http://themobilestorelimited.webs.com

I saw the website selling mobile phones and gadgets. I proceed to enquire about Apple iPhone 4, which they asked me to put down order and provide mailing address. I placed order for 1 piece of iPhone 4. The salesperson Ali Hammd asked me to make payment for $450 USD. I agreed to make payment by Telegraphic transfer via my Bank account. I was told that they will ship out once I send them the confirmation slip. A while later, I was told by Ali that they are unable to ship out 1 unit and I'll need to get at least 3 units. I refused as I do not have sufficient funds. He gave up persuading and told me that its ok and they will ship it out.

They would ask you to make payment to this account:
Account number - 83815145
Name of Bank - Barclays
Account Name: Ali Yusuf
Iban - GB72BARC20673783815145
BIC/SWIFT - BARCGB22 Sort - 206737
Bank Address: 114-116 high street,
City: Peterborough
Postal code: PE2 8DP
Country: United Kingdom

Payment was already cleared when I called the bank. the next day, I was told that they didn't receive the funds and that I will need to make payment via Western Union in order to have my items received on that day and that, the storeman made a mistake and is sending me 4 sets of iphone 4 and 3 sets of iPad instead of the 1 piece that I had requested for and they they wanted me to make payment for all of them. I told them that its impossible. In order to recieve the stock, I went to Western Union to transfer S450 USD to his BOSS's Account which Ali said that he was in Nigeria for a new store opening, and that his accountant is following him so I need to transfer to the below address:

FIRST NAME IKENNA
LAST NAME OBI ADDRESS 120 COMPUTER VILLAGE CITY IKEJA STATE LAGOS
COUNTRY NIGERIA
ZIP CODE 23401

Payment made on 21 Sep 2010 at 10am via Western Union and the Money was picked up in the afternoon. Ali promised delivery by 5pm yesterday, 22-Sep, but he disappeared from MSN messenger suddenly when I asked him to check my item delivery status. I checked the site which he provided http://www.delivery2udirect.totalh.com with the tracking number given and it simply shows item on transit. No news until today morning. He asked me if Malaysia is close to Singapore. And asked me about my tracking number. After a while he told me that my items are stuck at the customs and waiting for payment for tax charges and customer charges of $180 + $80 respectively and that it need to be paid under the company's name and that I would need to make payment to his company's account immediately if I want to receive my shipment. Shouldn't I be paying to the government for the taxes? Feeling very suspicious I asked that the company pays and then bill me for whatever is outstanding. He said that its not possible and that I should go make payment to his company if I want my package delivered today. I refused and asked for a cancellation and refund. He told me OK. But that will take days... if not, weeks! How crazy is that?

But it was too late.

Everyone BEWARE of this "Company" and the "Boss" Martin John and Sales person (Ali Hammd)!!!

Okay chocolatecandyfloss

As you now know it's a scam from top to bottom and that's two fake sites you've alerted us to that will be turned to dust by our site killers shortly, but I'll just check if there's any information I can extract before they get to work.

I take it that you're not located in the UK ?

If you could copy and paste copies of the e-mails you have, more especially the one where they give you the bank details with the header (we can explain how to do that if you don't know). Clearly we don't want your personal details like name, address or e-mail address and you can XXXXXXX them.

We have a contact who can have the bank account invesigated.

Thanks dude...

Sadly most of the other information are in the msn or gtalk chat... so those are lost... these are mainly all the information I have on the email exchanges.


From: Martin John <[email protected]>
Date: September 20, 2010 6:08:55 PM GMT+08:00
To: XXXXXXXXX <XXX.XXX.com>
Subject: Re: Chat with xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Tracking Number : 08089493SG

www.delivery2udirect.totalh.com
On Mon, Sep 20, 2010 at 8:12 AM, xxxxxxxx <[email protected]>wrote:

These messages were sent while you were offline.

8:12 AM xxxxxxxxxxxx: Get back to me asap please


Martin John <[email protected]> Wed, Sep 22, 2010 at 5:00 AM
To: XXXXXXXXX <[email protected]>
FIRST NAME IKENNA

LAST NAME OBI

ADDRESS 120 COMPUTER VILLAGE

CITY IKEJA

STATE LAGOS

COUNTRY NIGERIA

ZIP CODE 23401
[Quoted text hidden]



Martin John <[email protected]> Wed, Sep 22, 2010 at 4:42 AM
To: XXXXXXXX <[email protected]>
Hello Dear Customer,

Thanks for the mail,

yes if you can do it that way you will surely get your items deliver tomorrow and you need to send the money to my boss in western Africa ( Nigeria)

You know i told you my boss has travel to our new store in africa today so you need to send the money over there because he go there with the store accountant..

