Everything old is new again

Everything old is new again

It seems that our little cockroach friends in the scam business have the same collective imagination as Hollywood executives – remakes and sequels.

In the past few days I have received recycled emails, from different sources, using the same names and emails.

Do these people belong to a scam letter of the month club where they get a new source letter, names and instructions on how to send them out?

Somewhere, out there in the world, there may well be a Seargant Brian Horn. He may have served in Iraq. He may be the figment of someone’s imagination. Whoever or whatever he is he seems to be the flavor of the month.

First contact from Brian Horn number one was as follows from sgtbrianhr173rd@aol.com:

Subject: Re:
From: Brian Horn
Date Sent: 2/23/2011 5:21:52 AM

Hope all is well?
My name is SGt BRIAN L.HORN I am an American soldier,based in Iraq/ Baghdad. 
With a very desperate need for assistance, please contact me for more info email:(SGTBRIANHR173RD@AOL.COM) 
Thanks and God bless us all.

SGt BRIAN L.HORN
(SGTBRIANHR173RD@AOL.COM) 

We responded with this:

 What is it that you need assistance with?

We then received this from sgtbrianhr173rd@aol.com:

Subject: Re:
From: sgtbrianhr173rd@aol.com
To: 
Date Sent: 2/23/2011 11:15:36 AM
Thanks for your prompt response,I am seeking your kind assistance to move the sum of ( $ 8 Million U.S. Dollars ) Eight Million United State Dollars to United States soil, as far as I can be assured that my share will be safe in your care until I complete my service here.

You can rest assured that if we get your eight million dollars, no one will ever see it.
 
Some money in various currencies was discovered in barrels at a farmhouse near one of Saddam’s old palaces in Tikrit-Iraq during a rescue operation,IT WAS AGREED TO KEEP SOME AMOUNT ASIDE BY FELLOW SOLDIER,SGT KENNETH BUFF, WILSON HOGGE AND I THAT SOME PART OF THIS MONEY BE SHARED AMONG US BEFORE INFORMING ANYBODY ABOUT IT, SINCE THREE OF US SAW THE MONEY FIRST WE SHARE THE MONEY AND DECIDED THAT WILL TRANSPORT THE MONEY OUT ON INDIVIDUAL RISK This money has been kept somewhere outside Baghdad for some time but with the proposed troop in increase by president Barrack Obama, to end the suicide bombing and make peace with Iraq militant and terrorist.We where affriad that the money may be discovered.WITH THE HELP OF A BRITISH JOURNALIST I WAS ENABLED TO MOVED THE TRUCK BOXES TO A  PRIVATE DIPLOMATIC COURIER SERVICES NAMED Elite Express  Courier company HERE. WITH SOME DIPLOMATIC IMMUNITY TO MOVE WITH DIPLOMATIC CONSIGNMENTS TO YOU FOR A SAFE KEEP.MORE SO NOTE THAT THE OFFICE DID NOT KNOW THE REAL CONTENT OF THE CONSIGNMENTS WITH THE BELIEVES THAT THE CONSIGNMENTS ARE MERE BELONGINGS TO A DEAD SOLDIER WHO DIED IN A RAID HERE IN IRAQ, AND BEFORE GIVING UP, HE ENTRUSTED ME WITH THE FAMILY INFORMATION TO HAND OVER HIS BELONGINGS TO IF ANY THING HAPPEN TO HIM HERE AND OTHER SOLDIER BELIEVE SO TOO THAT THE PACKAGE BELONG TO MY FRIEND. SO YOU ARE TO RECEIVE PACKAGE AS HIS RELATIONSHIP IN UNITED STATES.

We believe this paragraph may be suffering from an overdose of cut and paste.

