what lenghts will scam artists go to get their way?

how much lies and techniques would scammers go through to deceive you?

a guy saying he is part of a organization told me to send out money. i receive the cash through western union and then send it to the information they give me. i now have the cash, but am suspicious of him and his so called organization. He told me his organization is an extension of this organization: http://www.who.int/en/ , and that its official site is under construction. he wants me to send the money to nigeria through western union again. i was really suspicious and told him he is a scammer after finding enough posts to convince me. he either said the truth or went to great lengths to trick me again.any suggestions of my next step? he expects me to send out the money tomorrow morning.

Our conversation on IM: me:ok.

me:so you could have.

me:at any moment.

me:but please go ahead and explain everything to me because i still trust you.

possible scammer:ok

possible scammer:I am Robert Donald,I work for Charity World Organization called (CWO) This is a new Organization under the unbrella of World Health Organization, our source of income and helping people are in great needs come from WHO.

me:do you have a website? from WHO or CWO of any site that is not under construction.

me:i was told you were a scam artist by the police.

me:my mother called them.

possible scammer:We do help people All countries which are Members of the United Nations may become members of WHO by accepting its Constitution.

me:why cant you show me solid proof? a pic or video?

me:of you offices.

me:*your

possible scammer:We don't use to donate or talk to anyone from the internet and WHO just gave us the power and priority to extablish this.

me: scam artists are the definition of liars, and believing your word is a huge risk.

possible scammer:here is my number you can text me anytime you like (his number)



me:and nigeria is a hot spot for scam artists.

possible scammer:what is ur number as well?

me:i dont have a cell

me:i have afacebook, maybe its time you make one.

possible scammer:Ofcourse i can make one

me: the LAST thing i want to be is a victim of a scammer

possible scammer: That can never happen
me: i would give you your money back, but i just want the truth.

me: and i wont expose you to the police.

possible scammer: Uhmm I want you to know that the money is not a problem to us

possible scammer: Because all am doing is just trying to help you out cos I know very soon my son also will grow up and be a man like you

me: ive read many people go through what i have been going through with you and they were used like a trained dog who got the big bag of money and was shot my its owner after he didnt need him no more.

possible scammer: And the Truth is that we are for real, if you want me to show up at your door step that will be in couples of months.

[AlanJones]

This is a definite payment scam. Ask yourself, why would a large organisation need a middle man to send payments for them? Why do they not just arrange for the payments to be sent to the final destination directly. Also, legitimate organisations do not send money via Western Union, only scammers do that. You have been lined up as a payment mule for the scammers.

At present you have not commited any crime, but the minute you send the money you have received on to Nigeria, all that changes. You could be facing charges of money laundering or fraud. Those are serious crimes and could mean jail time. So do not for any reasons send that money on.

If you have already received the money, the best thing to do is print out all the emails and chats and the details of the Western Union payment you received and take it all to your local police together with the money you received and tell them that you are the victim of a scam.

Can you also post all the details (email address, phone number) of the scammer up here ,so others can avoid being scammed by them.

For starters, please pick one username. The second account will be closed. Tell me which username you would like to keep, Hey77 or this new one.

I'm sorry to be blunt about this, but it's important that you understand. Changing usernames and posting the question in another way is NOT going to change our answer. We are going to continue to tell you that it is a scam, because it IS a scam, plain and simple. There is no POSSIBLE about this. This is not a possible scammer - it is a very real, 100% certain scammer.

From my previous answer:

Confronting the scammer will do no good. They already know they are scammers, and they will do nothing more than lie to you. They are liars and thieves--this is how they make a living!

So you attempted to confront him, and the scammer responded like--a scammer. Once again, he does nothing but reinforce what we already know.

The English in the chat log confirms that this person is African, not American.
And a quick search on the "organization" name shows that this "new" fake organization name has been used by scammers for 4 years now.
The scammer has not bothered to change anything--except his first name, which changed from Ken to Robert. http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20070809123911AAoGvOz

I do understand that you really want this to be real--but unfortunately it's not. There is nothing you can do that will make this person anything other than a thief, or forwarding money anything other than a crime.

We can't force you to drop this scammer, or even stop you from forwarding money. We will certainly encourage you to do the right thing, both for your sake and the sake of the victim whose money you are currently holding- but ultimately it's up to you to decide if you are willing to risk your entire future to help a lying thief and make a few bucks.

he made a facebook page, but i dont know it thats enough proof of him being real.

oh, and im sorry about the double account, my other account was made through my old email that i am going to delete. and yes, delete the hey777 account. and yes, his name is suppose to be ken donald, but i changed his name for his own privacy since i though he was a real person.

I honestly don't know how to make this any more clear.

It is a scam. The person you are in contact with is not American, and his last name is not Donald. If there is a facebook page, the scammer created it. Scammers do that all the time. It takes about 2 minutes and no money to create a bogus facebook page.
-The person you are dealing with is a Nigerian criminal.
-There is no charity. The scammer has been running scams claiming he is working for the same (nonexistent) charity for over 4 years. He tells you it is "new" to explain the lack of a website. Over four years old is NOT new. If it were a real charity, it would have a website, and one that has been around a while.
-Legitimate charities and other businesses do not use perfect strangers to receive and forward payments by WU, MG, bank account, or even check.
-Collecting and forwarding money for scammers is a criminal act. Since you are sending the money out of the country, depending on the circumstances, you could even end up on the wrong side of Homeland Security.

THANKYOU so much. i almost fell for this horrible scam. the guy sounded so genuine, but anyone can when they are desperate to scam people for money. and the link you left me had the same exact email he sent me the first time, as "ken donald". thank you so much because i was going to be scammed for the first time. now i have the money but i WONT waste it. i dont know what to do with it but i guess ill keep it until the police track me since the scammer used me address. he kept saying he wasnt a scammer, but enough is enough. he clearly really wanted that money.

his email is [email protected] , also i just realized his email is from "co.uk" which means he is not from the US. and his email that he sent me was this:

"Hello,

I am Ken Donald,I'm afraid you'll be wondering why am e-mailing you well i will like to tell you that i am from a called (CWO) This is a new Organization under the unbrella of World Health Organization....Our commission and funding operates from people like you people are rich they give out some fund to us and we deliver it to people in need of Financial Help, that is why we are e-mailing you because your email is listed among those are in need of financial help from the donating website, Moreover i will like to seized this opportunity to let you know that we prepaid legal....

You can e-mail us Back if you are interested in getting anything from us and i know the penny we give to you will be appreciated so let us know your problem and the lord will take control over everything.

So get back to me and let me know what we can do to render a help for you.

Best Regard,
Ken Donald."

and here is his phone number: (513) 400-5610
i wouldnt be surpised if a big scammer like him/her is reading this post right now and chaging their fake name and email and all. thanks Dotti and AlanJones.

Hello wel809,

It is great you realized you were dealing with a scammer. The money is a challenge. If it were me, I would talk to the police since the money is not yours and was taken from an innocent person who in most cases cannot afford to lose the money any more than you could.

I am not confident with the advice the people at Western Union would give you from your previous posts as Hey77.

To stop communicating with the scammer is the absolute BEST thing you can do.

Please be aware that the scammer may come back at you with some different story or as the FBI or some other law enforcement. Law enforcement does not contact people by email. Law enforcement does not use Yahoo, Gmail, Hotmail or any other free email provider.

Certainly, if you have questions be sure to ask them here. Our goal is to help people who have been fooled by scammers who are concerned they are dealing with a scammer. We want people to be safe on the internet.

thanks for the heads up Bubbles. i am never going to deal with online emails that look suspicious.