requested so he will need his photo ID such as his driver's license to pick it up at the post office.
It should be delivered no later than Tuesday.

I will look to your confirmation that Samuel has picked up the Money Order with no problems.

You can Mail the draft to;
Snip
RFD box 102
Alfalfa, OR 97701.

I picked a smaller town than the lad did.. It is in the area code of my GV bait number, so if I need to give him a phone number, it is in the correct part of the country.

This lad is not had to deal with a money order before.. He has no idea how to get the money. He has never had to deal with General Delivery either. These are a surprise to him.

For those following along, the letter, money order and such are as real as the money he has for me.

Quote:

Hello Snip,

We have not recieved any payment like this before and where is he going to pickup the moneyorder from and is there any security code number for transfer to the local postoffice? who will he meet there and how will he identify the moneyorder and can he cash it there? Kindly explain properly and send me the information you used in sending the moneyorder so that he can pick it up by tuesday at the postoffice.

I await your swift update

John Simmons

I hate to educate the lad, but how much education is there to go to the post office and pick up the letter.. Question

No security code. It is simply held at the post office by the postmaster. Simply go to the post office and pick it up.

Having to go to the town he gave me is most likely a real problem for the lad. He either has.. No mule (my guess) A mule out of reach safe distance (possible) and a fake mule name.. Highly likely if he exists.. Rolling Eyes

I'll later tell him photo ID is required to pick it up.

He is either bluffing or he has a mule..

Quote:

Okay i will get back to you when we confirm the pick up from the post office

John Simmons

A couple of days pass. I let him know the letter should be at the post office very soon.. I put on my best poker face and hope he is bluffing.. and play my cards.

The certified letter should be in the post office no later than this afternoon. Sammuel should have his photo ID such as his state issued driver's license with him to pick it up.

Let me know when you get confirmation. I'll be looking for the post from you.

I casually dropped the photo ID requirement.. That should not be a problem.. If the mule is real and using a fake name, this will be a problem.. I watch for signs of delay indicating there is sweat over this. I am not disappointed.

The next day I ask about my draft. I should be rich. His lack of a reply is an indicator things are not going smoothly.

Have you started processing the draft? I should have the return reciept with his signature for the pick up of the certified letter by the end of the week if Samuel picked it up from the post office today. Please get back to me on this. Did he pick it up today?

Snip

Re replies.. Translation.. he is looking into General Delivery, Certified Mail, and scrambling for a possible fake ID to match the fake mule name..

Quote:

Samuel is going to pick it today because he was busy yesterday,i will keep you posted.

John Simmons

I thank him..

Thanks,

I look forward from hearing from you.

Snip

More silence.. I send him another short letter..

John,

Did Samuel pick up the money order? I have not heard anything from you today. I would like to get the draft from you as soon as possible.

snip

Is the delay to get a mule to go there or to get a fake ID made?

Quote:

Samuel have not picked up the money order,but he will be going there this afternoon today to pick it up.i will call and send a mail once we confirm the pick up.

John Simmons

I keep on the poker face and let him know about the return receipt..

Excellent. I'll get the return receipt with his signature after he signs for the letter with the money order. We will both receive confirmation that he picked it up. Any idea what is delaying him? It should have been there for a couple of days now. Undeliverable letters are returned to sender if they are not picked up in a few days.

Snip

Oh no.. He either has a great poker face or he got a mule there..

Quote:

Hello Snip,

He went there and they told him that they dont have any package or money order for him,so kindly call them to send it back because Mr Samuel is a very busy man and you should go ahead and send it through western union or money gram for easy pick up.Kindly go and make the payment first thing tomorrow morning because we dont have time on this transaction,that is the best option right now please.

I await your payment information

John Simmons

This language indicates the mule is not local to the town. It requires a trip to go there.

By now the date is on a Thursday.. If I go to the post office to call the letter back, on Friday, it won't return until about Tuesday next week. I keep my poker face and let him know that will be a delay if possible at all.

As I get ready to reply, I get this.. I take the time to review all our mail up to this point. Yup, a poker player.. I didn't give him my phone number yet.. Nice try..
Rolling Eyes

Quote:

I called your phone several times and you dont pick up,Kindly pick up your phone

I don't educate him.. I make a lame excuse instead. I had been sending emails at all hours of the day and night (rotating shift work) so this is possible and his time stamps will prove it.

Sorry I wasn't by the phone. I do a lot of running around on some days and some days I work the night shift so I turn the ringer off on the phone and let it go to voicemail. I see you called a couple of times but did not leave a message. I would not have known the missed calls were from you as they simply show out of the country. My phone plan is US only with no overseas minutes.

The letter should be at the post office. Can you give me Samuel's phone number or street address. I could stop at the post office so he can get a delivery attempt notice in his mailbox so he can make the proper connection at the post office to pick up the correct package. I'm surprised they could not find it. The town is quite small so there should be very few parcels and letters there for General Delivery. Have Samuel call and leave a message. I'll call him back and see if we can get this sorted out. If not, I'll have to wait for the money to be returned as undeliverable before I have it again to send by WU.. It will be much faster to simply pick it up at the post office.

