Email Scam ‘Out of Iraq’
EmailEmail con artists, posing as U.S. soldiers in Iraq, are circulating crude letters offering to split the profits with anyone who can help them smuggle stolen millions out of the war zone and into investments.
"We managed to move funds belonging to Saddam Hussein’s family. The total amount is $7.2 million in cash, mostly $100 bills. We want to move this money to you so that you may invest it for us … No strings attached."
In addition to the usual "easy money con" come on’s, such as "no strings attached" and "completely safe," the writer tries for a bit of patriotic sympathy by pointing out how she is serving in an insurgent-filled zone with bombs exploding all around her.
"I am serving in the military of the 1st Armored Division in Iraq, as you know we are being attacked by insurgents everyday and car bombs."
Signed Sgt. Jennifer L—-, the letter is sent in English, Spanish and French.
If you answer the come on and the spamster hasn’t been shut down, expect a request for a small sum of money. And if you send it, you can expect to never see it again. In a variant designed to quell skeptics, the opening request will be that you deposit a small sum of their money — say five thousand dollars — in your account. Then you will be asked to send your new partner checks for up to that amount. Their check to you will bounce, but not until yours back to them has likely cleared their bank.
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Its so hard to believe that some is stupid enough to fall for this, I could understand if your handicaped in the head or something, people need to drink more coffee before reading thier email these days, or go get brain surgery first.
Posted by: Tom | June 14, 2006, 1:04 pm 1:04 pm
Oh, good grief! This is just a variation on the Nigerian Scam! Are people still falling for these?
Posted by: Cindy | June 14, 2006, 3:47 pm 3:47 pm
This is just a new variant on an OLD scam. They’re referred to as “4-1-9″ OR “ADVANCE FEE FRAUD” SCHEMES.
Diffrent details, same general idea. The scammer claims to have a great deal of money buy needs your “help” to somehow launder it or get it out of their country.
They will CONTINUE to work for one very simple reason – People are greedy and want to make a quick buck. When they see the $$ their brains shut off. People have been KILLED going to Nigeria trying to “collect” on such things.
Posted by: InfoSecurityGuy | June 14, 2006, 3:48 pm 3:48 pm
I saw one similar to this but instead of being female, the “soldiers” said they were black. Anything to gain sympathy I guess. Other than filling up In boxes, the only harm this does is to those who fall for it. Let’s face it, those who fall for it aren’t trying to help out the troops, they’re trying to help themselves. If no one fell for these scams, the scammers would have to dream up something else – or quit.
Posted by: JJ | June 14, 2006, 3:56 pm 3:56 pm
You can’t con an honest man. I don’t feel bad for anyone that falls for this.
Posted by: brian | June 15, 2006, 9:32 am 9:32 am
I love to play with the scammers! Once I got an email saying I had won a speed boat, and all I had to do was send $$$ for delivery. The company was in California (I live in Texas). I wrote back “lucky me! I have a pickup with a trailer hitch, let me know where I can come to pick it up!” Never heard from them. I’ve told Nigerians to hurry and send me the money because I had a bridge in Brooklyn I wanted to buy….amazingly, they didn’t get the joke!
Posted by: Lori | June 16, 2006, 4:32 pm 4:32 pm
I just received one of these today claiming to be from a soldier and I am absolutely appalled! What the men and women of our miliatary are going through over there is no joke. How disgusting!
Posted by: Sarah | August 25, 2007, 12:34 pm 12:34 pm
STAFF SGT. IRVIN BROWN & STAFF SGT KENNETH BUFF have $8 million in Saddam’s booty to get out of thecountry, but need my help to do it!! These guys are busy getting killed and injured and have time to write about booty. Sure, they do. Is anyone looking into this? Are these guys in prison somewhere, or really people in the military? I’m not brain dead nor greedy enough to respond to them, but it sickens me more than the Nigerian scam–I actually got a typwritten signed letter from Nigeria with what appeared to be real stamps on it!! Still on my bulletin board!
STAFF SGT.) IRVIN BROWN
Posted by: Jan Kirsch | March 2, 2008, 10:48 pm 10:48 pm
I recieved one of these today from a sgt. U.S Army, as if i would be stupid enough to reply, i dont think so. I live in England i get quite a few like this and guess where they go yep right first time in the trash where they belong
Posted by: Katina Pearey | May 9, 2008, 6:42 pm 6:42 pm
I just received one today…it’s my second one. I sure wish it were true tho. =) thanks to everyone who’s posting up their experience so that no one falls for it. =)
Posted by: Danny | August 25, 2008, 5:21 pm 5:21 pm
I just spent a week enjoying the scam from SGT. Irvin Brown. I got a phone call saying the diplomat is in NY and will be arriving to deliver my package in 2 hours. The closest airport from my house is 4 hours and it is a private airfield. When they called and said they were across the street, I started laughing and told them to watch out for the cow patties, cause i live on a farm and there are no streets near my house except our lane that is named a street. They only wanted $1475.00 to deliver the package. I told them i didn’t have it and the man told me to find a way to raise it. I wish there was a way to catch them and make them pay.
Posted by: kristen | September 3, 2008, 9:33 pm 9:33 pm
Got a letter from Sgt. Brown today….do people still fall for this crap?
Posted by: andy greco | October 24, 2008, 1:49 pm 1:49 pm
I received this mail about money hidden in containers found in Baghdad Iraq and I was given a website to check and carefully reply the mail, this is what was on BBC page.Foreign currency worth nearly $200m has been found in a Baghdad neighborhood, the US military say.
this people are more and more aggressive and are really sacking a lot of money from innocent people, please help them.
Posted by: Ayuda | June 26, 2010, 5:28 am 5:28 am
I am glad that millions were not raised for this email scam. Spam filters may work but they are not full proof against social engineering ones. It is for the user to be discerning.
Posted by: email archiving | August 17, 2011, 3:58 am 3:58 am
I am a Pakistani. I receive such e mail daily I am astonished to know such a number of people who get huge sum of money daily and looking for partners to share. In an other way they congratulate for winning millions of $$. How they know me is unknown. even they dont know the country where I live. This indicate the misery of people who send or response such e mails.
Posted by: Khizar Hayat | January 6, 2012, 6:21 am 6:21 am