Email me when you're Up..

Ok

Thanks
[Quoted text hidden]



On Fri, Sep 17, 2010 at 10:17 AM, Ali Hammd <[email protected]> wrote:
You will surely get your items on satuday morning..


CELL PHONE LTD is specializes in Sales, Supply and Distribution of brand new notebooks, telecommunications,musical equipments and Electronics Gadget of the Highest Quality still at very affordable prices. The long-term relationship with clients is the first priority we have been concerned. We manage our business in the most honest and trustworthy ways. We offer our clients with high quality products in reasonable prices that make them get a promising profit and valuable business. Besides,we have dedicated staffs to provide the best services for our clients.


Company Details - CELL PHONE LTD

Registered No.05293232
UK Address: UNIT 3F,3RD FLOOR, WING YIP BUSINESS CENTRE OLDHAM, MANCHESTER, M4 5HU
Contact phone number: +447024029590

http://http://www.ukdata.com/creditrepo ... d=05293232

Type: Private Limited with share capital

Incorporation Date: 22-11-2004

Status: Active

Martin John <[email protected]>
Wed, Sep 15, 2010 at 6:09 PM
To: XXXXXXXXX<[email protected]>
Thanks for the mail...

Your item has be ship out right now with the shipping company Ok let your mind be at rest..

Thanks
On Wed, Sep 15, 2010 at 8:39 AM, Chocolatecandyfloss <[email protected]> wrote:
Do let me know if the phone has been sent out already. Thanks.
[Quoted text hidden]



________________________________________
From: [email protected]
Date: Wed, 15 Sep 2010 13:09:25 +0800

Subject: Re: Iphone 4 and iPad
To: [email protected]; [email protected]

Hi Ali,
Do you have Adobe Reader? It is in PDF Format... You should be able to download the free Adobe reader to open the file, but anyway, I have re-scan it and attached it in JPEG format. That should be able to open.

Please send out the iPhone 4 32GB black colour asap. May I know when will I receive it?

Regards,

XXXXX

On Wed, Sep 15, 2010 at 12:32 PM, Ali Hammd <[email protected]> wrote:
Dear Customer,

Can you kindly resend the copy the one you send is not open i think the problem is from your side, so try and attach it very well or you send our Gmail : [email protected]


Thanks

CELL PHONE LTD is specializes in Sales, Supply and Distribution of brand new notebooks, telecommunications,musical equipments and Electronics Gadget of the Highest Quality still at very affordable prices. The long-term relationship with clients is the first priority we have been concerned. We manage our business in the most honest and trustworthy ways. We offer our clients with high quality products in reasonable prices that make them get a promising profit and valuable business. Besides,we have dedicated staffs to provide the best services for our clients.


Company Details - CELL PHONE LTD

Registered No.05293232
UK Address: UNIT 3F,3RD FLOOR, WING YIP BUSINESS CENTRE OLDHAM, MANCHESTER, M4 5HU
Contact phone number: +447024029590

http://http://www.ukdata.com/creditrepo ... d=05293232

Type: Private Limited with share capital

Incorporation Date: 22-11-2004

Status: Active




________________________________________
From: [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Subject: RE: Iphone 4 and iPad
Date: Tue, 14 Sep 2010 21:13:35 -0700


Hello Sir,

Can you kindly scan the payment copy and send to us again.

Thanks

CELL PHONE LTD is specializes in Sales, Supply and Distribution of brand new notebooks, telecommunications,musical equipments and Electronics Gadget of the Highest Quality still at very affordable prices. The long-term relationship with clients is the first priority we have been concerned. We manage our business in the most honest and trustworthy ways. We offer our clients with high quality products in reasonable prices that make them get a promising profit and valuable business. Besides,we have dedicated staffs to provide the best services for our clients.


