Have you heard the phrase "If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is”? There is a scam floating around on the Internet that certainly qualifies. It claims that the strangely titled (and fictitious) "Independent Committee of Eminent Persons" has found millions of dollars that you can claim.
The scam e-mail is humorous. Here are some of the claims:
The continuing efforts of the Independent Committee of Eminent Persons (ICEP) have since resulted in the discovery of additional dormant accounts - 54,000 in December,1999.A dormant account of ORDNER ADELE with a credit balance of 45,000,000 US dollar plus accumulated interest was discovered by me.
Being a top executive at ICEP, I have all secret details and necessary contacts for claim of the funds without any hitch.
THERE IS NO RISK INVOLVED.
That last sentence is really bogus. Anyone who is unfortunate enough to believe these claims has to supply his or her personal bank account so that "the funds may be deposited to your account." However, when that information is supplied, the scam operator is also able to drain all the money from your account.
I'll let you guess what happens next.
The e-mail you received came from a forged return address. Near the end of the message is a different e-mail address for you to contact. In the multiple copies that I received, the contact e-mail addresses varied, but all ended in "@front.ru." The letters "ru" shows that the e-mail address is in Russia, which has few laws and almost no enforcement of these scams.
If you or anyone you know receives one of these solicitations, I strongly urge you to click on DELETE. And never, ever disclose your bank account information to anyone who approaches you, either in person, by phone, or online.
