Beware of Nigerian Scams

***Alex*** · 01-21-2007, 08:59 PM

There are Nigerian scammers out there trying to scam deaf people. They choose to target deaf communities because they think they can fool us.

Here are some things you need to know in order to protect yourself from being scammed.

1.) There is NO such thing as "free money." If anyone offers you free money, you should automatically consider him/her a scammer. Period! If someone on AllDeaf offers you free money, report that member to me ASAP.

2.) No one works for me. I work alone. If anyone says they work for me on AllDeaf and have selected you as a winner of some prize, they are lying. Report the liar to me ASAP.

3.) Never, ever give out your email address to anyone on AllDeaf, unless you know them personally. Use AllDeaf's private messaging system instead, that's why it was created in the first place.

4.) A scammer usually starts by telling you that he/she is looking for a soulmate, they try to sweet talk to you and make you feel special. Sometimes they even claim to be part of a church group, Deaf Lottery Association, or whatever. Don't fall for their nonsense!

5.) Again, there is NO SUCH THING AS FREE MONEY! A scammer usually asks for your home address, then they send you a fake check which looks real but it's not. They want you to deposit the check at your bank (usually around $3,000) and want you to send him/her 90% cash and you keep 10% cash for "helping out." That's a RED FLAG right there!

If you want to help and add some tips on how to protect deaf people from being scammed, feel free to post here.

Edit: Anyone who has been contacted by a scammer via AIM/MSN/YIM, can you please let me know their screen name so I can make it known to the deaf community. By knowing their screen name, we can block them from contacting us.

Also, anyone has a fake check in hand, if you don't mind, can you please scan it and send me a copy via email so I can show our members what these checks look like? I'll make sure your name on the check is not shown.

Angel · 01-21-2007, 09:05 PM

Thanks for the warning Alex!

and btw where can I order a couple of mace pepper spray?....

Phillips · 01-21-2007, 09:15 PM

Thx and They re lazy sicko!!!

Freaky Cat · 01-21-2007, 09:20 PM

and dont forget DON'T share your personal informations like bank account number, ph nbr, your ss nbr, and so on with the scammers.

horselover61 · 01-21-2007, 09:25 PM

Also watch out in the email that they are claim needing some help about their business or lost heir. Stay away from them. They will ask for your bank account and will take your money no matter how much money you have.

Dont give out too much information your yourself. They will want to know everything about you.

Keep it to yourself and report to Alex or any adminstration of the forum.

shel90 · 01-21-2007, 09:27 PM

Also, usually the Nigerian scammers would mention something about money orders...that is another red flag to watch out for. Glad we have this forum to educate and help each other out.

Cousin Vinny · 01-21-2007, 09:31 PM

Also, if you have listed your name on the DeafVP.com database or a similiar database, do not give out any AIM names, email addresses, or VP-100 phone numbers. I made the mistake of exposing my AIM screenname on DeafVP.com, and have removed it since.

Boult · 01-21-2007, 09:35 PM

LakeTahoe · 01-21-2007, 09:55 PM

My friend got scammed and is still very upset. I am not sure what she is gonna do. So now I am aware of it. I am not gonna cash the check if they do ever send me one! PFHHT!!

***Alex*** · 01-21-2007, 10:16 PM

Anyone who has been contacted by a scammer via AIM/MSN/YIM, can you please let me know their screen name so I can make it known to the deaf community. By knowing their screen name, we can block them from contacting us.

Also, anyone has a fake check in hand, if you don't mind, can you please scan it and send me a copy via email so I can show our members what these checks look like? I'll make sure your name on the check is not shown.

deafdyke · 01-21-2007, 10:38 PM

marry2005laura is one. This person was trying to get me to do some work at home clergy work. I was like "look sweetie, I am not some guliable dumbass. You're going to request money right?" Maybe we should make this a service. I know of a deaf person who was scammed out of a lot of money. We really need to show those scammers that we aren't easy pickens!

***Alex*** · 01-21-2007, 10:43 PM

DeafDyke, was this on AIM/MSN/YIM?

Thanks.

Sasha64 · 01-22-2007, 01:46 AM

Groan at those scammers still at work. Heavens they dont stop do they?? I was even accused as a scammer but luckily four people had a go at that person for falsely accusing me of being a scammer as I would never do that kinda of thing to anyone. It amazing how far they will go to get what they wants and one now have to be very very careful with what information to give to people these days. It scary stuff.

LuciaDisturbed · 01-22-2007, 02:01 AM

There is always going to be some dumb people who will still fall for those scams no matter how much you warn them not to.

