Scammed from thief in Nigeria through western union. Can I get my money back?

Interesting!

I wonder if those from Nigeria are also into chasing windmills like Don Quixote.
Fillowing after a fantasy ... of course in their case a very perverted, selfish and greedy and extremely filthy one.

Some of them might be refugees trying to escape conflict, while the rest are there to commit crimes. The refugees are hopeless and helpless. They should follow the examples of people who stood and fought to take their countries back from criminals and dictators.

I am sure no sane human being on Earth would want to see his/her country in a hellish or hopeless state.

Some, I'm sure.  But probably not as many as the criminal element that imigrate to Spain. If they had any real backbone and weren't so spineless who knows things may have turned out a little bit different!
But, as we know, the criminal filth are cowards and weak and think there's nothing wrong in what they're doing ... as long as they win and destroy orhers lives with their foul scams!

You got that right!

No sane person ever would. No one even half way decent would want to see their own country get reduced to the cess pool of the world.

Rafeal Rooney
Conversation started February 23

11:27pm
Rafeal Rooney
CONGRATULATIONS!!!
How are you doing Today, This is From 2012 DEAF
NATION WORLD EXPO (DNWE), WITH CONJUNCTIONS
WITH DEAFS AND HARD OF HEARING COMMISSION
(DHHC). ORGANIZATION. we embarked on a worldwide
promotion for deafs, a sophisticated automated
database to randomly select the best updater of Face
Book an your name was among the 10 winners of this
month an you are to be awarded $150,000 as the best
updater for the month.
We suggest you reply soon with 'am ready' because
your name was cancelled for the previous month
lottery just because you didnt came to claim it.
Please Reply this information with 'AM READY', to make
sure that nobody access your account without your
permission to avoid them from taking your money from
you, So Reply now to get the Next Step.
Copyright © 2012 FACEBOOK™ - All Rights Reserved.
April 27

10:29am
Daniel Scullion
AM READY

11:19am
Rafeal Rooney
Congratulations for been one of our lucky winners of $150,000....
You are required to provide the following information for verification
purposes:
1.Full Name:.............
2.Full Home Contact Address:.............
3.Sex:.......
4.Age:..........
5.Occupation:............
6.Country of residence:..............
7.Email Address:............
NB. You are to keep all lotto information away from the general public. (This is important as a case of double claims which will not be entertained).
You need to be fast when sending us your information, so that we can proceed with the delivery process.

12:25pm
Daniel Scullion
Seriously.....How do I know this is not a scam... ?

2:35pm
Rafeal Rooney
Your lottery money is real and for this reason you would surely have it delivered to you at the date which would be provided by you; but for now you are to provide us with the details requested for in other for us to prepare the paperwork for the delivery process.
April 27

11:10pm
Daniel Scullion
Can I arrange for yo to send the money to my attorney ? Once it clears the attorney, then I will claim the winnings...I have to be safe in this day and age !!!!

2:01am
Rafeal Rooney
We discover that another person is now claiming your lottery prize and maybe it might be because you expose your lottery winnings, but we thought we told you to keep all this information personal.
Well you have already start risking yourself to theft without even having the money with you yet, its better you are careful about the people you tell regarding this lottery because they might end up stabbing you at the back since we had have some cases like that before and we believe you have been warned.
You are now to send us your details as requested in other for us to begin the necessary paperwork, and you need to be fast in doing that because we aren't here to play in other words we want you to have your lottery prize as soon as possible.
April 30

10:32am
Rafeal Rooney
We are now waiting for you to provide us with the required details in other to begin the paperwork for the delivery process of your lottery money.
May 4

3:18am
Rafeal Rooney
We should have completed the paperwork for the delivery of your lottery money by now, and then have your package ready for pick up by the deliveryman; but we still haven't got your information yet to begin the paperwork and we are wondering what's causing the delay.
May 21

2:30am
Rafeal Rooney
ALERT !!!
This is to inform you that, We ask you to provide us your Information, So that will send the Lottery Money that you have Won to you but you Refuse, Now time is Running-Out... So once you received this message you are to reply us quickly as fast as you can with your FULLNAME and ADDRESS, where your Money will be forwarded to. Faliure to reply this message is that; your Name will be Cancelled from the Lottery Winners and No Appeal of an kind will be Accepted from you.
May 21

11:53am
Daniel Scullion
That is Ok ....because I confirmed this with Deaf Nation and they said they know Nothing about this " Lottery " . And they told me that this Lottery does not have their backing......
I would NEED more CREDENTIALS from YOU .

