Polyglot 419 scammers target German and Welsh speakers

419 advance fee fraudsters have broadened their range of targets by sending out scam emails in German and Welsh over recent days. Instead of emails in English purporting to come from Mrs Miriam Abachi, a long staple of such scams, one batch intercepted by Symantec last week posed as messages from the lawyer of recently deposed …

[Anonymous Coward]

Implausible?

What's implausible about a Kuwaiti diplomat being a welsh speaker?

Next you'll be telling me that the one from *insert former African president* trying to move funds wasn't legit either.....

[Anonymous Coward]

Good afternoon sir...

I trust all is well with you? I am here to discuss the modalities of our recently discussed transaction. Unfortunately, I have been asked to provide evidence that you are who you say you are. All I need are your bank account details and sort code and then we will be able to transfer the monies.

It is all totally innocent!

[/dev/me]

And how would that sound like?

ACHTUNG ALLES DUMBKOPFEN!

THIS IST EIN OFFICIAL WRITING VON DAS BUREAU OF PRESIDENT MUBARAK. ALLES GELD VON DICTATUR LIEGT FOR MITTENGRABBEN BUT WIR NEED DEIN HELP. IST EASY FUR MEIN CLIENT TO SEND ES OVER ZU DEIN BANKACCOUNT ONLY. WATCHEN SIE ASTONISHED DAS RISING OF DAS RICHES OPPORTUNITIES JAWOHL!

BITTE TAKE DEIN COTTON-PICKING HANDS FROM DAS POCKETS UND WRITE ZURUCK UND INCLUDE DEIN PERSONAL DETAILS:

1) DEIN NAME

2) DEIN BANKACCOUNTNUMBER

3) EIN KOPY OF DEIN PASSPORT

LAWYER of PRESIDENTE MUMARAK

etc etc

[Steve X]

relaxen

UND WATCHEN DER BLINKENLIGHTS

[Anonymous Coward]

you win.

That so reminded me of a couple of books my dad had 30 years ago. GOD, now I've got call him and ask what the titles were.

[Rich 30]

£2.5m?

I'll take a cut of that, what do i have to do?

[Elmer Phud]

and

You mean that the ones coming from U.S. Marines aren't legit either?

[Anonymous Coward]

Thank's Babblefish!

As to the AC...

The scam goes like this... I'm a Welsh lawyer working discretely for the former <president/prime minister/ wealthy member of the royal family> of <insert country in northern Africa>. We're trying to be discrete and move money away from known and soon to be known bank accounts. We're communicating to you in Welsh so that its harder for the authorities to track...

You help us out, and we'll split a percentage off for your services.....

But hey! What's a 100 quid or so on a gamble that can make you 'millions'. ;-)

Mine's the coat with zipper pockets on the inside of my inside code pockets.

[The Jase]

Money laundering

Most of these scams can be summed up as:

"help me launder some money and I'll give you a cut"

You need to be a crook before you get scammed.

<- Evil Steve because he parts fools with their money too.

[Anonymous John]

Re "You need to be a crook before you get scammed."

With the traditional advance fee fraud, probably.

But that leaves several scams that are aimed at honest people. Fake lotteries, romance scams, fake jobs, and fake charity appeals.

I've no doubt that scammers will be trying to exploit the New Zealand earthquake shortly.

[neb]

poor grammar...

...but not bad to be honest

half the boys in the office are forwarding a version back up the valleys to see what bites we can get

pob lwc bwtty bach :)

[davenewman]

Need better language teaching in Nigeria

I once got an e-mail claiming to be written by the widow of Jonas Savimbi, the former rebel leader in Angola who stole all the diamonds. So I replied in Portuguese, the national language of Angola. They never got back to me.

[Oldgroaner]

Welsh 419s

The message's Welsh is rather worse than the English of an English-language scamdoc. For a modest consideration I'd compose a better one -- provided Mr 419 sends me his bank details ...

[Christoph]

Did they get the name right?

"Instead of emails in English purporting to come from Mrs Miriam Abachi"

Were the Welsh ones from Mrs Trellis?

[Circadian]

via Mrs Trellis

Ah, I miss Humph! How he managed to get away with those single-entendres with such seeming innocence I will never know.

[John H Woods]

amen to that...

"Record researcher Samantha has made one of her customary visits to the gramaphone library, where she runs errands for the kindly old archivists, such as nipping out to fetch their sandwiches. There favourite treat is cheese with homemade chutney, but they never object when she palms them off with relish."

[RW]

Amusement LLC

I ran the latest such scam emails through Google's English to Welsh translator and came up with:

Fy enw i yw Mr John Bestman, rwy'n gweithio gyda banc ag enw da, lle yr wyf yn rheoli

cyfrifon cleientiaid preifat, fel mater o ffaith, yr wyf wedi bod yn gyfrifol am ddyletswydd hon am 12 mlynedd bellach. Darllen garedig atodiad isod neges am llawn

manylion. Ddiolch

and

Cyfarch o Al-Salim Bin Ahamad

Garedig dderbyn fy ymddiheuriad am anfon e-bost na ofynnwyd amdanynt i chi, yr wyf yn credu ydych yn berson gosod uchel o ystyried y ffaith fy mod yn cael eich proffil o gronfa ddata adnoddau dynol yn eich gwlad. Er, nid wyf yn gwybod i ba raddau yr ydych yn gyfarwydd â'r hyn yr wyf am dweud wrthych, i ofyn i chi ei drin yn ddifrifol. Ond fi angen i chi mi ystyried galonnog llawn cymaint ag i farw o ganser. Yr wyf yn ysgrifennu e-bost hwn i chi gyda trwm dagrau yn fy llygaid a gofid mawr yn fy galon. Yr wyf yn Ddinesydd Malaysian weithio yma mewn Kuwait fel olew crai gwerthwr am nifer o flynyddoedd bellach. Nes fy ymddeoliad diweddar yn dilyn fy gyngor meddyg i mi er mwyn osgoi unrhyw fath o straen oherwydd fy sy'n dod o iechyd.