Those dumb people deserve the Darwin awards.

EagleCherokee63 · 01-22-2007, 02:06 AM

keep delete! if you don't know who email list stranger or appear aim, yahoo, others. I got stranger yahoo im yesterday. I deleted it.

Jabber · 01-22-2007, 02:49 AM

Good grief... I remember those e-mails that we used to get years ago...

Can't believe they were stupid enough to bring it into forums...

spainmale · 01-22-2007, 03:26 AM

Alex, Thank you for input.

PowerWCRulez · 01-22-2007, 04:48 AM

I recommend:

1> if you received a check from a scammer send you.
2> DO NOT CASH IT!
3> Save check and scammer's mail address
4> Call FBI and give those to the FBI, they will trace on them.

Liebling:-))) · 01-22-2007, 06:17 AM

Thank you for warning, Alex...

I have seen kind of scam like this to my email but I delete them straight way.

MyBlueEyes · 01-22-2007, 07:50 AM

Alex,thank ya for warning...

Cheri · 01-22-2007, 08:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Alex

2.) No one works for me. I work alone. If anyone says they work for me on AllDeaf

But... But... I work for you. You forgot?

just kidding!

Thanks for the warning and the heads up, Alex.

Foxrac · 01-22-2007, 09:37 AM

Rip ALL scammers off

Foxrac · 01-22-2007, 09:41 AM

For AIM users, if you don't want scammer to bother then go to option and allow people who on buddies list to chat since other strangers or scammers can't bother you.

Marketin1 · 01-23-2007, 01:31 PM

I have experienced with 5 girls who scammer. They were from African and made to be pretend love to talk me. But not true for them. I know they were clever and want some money for the reasons, but I'm not stupid. They found my email or aim screen name from online which deafvp.com or deafconnect. I wish that global scam victim set up on the government. it will be service helping us protection from scammer victim.

Taric25 · 01-23-2007, 02:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PowerWCRulez

Call FBI and give those to the FBI, they will trace on them.

Wow, PowerWCRulez, I didn't expect to see you on AllDeaf. Remember me from HipTop?

Anyway, the FBI cannot do anything about it, if it goes through UPS, DHL FedEx, etc. Make sure to tell the scammer to send it through the regular USPS (United States Postal Service) mail. If they send it through USPS, then it's mail fraud, and they can do something about it.

I blogged about this.
Taric Alani's Video Blog (VLog) 0002 on

Hi, I'm Taric Alani. I'm here, in my room, using American Sign Language, but you may notice, this time, I'm not voicing. The reason why is a lot of people, in the Deaf community, prefer sign and voice separate. The reason why is English and ASL are not the same language. For example, word order is not the same, so my blog will still have voice, but it'll be separate from the sign. In my first blog, I discussed scam in Nigeria, because my videos are not available there. A lot of scammers get the IM screen name or e-mail of a Deaf person on deafVP.com and vplist.com, and they try to steal money from them. How do they do that? They send counterfeit money orders, and a lot of times, the Deaf person completely buys it. Don't believe their mendacity! Please, if you have IM name or e-mail address on there, please remove it. Ok, I hope I've been helpful today. If you have any more future comments or suggestions, tell me. I want to know what you want to see in my future videos. Thank you for watching!

***VamPyroX*** · 01-23-2007, 05:04 PM

This is something VERY old and should already be known about by the public.

Taric25 · 01-23-2007, 05:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by VamPyroX

This is something VERY old

True, it is old, however, it still affects us.

osyn4u_sex and carem_1234 just IMed me on Yahoo! Messenger, both from Nigeria.

***VamPyroX*** · 01-23-2007, 05:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Taric25

True, it is old, however, it still affects us.

osyn4u_sex and carem_1234 just IMed me on Yahoo! Messenger, both from Nigeria.

Were you gullible enough to fall for it?