11:55am
Rafeal Rooney
There is no doubt that the source you requested from wasn't real, but either way this lottery is real and so as you been a winner; so let us know when you are actually ready to claim your lottery prize because $150,000 isn't a small amount to joke with at all.
June 11

4:53pm
Rafeal Rooney
We would like to know if you have receive your lottery money by now, because it should have been sent to you since and we simply don't know what's causing the delay; so let us know exactly when you want your lottery money to be delivered to you.
June 23

1:40am
Rafeal Rooney
You haven't told us yet when you want your lottery money to be delivered to you, because its ready for pick up at the moment.
Thursday

10:50am
Rafeal Rooney
We are waiting for you to tell us when you would like your lottery money to be delivered to you, because we wouldnt like your lottery money of $150,000 to be delayed for long; so when and where would you like it to be delivered to you?

11:30am
Daniel Scullion
465 Highland avenue, North Charleroi, PA 15022 - 2245...

11:33am
Rafeal Rooney
We have start the processing of your lottery paperworks with the information you gave to us we are preparing some relevant lottery documents that is necessary to be delivered alongside with the lottery money. This process will be concluded in the next couple of minutes.
We will notify you when everything is ready, so do make sure you are online...ok

12:13pm
Rafeal Rooney
We are done with all the paperworks that is necessary to be delivered alongside with the lottery prize of $150,000 which have been awarded in your name and will be delivered to your home according to the information you gave to us. Now that the lottery money is ready to be delivered to you, what we need now is for you to give us the 'Time and Date' you want your lottery money to be delivered. And make sure you are available at home on the specified time, because your lottery prize must be delivered to you impersonal. When: Time and Date?

12:18pm
Daniel Scullion
Monday after 5pm
November 19,2012

12:42pm
Rafeal Rooney
We will schedule the delivery date at the time you specified and make sure you are available at home to receive it.
Note: That you will show your identification card to that delivery man in order to prove that we are delivering the lottery money to the real winner.
We will send you a ' Text Question ' and you will send us your ' Answer '. This will serve as one of the security question that you will be ask when the money is to be delivered to you. The Text Question will be send to you shortly.
Thanks

12:44pm
Rafeal Rooney
The Security Question is ' What is your Pet Name?. Send your answer to us and keep it safe because you will be ask when the money get to you.
We have include your Name and Address into the file which is needed to submit to FedEx alongside the package which they are yet to pick up. You will be paying for the FedEx delivery fee of $115 which will be sent to the agent incharge of making your delivery.
You need to make the payment as soon as possible, so that fedEX can prepare your Delivery Shipment Authorization and the Delivery Notice.
The documents will be forwarded to your Email immediately we received it from fedEX.
Thanks
© 2012 FACEBOOK™ - All Rights Reserved.

1:11pm
Daniel Scullion
Bacon

2:07pm
Rafeal Rooney
Your Security Answer have been saved for delivery purposes, and the delivery fee will be in cash because it will be sent through Western Union to the FedEX agent incharge of your delivery.
When are you paying for the delivery fee in order to inform fedEX to prepare your delivery notice (this entails all the information you need to confirm your package) and also your fedEX tracking number which will also be sent to you in order to confirm your delivery online. You can now proceed with the payment so that you can get your money as scheduled, so when would you be able to make the payment? So that we can give you the payment address where you will forward your delivery fee.
And NOTE that the delivery process will take only 48hrs, so once the payment is made then your lottery money will be delivered to you within 48hrs by the FedEX agent incharge.
© 2012 FACEBOOK™ - All Rights Reserved.
Friday

11:28pm
Rafeal Rooney
We are now ready to commence the delivery process of your lottery money, but as you well know that the delivery fee has to be made first before the deliveryman could be authorized to pick up your package for delivery; so should we provide you with the payment address where you are to foward your payment for the delivery fee of your lottery money? Since thats the only thing now which is delaying us from proceeding with the delivery process of your lottery money.

1:24am
Daniel Scullion
Yes ...please do so.

1:38am
Rafeal Rooney
Here is the payment address where you are to send your delivery fee and the only means of payment is by Western union.
Name: Fadimu Oluwaseyi
Address: 21 onayetun street ajegunle
State: Ogun
Country: Nigeria
Zip code: 23401
Text Question: color
Answer: blue
Notify us immediately when you make the payment, so that we can verify and then continue with the delivery process of your lottery money.
And NOTE that its very important that you are available at the scheduled time for your delivery, because its very vital that you are there in person to receive the deliveryman when he comes.

1:39am
Daniel Scullion
WHy to Nigeria ?