Snip

He as an answer for the slow return mail.

Quote:

Hello Snip,

Kindly tell the post office to send it back because Mr Samuel left town today and will be getting back on tuesday.So get the money order back and send it through western union by tuesday so that he can pick it up with is drivers License and send us the confirmation and your draft will leave at once.
I await your urgent response

John Simmons

Hmm. I'm not rich enough to do that.. I put the ball back in his lap. Thanks for letting me know Samuel will be back Tuesday. I'll play the time card..

John,

I'll see if I can do that. I'm not sure if it is possible. I've never had a certified letter not be picked up before except by someone who moved away, so it was returned a few weeks later as unclaimed. I've never tried to get one back early.

I was wondering if you told Samuel that the letter was sent to the Postmaster General and not to his PO box? If he just checked his mail box, it won't be there as you did not give me his mailing address.

This may be resolved quicker if you gave me Samuel's phone number and mailing address. I think something has gotten lost in the relay of information to him. I did check on the delivery status with the post office last night and it is at the post office waiting to be picked up. It is somewhat late here on a Friday. It would take a couple of days to get the letter back if I can request it's return so at this point it will be much faster to simply pick up the letter on Tuesday when Samuel returns.

Snip

I keep hoping to get info on the Mule so I can warn him.. but this guy is not budging with mule info.

Quote:

He went to the post office and they told him that there is no package or letter for him and he is a very busy man and we dont give out the accountant information because of security reasons that is the code of conduct of the commission,so i will advice you to call it back and send it through western union also you can make the payment on monday while you wait for the money order to come back to you because we dont really have time on this transaction.

John Simmons

He did not say if he made a second trip.. This may have been a second mule trip, but I doubt it. How helpful is send money on Monday when I don't have it back from the post office.. How rich does he think I am?

John,

Unfortunately Monday will have to wait. Due to the recent Christmas shopping, I do not have an extra 750 at the moment. I can't send money I don't have. I'll have to wait for it's return. I checked with the post office and there is no procedure to recall a sent letter. I did find out certified letters sent to the post office C/O Postmaster General are held for 2 weeks for pick up. Since I sent it Saturday and it arrived on Tuesday it won't be sent back until Tuesday the 13th at the earliest. With at least 2 days to a week for return delivery, I should have the money order back on the 16th to as late as the 20th if Samuel does not pick it up beforehand.

Are you sure Samuel can't pick the letter up on Tuesday. That will be the very fastest way to pick up the money.

Snip

Good thing I bought all those neat toys for Christmas last week.. Razz

I may be busted.. but I keep my poker face for this request.. He didn't ask for my receipt. His mule did not tell him about certified letters. I suspect he is not real due to this. Evil or Very Mad

Quote:

Go to the post office and tell them to give you the tracking number of the letter in the system so that i can send it to samuel,that is the best means to get this done.

I await your swift response

John Simmons

Two can play the security and policy game I keep my poker face and give this reply.

Tracking number is not needed, just his name and photo ID. Tracking number is for my use to know when he picked it up.

Have Samuel call me if he has further trouble picking it up when he gets back in town on Tuesday.

Snip[quote]

I did not give him the phone number.. Let's see if he notices. If he won't give me Samuel's, he can't have mine.

Quote:

Then you can track the package and let me know the particular destination where the leter is,so that he can go there and pick it up for easy movement or you can send the tracking number for him to take to the post office so that they can let him know exactly where the post office is and pick up with out problems.

John Simmons

Wow, does he know how the postal system works? I google the post office and find the town is small enough that there is not a post office in town.. Maybe the mule did safari and didn't find the post office in town. This town may just have a motor carrier for that zip code. I didn't notice this before. I should make this a poll.. Mule Fiction or Fact?

I don't tell him there is no post office. I'll use this to try to get in touch with the mule. I go right on to explain the postal zip code system.

Each post office is given a unique zip code.I gave you the zip code for the only post office in town. It is a small town. In case you lost the zip code of the only post office in AllensWorth.

The zip code for the only post office in town is 93219.

Where did you say that DHL agent lives again? If he can't find the only post office in town, he is completely worthless. Quit demanding stupid stuff and being an idiot about this.

I'm beginning to think your DHL guy is not really a DHL guy at all if he can't find the local post office. What an idiot.

I don't think he lives in town and does not work for DHL in town. He is asking questions only someone who has never been in town would ask. Have your idiot DHL agent call me from his office phone. No cell phone numbers. I need his office number.

Have you seen the town? It is not very big.

Snip

He does not like my accusations.

Quote:

What rubbish are you talking about ? is that how you talk to people? you dont have manners at all,i told you he went to the post office in allensworth and they told him no package for him or should he start runing around the whole post office in CA.If you are skeptical about this transaction then have your post office call your moneyorder back and keep your money and i will cancel your draft and do not contact you again.What nonsense

John Simmons

It is all his fault of course. I let him know the delays have all been his and his very unreliable DHL guy. Slap time..

It is not a package. If you were looking for a package, you are looking in the wrong place. It is a certified letter.