01-21-2007, 08:59 PM	#1 (permalink)
*Alex* Administrator Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: New Jersey Posts: 3,268 Blog Entries: 1	Beware of Nigerian Scams There are Nigerian scammers out there trying to scam deaf people. They choose to target deaf communities because they think they can fool us. Here are some things you need to know in order to protect yourself from being scammed. 1.) There is NO such thing as "free money." If anyone offers you free money, you should automatically consider him/her a scammer. Period! If someone on AllDeaf offers you free money, report that member to me ASAP. 2.) No one works for me. I work alone. If anyone says they work for me on AllDeaf and have selected you as a winner of some prize, they are lying. Report the liar to me ASAP. 3.) Never, ever give out your email address to anyone on AllDeaf, unless you know them personally. Use AllDeaf's private messaging system instead, that's why it was created in the first place. 4.) A scammer usually starts by telling you that he/she is looking for a soulmate, they try to sweet talk to you and make you feel special. Sometimes they even claim to be part of a church group, Deaf Lottery Association, or whatever. Don't fall for their nonsense! 5.) Again, there is NO SUCH THING AS FREE MONEY! A scammer usually asks for your home address, then they send you a fake check which looks real but it's not. They want you to deposit the check at your bank (usually around $3,000) and want you to send him/her 90% cash and you keep 10% cash for "helping out." That's a RED FLAG right there! If you want to help and add some tips on how to protect deaf people from being scammed, feel free to post here. Edit: Anyone who has been contacted by a scammer via AIM/MSN/YIM, can you please let me know their screen name so I can make it known to the deaf community. By knowing their screen name, we can block them from contacting us. Also, anyone has a fake check in hand, if you don't mind, can you please scan it and send me a copy via email so I can show our members what these checks look like? I'll make sure your name on the check is not shown. __________________ "Kindness is a language which the deaf can hear and the blind can read." - Mark Twain

01-21-2007, 09:15 PM	#3 (permalink)
Phillips Lets ride horses! Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Somewhere in Northeast Posts: 6,806 Blog Entries: 3	Thx and They re lazy sicko!!! __________________ *Enjoy life today, Yesterday has past and Tomorrow may never come.*

01-21-2007, 09:20 PM	#4 (permalink)
Freaky Cat My cat Oreo :) Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: ArKaNsAs Posts: 10,177	and dont forget DON'T share your personal informations like bank account number, ph nbr, your ss nbr, and so on with the scammers. __________________ When you miss me just look up to the night sky and remember, I'm like a star; sometimes you can't see me, but I'm always there! Freaky Cat's Blog

01-21-2007, 09:27 PM	#6 (permalink)
shel90 Sun Whorshipper Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: A Desert Rat that has found herself in Maryland Posts: 14,991 Blog Entries: 1	Also, usually the Nigerian scammers would mention something about money orders...that is another red flag to watch out for. Glad we have this forum to educate and help each other out. __________________ ~Shel~

01-21-2007, 09:55 PM	#9 (permalink)
LakeTahoe ~~JUST ME!!~~ Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Lost somewhere on the Earth! Posts: 12,056	My friend got scammed and is still very upset. I am not sure what she is gonna do. So now I am aware of it. I am not gonna cash the check if they do ever send me one! PFHHT!! __________________ HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Today
Deafness	Sponsored Links __________________ This advertising will not be shown in this way to registered members. Register your free account today and become a member on AllDeaf.com

01-21-2007, 09:05 PM	#2 (permalink)
Angel ♥"Concrete Angel"♥ Join Date: Nov 2003 Posts: 18,902	Thanks for the warning Alex! and btw where can I order a couple of mace pepper spray?....

01-21-2007, 09:25 PM	#5 (permalink)
horselover61 Neigh!!! Neigh!!! Join Date: Apr 2003 Posts: 5,224 Blog Entries: 2	Also watch out in the email that they are claim needing some help about their business or lost heir. Stay away from them. They will ask for your bank account and will take your money no matter how much money you have. Dont give out too much information your yourself. They will want to know everything about you. Keep it to yourself and report to Alex or any adminstration of the forum.

01-21-2007, 09:31 PM	#7 (permalink)
Cousin Vinny Registered User Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Miami, FL Posts: 682	Also, if you have listed your name on the DeafVP.com database or a similiar database, do not give out any AIM names, email addresses, or VP-100 phone numbers. I made the mistake of exposing my AIM screenname on DeafVP.com, and have removed it since.

01-21-2007, 10:16 PM	#10 (permalink)
*Alex* Administrator Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: New Jersey Posts: 3,268 Blog Entries: 1	Anyone who has been contacted by a scammer via AIM/MSN/YIM, can you please let me know their screen name so I can make it known to the deaf community. By knowing their screen name, we can block them from contacting us. Also, anyone has a fake check in hand, if you don't mind, can you please scan it and send me a copy via email so I can show our members what these checks look like? I'll make sure your name on the check is not shown. __________________ "Kindness is a language which the deaf can hear and the blind can read." - Mark Twain

01-21-2007, 10:38 PM	#11 (permalink)
deafdyke So NOT a Princess! Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Trebekistan Posts: 6,571	marry2005laura is one. This person was trying to get me to do some work at home clergy work. I was like "look sweetie, I am not some guliable dumbass. You're going to request money right?" Maybe we should make this a service. I know of a deaf person who was scammed out of a lot of money. We really need to show those scammers that we aren't easy pickens!