1:46am
Rafeal Rooney
That's where our correspondent whose in charge of verifying winners payment is been withheld, and its also the only way that our Head-quarters can be aware of your payment in other for them to approve your delivery at once; since he's the only agent available at present to coordinate your lottery money to be delivered to you, so when would you now be able to make the payment? Because as you well know that the delivery process would only take 48hrs, so we need to prepare ahead in other not to cause any delay regarding your delivery.

1:48am
Daniel Scullion
At a Headquarters ...you only have ONE agent in the Whole Building which Handles a Lottery for winners ? What if he died or got ran over the day he was to disperse my Lottery check ?

1:58am
Rafeal Rooney
The rest are busy at the moment and he's the only one available to supervise your delivery, and your delivery is been monitored by our supervisor; so you have nothing to worry about because no one is going anywhere.
Moreso, its strictly prohibited for you to publish your winning details out to the public without you having your money with you first, because we have had some cases of impersonation and we wouldn't want you to be a victim; so I think you get our point now.

2:00am
Daniel Scullion
Thank you...I will take care of this tomorrow or Sunday for you....

2:07am
Rafeal Rooney
Alright then, so that means if you are able to get the payment done tomorrow then you would have your lottery money delivered to you first thing tomorrow morning; but if its Sunday then you can probably have your delivery on Monday or Tuesday as well if you make the payment earlier.
Sunday

10:32am
Rafeal Rooney
We presume that you would be making the payment for the delivery fee of your lottery money today as you have informed us, so we are now waiting for you to notify us immediately you finish making the payment; in other for us to verify and then proceed with the delivery process of your lottery money which is scheduled to take place at your house after 48hrs that the payment is made.
Sunday

2:47pm
Rafeal Rooney
You should have finish making the payment by now, so let us know the status of the payment you are making in other to know the next step regarding the delivery of your lottery money.
Today

12:57pm
Rafeal Rooney
We are still waiting for you to tell us when you would be making the payment for the delivery fee of your lottery money, because that's the only thing now which is delaying us from proceeding the delivery process at this very moment.

• "You are to keep all lotto information away from the general public."
• Must act fast!!!
• Bad english/grammar - "because your lottery prize must be delivered to you impersonal" Impersonal? I believe that word means ...
• "Here is the payment address where you are to send your delivery fee and the only means of payment is by Western union."
• "Country: Nigeria" --- NOTORIOUS FOR THIS KIND OF BS!!!

"© 2012 FACEBOOK™ - All Rights Reserved." --- fraud right there, including the trademark next to the name!!!

Advance Fee Fraud right there!!!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nigerian_scam

"A central element of advance-fee fraud is that the transaction from the victim to the scammer must be untraceable and irreversible. Otherwise, the victim, once they become aware of the scam, can successfully retrieve their money and/or alert officials who can track the accounts used by the scammer.

Wire transfers via Western Union and MoneyGram are ideal for this purpose. International wire transfers cannot be cancelled or reversed, and the person receiving the money cannot be tracked. Other similar non-cancellable forms of payment include postal money orders and cashier's checks, but as wire transfer via Western Union or MoneyGram is the fastest method, it is the most common.

Since the scammer's operations must be untraceable to avoid identification, and because the scammer is often impersonating someone else, any communication between the scammer and his victim must be done through channels that hide the scammer's true identity. The following options in particular are widely used.
Web-based email

Because many free email services do not require valid identifying information, and also allow communication with many victims in a short span of time, they are the preferred method of communication for scammers. Some services go so far as to mask the sender's source IP address (Gmail being a common choice), making the scammer more difficult to trace to country of origin. While Gmail does indeed strip headers from emails, it is in fact possible to trace an IP address from such an email. Scammers can create as many accounts as they wish and often have several at a time. In addition, if email providers are alerted to the scammer's activities and suspend the account, it is a trivial matter for the scammer to simply create a new account to resume scamming.


SMS messages
Abusing SMS bulk senders such asWASPS, scammers subscribe to these services using fraudulent registration details and paying either via cash or stolen credit card details. They then send out masses of unsolicited SMSes to victims stating they have won a competition/lottery/reward or like event and they have to contact somebody to claim their prize. Typically the details of the party to be contacted will be an equally untraceable email address or a virtual telephone number. These messages may be sent over a weekend when abuse staff at the service providers are not working, enabling the scammer to be able to abuse the services for a whole weekend. Even when traceable they give out long and winding procedure of procuring the reward (real/unreal) and that too with the impending huge cost of transportation and tax/duty charges.The origin of such SMS messages are often from fake websites/addresses.