HOWEVER, NEVER MIND THAT THIS WAS QUITE AN ILLEGAL THING TO DO, BUT I TELL YOU WHAT? NO COMPENSATION WILL MAKE UP FOR THE RISK WE HAVE TAKEN WITH OUR LIVES IN THIS CAVE HOLE. OF WHICH MY ARMY FRIEND WAS KILLED BY A ROAD SIDE BOMB WITHOUT PART OF HIS BODY TO BE BURIED LAST WEEK ATTACK.YOU WILL FIND THE STORY OF THIS MONEY ON THE WEB ADDRESS BELOW;

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/2988455.stm

We trudged through a broken CAPLOCK paragraph only to be sent to an eight year old new article. We think Sgt. Horn may be setting an overly leisurely pace with regards to getting his friend buried, eight years seems a bit much.

All I require is your honest; cooperation and Sincerity to enable us see this deal through. I guarantee that this will be executed under a legitimate arrangement that will protect you from any breach of the law as it is a 100% risk free venture.Kindly indicate your interest in assisting a fellow American . I will like you to send to me your full contact details,

Your full names——————
Address, —————–
Contact telephone———-

We also strive for honesty, but please, after you.

So i can present them to the courier company for the delivery of the boxes and to make sure this deal is brought to a logical conclusion with out any hitch One passionate appeal I will make to you is not to discuss this matter with anybody, should you have reasons to reject this offer, please and please destroy this message as any leakage of this information will be too bad for us soldier here in Iraq. I do not know how long we will remain here, and I have been shot,wounded and survived two suicide bomb attacks by the special grace of God, this and other reasons I will mention later has prompted me to reach out for help,

If God were really watching out for you with his special grace, you should have survived an atomic attack and a lightning strike as well. Then we’d know for sure. A month or two in the belly of a whale would cinch it. Have you ever heard of a man named Job?

I need you to confirm to me your percentage or how much you will take for your assistance and for the charity in your next mail to me, which should be as soon as you get this mail. I will settle for 20% – 10% for charity   I’m not greedy.God bless you and your family.Hope to hear from you soon.

We get to choose? We couldn’t possibly accept more than 89.5%. It wouldn’t be fair.

Sgt Brian Horn

Next we received this from brianhrn173rd@aol.com:

Subject: Re: FW:
From: brianhrn173rd@aol.com
To: 
Date Sent: 2/24/2011 9:59:55 AM
How are you and your family? Thanks for your response mail and concern, I appreciate the fact that we are strangers for now but knowing that all relationship of two people start as strangers and from strangers to friendship and later to be family. In a moment to establish trust and sincerity, we can achieve this with all confidentiality and commitment to also achieve financial success of life

Strangely, we feel that we know you already.

All my hope was lost after the 911 attack when I lost my only brother and wife in the attack.  I join the battle after the attack to protect the country for mass death and also that what happen to will not happen to any body again, my hope of confidence as gone and happiness was gone, my brother brought me up from the age of 9.  The only trust I have is to pray to God for direction to meet with new family in life of trust, I decided to contact you for the assistant. So I entrust this opportunity on you as I was directed by God to contact you that you will not betray my trust. I say thank you again for the hope that you brought to me, which I will not leave here in vain; I have the consignments deposited with ELITE EXPRESS  DIPLOMATIC COURIER SERVICE and it will be delivered to you by a UN Official who did not know the content of the boxes.

Odd that you never mentioned your wife and brother in the other letter. They seem to have been quite important to you. Does the UN screen anyone before they hire, or do they just take whoever walks in?

 I will give your contact details to them so they will contact you on arrival. I will like you to send to me your full contact details as your full names and address, contact telephone and your id for my record  so that I can know how to position myself to make sure this deal is brought to a logical conclusion with out any hitch. i have attach some of our photo

Actually, you didn’t attach anything, but we aren’t sure that paying attention is one of your strong suits.

I decided to contact you as a stranger because I know what we have to share is good enough to make you to be honest, I will never disappoint a woman who brought fortune to my life, so will be any man of dignity.

We’re sorry. What are you talking about?

