This is certainly a very unusual request and not in the line of the
traditional Nigerian mail frauds. Those always tell you that you
have been chosen to receive 25% of an enormous amount of money,
usually about $25 million, and that the writer is one of the wives
of the former president. They ask for your banking so
they can be prepared to send you this money.
The first question you should ask yourself is “how do they know
about me?” “Why did they choose my work?” “Who made the
selection?” These are the typical processes that would go on if
this was a legitimate situation. Did anyone recommend you? Ask lots
of questions if you intend to pursue this but always, ask yourself,
would you send merchandise to a client without first knowing his/her
bank reference At a bare minimum, follow your usual
financial security procedures and see if this request doesn’t just
fade away.
Just to receive an email out of the blue telling you that you are
one of seven chosen should raise a very red flag. (By the way, who
are the others?) The fact that someone else’s account number was
included is very troublesome. You might consider that your personal
or financial could well be shared in a similar way.
And finally, don’t give out any financial No one needs to
confirm where YOU do your banking.
Marianne, This may very well be legitimate, but beware. Nothing to do
with jewellery sales, but my son almost got caught selling his car
in promise for a cashiers check in excess of the price he was
asking. He was supposed to refund the difference. The scam was that
they never planned to buy the car, but to receive a wired transfer
of a couple of thousand dollars. Check this web site and be careful http://fraudaid.com/ScamSpeak/Nigerian/
Richard Dubiel
DUBIEL DESIGN STUDIO @Dubiel_Design_Studio
Tel 905.566.0950
Fax 905.290.9398
A funny website on not so funny scam is the 419 Eater Home Page http://www.419eater.com . The webmaster of this site is clearly
enjoying baiting the scammers simply to waste their time. Check it
out and have a laugh.
On one email address alone, I receive 4-10 Nigerian emails per week.
Each one lets me know that I may come into money in some way…a
government official needs to park funds or I have won something. The
bottom line is that they want my bank account number. Over the last
few years I have probably received 500 of these. I showed one to my
banker who was horrified. You have not been hand picked if you get
one. You have been taken from a database of email addresses. These
folks use software that generates hundreds of thousands of possible
email addresses. If you reply, you verify that they do have an
accurate address for you. If you give them a bank account number,
your money is toast. Please be careful.
Mike Buckner
Creative Engraving
"If you can imagine it, we can engrave it."