money transfers to russia

[Ian Ralph]

i have been asked to transfer funds received in my account via western union to russia for which i can keep 10% is this  legitimate business practice as i have been emailed by two other companies with trading websites in the us to do the same thing ?

[Hammer]

Sounds like one of those scams. You pay the 10% the guess what, that's the last you hear of them. Be very very careful.

[GuavaHalf]

DON'T DO IT. It's a well know scam.

[NoGood Boyo]

Keep away! Lots of these come in from Nigeria too.

[saffstar]

Steer well clear - just google 'Nigerian Scam' to find out all you need to know.  It's super dodgy. Or have a look at this:

http://www.silicon.com/research/specialreports/thespamreport/0,39025001,10002928,00.htm

[Sludge]

Fraudsters target individuals and organisations offering significant money-making opportunities. Millions of  e-mails are sent out annually asking victims to offer their bank accounts as the destination for large sums of money in return for a percentage of the funds. Those who respond positively are requested to provide advances in order to overcome various bureaucratic hurdles and free up the promised returns on investment. Victims are often requested to travel to other countries to collect the money, where they unknowingly face further risk from fraud, possible intimidation and even kidnap. In 2002, more than �8 million of losses were reported  directly to UK police forces. However, fraud exploits the gullibility and greed of its victims, often drawing them into colluding with the fraudsters. Some victims are too embarrassed or concerned about the consequences to report their losses, and the true figure may therefore be much higher. Fraudsters are taking advantage of the latest technology. The internet provides a degree of anonymity and the facility to send blanket emails to multiple potential victims. Predictably, the number of reported email approaches has risen considerably. Emails and fax documents are sent from web-based accounts, which are only used for a short period of time before being abandoned. Over the last year, fraudsters have created false internet banking sites to dupe victims. The idea is to persuade the victim to part with more cash by convincing them that the deal is genuine and that they retain some control over their money. Potential victims are provided with the web address, an account number and a PIN number with which they can access their 'account'. When they do so they find details purporting to show that a large amount of money has been transferred into it. The identities of genuine companies and financial institutions are sometimes 'hijacked' to help deceive the victims