[Nhcoll-l] Nepal "visiting researcher" scam revisited
Bentley, Andrew Charles
abentley at ku.edu
Fri Jul 12 13:20:42 EDT 2013
Doug
As far as I can tell this has nothing to do with the Indian Dr. Haq specimen scam and has very different motives associated with it... I am not sure I understand the motivation behind this kind of request and whether it is indeed fraudulent. Surely no-one would issue a visa to anyone based on an email saying "sure, you can visit my collection"???
Andy
A : A : A :
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Andy Bentley
Ichthyology Collection Manager
University of Kansas
Biodiversity Institute
Dyche Hall
1345 Jayhawk Boulevard
Lawrence, KS, 66045-7561
USA
Tel: (785) 864-3863
Fax: (785) 864-5335
Email: abentley at ku.edu<mailto:abentley at ku.edu>
http://ichthyology.biodiversity.ku.edu<http://ichthyology.biodiversity.ku.edu/>
SPNHC President-Elect
http://www.spnhc.org
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From: nhcoll-l-bounces at mailman.yale.edu [mailto:nhcoll-l-bounces at mailman.yale.edu] On Behalf Of Doug Yanega
Sent: Friday, July 12, 2013 11:58 AM
To: nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu; taxacom at mailman.nhm.ku.edu; entomo-l at listserv.uoguelph.ca
Subject: [Nhcoll-l] Nepal "visiting researcher" scam revisited
Apologies for x-posting, but this is important. If you are affiliated with a research institution, please take the time to read through everything; this has affected people in the EU, Canada, and US in the past, and may be more extensive.
We just received the following "request", which should look familiar to several of you (Andy Bentley and Heather Thorwald, especially), and new to others:
-------- Original Message --------
Subject:
university visit
Date:
Fri, 12 Jul 2013 07:44:57 -0700
From:
Dr. Ram Kailash P. Yadav <dr.ram12 at yahoo.com><mailto:dr.ram12 at yahoo.com>
Reply-To:
Dr. Ram Kailash P. Yadav <dr.ram12 at yahoo.com><mailto:dr.ram12 at yahoo.com>
To:
douglas.yanega at ucr.edu<mailto:douglas.yanega at ucr.edu> <douglas.yanega at ucr.edu><mailto:douglas.yanega at ucr.edu>
It's my great opportunity to introduce you my self . I am Associate Professor Dr. Ram Kailash P. Yadav Tribhuvan University central Department of Botany and part time i involved my self as a Researcher in Research and Conservation of Nature Nepal (RECON) and . It was originally established with the objectives of natural resource management, conservation, applied research on the biodiversity, ecology of both flora, fauna , Cultural,Private Viewing for Cultural or Academic Research and the development of human resources through in-country training , in wildlife techniques, community participation techniques, community forestry, conservation education .The RECON, established by late "Oohi"Govinda Bahadur Gurung, the pioneer taxidermist and naturalist in Nepal, is dedicated to the research of floral, faunal, archaeological, geological and natural resources within county since 2001 AD. With the aim of conservation of different zoological, botanical species as well as natural resources, we are running our organization. RECON is providing Vocational training on Taxidermy and wildlife art in close collaboration in Kathmandu, Nepal. The training is three to six months long based on the curriculum and its intensity. Here is brilliant and expert teacher in this museum. After taking this training, the museum will send to test of International level of training in foreign area .Therefore, I would like to visit your university,university Museum and respective collection departments with my colleagues in near future as a part of scholarly visit to receive and share research knowledge and scientific activities with your experts. Hence, I hereby, humbly request you to arrange a time schedule for our scholarly visit to your renowned institution on July 2013.