How many times have I asked you for Samuel's phone number, him to call me, his street address, etc.. I gave you my number to give to him. I have not received one phone call from California anywhere since I gave you the number. I've been waiting to hear from him. To see rubbish talk, look in the mirror. I've been waiting for an answer for several days now. I already spoke to you about the post office calling back the certified letter with the money order. Do you know more about our postal system than I do? I'll wait for Samuel to pick it up on Tuesday just like you said. He is returning on Tuesday. If he gets in late, he can pick it up Wednsday morning.

As I stated before, It will be there for two weeks awaiting pick up.

What is this running around the state of California all about. Do you not understand the Zip Code system here? It is only at one post office. Where does Samuel go to get his electric bill anyway?

I have a feeling you are being less than honest with me.

Snip

This seems to be concluding.. He has painted himself into a corner. Lets see if he calls me on the lack of my phone number.. Remember, I didn't give it to him.

Another mail to have Samuel get in touch with me if there is any problem at the post office.

Please let me know when Samuel arrives tomorrow. I still have not received a phone number for him. Have him call me if he has any trouble at the post office.

Snip

The very last email from him arrived last week. He has vanished. I prod a few more times and am met with silence.

Quote:

I will keep you posted.

John Simmons

My next three are unanswered.. they are spaced a few days apart. The unclaimed letter should be returned starting on Tuesday this week, but he is not asking about it.

John,

A few days ago you mentioned you tried calling me and I didn't pick up. I was just reviewing my calls and I have no calls from your number. Is +447924522757 correct? I had gotten a bunch of calls from someone that never left a message and there was no name with the number, so I thought it was you, but in review of the number, I found it was not you as the calls were from Africa, not UK.
Did Samuel pick up the letter? I was hoping to have heard from you. I do remember that he was supposed to have been back in town yesterday.

Snip

Next unanswered letter..

Any updates? I expected the letter to be picked up yesterday at the very latest. Tracking shows it is unclaimed this morning. Is Samuel OK?

Snip

and last..
What is going on? The letter is still unclaimed at the post office. On Tuesday it will have been there for two weeks. You promised an update. Is Samuel OK? Do I need to tell the post office there has been a delay so it needs to be there for a few more days?

Snip

If anyone want to phone him, be my guest..

Posted: Sun Dec 11, 2011 7:06 pm

I tried hard to get in direct contact with the mule and had my GV number warmed up for a mule call, but the mule was as elusive as the scammer.

Feel free to call his number. I don't have a phone card yet to call overseas.

Edit; Update, the lad tries once again to get a westy now that the 2 week delay is over.

Quote:

Tell the post office to send it back to you because Mr Samuel is not in town and when you recieve it kindly cash and send via western union or moneygram,It will be faster and better for pick up.

John Simmons

Bossy cuss.. He did not even ask. It would have been much faster if his flake of a mule could have made it to the post office. It's my turn to be out of town for a while with NO apologies.

I do not need to tell them to send it back. They will do that automatically as the letter is unclaimed. I will await it's return.

Where has Samuel been? You have not kept me up to date the last few days. I thought he was going to be back in town last week on Tuesday.

Snip

I'm going to let him wait with no updates for a few days. After all, I have some Christmas stuff to do.

John,

I am still waiting for the return of the money order. It was 2 day delivery to California, but the return delivery is not 2nd day guaranteed. It was not in my mailbox this morning. I'll check on the status later.

You seemed to be unfamiliar with the Moneygram Money Orders like the one I sent Samuel. I found a sample photo of one on-line that was purchased at Wal*Mart. As you can see, it is like a check but through Moneygram. It can be cashed at any moneygram office just the same way as a money transfer, but much more secure as hackers can't steal the letter from the USPS system and email can't be hacked to steal the info. Without the actual money order, nobody else can take the money.

Here is a sample photo of one on-line. http://mkrd.info/uploads/images/money-order2.jpg.

This is why I prefer to send a Money Order. Nobody except who I designate on the money order can cash it.

I'm going to be out of town for the Christmas Holidays to celebrate with family. I am sorry that Samuel was unable to assist you in picking up the certified letter with the money order.

A US certified letter is tracked to ensure that only the recipient can pick it up. The front of a certified letter looks like this;

https://www.certifiedmaillabels.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/CML_10_Certified_Mail_Envelopes_label_no_tilt.jpg

On the back is the return receipt that the receiver has to sign to pick up the letter and this back gets sent back to me to verify delivery. This again is much more secure than email as nobody else can read the contents while it is in the postal system.

You indicated that Samuel will be back in town in 4 days on the 20th. Please provide his mailing address so the delivery notification will make it into his mail box when the next certified letter arrives in California. I'll send him the test question and answer, and the MTCN so he can pick up the moneygram transfer. I don't send that info by email. It is insecure and can be stolen by anyone world wide. I'll not lose any more money that way.

Snip

I think the sending of the Moneygram will be a problem for him because his mule is a total flake. I'm 100% positive he won't give me an address in town for his fake mule. As always the failure is 100% his fault.

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