http://www.kuenselonline.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=7337 Posted on Saturday, August 19, 2006, @ 04:25:48 EDT
19 August 2006 : If you receive an offer via e-mail from someone claiming to need your help getting money out of Nigeria, delete it.
On July 19, the Royal Bhutan Police arrested a Bhutanese businessman and an employee of Bhutan Power Corporation with two boxes of fake hard currency in Phuentsholing.
The two men had smuggled in the money, coated with “special substanceâ€, from Malaysia after they made a deal through e-mail with the frauds. They were caught when they were looking for a “special cleaning liquid†to wash the coat from the notes.
Police arrested the two men on charges of “attempt to counterfeitâ€.
According to police, the two Bhutanese had traveled to Malaysia for transaction after receiving e-mails from fraudsters, claiming to be Nigerians, who had convinced them of transferring US$ 0.8 million and US $ 10.00 million to their account. They were promised 15 to 50 percent of the total amount for use of their bank account to transfer the money.
The two men had paid US$14,000 to the fraudsters as handling charges when they met the fraudsters in a hotel in Malaysia. While in Malaysia, the fraudsters had presented suitcases containing US$ notes, but the notes were coloured black. “They were told that the notes were coated with a special substance in order to smuggle it out of the country,†a police report stated. “The fraudsters demonstrated cleaning the notes with a liquid and made the victims exchange the notes to convince themselves.â€
However, the two Bhutanese were asked to buy the liquid themselves as the fraudsters claimed that they had only limited quantity. “Except for a few genuine notes, the rest were all worthless paper,†the police said.
“We warn people to be aware of such e-mail scams,†a police spokesperson told Kuensel. In 2004, an employee of a government ministry had lost Nu. 30,000 in advance fees before he finally realised it was a scam.
Illegal fund transfers and other fraudulent schemes that have robbed people of savings elsewhere in the world is liable for prosecution under Article 2 of the Financial Act of Bhutan 1992. But the promise of an easy windfall had made many Bhutanese to give it a second thought.
“I replied a lot of scam mails like this and I even gave my bank account,†said a corporate employee. “I realised it as a scam only when the wife of General Sani Abacha of Nigeria wrote to me asking my assistance,†he said.
“I doubted the transaction and created a bank account with just Nu. 200 to see if they would transfer,†another said. “I stopped when they began asking fees.â€
Other popular scam mails among Bhutanese are the lottery winning notification from the United Kingdom, Netherlands and Australia. The notification is always followed with a note saying that their agent will help facilitate the release as soon as one contacts the agent.
Meanwhile, the two Bhutanese victims of the scam were charge sheeted to the court.
By Ugyen Penjore
ugyenpen@kuensel.com.bt
