Scam-Baiting Case Study: The Scammer In The Refugee Camp---Part 2

At the end of Part 1, the bank requested for authentic documents. I contacted Wendy and she sent me the first three documents (Deposit Certificate, Death Certificate, and Will Certificate). Together with the edited copy of my passport, I sent it to the invisible bank, after which I ignored them.

Remember: The entire goal of scam-baiting is to waste the scammers’ time. That made Wendy worried so she wrote to me.

Wendy:

Please I am worried because I have not heard from you for a long time please since I sent the documents to you.

Kaunda:

Sorry for the delay, was having delay in accessing my email. You know recently, there was a cable break. The West African Cable System together with the SAT3/WASC — lying in the Atlantic Ocean, it had a problem and that affected many networks in Ghana. Please ask Malam Yayha, I'm sure he also experienced that.

Please, I've sent all the documents to the bank, hoping to hear from them. But I'm a bit worried about the passport copy I sent them. I hope they will handle it with care so that it won't fall into the hands of bad people like scammers.

Once again, I'm sorry for the delay. I really care about you and I pray always so that this deal will go through. Such a beautiful lady should not be in the refugee’s camp.

Who is Malam Yahya?

“He is one of the Managers of the Refugee camp …he permitted me to access my email in his office computer twice a day, Please you can call me with the office number of Mallam Yahaya (+226 63 05 82 65) here in the refugee camp and ask of Miss Wendy Kipkalya Kones that stays in the female hostel room 12, block C.” -Wendy said in one of her emails.

The bank acknowledged receiving the documents but there were few conditions to be met. This is captured in the bank’s response below:

1. That account of our late customer Mr. Kipkalya Kones, must be reactivated from been dormant to active because it is discovered that the account have been abandoned for a long time without movement of cash.

2. Note the reactivation of the account will be done in the name of the trustee.

3. The reactivation of the account will cost you any amount of your choice from $100.

MAKE THE PAYMENT WITH THE BELOW INFORMATION, THROUGH WESTERN UNION OR MONEYGRAM TRANSFER, THROUGH OUR BANK TREASURER INFORMATION

Receiver Name: Eshagha Magdaline

Country: Burkina Faso

City: Ouagadougou

Address: Avenue Dimdolobson, 01 BP 362, Ouagadougou Burkina Faso

Please note that this type of fraud is called advance fee fraud. The scammer will first present to you mouth-watering offer (in this case USD 5.5 million) but before you get it, you must pay a commission fee, or activation fee or commitment fee or whatever new name they prefer to call it (In this case USD 100.00). All they need is that small token, and then they disappear.

Now, let us get back to Wendy. I informed her about what happened when I went to the bank.

Kaunda:

Hi Wendy,

I just came back from Barclays Bank premises. I went to make the deposit but they are requesting proof of Payment.

I gave them the recipients’ details but that a transaction to activate account must be paid to bank directly, not individual.

I will be glad if you can link up with the bank to get me the proof of Payment document ASAP before I leave for Marbella, Spain. I will be attending 3 days conference of Publishers starting Friday, 7 Feb 2020.

I have not gone to any bank, and I am not going to any conference. I just need to create the impression that they are dealing with a tycoon. Just to lift their hopes high.

Wendy replied:

I called the bank manager and he said that you should contact him through his private email address [email protected]

Note: That brings another character into the equation, Dr. Faith.

Before I could even pull my chrome browser and write to Dr. Faith, he himself wrote to me, as captured below:

NOTE …they are trying to prevent scam, which is the normal duty of a banker, note to avoid much question move to another bank and make the payment with the name Magdaline Kaunda

...Tell them that you wish to send this money to your sister or your wife so that they will not disturb you again ok.

Once again, I told Wendy what happened when I visited EcoBank to make the payment.

Kaunda:

Hi Wendy,

I just came out from Ecobank premises. They are also asking for the National ID of the recipient. Kindly inform Dr Faith to do that asap. I can wait 45min more around the bank before they close.

Alternatively, do you use mobile Money account? I could have sent the money via Mobile Account without going through any traditional bank.

Kindly plead with Malam Yahya to give you access to his computer, so we can complete this transaction before the [day] ends. As I said, will be leaving for Accra this evening.

Thank you.

Wendy replied:

My dear I just told him as you instructed me now and he said he will do that immediately I am so sorry for stressing you

On this note, we end the part 2 of this series. Watch out for part 3.

Author: Kaunda Ibn Ahmed (Online President, Republic of Ghana)

Remote.com.gh (Member, Institute of ICT Professionals, Ghana)

For comments, contact [email protected] or Mobile: +233 234 80 90 10