Byddaf yn hoffi i chi weithio gyda mi fel partner i fuddsoddi fy arian yn eich

wlad, os ydych yn cytuno ydym bydd y ddau yn rhannu'r cyfanswm elw blynyddol.

Yr wyf yn disgwyl eich ymateb am ragor o wybodaeth

Aros Bendithia,

Bin Salim Al-Ahamad.

E-bost: al.salimbin.ahamad @ hotmail.my

To my surprise, Google translate even includes Georgian, yielding:

მისალმებები ალ-salim ბინ Ahamad

Kindly მიიღოს ჩემი საბოდიშო გაგზავნის გამოცხადების გარეშე ელ თქვენ, მე მჯერა, თქვენ ხართ მაღალი მოთავსებული პირის გავითვალისწინებთ იმ ფაქტს, რომ მივიღე თქვენი პროფაილი საწყისი ადამიანური რესურსების მონაცემთა ბაზის თქვენს ქვეყანაში. თუმცა, არ ვიცი რამდენად ხართ იცნობს რა ვარ შესახებ გეუბნებოდით, მე ვითხოვე, თქვენ მკურნალობა და სერიოზულობა. მაგრამ მინდა განიხილოს მომაწოდა ბევრად სრული heartily მე მოვკვდები, სიმსივნით. მე წერა ეს წერილი თქვენ მძიმე ცრემლი ჩემს თვალებს და დიდი მწუხარება ჩემი გული. მე მალაიზიის მოქალაქე მუშაობა ქუვეითში როგორც ნედლი ნავთობის დილერი მრავალი წელია. სანამ ჩემი ბოლოდროინდელი საპენსიო შემდეგ ჩემი ექიმის რჩევა ჩემთვის, რათა თავიდან ავიცილოთ რაიმე სახის სტრესის გამო ჩემი დაცემით ჯანმრთელობას. მე მომწონს თქვენი მუშაობა ჩემთვის, როგორც პარტნიორი ინვესტირებას ჩემი ფონდების თქვენს ქვეყანა, თუ თქვენ ეთანხმებით, ჩვენ უნდა ორივე წილი მთლიანი წლიური მოგება. მე დაელოდება თქვენს პასუხს დამატებითი ინფორმაცია კვლავ დალოცოს,

Al-salim ბინ Ahamad.

ელფოსტა: al.salimbin.ahamad @ hotmail.my

and Armenian:

Ողջունելով ից Al-Սալիմ Բեն Ahamad

Բարյացակամորեն ընդունեք իմ ներողությունը ուղարկելու համար անցանկալի էլեկտրոնային փոստով ձեզ, ես հավատում եք բարձր տեղադրված անձը հաշվի առնելով այն հանգամանքը, որ ստացա ձեր Անձնագրի ից մարդկային ռեսուրսների բազան Ձեր երկրում. Թեեւ, ես չգիտեմ, թե որքանով եք ծանոթ, թե ինչ եմ մոտ պատմում դուք, Ես խնդրում եք վերաբերվում այն լրջությունը. Բայց ես ուզում եմ ձեզ համարում ինձ շատ լրիվ սրտանց ինչպես ես մեռնեմ հետ քաղցկեղ. Ես եմ գրելու այս նամակը ձեզ հետ, ծանր արցունքն իմ աչքերից, եւ մեծ վիշտ իմ հոգում. Ես Malaysian քաղաքացու այստեղ աշխատելով Քուվեյթում, որպես հում նավթի ստանալու համար երկար տարիներ հիմա. Մինչեւ իմ վերջին կենսաթոշակային հետեւյալ իմ բժշկի խորհուրդը ինձ համար խուսափել ցանկացած ձեւով ընդգծում, քանի որ իմ նվազում Առողջապահության. Ես կցանկանայի ձեզ հետ աշխատելու համար ինձ, որպես գործընկեր ներդնել իմ իջոցների ձեր երկիր, եթե Դուք համաձայնում եք, մենք պետք է երկուսն էլ կիսում են ընդհանուր տարեկա շահույթը. Ես սպասում են ձեր պատասխանը: Լրացուցիչ տեղեկությունների համար

Մնում `օրհնելու,

Al-Սալիմ Բեն Ahamad.

Email: al.salimbin.ahamad @ hotmail.my

The plot, she thickens....

[Anonymous Coward]

@ RW

Hartelijk dank voor de uitleg.

Mijn cheque is naar u verzonden met de post.

[Anonymous Coward]

Please

Can I have the e-mail address of the person who fell for the scam?

[Ramon Casha]

This is nothing new

There have even been similar emails in the Maltese language (Malta has less than 0.5 million inhabitants). And yes, the grammar was poor - suspiciously poor in fact. Reminiscent of a well-known search engine company which also provides a translation service.

[Patrick R]

Belgium welcomes the egyptian government.

We need one (though we still have about 5 running!).

[Anonymous Coward]

Bank details

A reminder that the reason the Lads from Lagos ask for your bank details is not because they have some magic method of taking money out of your account, but so that they can pay money in. Not that they ever do, of course. Well, sometimes:

http://oddorama.com/2008/02/11/scamming-the-scammers-5-brilliant-419-reverse-scams/

[JP Strauss]

Just this week

I got two mails, one traditional 419 email from a mr. Alien Smith and one claiming I had won a scholarship to the International Space University. Coincidence...?