Spam scam uses Enron attorney's name
Phony e-mail seeking money says Ken Lay's lawyer wrote it
To jaded Houston computer jockeys accustomed to daily e-mail come-ons from foreign scam artists offering untold riches in exchange for business assistance — and maybe a little good-faith money up front — the dollar amount attached to this week's hottest cyberbusiness offer probably seemed paltry. But those who bothered to read the electronic mail that flashed across Houston computers Tuesday and Wednesday were in for a jolt. "I am Mr. Michael Ramsey, a representative and attorney to Ken Lay, the former chairman and CEO of Enron Corp.," the e-mail stated. " ... He deposited $21 million with me when he was in power as chairman. I am contacting you because I want you to deal with the finance institution and claim the money on my behalf as I have declared that the funds belong to my foreign business partner." Ramsey, a veteran Houston attorney who is representing the former Enron chief in federal court, was not amused. "It's a typical Nigerian fraud letter," Ramsey said Wednesday. "Part of my concern is that it is roiling the waters of Enron litigation. I've seen letters like this before, although I've never been named in one, nor have my clients. I hate to even grace it with a denial." Ramsey said he reported the attempted fraud to the U.S. Attorney's Office. John Yembrick, spokesman for that agency, said he could not comment regarding ongoing investigations or anything dealing with Enron. Lay faces seven federal charges related to the collapse of Enron and four charges in connection with accusations that he lied to banks on how he would use $75 million in loans. If convicted, the banking charges alone could send Lay to prison for 120 years. In the fraudulent e-mail, the writer offered his intended victims 40 percent of the purported booty. "You shall also be required to assist me in investment in your country," the e-mailer wrote. "I hope to trust you as a God-fearing person who will not sit on this money when it is received rather (than) assisting me properly." The Internet Fraud Complaint Center, an online clearinghouse operated by the FBI and the National White Collar Crime Center, said it referred 103,959 reported computer fraud cases to investigators in 2004. Those crimes, representing a loss of more than $68 million, represented a 64 percent increase from the preceding year. The average victim of Nigerian-type frauds lost $3,000. Houston FBI spokesman Al Tribble advised computer users to be wary of e-mailers asking for their names, addresses, Social Security numbers or banking information. "Don't even give them the name of your bank," he said. "If it costs you money in any way to receive money — that's a scam."
Reproduced from an article published by HoustonChronicle.com
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