Local internet users have been advised to be alert following an Internet scam inviting them to a global world conference for Human Rights billed for March 10-12 in Washington DC, in the US.

The mail which is circulating amongst various undisclosed recipients is authored by someone claiming to be working for Global Organization for Human Rights inviting them for the conference.

In the scam recipients are asked to contact the conference secretariat for all visa arrangements and travel assistance.

The Botswana Police Public Relations Officer Senior Superintedent, Dipheko Motube said it had been realised that despite warnings in the past about Inernet scams people have fallen for the trap as they continue to send money to enable them to attend the conference without first establishing the authenticity of such an e-mail and in the process being swindled of their money.

Mr Motube said what had been oobserved is that there are no official letter heads with all the addresses as well as the full particulars of the contact persons.

The organizations and the public are therefore urged to be cautious when dealing with matters of this nature especially where invitations are not done in a transparent manner.

Meanwhile, Senior Superintedent Motube said Interpol has also discovered yet another type of scam whereby criminals unlawfully take control of individuals e-mail (e-mail hijacking) and start sending messages to the contact list in the address book. During the e-mail take over, the subscriber would be denied access to his/her e-mail.

He said the message which appears may indicate that the e-mail is experiencing technical problems and that it will be addressed.

The affected e-mail websites are yahoo and hotmail.

The messages are written as if they are from the owners of the e-mail addresses purporting to ask for urgent financial help.

Some of the reasons advanced are that he/she had lost the entire luggage and other important documents hence they are asking for money to cover traveling expenses and that the money would be reimbursed upon arrival at home.

He noted that these impostors usually claim to be stranded far from home.

My Dear Friend, How are you today? Hope all is well with you and your family? You may not understand why this mail came to you. But if you do not remember I or my colleague, you might have received an email from us in the past regarding a million-dollar business proposal which we never concluded.

I am using this opportunity to inform you that this million-dollar business has been concluded with the assistance of another partner from Qatar who financed the transaction to a logical conclusion.I thank you for your great effort to our unfinished transfer of fund into your account due to one reason or the other best known to you. But I want to inform you that I have successfully transferred the fund out of the bank to my new partner’s account in Qatar who assisted me in his great venture but now I am in Qatar for business mission, due to your effort, sincerity, courage and trustworthiness shown during the course of the transaction.

I want to compensate you and show my gratitude to you with the sum of $1,250,000.00 I have left instruction to my secretary to send you a certified international bank draft for you worth of $1,250,000.00 cashable anywhere in the world. My dear friend I will like you to contact my secretary, Miss Mary Femi, on her direct email address at: (missmaryfemi@go2.pl) for the collection of your Bank draft, send to her the name you want the Draft to bear, that is your account name in order for her to submit it to my banker to draw he s Draft on your behalf as I have authorized Miss Mary Femi my secretary and my account officer to release the Bank Draft to you whenever you contact her regarding it. At the moment, I am very busy here in Qatar because of the investment project, which my new partner and I are having at hand.

Please I will like you to accept this token with good faith as this is from the bottom of my heart, also comply with Miss Mary Femi’s directives so that she will send the draft to you without any delay.

NOTE: You are advised not to discuss the matter with anybody except my secretary, also do not to accept any fax or telephone calls that does not come from her because She is the only person I left the order on how to deliver the cheque/draft to you, and you should contact her immediately you receive this message for more information on how you can get the draft via email: (missmaryfemi@go2.pl). Endeavour to send your full Name and telephone number/your current mailing address, {Home or Office} where you want the draft sent to you so that you will not have any problem clearing the Draft.

Thanks, God bless you and your family. FROM JAN KWON.

Experts from Scotland Yard’s e-crime department targeted 100s of web sites that were being run by Asia fraudsters using British domain names. The plan was to make UK online shoppers think that there were dealing with legitimate UK companies. The sites were offering discounted designer items such as jewellery and clothing, police stated that many customers either received forgeries or in most cases received nothing for their money.

A Metropolitan Police spokesman said 1,219 scam websites were closed by detectives working under the code name Operation Papworth.

It’s believed that the websites were offering Ugg boots, jewellery from Tiffany & Co and GHD hair straighteners. Experts from Scotland Yard’s e-crime department co-ordinated Operation Papworth, with the help of Nominet, Nominet is the Internet registry for .UK domain names.

The investigation is still ongoing, no arrest have been made at this time.

http://www.met.police.uk/(Scotland Yard)