wmlro.com: Fraudsters using social networking sites to trawl for victims

Several cases have come to light in the past few weeks in Malaysia, all bearing a striking resemblance to one another with indications that the fraudsters are operating using local mobile phones.

The scam is complex, and relies on the ignorance of its victims - and also their willingness to get something for nothing.

One victim told BankingInsuranceSecurities.Com of her experience.

"I got a message in my Friendster account," she said. "It said that I had been chosen to receive a computer and various other things worth five hundred and fifty pounds entirely free of charge and that if I accepted it that the goods would be sent to me from England. Of course, I said "send it."

She was not the only one: she is aware of others who say that they, too, got messages within the Friendster messaging system. They, unfortunately, fell into the trap whilst our contact did not.

"I got a call, on my mobile phone, telling me that the parcel had arrived and that it was at Malaysian customs. All I needed to do was pay the customs release fee. When I said that the deal was free of all charges, he e-mailed a copy of an Airway Bill in the name of "Onward Delivery Services" of "Flora Street, Covent Garden, London."

But there is no such street as Flora Street: there is a "Floral Street" and other flower-related names: Covent Garden used to be London's central flower market. A Google Search reveals no company called Onward Delivery Service and the telephone number given does not produce a Google result, either. The number given (which we are not reproducing here) is for a genuine freight forwarder, not in Covent Garden, which has moved offices and changed its phone number.

The fake agency, Onward Delivery Services or ODS claims that it handles "International Diplomatic Worldwide Shipments only." The form bears the name and address of the victim and a comment "Mr David Owen, Delivery Diplomat."

Under "full description of cargo," the form says "Two trunk boxes, computing [illegible]."

The form is not complete in some of the shipping information but it says that the shipment has gone UK - Qatar - Malaysia.

When the victim said that she was not going to pay, the terms of the offer being that it was entirely free, the caller, who showed up on her mobile phone as a local caller with number withheld, told her that the money had to be paid or the box would be shipped back. She told him, she said, that he could pay the charges and deliver the box(es) and the receipt to her and she would pay him in person. That, she was told, was not acceptable and she must pay the charges - amounting to the local equivalent of some GBP30 - to his company in advance. This is not usual practice, and having had packages sent to her from overseas before she knew so. She asked for the details of where to send the payment, but this was refused until she agreed to pay.

Then she received a call - also appearing to be from a local number - from a person saying he was calling from London. He tried to make her feel guilty, saying that he was now in danger of losing his shipment and that it was not fair that she would not pay with the result that the fate of his shipment was now uncertain.

The victim has, unfortunately, given the fraudsters her real name and address.

She has lost nothing but she is aware of others, also contacted via Friendster, who have fallen for the scam and, as with all advance fee frauds, kept paying money until they either ran out or realised they were never going to get the expected benefit.