Company Details - CELL PHONE LTD

Registered No.05293232
UK Address: UNIT 3F,3RD FLOOR, WING YIP BUSINESS CENTRE OLDHAM, MANCHESTER, M4 5HU
Contact phone number: +447024029590

http://http://www.ukdata.com/creditrepo ... d=05293232

Type: Private Limited with share capital

Incorporation Date: 22-11-2004

Status: Active




________________________________________
From: [email protected]
Date: Wed, 15 Sep 2010 08:49:00 +0800
Subject: Re: Iphone 4 and iPad
To: [email protected]
Hi there,
Payment has been made via TT. I have attached the confirmation advice for your info.
Please send out the iPhone 4 32GB black colour asap. May I know when will I receive it?

Thank you.

Regards,

XXXXX

On Wed, Sep 15, 2010 at 8:35 AM, Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx <[email protected]> wrote:
Hi Again,
I just checked with the bank and realised that there is this new service called Remittance in Internet banking! So I can try to do the Remittance to your company's bank account now. I'll let you know again once its done. Thanks.

On Sep 14, 2010, at 9:05 AM, Ali Hammd <[email protected]> wrote:
Hello Dear Customer


Thanks for your mail


Yes we got your full postage address and i have just called the store keeper to start the package and label of your item and as soon as the payment is made the shipment will take place and we get back to you with your item tracking number and also invoice of your order.



ITEM ORDER

(1) Unit of Apple IPhone 4 32GB Factory unlocked


Total Amount : $450 USD

Payment will be made to company Account

Here is the company bank account information below :


Account number - 83815145

Name of Bank - Barclays

Account Name: CELL PHONE LTD

Iban - GB72BARC20673783815145

BIC/SWIFT - BARCGB22

Sort - 206737

Bank Address: 114-116 high street,

City: Peterborough

Postal code: PE2 8DP

Country: United Kingdom


Amount : $450 USD

When you make the payment get back to us with the payment confirmations scan copy.


Get back to us with all the informations so we can proceed with the shipping of your package


Await your reply

Thanks


CELL PHONE LTD is specializes in Sales, Supply and Distribution of brand new notebooks, telecommunications,musical equipments and Electronics Gadget of the Highest Quality still at very affordable prices. The long-term relationship with clients is the first priority we have been concerned. We manage our business in the most honest and trustworthy ways. We offer our clients with high quality products in reasonable prices that make them get a promising profit and valuable business. Besides,we have dedicated staffs to provide the best services for our clients.


Company Details - CELL PHONE LTD

Registered No.05293232
UK Address: UNIT 3F,3RD FLOOR, WING YIP BUSINESS CENTRE OLDHAM, MANCHESTER, M4 5HU
Contact phone number: +447024029590

http://http://www.ukdata.com/creditrepo ... d=05293232

Type: Private Limited with share capital

Incorporation Date: 22-11-2004

Status: Active




________________________________________
From: [email protected]
Date: Tue, 14 Sep 2010 08:51:48 +0800
Subject: Re: Iphone 4 and iPad
To: [email protected]
Hi,

Would prefer Interbank Fund Transfer. I do not have time to go down to western union to do a transfer. What is your company's account no. to transfer to?

Regards,

XXXXX


On Tue, Sep 14, 2010 at 8:14 AM, Ali Hammd <[email protected]> wrote:
Dear Customer,

Do you want to make the payment to the company account or via western union money transfer, which one do you prefer..

Thanks

CELL PHONE LTD is specializes in Sales, Supply and Distribution of brand new notebooks, telecommunications,musical equipments and Electronics Gadget of the Highest Quality still at very affordable prices. The long-term relationship with clients is the first priority we have been concerned. We manage our business in the most honest and trustworthy ways. We offer our clients with high quality products in reasonable prices that make them get a promising profit and valuable business. Besides,we have dedicated staffs to provide the best services for our clients.


Company Details - CELL PHONE LTD

Registered No.05293232
UK Address: UNIT 3F,3RD FLOOR, WING YIP BUSINESS CENTRE OLDHAM, MANCHESTER, M4 5HU
Contact phone number: +447024029590

http://http://www.ukdata.com/creditrepo ... d=05293232

Type: Private Limited with share capital

Incorporation Date: 22-11-2004

Status: Active




________________________________________
Subject: Re: Iphone 4 and iPad
From: [email protected]
Date: Tue, 14 Sep 2010 07:53:44 +0800
To: [email protected]
My postal info as below.

Sent from my iPhone

On Sep 14, 2010, at 6:32 AM, Ali Hammd <[email protected]> wrote:
Dear Customer,
The Apple iphone 4 32GB is 100% factory unlocked Original with the 12 months international warranty and 90 days return policy.

