I just received this spam email which came from a Googlemail / Gmail address (it has been reported as a phishing attempt so I doubt if the account will be active much longer). What is most interesting is that I’ve never seen a mule recruitment ad like this before.
A “mule” is somebody who accepts funds from people who have been scammed and forwards it, usually via a hard-to-track service like Western Union (not that Western Union is a scam; they are a legitimate company), to the operators of the scam — who usually sit in a country where prosecution can be difficult. Being a mule is a crime, so you are well-served to avoid scams like this.
Note how this email tries to play on your emotions:
* “Home Equity Relief”. Many people have overextended themselves with their mortgages and home equity loans, so this is sure to get a lot of people’s attention. Opening an email is usually the most difficult thing to do.
* They are looking for people who will “help receive payments”. Why would any legitimate company need people to help receive payments? I run a one-person business and don’t need help with this. “Help receive payments” will almost always be a clue that you are being asked to perform an illegal activity.
* It’s exclusive; you have to be a homeowner to participate. Yeah, right. That’s just there to try to add some legitimacy to it.
* One last point: what does this have to do with home equity loan relief, other than keeping 20% of each transaction — which I guess you could use to pay off your loan…
OK, one more thing: Notice that you would receive payments and that you would be able to keep 20%. This also seems to add an air of legitimacy; HOWEVER, once the scammed victims who are sending you money start to complain, YOUR address — the one to which the payments were sent — will still be valid, but I’ll almost guarantee that the address / bank account to which the payments were sent will no longer be.
Please: stay away from stuff like this.
OK, here’s the email — Tom
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
United Nations Home Equity Relief
309 Hay’s Lane
London SE1 2HB
EMAIL: [deleted]Dear Sir/Madam,
United Nations Home Equity Relief
My name is Mr. Mark Wallace, the Director of the United Nations Home
Equity Relief. Our global head office is located as mentioned above.The United Nations Home Equity Relief in conjunction with the World
Bank and the International Monetary Fund {IMF} is embarking on its
first ever global Home Equity assistance scheme; a risk free financial
windfall for interested participants who currently own a house.You MUST be a home owner who currently has a Home Equity Line of
Credit Account with any reputable institution in America or a Bank OF
America account (BOA). Being a home owner alone will qualify you to
participate as you are expected to have a Home Equity Line of Credit
current at this moment.We are looking for interested participants who will help receive
payments on our behalf from our teeming individual and corporate
sponsors who are about to start funding our global charitable
activities.If you are interested in participating, we shall inform any of
individual or cooperate sponsors/donors to make payments to us through
your account. You will be required to take 20% of each deposit and
send the rest {the remaining 80%} to any of our authorized
representative or agent’s account. It will be a tax-free transaction.Please if you are not a home owner with a current Home Equity Line of
Credit Account, do NOT reply this mail. Note that this is not a
lottery and no fees will be required from you. Note also that a
mortgage account, checking or money market account is not required. It
must be a Home Equity Line of Credit Account or Bank OF America
account (BOA).Reply with your full names and your contact number so that our
seasoned coordinator in New York can contact and guide you.Thanks for your anticipated participation.
Sincerely,
Mr. Mark Wallace
Director
United Nations
London
EMAIL: [deleted]NOTE: Due to high volume of interested participants, please allow 1-2
days for us to get back to you
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