I am a Western Union victim.

Captain_Mainwaring_2

notydino wrote: »

Okay the ad was from gumtree. (the actual transaction was very obvious but desperation tends to blind).
She asked me to transfer the money to someone i know to prove i have the money. i transfer it to my girlfriends name. i provided her my mctn number.

After that, we are supposed to meet at the train station but surprise surprise, no show. we went to retrive the money the next day but naturally it was gone (to our horror of course).

YES I KNOW! IT'S OBLIVIOUSLY STUPID!

Count yourself lucky that you only lost money.

jimc_2

Here is chapter and verse on Western Union Scams.

I do not know of any case where Western Union money has been successfully recovered except where a scammer in Nigeria shouted "He sent money again!" and an honest cashier collared the crook.

smartmark

I got today another version of the WU scam:

Thanks for the mail,Oh i am very sorry if you don't see the picture very well but to tell you that's all i have for now, Yes we can sign an agreement,i can assure you of the viewing but i will like to discuss some thing with you, before i can down down to Cardiff for the viewing i will like to see a proof of your financial capacity and to know how serious you in need of the property because i have been fooled so many time and i will not let that to happen to me again, Been fooled by telling me to come from Liverpool to Cardiff to show them the property but when i got there for the viewing they will never show up and when i called there phone they will keep on banging the phone on me so it has been a very sad and disappointing thing for me and i do waster alot of money also for transport, so i don't want that to happen to me anymore that is why i will like to see a sign of commitment from you before i come down for the viewing, well this is what you will have to do for me before i can come down for the viewing, If you have a partner or friend around you all you will have to do is to locate a western union money transfer around you and deposit the security deposit plus one month rent to your partner's name or your friend's name, when you made the transfer finish you will be given a receipt you will have to scan email me the receipt to make a confirmation from western union if you made a transaction from them or not, immediately i made the transfer from them and i confirm that you made a transfer through them then i will give you a call to tell you where we should meet for he viewing, I will want you to read this and understand better, i am not asking you to send me any money before showing you the property but i just need a proof of that, I want you to know that there are so many people who have sent me there fake bank statement for a proof but it's all fake, and moreover i don't like interfering with other people privacy so i will not like to see any reference from anywhere or bank statement, (am sorry forom. sounding rude) but as you know i need to tell you my feelings and what is pitching me. Even the western union charges that you use to make the transfer will be refunded to you back on the viewing day so you don't have anything to loose when you make the transfer, if you made the transfer finish and i make the necessary confirmation i wanted to make i will tell you to go and pick up your money back and pay me in cash. even if you don't like the property when you viewing it i am going to return the western union charges back to you, and help you in locating a property that is better, But to tell you when you see my property you going to love it. Get back to me to know if your interest concerning what i said and the property.

I am posting it here just because if someone else get the same mail and hopefuly try to search a pattern from the message, he may find this thread and discover that there is not everything alright. (that was the way how I found out what's going on and haven't sign any receipt)

SouthCoast

Protect yourself:

http://www.getsafeonline.org/

jimc_2

smartmark wrote: »

"to locate a western union money transfer around you and deposit the security deposit plus one month rent to your partner's name or your friend's name"

The simplest and most effective advice is NEVER USE WESTERN UNION FOR A COMMERCIAL TRANSACTION! Not even as 'proof' that you've got the money, (like the two scams here).

It is only meant for transfers between family and friends and has NO SECURITY. Western Union DON'T need a passport to hand over the money. A copy of the receipt of the transaction (or some simple information from it such as MTCN - the Money Transfer Control Number - is good enough for the fraudster to get hands on the money.

JonnyBravo

smartmark wrote: »

Thanks for the mail,Oh i am very sorry if you don't see the picture very well but to tell you that's all i have for now, Yes we can sign an agreement,i can assure you of the viewing but i will like to discuss some thing with you, before i can down down to Cardiff for the viewing i will like to see a proof of your financial capacity and to know how serious you in need of the property because i have been fooled so many time and i will not let that to happen to me again, Been fooled by telling me to come from Liverpool to Cardiff to show them the property but when i got there for the viewing they will never show up and when i called there phone they will keep on banging the phone on me so it has been a very sad and disappointing thing for me and i do waster alot of money also for transport, so i don't want that to happen to me anymore that is why i will like to see a sign of commitment from you before i come down for the viewing, well this is what you will have to do for me before i can come down for the viewing, If you have a partner or friend around you all you will have to do is to locate a western union money transfer around you and deposit the security deposit plus one month rent to your partner's name or your friend's name, when you made the transfer finish you will be given a receipt you will have to scan email me the receipt to make a confirmation from western union if you made a transaction from them or not, immediately i made the transfer from them and i confirm that you made a transfer through them then i will give you a call to tell you where we should meet for he viewing, I will want you to read this and understand better, i am not asking you to send me any money before showing you the property but i just need a proof of that, I want you to know that there are so many people who have sent me there fake bank statement for a proof but it's all fake, and moreover i don't like interfering with other people privacy so i will not like to see any reference from anywhere or bank statement, (am sorry forom. sounding rude) but as you know i need to tell you my feelings and what is pitching me. Even the western union charges that you use to make the transfer will be refunded to you back on the viewing day so you don't have anything to loose when you make the transfer, if you made the transfer finish and i make the necessary confirmation i wanted to make i will tell you to go and pick up your money back and pay me in cash. even if you don't like the property when you viewing it i am going to return the western union charges back to you, and help you in locating a property that is better, But to tell you when you see my property you going to love it. Get back to me to know if your interest concerning what i said and the property.

Alarm bells would be ringing for me with anything written in such poor English..... that is until I saw the highlighted part.

Clearly this person is English after all, seeing as that is how everyone spells lose in this illiterate country nowadays. :rolleyes:


What was Blair said? "Education, education, education". Don't make me laugh Tony you t*sser.

brownbabygirl

One thing I have noticed, almost all scammers write poor grammar lol

Biggie

brownbabygirl wrote: »

One thing I have noticed, almost all scammers write poor grammar lol

AND USER FONTS THAT STANDOUT.

LIKE BOLD\ITALIC OR CAPS.