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Coffeeshop Chit Chat - SG cheated of over $40k in e-mail scam </TD><TD id=msgunetc noWrap align=right>
Subscribe </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><TABLE class=msgtable cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="96%"><TBODY><TR><TD class=msg vAlign=top><TABLE border=0 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%"><TBODY><TR class=msghead><TD class=msgbfr1 width="1%"> </TD><TD><TABLE border=0 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0><TBODY><TR class=msghead vAlign=top><TD class=msgF width="1%" noWrap align=right>From: </TD><TD class=msgFname width="68%" noWrap>CPL (kojakbt22) <NOBR>
</NOBR> </TD><TD class=msgDate width="30%" noWrap align=right>5:17 pm </TD></TR><TR class=msghead><TD class=msgT height=20 width="1%" noWrap align=right>To: </TD><TD class=msgTname width="68%" noWrap>ALL <NOBR></NOBR></TD><TD class=msgNum noWrap align=right> (1 of 6) </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR><TR><TD class=msgleft rowSpan=4 width="1%"> </TD><TD class=wintiny noWrap align=right>25313.1 </TD></TR><TR><TD height=8></TD></TR><TR><TD class=msgtxt>Dec 4, 2009
Cheated of over $40k in e-mail scam
<!-- by line -->By Sujin Thomas
<!-- end by line -->
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FREELANCE interpreter H. Ibrahim had heard many tales of people falling victim to Internet scams promising easy money.
Yet, when he received an e-mail in early March telling him he had won US$1.85 million (S$2.55 million), he fell for it.
The 63-year-old told The Straits Times: 'The scams I'd heard of were from places like Nigeria. This e-mail was sent from the UK and it looked genuine.'
The sender claimed to be from a London-based organisation called Euro-Million Lotto and asked for his personal details so he could collect his prize money.
He sent his address, mobile phone number, bank account details and age.
Next came repeated requests to send money so his prize could be 'released'.
Over the next two months, he sent $41,468.54 to bank accounts in London and Hong Kong, using savings from the sale of his five-room flat in Ang Mo Kio.
By May, there was nothing but silence from the other side. And no sign of his prize money. When the truth finally dawned on him, he made a police report. He shared his story yesterday, to help prevent others from being duped.
Mr Ibrahim, who is married with four grown children, said he is not tech-savvy and knows only how to send and receive e-mail. He does not know how to surf the Net, he said.
He said that for two months after the first contact, he received e-mail, calls and text messages from five people who said he had to send money in order to have his prize money 'released'. They claimed to be lawyers and bank staff and told him the money would cover administrative fees.
One even assured him in an e-mail: 'I am an honest man and I will not assist in defrauding anybody. Everything you have done is legitimate and please do not feel deceived.'
Mr Ibrahim said: 'I was convinced with his make-believe honesty, even though my wife told me it may be a scam.'
The biggest single sum he remitted was for $22,758.55. 'The sums they asked for were big, but I thought that my winnings were even bigger so I remitted it,' he said.
He lodged a report with the Commercial Affairs Department on May 6.
'My wife is upset, but she doesn't blame me,' he said. 'This is the first serious mistake I've made in my life.'
According to the latest police statistics, the number of online cheating cases reported over the years has remained consistent.
There were 64 cases last year, 54 cases in 2007 and 61 cases in both 2006 and 2005. No figures for this year were available.
IT trainer Sam Liu, who conducts courses teaching senior citizens how to use the Internet, has a warning for those unfamiliar with the online world: 'People won't send you money for nothing. Once you get roped in, these fraudsters will keep asking you for money.'
The 73-year-old retiree is a volunteer with RSVP Singapore, a non-profit organisation which provides community-based services to senior citizens.
He added: 'If you receive such an e-mail, it's best to call the banks mentioned and check with them before sending any money.'
A police spokesman said that in such scams, fraudsters persuade victims to make upfront payments, purportedly as tax or other forms of payment to administer the release of the promised prize money.
After getting the money, the fraudsters either conjure up more tales to extract further payments, or simply vanish.
[email protected]
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Cheated of over $40k in e-mail scam
<!-- by line -->By Sujin Thomas
<!-- end by line -->
<!-- end left side bar --><!-- story content : start -->
FREELANCE interpreter H. Ibrahim had heard many tales of people falling victim to Internet scams promising easy money.
Yet, when he received an e-mail in early March telling him he had won US$1.85 million (S$2.55 million), he fell for it.
The 63-year-old told The Straits Times: 'The scams I'd heard of were from places like Nigeria. This e-mail was sent from the UK and it looked genuine.'
The sender claimed to be from a London-based organisation called Euro-Million Lotto and asked for his personal details so he could collect his prize money.
He sent his address, mobile phone number, bank account details and age.
Next came repeated requests to send money so his prize could be 'released'.
Over the next two months, he sent $41,468.54 to bank accounts in London and Hong Kong, using savings from the sale of his five-room flat in Ang Mo Kio.
By May, there was nothing but silence from the other side. And no sign of his prize money. When the truth finally dawned on him, he made a police report. He shared his story yesterday, to help prevent others from being duped.
Mr Ibrahim, who is married with four grown children, said he is not tech-savvy and knows only how to send and receive e-mail. He does not know how to surf the Net, he said.
He said that for two months after the first contact, he received e-mail, calls and text messages from five people who said he had to send money in order to have his prize money 'released'. They claimed to be lawyers and bank staff and told him the money would cover administrative fees.
One even assured him in an e-mail: 'I am an honest man and I will not assist in defrauding anybody. Everything you have done is legitimate and please do not feel deceived.'
Mr Ibrahim said: 'I was convinced with his make-believe honesty, even though my wife told me it may be a scam.'
The biggest single sum he remitted was for $22,758.55. 'The sums they asked for were big, but I thought that my winnings were even bigger so I remitted it,' he said.
He lodged a report with the Commercial Affairs Department on May 6.
'My wife is upset, but she doesn't blame me,' he said. 'This is the first serious mistake I've made in my life.'
According to the latest police statistics, the number of online cheating cases reported over the years has remained consistent.
There were 64 cases last year, 54 cases in 2007 and 61 cases in both 2006 and 2005. No figures for this year were available.
IT trainer Sam Liu, who conducts courses teaching senior citizens how to use the Internet, has a warning for those unfamiliar with the online world: 'People won't send you money for nothing. Once you get roped in, these fraudsters will keep asking you for money.'
The 73-year-old retiree is a volunteer with RSVP Singapore, a non-profit organisation which provides community-based services to senior citizens.
He added: 'If you receive such an e-mail, it's best to call the banks mentioned and check with them before sending any money.'
A police spokesman said that in such scams, fraudsters persuade victims to make upfront payments, purportedly as tax or other forms of payment to administer the release of the promised prize money.
After getting the money, the fraudsters either conjure up more tales to extract further payments, or simply vanish.
[email protected]
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