Beware the Pigeon Drop

by BIG Mike McDaniel

Published on this site: February 4th, 2004

One of the con man's favorite boosts is called the "Pigeon Drop". Temp the mark with a promise of big bucks to come and he puts up a bunch to show his sincerity. When he finally figures out his money is gone so are the cons.

There's a family of related Pigeon Drops scams flooding eMail boxes. They aren't new, the same principle was boosting marks by fax long before eMail.

The most common eMail con (at least 10% of all eMail fraud) is the infamous Nigerian Letter. You may have already received one or more messages from Daniel A. Oluwa. He says he's a part of Nigeria's Federal Audit Committee. In broken English he explains how he found and needs help laundering $42.5 million. If you help, he is willing to pay a commission of up to Two Million Dollars. Maybe you've heard from Dr. Chukwubu Eze, another Nigerian, who's looking for a partner to help him spirit away $33.62 million in illicit oil money. Alhaji Abba Gidado says he is the Deputy Director of the Gas Project and Engineering Department of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) looking for a trustworthy and honest foreign partner willing to work for a third of 33.4 Million. All you have to do to "make your fortune" is offer your bank account number and password. But instead of the money flowing in, it goes the other way. Variations ask for a "processing fee" or want you to supply an "advance loan".

Watch out for messages from Steve Okon, the purported son of a murdered Zimbabwean diplomat. He says he's got $10 million stashed away in an Amsterdam vault. Same scam, you put up the bucks to get the process underway

The one from Mrs Mariam Sese-Seko (a.k.a. widow of a Zairian dictator) asks for help tapping into a Swiss bank account.

"Mr ABBA ABACHA" (all caps) claims to be an official with the Central Bank of South Africa desperately needs someone like you to help him launder 25 Million Dollars!

It works! More than a few gullible Internet uses have report their bank account was cleaned out within minutes of responding.

Other versions of the pigeon drop tie into current events. Beware the mercenary who smuggled a ton of war booty from the secret caves of the Taliban in Afganastan. Another variation is the locked safe (full of gold) reported lost in the World Trade Center rubble, but found and not reported.

eMail reader beware! These fleecers are pros! They are good at what they do, and fast. A recent ploy had a fake website that looked exactly like eBay (the giant auction site) asking users to re-enter credit card, pin number and bank account information.

The scammers admit they are crooked and want to steal the money or hide it from authorities. Since the admit wanting to fraud, what's to keep them from fleecing you. If it sounds too good to be true, it is too good to be ture. There ain't no free lunch. No one is going to drop 20 Million bucks in your lap just because you have an eMail address. Keep your bank account and credit card information far, far away from them (actual scam letter below).

ACTUAL SCAM LETTER

MR ERICK LOUK.
PHONE:(874)-762864167,
FAX :(874)-762864168,

(URGENT AND CONFIDENTIAL)

RE: TRANSFER OF ($26,000.000.00 USD}
TWENTY SIX MILLION DOLLARS

Dear Sir,

We want to transfer to overseas account ($26,000.000.00 USD) six million United States Dollars) from a Prime Bank here in South Africa, I want to ask you, If you are not capable to quietly look for a reliable and honest person who will be capable and fit to provide either an existing bank account or to set up a new Bank a/c immediately to receive this money, even an empty a/c can serve to receive this money, as long as you will remain honest to me till the end for this important business trusting in you and believing in God that you will never let me down either now or in future.

I am the Auditor General of one of the prime banks here in South Africa, during the course of our auditing,I discovered a floating fund in an account opened in the bank in 1996 and since 1998 nobody has operated on this account again,after going through some old files in the records I discovered that the owner of the account died without a [Heir/WILL] hence the money is floating and if I do not remit this money out urgently it will be forfeited for nothing. The owner of this account is PEDRO F. HASLER a foreigner, a great industrialist and he died since 1998.No other person knows about this account or any thing concerning it, the account has no other beneficiary and my investigation proved to me as well that until his death he was the manager GOLD ARK [pty]. SA.

We will start the first transfer with six million [$6,000.000] upon successful transaction without any disappoint from your side, we shall re-apply for the payment of the remaining rest amount to your account.

The total amount involved is (USD$26 M) twenty six million United States Dollars only. I want to first transfer $6,000.000 [six million United States Dollar] from this money into a safe foreigners account abroad before the rest. But I don't know any foreigner, I am only contacting you as a foreigner because this money can not be approved to a local person here, without valid international foreign passport, but can only be approved to any foreigner with valid international passport or drivers license and foreign a/c because the money is in US dollars and the former owner of the a/c is a foreigner too, and the money can only be approved into a foreign a/c.

However, we will sign a binding agreement, to bind us together when we meet face to face after the first transfer of $6 million before transferring the second part of $20 million. I am revealing this to you with believe in God that you will never let me down in this business, you are the first and the only person that I am contacting for this business, so please reply urgently so that I will inform you the next step to take urgently. Send also your private telephone and fax number including the full details of the account to be used for the deposit.

I want us to meet face to face to build confidence and to sign a binding agreement that will bind us together immediately after the first transfer before we fly to your country for withdrawal, sharing and investments.

I need your full co-operation to make this work fine because the management is ready to approve this payment to any foreigner who has correct information of this account, which I will give to you upon your positive response and once I am convinced that you are capable and will meet up with instruction of a key bank official who is deeply involved with me in this business. I need your strong assurance that you will never, never let me down.

With my influence and my position in the bank the bank official can transfer this money to any foreigner's reliable account that you can provide with assurance that this money will be intact pending our physical arrival in your country for sharing. The bank official Will destroy all documents of transaction immediately we receive this money leaving no trace to any place and to build confidence you can call me for heart to heart discussion through my private satellite phone which I secured for the security and safety of this business as you know that this business is confidential.I will use my position and influence to obtain all legal approvals for onward transfer of this money to your account with appropriate clearance from the relevant ministries and foreign exchange departments.

At the conclusion of this business, you will be given 35% of the total amount, 60% will be for me, while 5% will be for expenses both parties might have incurred during the process of transferring.

I look forward to your earliest reply through my email address.

Yours truly,

ERICK.

Copyright 2004 BIG Mike McDaniel
- All Rights Reserved -

BIG Mike McDaniel is a former successful radio station owner and major market TV News anchor and nationally recognized Speaker, Author, and Small Business Consultant.
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