In an advance fee scam, a criminal offers you a large sum of money. But you only can get it after you pay the criminal a smaller amount to have the funds released. Of course, the criminal pretends to represent a legitimate business. Justification for the advance fee varies, but they're all lies. Once you pay the money, the criminal—and your money—disappears.
Several months ago, I wrote here about an advance fee fraud involving an "anti-terrorist clearance certificate." Recipients purportedly need the certificate to claim some type of offshore monetary award—an inheritance, a lottery win, etc.
Last week, a reader contacted me for assistance in obtaining a variation of the anti-terrorist clearance certificate—an anti-money laundering certificate. Here is an excerpt from the letter he received, complete with misspellings and grammatical errors:
"I am writing in respect of my telephone discussion this morning with the Director general of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency Dakar-Senegal on how to obtaining an anti drug law / money laundry clearance certificate for the transfer of your money as the bank demanded.
During our conversation, I was told by the director of the agency (Dr. Usman Tijan) that I have to buy an application form for US3,500, after which the Certificate will be issued.
Note: you will receive the Certtificate within one week, if we make the Application today. Inform me as soon as you are ready with the money and you can send it to us though Western Union Money Transfer with the name of my accountant below so the we will make the application immediately.
Receiever name/ Lukeman Camara
Address/ 44 Boul de l' Republic Dakar Senergal
Thank you for chooseing our law firm, we are waiting to hear from you.
Againto enable us proceed.
Yours in service,
Barr. Micheal Koziel
Law firm of Sprenz & Associates
44, Boul. de la République
2nd floor
Dakar Senegal
Tel.: (+221) 777 118 302
Although I was reasonably sure this was an advance fee fraud as soon as I received the letter, I conducted some additional research to make sure.
First, I tried to find any record of the "National Drug Law Enforcement Agency Dakar-Senegal" and of its purported director, "Dr. Usman Tijan." Although I found no record of any such agency, I did find numerous Web postings mentioning the name of "Usman Tijan."
In one, Dr. Tijan asks for financial assistance in recovering hidden diamonds in order to assist with his obtaining refugee status in Senegal. (Strange how he was promoted so quickly to head the national anti-drug agency!)
In another, Dr. Tijan claims to be acting on behalf of the national anti-drug agency, but the cost of the anti-laundering certificate is much higher: 4,250 "paunds" plus value added tax of an additional "$2,565 paunds" ($ sign in original letter).
In a third letter that involves Dr. Tijan's name, the letter is almost identical to the one published above, only the price of the anti-laundering certificate is now 6,120 euros.
To make absolutely certain that this is an advance fee fraud, I wrote to the actual Senegal anti-laundering agency, the "Cellule Nationale de Traitement des Informations Financières du Sénégal." I haven't heard back from them yet, but if they respond, I'm quite confident that Dr. Tijan and his purported anti-drug agency will be exposed as a scam.
Copyright © 2008 by Mark Nestmann
(An earlier version of this post was published by The Sovereign Society.)
