Trading standards warn scam continues
Thursday, 7th March 2002.
Suffolk businesses and individuals are continuing to be plagued by e-mails from bogus officials requesting bank details in return for large sums of money.
Now police and trading standards officers across the country are pooling information on the financial scam to try and stop it once and for all.
Peter Monk, of Suffolk County Council said: “This particular scam has been operating for some time, and usually takes the form of an e-mail, although faxes and letters have also been sent.
“The correspondence comes from a bogus bank official in Nigeria or South Africa, who asks for the recipient’s bank details in exchange for a large sum of money.
Although it isn’t though anyone in Suffolk has been taken in by the scheme it has been estimated that nationally, an average successful scam earns the fraudsters around £35,000.
In Suffolk there was a spate of e-mails sent around Christmas time and this has continued into the New Year, most recently to Suffolk MP, Bob Blizzard.
In the email he received from Victory Abah, claimed to be the Auditor General of all prime banks in South Africa. Mr Abah asked for his bank details in return he was promised a 35 per cent share of 152 million US dollars. Needless to say, Mr Blizzard didn’t respond, but he did contact trading standards.
The National Criminal Intelligence Service, who are co-ordinating information nationally, have been swamped with the volume of correspondence from across the country.
Anyone receiving a letter, fax or e-mail requesting their bank details should not respond, but should fax a copy to trading standards on 01473 584298. The information will be passed to fraud officers in Suffolk and London for further investigation.
Now police and trading standards officers across the country are pooling information on the financial scam to try and stop it once and for all.
Peter Monk, of Suffolk County Council said: “This particular scam has been operating for some time, and usually takes the form of an e-mail, although faxes and letters have also been sent.
“The correspondence comes from a bogus bank official in Nigeria or South Africa, who asks for the recipient’s bank details in exchange for a large sum of money.
Although it isn’t though anyone in Suffolk has been taken in by the scheme it has been estimated that nationally, an average successful scam earns the fraudsters around £35,000.
In Suffolk there was a spate of e-mails sent around Christmas time and this has continued into the New Year, most recently to Suffolk MP, Bob Blizzard.
In the email he received from Victory Abah, claimed to be the Auditor General of all prime banks in South Africa. Mr Abah asked for his bank details in return he was promised a 35 per cent share of 152 million US dollars. Needless to say, Mr Blizzard didn’t respond, but he did contact trading standards.
The National Criminal Intelligence Service, who are co-ordinating information nationally, have been swamped with the volume of correspondence from across the country.
Anyone receiving a letter, fax or e-mail requesting their bank details should not respond, but should fax a copy to trading standards on 01473 584298. The information will be passed to fraud officers in Suffolk and London for further investigation.
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