WARNING to Hunters, Hunting Outfitters and Agents

[AfricaHunting.com]

There has been an email/data collecting scam going on in the hunting industry where email addresses and data are being hacked and gathered to sent out to clients fake deposit invoices requesting deposit payments to bank accounts that have no affiliation to the outfitter/agent.

I personally know outfitters who have already suffered losses of ten's of thousands of dollars due to this scam. I would recommend that you tell everyone that they should receive verbal confirmation from a known person at that company, not a "new guy", of an invoice being sent and confirm bank details prior to sending/wiring any money.

Please share this information with everyone you know who is a hunter or in the hunting industry. These scammers have been successful at it and will undoubtedly repeat this scam.


Outfitters and agents should consider adding this warning to their email signature which is appended at the end of all outgoing messages in order to inform their clients:
IMPORTANT WARNING! Please do not send money in any form to your outfitter or agent before reading this:
There is a scam going on in the hunting industry where client email address list are being stolen and sent out to clients requesting deposit payments into bank accounts that are not affiliated with the outfitters/agent. Please call only me "your name" at "your number", the number that you have contacted me at in the past, to verbally confirm with me that I have indeed sent to you an invoice and confirm bank details for payment.

 

[BRICKBURN]

Thanks for the warning. The crooks are on the internet for sure.
Keep your eyes open.

 

[Bobpuckett]

Thanks J for the heads up.

 

[KIA]

Just to add one, I am an ammunition mfg. My FFL is not for gun sales just ammo. FFL Type 06. I had at least 5 scammers use it last year to try to sell gun via the internet. One guy called me after he sent $1000 to someone in a different state than business is in. We got the post office to stop the envelope from getting to it's destination. Lucky for him. The scammer was using a college girls mail box. Point being send all payments to the listed business address and if able make the checks out to a business and not a person. Unless you absolutely have no other choice do not wire money. Once it is gone it is gone. No getting it back.

 

[Johnny reb]

Thanks for the heads up

 

[JamesJ]

Thanks Jerome, good info for sure.

 

[JRH]

Same thing happened this AM to my wife. Email was compromised and the scammers sent the message that she was stranded abroad and needed money to get home. I replied saying I would wire money and they sent me an address in the Philippines. Be careful out there.

 

[KWALATA SAFARIS]

thanks Jerome, i have already started circulating this notice.

my best always

 

[huntermn15]

Thank you for the heads up.

I too have received emails from "friends" with the correct email address. Requesting funds since they were stuck in theU.K., Namibia, Philippines, etc. .. the emails looked good, from the proper email address and all. Be careful!

 

[GSTONE]

Thanks Jerome. I have received several bogus requests asking that I send money to an account I did not recognize. A quick check with the PH confirmed it was a scam. Be careful...they're out there everywhere!

 

[CAustin]

Thank you for the heads up on this. The bad guys are brazen and crafty. Beware!

 

[lupande_458]

I received two bogus requests for financial help due to stolen wallets, etc. purportedly from well known outfitters during the Safari shows last year. I didn't personally know either outfitter but I had written them for information about their services, and by doing so was listed on their potential client email list. I think the supposition on the part of the culprits was first, that I would send help to a person I had hunted with and second, that I would have trouble contacting them due to the fact that they were away from home at the Safari shows.

 

[AZDAVE]

I work in the Information technology field and we try and stay one step ahead of these guys and it is a never ending call to be careful. If in doubt call the business and confirm, any transaction that sound a little fishy call the business and your bank. I just wish we could use them all for live leopard/lion bait.

 

[matt85]

thanks for the heads up, never can trust emails asking for money.

before I paid my outfitter I spoke with them in person and confirmed my payment method that way too.

-matt

 

[Johnny7604]

Just got this one this morning. Whatever shall I do for these poor people? Pretty ballsy, they didn't even claim to be some destitute relative.

"Dear John,

This is very very urgent please!!!
Because I am not from this country ,am from Haiti, since after his death, I have been subjected to all manner of ill treatment, receiving all manner of life threat from the family members, now the pressure is getting more severe I’ve decided to leave this country.

My husband died few years ago, before his death he was a very rich man, he had a very huge amount in one of the financial institutions here which he wanted to use to establish cocoa and cassava processing factory and also real estate business.

The family members have taken possession of most of our houses, cars and assets, the culture here is so horrible. I’ve seen hell since after his death, now I am hypertensive praying to God that I will survive.I writing from a hospital bed,even feeding is problem now.

Please can you help me and receive the money in your account while I come over there with my son to save our lives. Honestly I will give you a large part of the money if you will save my life by receiving the money.

Please call my son Charles Bertin Wetambi .+229 68 44 25 55 , also send your reply to his email address: charlesbertin@inmano.com

Thank you very much.
Mrs. Jane McFadden-Wetambi
PLEASE REPLY TO:charlesbertin@inmano.com"

 

[BigSteve57]

I just phoned the Taxidermist we're using and all seems OK. Whew.

 

[Stocky]

STOP! Don't even open unrecognized emails, just delete them. If you've opened it and read it you very likely have malware on your system that at a minimum collected every email address in your contact lists and sent them to Yemen. I got one that did that, emailed all my contacts immediately, then systematically erased my hard drive and anyone else's that opened the email. Lost everything and so did some of my contacts.

IMMEDIATELY run a full system scan with a good anti-viral software, if you haven't done so already install one that scans every email on arrival.

 

[CHAPUISARMES]

Hi Johnny7604,

May I suggest that you disable the Email addresses in the above post to make sure an accident doesn't happen,

Cheers for now

Jeff

 

[petrusg]

Thanx for the heads up

 

[vgruan]

Be careful guys these people are professionals and they know what their doing!