Our company is legitimate and located in United Kingdom .

Delivery of order only takes 24/32 hours to get to your location door step..

Your payment must be confirm by company accountant before we can ship out to you, because any order ship out from store must be record down....

You have nothing to worry about if you're buying from us, i want your mind to be at rest because you have come to the right store.

We accept payment Via Bank to Bank Transfer Or Via WU


To proceed with your order kindly get back to us with your delivery information include:

Full Shipping Name: XXX XXXXX

Address: XXX

City: Singapore

State: XXX

Country: Singapore

Postal Code: XXXXXX

Tel #: XXXXXXXXX

Color Of Item: Black

Order Unit: 1 unit iPhone 4 32GB unlocked. If everything is well received, I'll get an iPad from you again later.


I want you to be rest assured that you have come to the right place to do business and we will not disappoint you and you see your item in good condition, you're 100% guarantee for that.

so kindly get back to us to proceed.

Awaiting your reply

Best Regard

Sales Rep




CELL PHONE LTD is specializes in Sales, Supply and Distribution of brand new notebooks, telecommunications,musical equipments and Electronics Gadget of the Highest Quality still at very affordable prices. The long-term relationship with clients is the first priority we have been concerned. We manage our business in the most honest and trustworthy ways. We offer our clients with high quality products in reasonable prices that make them get a promising profit and valuable business. Besides,we have dedicated staffs to provide the best services for our clients.


Company Details - CELL PHONE LTD

Registered No.05293232
UK Address: UNIT 3F,3RD FLOOR, WING YIP BUSINESS CENTRE OLDHAM, MANCHESTER, M4 5HU
Contact phone number: +447024029590

http://http://www.ukdata.com/creditrepo ... d=05293232

Type: Private Limited with share capital

Incorporation Date: 22-11-2004

Status: Active




________________________________________
Subject: Re: Iphone 4 and iPad
From: [email protected]
Date: Tue, 14 Sep 2010 03:35:34 +0800
To: [email protected]
I just need 1 iphone4 32GB how to make payment? U accept paypal?

Sent from my iPhone

On Sep 13, 2010, at 2:26 AM, Ali Hammd <[email protected]> wrote:
Dear Customer,

Yes we have the Original Apple iPhone 4 32GB Black Unlocked, it is New sealed in it case box and never opened
Apple iPhone 4 32GB Black Unlocked Cost : $450USD

And the Apple Ipad wifi 64GB cost $400USD

Shipping cost :
We offer buy 3 get 1 for free and Buy 5 get 2 for free
We sell in bulk and low purchase
Original Apple iPhone 4 32GB Black Unlocked made in USA
Specification of Apple iPhone 4 32GB Black Unlocked :-

Please note: This phone is unlocked and can be used with any SIM card in any country. No activation required (check carrier frequency requirements)

Product Includes
Apple iPhone 4 32GB Black Unlocked (Never Lock) Import
Apple Earphones with Remote and Mic
Dock Connector to USB Cable
USB Power Adapter
Documentation

Condition:New, Never Opened Contents in Manufacturer's box may vary from time to time.
All products on sales from our company are brand new with
1Year international guarantee and we operate a thirty days money back policy
on any of our products.

Concerning your safety buying from our company, we are a legitimate seller in the United Kingdom .

Deliver only take 24/32 Hours to get to your location and we deliver via FedEx , UPS , USPS and DHL
How many unit do you want to buy and where are you located?

Await your reply with your full postage information

Best Regard

Sales Rep..



CELL PHONE LTD is specializes in Sales, Supply and Distribution of brand new notebooks, telecommunications,musical equipments and Electronics Gadget of the Highest Quality still at very affordable prices. The long-term relationship with clients is the first priority we have been concerned. We manage our business in the most honest and trustworthy ways. We offer our clients with high quality products in reasonable prices that make them get a promising profit and valuable business. Besides,we have dedicated staffs to provide the best services for our clients.


Company Details - CELL PHONE LTD

Registered No.05293232
UK Address: UNIT 3F,3RD FLOOR, WING YIP BUSINESS CENTRE OLDHAM, MANCHESTER, M4 5HU
Contact phone number: +447024029590

http://http://www.ukdata.com/creditrepo ... d=05293232

Type: Private Limited with share capital

Incorporation Date: 22-11-2004

Status: Active




________________________________________
Subject: Fwd: Iphone 4 and iPad
From: [email protected]
Date: Sun, 12 Sep 2010 22:47:10 +0800
To: [email protected]


iTyped With My Thumbs

Begin forwarded message:
From: XXXXX XXX <[email protected]>
Date: September 12, 2010 10:38:40 PM GMT+08:00
To: [email protected]
Subject: Iphone 4 and iPad
Hi there,

May I know what is your price for iphone 4 and ipad?