01-21-2007, 10:43 PM	#12 (permalink)
*Alex* Administrator Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: New Jersey Posts: 3,268 Blog Entries: 1	DeafDyke, was this on AIM/MSN/YIM? Thanks. __________________ "Kindness is a language which the deaf can hear and the blind can read." - Mark Twain

01-22-2007, 01:46 AM	#13 (permalink)
Sasha64 Savanna my niece Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Land yonder Posts: 507	Groan at those scammers still at work. Heavens they dont stop do they?? I was even accused as a scammer but luckily four people had a go at that person for falsely accusing me of being a scammer as I would never do that kinda of thing to anyone. It amazing how far they will go to get what they wants and one now have to be very very careful with what information to give to people these days. It scary stuff.

01-22-2007, 02:01 AM	#14 (permalink)
LuciaDisturbed Amateur Psychiatrist Join Date: May 2006 Location: San Antonio, Texas Posts: 4,819	There is always going to be some dumb people who will still fall for those scams no matter how much you warn them not to. Those dumb people deserve the Darwin awards. __________________ We will assimilate you. Resistance is futile. We will add your distinctiveness to our Collective. Implanted left ear 10/11/06, activated 10/16/06 - Nucleus Freedom DeviantArt

01-22-2007, 02:06 AM	#15 (permalink)
EagleCherokee63 Isaiah 40:31 Join Date: Apr 2006 Posts: 2,070	keep delete! if you don't know who email list stranger or appear aim, yahoo, others. I got stranger yahoo im yesterday. I deleted it.

01-22-2007, 02:49 AM	#16 (permalink)
Jabber Hyperactive Mouth & Hands Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: West Virginia, USA Posts: 17	Good grief... I remember those e-mails that we used to get years ago... Can't believe they were stupid enough to bring it into forums...

01-22-2007, 03:26 AM	#17 (permalink)
spainmale Registered User Join Date: Oct 2006 Posts: 249	Alex, Thank you for input.

01-22-2007, 04:48 AM	#18 (permalink)
PowerWCRulez Ubuntu Linux User Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Minneapolis, MN, USA Posts: 763 Blog Entries: 1	I recommend: 1> if you received a check from a scammer send you. 2> DO NOT CASH IT! 3> Save check and scammer's mail address 4> Call FBI and give those to the FBI, they will trace on them. __________________ [] Astrospace IRC Chat clients [] Astrospace IRC Web [] Ubuntu Linux [] [] Personal Web [] Wheelchairjunkie [] [] Updated: 9/10/2007 - SK3 is here! [] [] Avatar Pic: Ride on the bus [] [] MyMiniCity (Returned! Finally script working now) [] [] Play Pulltab game on facebook! []

01-22-2007, 06:17 AM	#19 (permalink)
Liebling:-))) Hiiiiiii it's meeeeee Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Germany Posts: 25,687	Thank you for warning, Alex... I have seen kind of scam like this to my email but I delete them straight way.

01-22-2007, 07:50 AM	#20 (permalink)
MyBlueEyes Registered User Join Date: Jun 2005 Posts: 1,149	Alex,thank ya for warning...

01-22-2007, 09:37 AM	#22 (permalink)
Foxrac o_O Join Date: Mar 2005 Posts: 13,423	Rip ALL scammers off __________________ Obama-Biden '08

01-22-2007, 09:41 AM	#23 (permalink)
Foxrac o_O Join Date: Mar 2005 Posts: 13,423	For AIM users, if you don't want scammer to bother then go to option and allow people who on buddies list to chat since other strangers or scammers can't bother you. __________________ Obama-Biden '08

01-23-2007, 01:31 PM	#24 (permalink)
Marketin1 Registered User Join Date: Jan 2007 Posts: 2	scam is so stupid! I have experienced with 5 girls who scammer. They were from African and made to be pretend love to talk me. But not true for them. I know they were clever and want some money for the reasons, but I'm not stupid. They found my email or aim screen name from online which deafvp.com or deafconnect. I wish that global scam victim set up on the government. it will be service helping us protection from scammer victim.

01-23-2007, 05:04 PM	#26 (permalink)
*VamPyroX* bloody phreak from hell Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Hell Posts: 27,039	This is something VERY old and should already be known about by the public. __________________ Check out my city... CLICK HERE! (If you already visited yesterday, visit again today!)