This fraud email is an example of a desperate & confused scammer and a rehash of an advance fee scam / UN identity theft email that has done the rounds before.
After you read the body of the email, you will see my reasons as to why this is an obvious scam attempt.
UNITED NATION (UN)
DEBT RECONCILIATION DEPARTMENT.
GENEVA-SWITZERLAND.
OUR REF: UN-0XX2/987/2008
CHAIRMAN COMMITTEE ON FOREIGN
CONTRACT AND INHERITANCE FUND PAYMENT NOTIFICATION
FROM UNITED NATIONS AND USA GOVERNMENT
U.S.A Government, World Bank, United Nations Organization Official Has Approved To Pay You Part Payment Valued $9.5m for 2008 Fund Approval.
Attn: Honorable Beneficiary,
The British Prime Minister in conjunction with U.S.A GOVERNMENT, WORLD BANK, UNITED NATIONS ORGANIZATION does hereby give this irrevocable approval order with your Release Code: GNC/3480/03/00 in your favor for your contract entitlement, Inheritance/winning payment with the UNITED NATIONS. To your nominated bank account.
Now your new Payment, United nations Approval No; UN5685P, White House Approved No: WH45CV, Reference No.-36350021, Allocation No: 674876 Password No: 339331, Pin Code No: 78569 and your Certificate of Merit Payment No: 104, Released Code No: 0876; Immediate HSBC Telex confirmation No: -222568; Secret Code No: XXTN014, Having received these vital payment number, therefore You are qualified now to received and confirm Your payment with the United Nation immediately within the next 48hrs.
As a matter of fact, you are required to deal and communicate only with MR. PAUL THURSTON, DIRECTOR INTERNATIONAL REMMITTANCE DEPT. HSBC BANK, UNITED KINGDOM, with the help and monitory team from the HSBC BANK USA N.A. which is our official remitting bank. Committee on foreign payment matters in United Nation has picked interest in your payment and they want to make sure you receive your fund. So contact Mr. Paul Thurston via email: paulthurston01@hotmail.com for immediate release of your Contract, Inheritance/ Winning payments. Be informed that you are not allowed to correspond with any other person or office anymore, in view of above be advice to reconfirm the following information under for urgent free of your fund by wire transfer.
1) YOUR FULL NAME:
2) ADDRESS, CITY, STATE AND COUNTRY:
3) PERSONAL CELL PHONE, FAX AND MOBILE:
4) COMPANY NAME (IF ANY) POSITION AND ADDRESS:
5) BANK NAME:
6) BANK ADDRESS:
7) ACCOUNT NUMBER:
8 ) ROUTING NUMBER OR SWIFT CODE NO:
9) OCCUPATION, AGE AND MARITAL STATUS:
10) COPY OF YOUR INT’L PASSPORT/DRIVERS LICENSE:
Note: Your Personal Contact/Communication Code With HSBC Is (315), You Are Advice To Send Your Full Banking Information To The HSBC London, International Remittance Director Headed By Mr. Paul Thurston And Make Sure You Speak With Him, With Your New Payment Code For The Release Of Your Payment And Send To Him All Your Banking Information Now
Acknowledge the receipt of this email if you want to receive your owed fund. If after fourteen days we didn’t receive your response, your payment may be deferred by removing you from the approved payment list, and therefore, your immediate response is being expected.
Yours faithfully,
Contact Person: Mr. Paul Thurston
Position: Head Of International Remittance HSBC Bank Of London.
EMAIL: paulthurston01@hotmail.com
PHONE/ : +44-703-182-1972 CELL: +44-703-182-1972
CHAIRMAN COMMITTEE ON FOREIGN CONTRACT, ON PAYMENT NOTIFICATION FROM UNITED NATIONS AND USA GOVERNMENT.
Sir. Robert Wyen###
Why this is a scam?
- The scammer couldn’t get the address right for the UN Geneva office. (Though this maybe a ruse to put you off contacting them).
- What good reason would the UN have to give away large sums of money unless it was for a humanitarian cause?
- “Attn: Honorable Beneficiary,” is a well used salutation by many a scammer.
- The use of a reference to the “British Prime Minister”. Presumably used to add some validity to the scam. Sadly though (for the scammer), this version of the scam has arrived on UK soil, and I know our current (or any future) P.M. is highly unlikely to put time in to approving UN payouts (either real or fake).
- The scammer seems to not be able to make up his / her mind as to what this payout relates to – “contract entitlement, Inheritance/winning “. My best guess here is that the scammer is using a template email but was supposed to delete 2 of the 3 options.
- Nobody in their right mind would send sensitive information like passwords & pin codes in an email regarding so much money.
- When dealing with a bank like HSBC, you would expect that an employee’s email address to be from hsbc.co.uk (when dealing with London or any UK branch), not a personal hotmail email address.
- “3) PERSONAL CELL PHONE, FAX AND MOBILE:” – showing the scammers ignorance here as a cell phone & a mobile are the same thing.
If you happen to receive a similiar email, do not reply to it, just hit the delete button.