Thanks.

Regards,

XXXXX

I did some more investigating and there's little doubt that this scam is being run by one group who operate a set formula to perform their scams involving forum spamming and fake websites on an industrial scale.

I'll try to list some of the names under which they're operating and they're identifiable by their preference to masqerade as real companies that actually exist, usually UK companies.

I was going to post a new thread regarding those thieves before finding your thread


I come across this site while searching for i phone deals. It’s a scam, they don’t have mobiles. All they want is to steal money from people. They ask you to pay via Western Union or bank transfer. They claim to be in the UK or USA, but they’re lying, they reside in Lagos, Nigeria. Also, they use re-direct numbers to receive phone calls in Nigeria.
http://themobilestorelimited.webs.com

They use these address:

[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]

and this the number
+447024029590

These are the bank accounts they use to scam people

HSBC BANK SINGAPORE.
Adress: Robinson Road PO Box 896, Singapore 901746.
swift : HSBC SGSG
Beneficiary : Allied Global Consultants PTE Ltd
Account Number : 260 715404178

ANZ BANK
Address : 50 raffles place land tower singapore
Name : ABC F solution PTE LTD
Account Number : 718007usd00001
Swift : ANZBSGSXXXX



These are the headers

Delivered-To:
Received: by 10.231.147.195 with SMTP id m3cs76404ibv;
Sat, 25 Sep 2010 08:17:27 -0700 (PDT)
Received: by 10.231.11.3 with SMTP id r3mr5792310ibr.53.1285427846868;
Sat, 25 Sep 2010 08:17:26 -0700 (PDT)
Return-Path: <[email protected]>
Received: from col0-omc4-s16.col0.hotmail.com (col0-omc4-s16.col0.hotmail.com [65.55.34.218])
by mx.google.com with ESMTP id gz42si9100089ibb.83.2010.09.25.08.17.26;
Sat, 25 Sep 2010 08:17:26 -0700 (PDT)
Received-SPF: pass (google.com: domain of [email protected] designates 65.55.34.218 as permitted sender) client-ip=65.55.34.218;
Authentication-Results: mx.google.com; spf=pass (google.com: domain of [email protected] designates 65.55.34.218 as permitted sender) [email protected]
Received: from COL111-W10 ([65.55.34.199]) by col0-omc4-s16.col0.hotmail.com with Microsoft SMTPSVC(6.0.3790.4675);
Sat, 25 Sep 2010 08:17:03 -0700
Message-ID: <[email protected]>
Return-Path: [email protected]
Content-Type: multipart/alternative;
boundary="_6e52a1e2-743d-4a1f-b54d-415936728f2a_"
X-Originating-IP: [41.155.21.105]
From: Grig Sean <[email protected]>

Part of their email

THE MOBILE PHONE LTD : is specializes in Sales, Supply and Distribution of brand new notebooks, telecommunications,musical equipments and Electronics Gadget of the Highest Quality still at very affordable prices. The long-term relationship with clients is the first priority we have been concerned. We manage our business in the most honest and trustworthy ways. We offer our clients with high quality products in reasonable prices that make them get a promising profit and valuable business. Besides,we have dedicated staffs to provide the best services for our clients.

Company Details - THE MOBILE PHONE LTD

Registered No.06506350
Status: Active
Located In United State Louisiana (U.S.A)

Address In United Kingdom : 21 CHURCH ROAD, PARKSTONE, POOLE, DORSET, BH14 8UF
Contact phone number: +447024029590
Payment Methoud : Bank to Bank transfer, Credit card, Via western Union, Paypal for bulk order 40 upward order
Web site : http://themobilestorelimited.webs.com
http://www.ukdata.com/creditreports/vie ... ly-match=1