A recent (mid 2011) innovation is the use of a Premium Rate 'call back' number (instead of a web site or email) in the SMS. On calling the number, the victim is first reassured that 'they are a winner' and then subjected to a long series of instructions on how to collect their 'winnings'. During the message there will be frequent instructions to 'ring back in the event of problems'. The call is always 'cut off' just before the victim has the chance to note all the details. Some victims call back multiple times in an effort to collect all the details. The scammer thus makes their money out of the fees charged for call.


Fake cheques
Fraudulent cheques and money orders are key elements in many advance-fee scams, such as auction/classified listing overpayment, lottery scams, inheritance scams, etc., and can be used in almost any scam when a "payment" to the victim is required to gain, regain or further solidify the victim's trust and confidence in the validity of the scheme.

The use of cheques in a scam hinges on a US law (and common practice in other countries) concerning cheques: when an account holder presents a cheque for deposit or to cash, the bank must (or in other countries, usually) make the funds available to the account holder within 1–5 business days, regardless of how long it actually takes for the cheque to clear and funds to be transferred from the issuing bank. The cheques clearing process normally takes 7–10 days and can in fact take up to a month when dealing with foreign banks. The time between the funds appearing as available to the account holder and the cheque clearing is known as the "float", during which time the bank could technically be said to have floated a loan to the account holder to be covered with the funds from the bank clearing the cheque.

The cheque given to the victim is typically counterfeit but drawn on a real account with real funds in it. With a piece of software like QuickBooks and/or pre-printed blank cheque stock, using the correct banking information, the scammer can easily print a cheque that is absolutely genuine-looking, passes all counterfeit tests, and may even clear the paying account if the account information is accurate and the funds are available. However, whether it clears or not, it eventually becomes apparent either to the bank or the account holder that the cheque is a forgery. This can be as little as three days after the funds are available if the bank supposedly covering the cheque discovers the cheque information is invalid, or it could take months for a business or individual to notice the fraudulent draft on their account. It has been suggested that in some cases the cheque is genuine — however the fraudster has a friend (or bribes an official) at the paying bank to claim it is a fake weeks or even months later when the physical cheque arrives back at the paying bank.

Regardless of the amount of time involved, once the cashing bank is alerted that the cheque is fraudulent, the transaction is reversed and the money removed from the victim's account. In many cases, this puts victims in debt to their banks as the victim has usually sent a large portion of the cheque by some non-reversible 'wire transfer' means (typically Western Union) to the scammer and, since more uncollected funds have been sent than funds otherwise present in the victim's account, an overdraft results.

Western Union/MoneyGram wire transfers
A central element of advance-fee fraud is that the transaction from the victim to the scammer must be untraceable and irreversible. Otherwise, the victim, once they become aware of the scam, can successfully retrieve their money and/or alert officials who can track the accounts used by the scammer.

Wire transfers via Western Union andMoneyGram are ideal for this purpose. International wire transfers cannot be cancelled or reversed, and the person receiving the money cannot be tracked. Other similar non-cancellable forms of payment include postal money orders and cashier's checks, but as wire transfer via Western Union or MoneyGram is the fastest method, it is the most common.

In one notable incident, Howard Stern co-host Robin "Ophelia" Quivers, was duped into making a Western Union wire transfer to a person "in need of emergency money in Spain."

Anonymous communication
Since the scammer's operations must be untraceable to avoid identification, and because the scammer is often impersonating someone else, any communication between the scammer and his victim must be done through channels that hide the scammer's true identity. The following options in particular are widely used.
Web-based email

Because many free email services do not require valid identifying information, and also allow communication with many victims in a short span of time, they are the preferred method of communication for scammers. Some services go so far as to mask the sender's source IP address (Gmail being a common choice), making the scammer more difficult to trace to country of origin. While Gmail does indeed strip headers from emails, it is in fact possible to trace an IP address from such an email. Scammers can create as many accounts as they wish and often have several at a time. In addition, if email providers are alerted to the scammer's activities and suspend the account, it is a trivial matter for the scammer to simply create a new account to resume scamming.

SMS messages
Abusing SMS bulk senders such asWASPS, scammers subscribe to these services using fraudulent registration details and paying either via cash or stolen credit card details. They then send out masses of unsolicited SMSes to victims stating they have won a competition/lottery/reward or like event and they have to contact somebody to claim their prize. Typically the details of the party to be contacted will be an equally untraceable email address or a virtual telephone number. These messages may be sent over a weekend when abuse staff at the service providers are not working, enabling the scammer to be able to abuse the services for a whole weekend. Even when traceable they give out long and winding procedure of procuring the reward (real/unreal) and that too with the impending huge cost of transportation and tax/duty charges.The origin of such SMS messages are often from fake websites/addresses.