I want ensure that the consignments are out of here before our redeployment plans. Please note that I am in a Iraq country side caves without telephone and I have limited time to be on the internet as the security situation here in Iraq has worsen and our commander has cautioned us to always be on the alert and move in platoon, we are not allowed to be alone out side the base, so there is a limited time for communication but I shall ensure that I email you every morning before my primary assignment daily and I will always try to be on the internet to communicate with you in my off duties.

You don’t have a telephone but you have an internet connection, use Skype. It’s not that hard to install. Are you some sort of Luddite?

Please note that our entire squad has access to only one telephone line at our base in a common reception center and that line will not be convenient for this dealing. We are also limited to communication to prevent soldiers giving incident information of dead soldier out to journalists.

Oh, so you do have a phone, then you won’t need Skype.

Also we need to have good accord on the sharing partner, please you are to confirm to me if the 20% percentage is good enough for you or how much you will accept for your assistance and note that we must give 10% of the total sum to charity.

Wait, you said I could have up to 90% in the other letter. If you’re schizophrenic, could you put the other Brian back in charge. We like him better.

I will settle for 20% – 1.6 million for assistance and confidentiality between us; I’m not greedy.

Thank you.

Now the packages  are with the courier service ready to move out, I have moved the package to the security and courier company believing that I will leave Iraq with the ELITE EXPRESS  DIPLOMATIC  official soon before I was confirm fit by our doctor and order to remain here till general redeployment December

Good, that gives us ten months.

I need you to get the consignments and keep in your custody pending our redeployment. I want you to understand that, this transaction is a gilt-edge transaction. So you don’t have anything to be scared of, and the truck boxes as check inn as a High Priority consignments. I have made all the necessary arrangement on how the boxes will be redirected and delivered to you at door step of the home address that you shall provide as your delivery address
Required information, your full names and address, contact telephone, your Identification for our personal relationship as well as your present occupation for me know how to position myself to ensure this project is brought to a logical conclusion with out any hitch.

Whatever you say.
 
THE CONFIDENTIALITY,

Note that the diplomats are not aware of the content as money; please do not divulge to the diplomat that the boxes contain money at any time, the boxes are package in a consignment as mere goods Tag High priority package. Just let him know they are personal effects that belong to a dead soldier your cousin is directed to you.
Find Attach the my id some of our pic. My confidence and trust in you should not be betrayed. I have put a lot on the line here and God shall see us through. I have to get back to my duty now.

No pictures or ID came attached.

Thanks for your understanding and cooperation in advance. Please note that all further email should be corresponding through this email
God bless you and have a wonderful day.
 
Thanks,
Sgt B
DETAILS INFORMATION

The initial response from sgtbrianhr173rd is an oldie but goodie that has been around for quite some time.

The second response, which we aren’t sure why we received since we only had the initial query and response with sgtbrianhr173rd, has also made the rounds.

We don’t know if the two Brian Horns are the same person or part of a group or what their arrangement is.

We did send response two to Brian Horn number one with the comment “We are confused.” We did the same with  response one and Brian Horn two.

We also dutifully sent both to abuse@aol.com , since that was their point of origin.

We have heard only silence from the Brian Horns since, so we must assume that they don;t want to continue the game or that AOL stomped them.

We toyed briefly with the idea of playing them out further, but there are many sites on the internet already doing that. You can get a good sense of the caliber of vermin who originate these scams by visiting any of the scambaiting sites.

At the top of the blog is a new link, Scam Mail List, where we are posting examples of all we receive so that they might show up if people use search engines to look for names and companies, etc. We will continue to add to the list as time permits.

As far as judging the validity of Sgt. Brian Horn(s) and his/their money, it’s quite clear.

He/They is/are a Fraud(s).

Join us next time for “The quickest failure on record” here at HowToSpotAFraud.com.

P.S. If you missed the free gift, click here.

That is all.