I will post more information if I find any

Well, I am a victim of this group

I have been part of an investment scam where a man by the name of Roland Foster using the following website:http://www.rfosterventures.com/ picked me off of an investment website called the Angel Investment Network. This company is not officially registered in the UK after checking with the UK's Companies House government verification website. He stated that a investor from Taiwan wanted to invest in my project and eventually took a lot of my personal details and convinced me to pay into an escrow account using a group called Ling Huan & Co based out of Hong Kong (which no longer exists). The money was paid to two accounts that were owned by Ali Yusf and Ahmed Mohammed. The same gentlement that was listed within the beginning of this post. These men have been registering companies in Hong Kong and now it seems Singapore as well. The government website to verify the company's verification in Singapore is down at the current moment but i am pretty sure ALLIED GLOBAL CONSULTANTS PTE LTD based in Singapore is owned by one of them. After further investigation the address's they provided was based out of Lebanon but it appears that they are also working with individuals from Nigeria as well. When following through with my own investigations i found that individuals within this scheme used my business and personal details to try and scam contract money out of the Nigerian government's banks as well. The schemes also are used to steal money from the Nigerian Government too.


There are also using the following account as well:

CPA Alexander Long

BANK NAME: OCBC BANK LTD.
BANK ADDRESS: 65 CHULIA STREET OCBC CENTRE SINGAPORE 049513
SWIFT CODE: OCBCSGSG
ACCOUNT NUMBER: 503062606301
ACCOUNT NAME: ALLIED GLOBAL CONSULTANTS PTE LTD
BENEFICIARY ADD: 217 North Bridge Road Singapore

I've been researching this particular bank account and it's been used a lot over a long period of time by scammers and, if hasn't already been done, I'll make sure that our contact gets a note of all the scams it's been involved in so that some action can be taken to get it cleaned up.

BARCLAYS BANK

ACCOUNT NUMBER - 83815145

IBAN - GB72BARC20673783815145

BIC/SWIFT - BARCGB22

SORT - 206737

BANK ADDRESS - 114-116 high street,peterborough

ZIP CODE: PE2 8DP

It appears that the scammers add any old name to the account number and payment details, and must rely on the bank not noticing the discrepancy. In my opinion that would lessen greatly the chances of the scammer receiving the money but we've never heard of a vistim getting their money back, so who knows ?

I need to do some more research but, if the payment details supplied are faulty and the payment shouldn't have gone through, then the victim may have recourse against the UK bank, and the UK has a free system to handle this - the Financial Ombudsman Service. It would be a novel way to handle this type of loss and the crucial point is knowing that the account name and number differed but I'd be happy to assist if only to apply pressure to get this type of account taken out of the hands of scammers.

I would also like to inform you that the followng companies are currently registered under the two names listed within the first post as well as the following accounts:

1. Beneficiary: Dedicated Finance and Dev
Acct Number: 411-687668-838
Hsbchkhhhkh
Hongkong And Shanghai Banking Corp
Hong Kong, Hong Kong

2. Beneficiary: Wy Global Financial Consultants
Acct Number: 817-273717-838
Hsbchkhhhkh
Hongkong And Shanghai Banking Corp
Kwan Tong, Hong Long

They stole $36, 780,00 USD from myself and friends that i had borrowed the money from. Is there a way to recover the funds through the Hong Kong Government?

Ashani - if you can give more details as to how those accounts relate to the names and people mentioned earlier it would be helpful. The UK bank account has turned up in a lot of varied scams and it's well past time it should be investigated by law enforcement and, when I get time, I want to accumulate as much evidence as possible about it. If you can link it to those other HongKong accounts, so much the better, but it won't be easy to do.

I don't want or need your personal details, just how you cen connect it to the other frauds. If I can draw up up a good case, then I'll submit it to the UK authorities for investigation. I can't hold out much hope of you getting your money back and you may have to rely on making direct contact with the HongKong authorities to have any chance of that, and even then the chances of success will be small. The aim is to get bank accounts used in fraud closed, and anyone involved blocked from doing it again.

Hello Gomer,

In addition, i feel that i may have been involved in another scam as well where my bank account was used. If in fact his business deal does not go through and the investment transfer is forwarded to me will i also be included within the list of scammers and will my business bank account be shut down? I am still waiting for a response from the private investors representatives to see if this second attempt at recieving investment is a scam or not.

Welcome Ashani - it's complicated.

One of our members is already in contact with UK law enforcement and I'm collecting detailed information on bank accounts and scams that are using these few bank accounts to launder stolen money. We are well aware that 'dupes' can have their accounts used by criminals but the problem is that if it is channeling large amounts of money over a long period of time, it's much harder to claim to have 'clean hands'.

