Conference registration scam

Few years ago, I submitted a scientific paper to a conference. The paper got accepted and I started arranging for registration and travel. Then, I received an email asking me to pay conference registration as well as hotel reservation fee. But something is wrong.

Actually, I was not the only conference participant to receive this suspicious email. The conference organizers have previously published on the conference's website a list of accepted papers with full details of the authors including email addresses. The scammer picked-up this list and sent an email to each participant. The email was specifically designed for this circumstances with the original name and information of the conference and their organizers. First, it inform the participants that due to some technical problems, the registration and payment procedures have changed. Then, it asks the participants to pay the exact amount of registration fee but also to pay the hotel reservation. The only thing that (must) make someone suspect the message is payment method. Indeed, payment instruction asks to the participants to pay the registration fee by Western Union to a person in an Africa country (the conference was in Turkey). I also checked the sender's email address which turns out to be fake.

I immediately contacted the conference organizers and advised them to remove the participants contact information from the website, to warn all the participants and to report to the police. They reacted quickly and followed my advice. However, I noticed that I was the first to alarm the organizers and concluded that many of the participants did not doubt about the scam email and probably some of them have sent the money to the scammer or planned to do so, thinking that this is the normal registration procedure.

Now, some more interesting details. It appears that we have here two concurrent scammers one from India and one from Nigeria. The first one, targeted the people who did not yet pay their registration and hotel fees. He claims that the conference bank account pasted on the website is no longer accessible and instructs them to make the payment to a bank account in India (BANK OF BARODA).The second scammer, asks the participants to send the payments to bank account in Nigeria or by Western Union. Even those who have already paid using MasterCard or Visa are informed that the money did not successfully reach the organizers and therefore they are instructed to send the payment (again) to the scammer. 



Text of the SCAM email

De : Maltepe University Marmara E»itim Köyü ªubesi [mailto:maltepeuniversity14@googlemail.com]
Envoyé : vendredi, 12. juin 2009 04:39
Objet : ACCOUNT INFORMATION CHANGES AND LAST DATE OF PAYMENTS

 

IMPORTANT INFORMATION TO ALL REGISTERED PARTICIPANT OF THE CONFERENCE

Dear Registered Participant,

This applies to those that have not paid for the conference and Hotel fees.
You are hereby informed that the former University Account pasted in the website is no longer accessible due to the problem the bank is having at the moment.

We have made available the below account information where all payments should be directed
This applies to Iranian and Algerian participants:All participants from these countries are to move to the near by region to make the payment on or before the 15th of June 2009. There shall be no payment at the venue, your payment slip authenticates you are a full registered participant of the conference.


BANK NAME = BANK OF BARODA,UTPAL G.SAU
ACCOUNT NUMBER: CURRENT 25230200000711
BRANCH: VASAI (E), THANE-401209
PAN NUMBER: AXWPS0111P

We shall be summerizing everything about the conference on Tuesday 16th, therefore, we urge you to finish all the necessary arrangements, pay your Conference fee and  Hotel Reservation fee to the above bank account and forward your stamped payment slip to us for immediate verification.

There shall be no elongation of date.

Contact Prof. Kemal Koyen at koyenkemal@live.com for confirmation.

Thank You for your understanding as we look forward to hear from you.

Signed:

Management, Maltepe University

---

De : Aliko Zwingi [mailto:alikozwingi@yahoo.com]
Envoyé : jeudi, 4. juin 2009 04:51
Objet : REMINDER/UPDATE

INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE OF MATHEMATICAL SCIENCES · 04-10 AUGUST , 2009 ISTANBUL, TURKEY DEAR PARTICIPANT, THANK YOU FOR REGISTERING IN THE FORTH COMING CONFERENCE. WE WISH TO INFORM YOU THAT THE FINAL DATE OF PAYMENT HAS BEEN EXTENDED FROM 5TH JUNE TILL 17TH OF JUNE 2009. THIS IS BECAUSE OF THE INABILITY OF US TO MEET UP WITH THE PAYMENTS THE REGISTERED CANDIDATES AS DIRECTED TO THEM BY THE ORGANIZING COMMITTEE. PAYMENT OF CONFERENCE FEE ARE DONE THROUGH BANK AND WESTERN UNION MONEY TRANSFER DEPENDING ON THE REGION, FOR MORE INFORMATION ON HOW TO MAKE THE PAYMENT, PLEASE CONTACT OUR SENIOR ACCOUNTANT OFFICER IN NIGERIA, WEST AFRICA. MR. FREDRICK ADIMS ON +2347034743376 OR EMAIL HIM AT SINEQUA2K@YAHOO.COM  PLEASE NOTE THAT EVERY PAYMENT MUST BE MADE ON OR BEFORE THIS DATE FOR THERE WILL BE NO PAYMENT OR REGISTRATION AT THE CONFERENCE VENUE. HOTEL RESERVATION PAYMENT IS 550EURO AND CONFERENCE FEE IS 200EURO. PAYMENT SLIP ARE TO BE FORWARDED TO US VIA EMAIL FOR VERIFICATION. PAYMENT BY CREDIT CARD SUCH AS MASTER CARD AND VISA CARD ARE NOT ALLOWED BECAUSE OF THE PROBLEM WE ARE HAVING WITH THE HOSTING SITE, THERE ANY PAYMENT THAT HAS BEEN MADE VIA THE SITE HAVE NOT REACHED TO US. SORRY FOR THE INCONVINENCES. THIS IS WHY WE HAVE REQUESTED YOU TO MAKE THE PAYMENT VIA BANK TRANSFER AND WESTERN UNION. THANK YOU AS WE LOOK FORWARD TO SEE YOU AT THE CONFERENCE. MR. ALIKO ZWINGI CONFERENCE COMMITTEE 2009 FOR AND ON BEHALF OF :  PROF.DR. KEMAL KOYMEN -----Message d'origine----- De : Barr Maryjane [mailto:maryjanestan@googlemail.com] Envoyé : vendredi, 5. juin 2009 02:34 Objet : NAMES OF PARTICIPANTS/PAYMENT Dear, We are happy to inform you that we are still looking forward to hear from you on the issue of payments toward your conference fee and Hotel Reservation. Visit this link for confirmation of your name among the participants and make the payments to enable us meet up with things. Refere to the mails sent to you in the former correspondence and make the payment. Below is the names of participants as at May 1st. [[ NDLR : FULL LIST OF PARTICIPANTS WAS HERE, I deleted the names and contact information]] Thank You Prof. Kemal