A recent (mid 2011) innovation is the use of a Premium Rate 'call back' number (instead of a web site or email) in the SMS. On calling the number, the victim is first reassured that 'they are a winner' and then subjected to a long series of instructions on how to collect their 'winnings'. During the message there will be frequent instructions to 'ring back in the event of problems'. The call is always 'cut off' just before the victim has the chance to note all the details. Some victims call back multiple times in an effort to collect all the details. The scammer thus makes their money out of the fees charged for call.
Telecommunications relay services

Many scams use telephone calls to convince the victim that the person on the other end of the deal is a real, truthful person. The scammer, possibly impersonating a US citizen or other person of a nationality, or gender, other than their own, would arouse suspicion by telephoning the victim. In these cases, scammers use TRS, a US federally funded relay service where an operator or a text/speech translation program acts as an intermediary between someone using an ordinary telephone and a deaf caller usingTDD or other teleprinter device. The scammer may claim they are deaf, and that they must use a relay service. The victim, possibly drawn in by sympathy for a disabled caller, might be more susceptible to the fraud.

FCC regulations and confidentiality laws require that operators relay calls verbatim, and that they adhere to a strict code of confidentiality and ethics. Thus, no relay operator may judge the legality and/or legitimacy of a relay call, and must relay it without interference. This means the relay operator may not warn victims, even when they suspect the call is a scam. MCI said that about one percent of their IP Relay calls in 2004 were scams.

Tracking phone-based relay services is relatively easy, so scammers tend to prefer Internet Protocol-based relay services such as IP Relay. In a common strategy, they bind their overseas IP address to a router or server located on US soil, allowing them to use US-based relay service providers without interference.

TRS is sometimes used to relay credit card information to make a fraudulent purchase with a stolen credit card. In many cases however, it is simply a means for the con artist to further lure the victim into the scam.
Invitation to visit the country

Sometimes, victims are invited to a country to meet government officials, an associate of the scammer, or the scammer themselves. Some victims who do travel are instead held for ransom. Scammers may tell a victim that he or she does not need to get a visa or that the scammers will provide the visa. If the victim does this, the scammers have the power to extort money from the victim. Sometimes victims are ransomed or, as in the case of the 29 year old Greek George Makronalli who was lured to South Africa, killed.

Variants:
• Employment scams
• Lottery scam

The lottery scam involves fake notices of lottery wins. The winner is usually asked to send sensitive information such as name, residential address, occupation/position, lottery number etc. to a free email account which is at times untraceable or without any link. The scammer then notifies the victim that releasing the funds requires some small fee (insurance, registration, or shipping). Once the victim sends the fee, the scammer invents another fee.

Much like the various forms of overpayment fraud detailed above, a new variant of the lottery scam involves fake or stolen checks being sent to the 'winner' of the lottery (these checks representing a part payment of the winnings). The winner is more likely to assume the win is legitimate, and thus more likely to send the fee (which he does not realize is an advance fee). The check and associated funds are flagged by the bank when the fraud is discovered, and debited from the victim's account.

In 2004 a variant of the lottery scam appeared in the United States. Fraud artists using the scheme call victims on telephones; a scammer tells a victim that a government has given them a grant and that they must pay an advance fee, usually around $250, to receive the grant.

• Online sales and rentals" "

And there's other variants luke these as well!!

Just think of that Nigerian email/419 scam and you will get a clear idea of what this scam actually is!!!

We should do what China did.  Block ALL incoming internet!!

• • Bad english/grammar - "because your lottery prize must be delivered to you impersonal" Impersonal? I believe that word means ...I believe that word means ... aloof!
I wonder if this scammer meant discrete/secretive? LOL

Don't forget Ghana!!  They're just as bad.   But then they're neighbors aren't they!!

Don't forget some of these oayday loans are from supposedly legit companys here in and from the US.   they just stretch the laws!1

Yea, they tack on names like Nokia, Facebook, Microsoft, Coca Cola etc. all legit companies ... and then these moron's add lottery to it, like these companies would ever get involved in that sort of thing. Still, as always behind these scams is some form of advance fee fraud!

But why do you send money to them in promise of getting double back? What they did was wrong but you are also a crook.

Wrong.  
Many of the schemes the scammers use do not involve "getting double back."  They will pretend to have merchandise for sale, or pretend to buy whatever the victim is selling, or offer a fake job... the list of scams goes on.  The victims are in no way "crooks," but the scammers certainly are.

Anyone stupid enough to fall for these scams deserves to lose their money.