Dear Friend,
My name is Major Selma Linda George. I am an American soldier with Swiss background, serving in the military with the army 3rd infantry division. With a very desperate need for assistance, I have summed up courage to contact you. I found your contact particulars in an address journal. I am seeking your kind assistance to move the sum of ( $ 3.2 million USD )three million, two hundred united states dollars to you, as far as I can be assured that my share will be safe in your care until I complete my service here, this is no stolen money, and there are no danger involved.

I am presently in a hospital recovering from injuries sustained in a suicide bomb attack.Source of money: 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, and it was agreed by staff Sgt Kenneth buff and I that some part of this money be shared among both of us before informing anybody about it since both of us saw the money first. This was quite an illegal thing to do, but I tell you what? No compensation can make up for the risk we have taken with our lives in this hell hole. Of which my brother in-law was killed by a road side bomb last week. Please view website for confirmation;

http://www.voanews.com/burmese/archive/2003-04/a-2003-04-20-1-1.cfm

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

The above figure was given to me as my share, and to conceal this kind of money became a problem for me, so with the help of a British contact working here and his office enjoy some immunity, I was able to move the money to a security company in Bangkok Thailand which have a branch in United States precisely New York it was deposited as a diplomatic baggage. They are now waiting for us to provide the name of beneficiary who they will transfer the funds to.

The reason I want you to claim the funds on my behalf is that as a soldier, I cannot present concrete evidence on how i made such a big amount of money down here. Besides the US Government is trying their best to keep their eyes on soldiers here in order to effect a high level of discipline among us. The moment i am sure that you are willing to assist me; I will give you the information of the security company and the security code of the baggage. I want you to tell me how much you will take from this money for the assistance you will give to me.

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 soldiers 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, I honestly want this matter to be resolved immediately, please contact me as soon as possible, my only way of communication is email.
Respond only through this my private email below:-
Email: – selmausarmy1@hotmail.com
yours in Service.

Major Selma Linda George

Identity Theft Prevention Tips to watch out for:

1. The legality aspect of this email
   1. Does it make sense to break the law?
   2. Does it make sense to risk your financial future?
   3. Does it make sense to have your identity and other personal info stolen?
2. Notice that the email addresses are different
   1. The sender of the physical scam is: danielwells@jabber.nuxo.net
      1. Most likely from a hacked account of an unsuspecting person
      2. Could also be a disposable account made by the identity thieves
   2. The person asking for help has this email: selmausarmy1@hotmail.com
      1. This is most likely a disposable email address to garner personal information and other crime related data
3. The two linked stories are very old and should give off red flags
4. The concept of deceit and psychological manipulation is at play here
   1. First the sender says it is legal… than what they have done is NOT
   2. The character wants you to feel for them in respect to their pains associated with “putting their neck on the line”
   3. For people who don’t like the ‘laws’ ‘law’ ‘cops’ or a concept of social control this email is very appealing. They see someone who has been on the side of the law and is breaking it by “dipping in the cookie jar” themselves and sharing the supposed profit.

In the end, you are the only one that can make the proper decision to stop identity theft at its tracks. If you decide to reply you may be in very deep in financial havoc and identity restoration efforts.

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Geographic Identity Theft
Depending on where you are geographically, different laws govern your nation or state, and hence this is where the problem lies. If you are infuriated by the current statues involving identity theft online you have the right to be feeling this way. The concept of classifying laws pertaining to identity theft on the World Wide Web is so complex that little is known about the true nature of the protective legal measures available to us.

For example an identity thief in Great Britain may be phishing for personal information in Untied States. Since the criminal’s IP address is of an English origin differing laws may apply to the types of punishments available. In most cases identity theft rings tend to cover their tracks by routing their traffic through numerous servers and computers so they could remain untraceable. Therefore, the concept of law becomes ephemeral and turns into an opportunistic crime.

What if…
If you think you became a victim of identity theft you should contact the following entities:

Federal Trade Commission (FTC)

You can call the FTC’s ID Theft Hotline-1-877-IDTHEFT (438-4338) or use the FTC’s online ID Theft Complaint form. for up-to-date information about how to work with credit bureaus and law enforcement agencies to reclaim your identity visit the FTC website.

Social Security Administration (SSA)

for a replacement card; if your Social Security card was lost or stolen; a new Social Security number in certain circumstances; and help to correct your earnings records.

Office of the Inspector General, SSA,

to report Social Security number misuse that involves buying or selling Social Security cards, or may involve people with links to terrorist groups or activities.

Even though the laws are not clear cut you should find some salvage in the protection measures that are available to you by law.

Supporting Theory of Internet Identity Theft
When people are online they are more inclined to commit crimes without thinking too much about the ramifications and consequences of their deeds. For example downloading music via LimeWire or using copyrighted content for research projects constitutes a crime. However, the online world gives one an impression that everyone is doing it and no one is harmed. If taken further, this behavior easily starts turning into fraud, identity theft, extortion, terrorism, and etc. This, coupled with the lack of stern initiatives that support the laws, creates the notion that criminal endeavors on the Internet are quite lucrative. In the end, Internet identity theft is relatively easy to execute and the number of online criminals is tremendous due to the fact that laws are often considered just a distant concept to the digital criminal.

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TITLE 6
Commercial Law – General Regulatory Provisions
CHAPTER 6-13
Unfair Sales Practices
SECTION 6-13-17

§ 6-13-17 Requiring consumers to furnish social security numbers. – (a) Unless otherwise required by federal law, no person shall require that a consumer of goods or services disclose a social security number incident to the sale of consumer goods or services; provided, however, that:

(1) Insurance companies and institutions licensed by the state or federal government for financial services may require applicants for those services to disclose their social security number;

(2) Social security numbers may be required for the providing and billing of health care or pharmaceutical-related services, including the issuance of identification cards and account numbers for users of health care or pharmaceutical-related services; and

(3) Disclosure may be required of a consumer as a condition of applying for a credit card for the purchase of goods or services.

(b) Any person violating the provisions of this section shall be guilty of a misdemeanor, and upon conviction, shall be fined not more than five hundred dollars ($500).

(c) In any civil action alleging a violation of this section, the court may award damages, reasonable attorney’s fees, and costs to a prevailing consumer, and afford injunctive relief against any person or business that commits or proposes to commit a violation of this section.

Just take into consideration that this Rhode Island law excludes insurance companies, health care or pharmaceutical companies, as well as credit card companies granting a consumer a line of credit. These statues are by no means there so you can abuse them. They are simply there to protect you from identity theft and related outcomes of fraud. Businesses also face a rising wave of fraud and providing a social security number is an extra ounce of protection to ensure that they don’t go bankrupt. So if you want that shiny new credit card to state your name proudly on the front of it you still must fork over the digits.

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