All I can say is that certain bank accounts have become central to what has become organised crime and, irrespective of the status of the account holder, they need to be shut down, and the holder of the account should be more concerned about prosecution themselves than the inconvenience of a closed account. Consider also, that anyone found to have allowed their accounts to have been used in this way is going to have difficulties operating an account in the future.

I know nothing about your specific situation, or whether or not your account is one involved, and I don't need to know, as it will neither stop me assembling evidence not stop me reporting it to the authorities. If you have become involved then your only reaction can be to stop immediately. People don't understand what can be uncovered about them from sources available to anyone on the internet and, only this morning, I have uncovered information that identifies some of those involved.

All I will say is that it is not only Nigerians who are making use of these accounts, and passing stolen money through your bank account is a criminal offence under any circumstances, and if it's only happened once, you may be able to claim innocence successfully. Bear in mind that the sums invloved must be in the tens or even hundreds of thousands of pounds, for which the account holder is being paid a cut. Each theft creates a crime report, so closing a bank account is the easy way for the police to put a stop to what has become a crime wave, and there's no complex legal procedure involved in them doing that.

If you suspect that your account is being used in this way the simple advice is to stop doing it. Criminals use your account because they know you'll gat the blame otherwise they'd open their own bank accounts. Depending on the scale of payments going through your account, you risk the police assuming that you are a criminal, and you cannot prove otherwise if you're handling stolen money. That alone is a crime.

I'm sorry that I cannot offer reassurance Ashanti, only the advice not to allow your bank account to be used to launder stolen funds.

Just to make it clear Ashani - if you haven't been receiving funds (which have been stolen) and passing them on, then you have nothing to be worried about. If you're a victim who has lost money to these scammers the details you supply will be useful. I'm concentrating on one particular bank account - the one in Peterborough, and finding links to other accounts and scams.

I don't leave any stone unturned when I'm on a scent, and here are two more tragic examples of their website building 'skills'

http://www.daleba2030.cc.cc/c1l_2907_Cell_Phones_Smartphones_1.html

http://www.electronicstores.cc.cc/c1l_2908_Cell_Phone_PDA_Accessories_1.html

Cunning they may be, intelligent they aren't. I loved this comment on one of their ads

Mobile Phones direct from United Kingdom (Mainland)

The UK is an island. Work it out.

A long as I'm researching these scammers, they might as well go on holiday because I'll pick up every website they build and bank account they use.

Here's another

http://cellsphoneltd.webnode.com/

Scammer phone number (it's not a real UK number but a re-direct favoured by scammers)

+447024076938

Referring to the real company is a bit of a waste of time considering this information

http://www.companiesintheuk.co.uk/ltd/cell-phone

( Active - Proposal to Strike off )
Accounts Overdue
Annual Return Overdue

Payment method ?

http://cellsphoneltd.webnode.com/payment-method-/

A big photo of a Western Union desk.

The warnings must be hitting their trade as etimes they're using the name

CELLPHONES LTD

and the same details, but this company doesn't exist at all. This is anoher phone number they're using

44 702 4024583

Bizarrely they sometimes even quote a US address whilst still maintaining that they're a UK registered company.

Hi guys! thanks for posting all of this infos and warnings..
right now i'm in the midst of deciding whether to trust this iphone/ipad store in the UK. there shop is "shop 49 ltd" and shop 2 u ltd.. can you please help me identify if this is a scam or not? asking me to pay via western union . giving me an assurance.. they are asking me to deposit/send money through western union but the assurance is i can send it to any name i want to put to in thew uk. after i get the unit, they are sayiong that i change the name to their company and thats the time the'ylll get the payment.. would you know if this is for real or is it a scam? thaNKS. LOOKING FORWARD FORyour answers and help/ GOS BLESS! THANKS IN ADVANCE!

Hi noryaj!
Welcome to scamwarners!
Yes, it's almost 100% sure to be a scam. Real businesses do not ask for Western Union.
I googled "shop 49 ltd" UK There are two listings, one is your post here on scamwarners. If you go to the other one: http://www.velamall.com/classifieds/view.php?id=104867 you'll see that the information is in the Thai language. The phone number given +447024072378 is a redirect number, a phone number that looks like a UK number but could be located anywhere in the world. The email is [email protected], a free email address, not related to the alleged company.
Do not send money.