Our group has recently been targeted by emails from someone who describes themselves as a person of wealth who thinks that our environmental work is to be applauded for its practicality, etc. and this person wants to know if we have any plans or projects that we want to implement that he can support financially. It looks like it could actually be from someone who wants to donate to us and that is one of the factors that makes this scam extremely sophisticated. There are three phases to it:
1) person one (the name used for us was Ken Aslan but the name is likely to change) contacts the group to say what great work we're doing - practical, hands-on, etc. he asks what projects or plans we might have that he might be able to contribute to financially. It looks reasonable enough so groups might be tempted to reply (we sure were - we're desperate for donations).
2) The following emails explain that he is dying of cancer in Brisbane (this may also vary depending on where the group is - we are in Queensland and Brisbane is in this state but at the other end of it) and it was his late wife's wish that they should be doing something to give back to the environment. He explains that he is old now but has made a lot of money from the oil industry. He is happy with the projects we described and wants to know what sort of accountability and reporting mechanisms we will use to keep him updated as to how his money is spent. He also wants any acknowledgements of support to include his late wife Sherrie's name. It certainly still looks like it could be genuine.
Since his assets are overseas and he is too ill to get access to them himself, the best way to get us the support is to name us in his will and he will notify his solicitor to do up the appropriate documents if we agree. He also goes on to explain that his assets have now been made into cash and kept in a safety deposit box because the bank he used to have his accounts almost collapsed and he got nervous. He insists that his trusted attorney will make the arrangements to physically access the safe deposit box for us. The amount of money that is up for grabs is not mentioned until the second or third email and it certainly is an amount that would make a massive difference to any struggling group like ours. However [Mr. Aslan] is concerned about donating all of it to the group because he wants to make sure it is all used according to the projects we described earlier. He prefers to name an individual as his inheritor under the condition that at least 80% of the money is used for the group's projects.
2) The next phase is when his alleged "attorney" contacts us to say that he has been engaged to handle the matter and that the money is going to the individual (me), not the group. The UK address is real that is provided and the phone number is one managed by a diversion company called TTNC in the UK. The calls to that number can be forwarded to anywhere. However, there is not a single entry anywhere on the net for the "barrister" (in this scam, his name is Barrister Yacob Simeoni but this name will change) and there is no such person by that name anywhere in any Bar association I could find, in the UK or elsewhere. He also uses a Yahoo address which is a real alarm bell as to the fraudulent nature of the arrangement and his communications are simple text emails rather than an attached pdf on official letterhead with either a Chambers name or licence number.
3) The next email that comes over from the "barrister" is one to say that he has started the documentation process to name me as an inheritor and he needs the following personal information for the documents. The usual range of data that appears in the commonly used phishing emails is what he lists. This is the identify theft part of the scam (plenty of opportunity there for blackmail as well once they have the details).
In Australia, ScamWatch is the first agency to report these incidences and when I filed a report on this scam, they didn't know anything about it yet (as of Feb 5th) said that the next phase would likely be to tell me that there were going to be fees involved with the documents, etc. so would I forward XX amount of money in cash to someplace.
This scam might not be confined to environment groups and not confined to groups located in Australia. The US and Canada will be likely targets as well. There may be a different version for other types of groups so if you are members of other groups like animal welfare, medical charities, social help orgs like mental health, cancer, heart fund, etc. - please pass on the word about this scam.
If you are in a community group who has received emails along the lines of what is described here, please take the time to notify the relevant computer crime, cyber crime, fraud or spam authorities where you are. Also keep the emails or at least view the header information for the emails and print the email out with its header before deleting. The headers on the emails are needed to show where the scammers are physically located when they send these messages (and it is NOT the UK or Australia - this scam is being run from Belize.)
ScamWatch of the ACCC in Australia: www.scamwatch.gov.au/content/index.phtml/tag/reportascam
the FBI's internet crime reporting portal: www.ic3.gov/default.aspx