Sincerely,
Associate Prof.Dr.Ram Kailash P.Yadav
Central Department of Botany
Tribhuvan University
Kiritipur,Kathmandu,Nepal
Post Box: 26429
Phone:-+977-1-4331322,433372
E-mail:-dr.ram12 at yahoo.com<mailto:E-mail%3A-dr.ram12 at yahoo.com>
Website:http://www.cdbtu.edu.np<http://www.cdbtu.edu.np/>
www.recon.org.np<http://www.recon.org.np/>
Here's the thing about this:
There are two very different scams out of India/Nepal targeting US museums; the "please send specimens (so we can sell them)" scam and the "please send a formal invitation (so we can issue a fraudulent visa)" scam. The former seems to be fairly limited in terms of targeting places that might actually have preserved vertebrates. The latter targets any and all museums, including ours. Over the years, we've gotten at least 3 requests directly, phrased very much like the one below, which I got last year:
-----------
Date: Mon, 7 May 2012 11:52:48 -0700
Subject: visit of ento museum
From: Ishwarbhai Patel <dr.ispatel at gmail.com><mailto:dr.ispatel at gmail.com>
To: <douglas.yanega at ucr.edu><mailto:douglas.yanega at ucr.edu>
Sir,
I have came to know to that you have prestigious entomological museum. Now a days I am in California and intend to see your museum as I am basically Agricultural entomologist working on various
aspctes of Integrated Pest Management at Research institute in Gujarat state, INDIA.You are requested to give permission to see the museum.
with kind regards
thanks
--
Dr. I. S. Patel
Research Scientist (Ento.) & PI (Helicoverpa)
AICRP on Pigeonpea
Centre of Excellence for Research on Pulses
S. D. Agricultural University
Sardarkrushinagar-385506, Dist. B.K.,
Gujarat (INDIA)
02742-266802(R)
02748-278459(O)
09898208274 (Mob)
-----------
The interesting thing is that, according to their website, there is no I.S. Patel on the staff of the Centre of Excellence for Research on Pulses in Sardarkrushinagar - and a message to the director there asking about him was ignored. This is the same pattern as in previous requests we have received; they always ask for a letter of invitation or permission, the message originates from a suspiciously non-official email address (hotmail, gmail or yahoo), and no such person appears to be employed at whatever institution they claim to be from (if such an institution exists). Sometimes, the person exists, but the e-mail is fraudulent. In this present case, I sent a message to the REAL Dr. Ram's institutional address for confirmation that the message was sent by him. I do not expect confirmation.
This was a major topic in the museum community back in 2009 with a spate of messages sent to many collections, nearly all with requests from Nepal. Here are three of the relevant sets of messages, with numbers to group them by threads (anonymized):
(1)-----------
Dear Dr.XXX
thank you very very much for your kindly email.
I would like to take this opportunity to inform you that Zoological
&Botanical Garden of Kathmandu, Nepal. It is one of the major
Biodiverdiversity research institutions in Nepal. The mail objectives of
the institution are.
To conduct Taxonomic, zoogeographic and phylogentetic studies, a wide
range research for the exploration of flora and fauna and biological
diversity of the earth. To establish a biological collection institution
and maintain it under optimal living conditions, in an effort to preserve
rare animals and plants threatened with extinction.
Fulfills objectives of sustainable development, to ensure clean and healthy
natural environment not only for present generation but also future
generation to come.
To conserve Nepal's natural resources and serve as a research and
educational facility in Nepal for scientists, students, and other
interested scholar
The main focus of the collections of zoology is to conduct research on
the taxonomy about plant .so to study their facilities, new practices on
taxidermy and scientific collections as well as Plant.
Cheers
Dr.Rajkumar Chauhan ( Director)
Zoological and Botanical Garden Kathmandu, Nepal
www.znbgnepal.com<http://www.znbgnepal.com>
> Dear Raja,
> Thank you for sending me the details. I still need your postal address
to
> put on my invitation letter. You haven't even given me the name of your
> institution.
> Sincerely,
>XXX
>> Dear prof.Dr.XXX
>>
>> Our Board Meeting decided that 3 staffs will visit XXX
>> Department of Entomology along with me in September 7-18 2009 for the
>> purpose of scientific research activities about taxonomy about Insect
i am
>> agree about our visit.All our total cost will be covered by our
Museum.
>>
>> Please let me know may i send you details for preparation invitation
>> letter? or do you need format of welcome letter?
>>
>> Hoping you positive responces from you by email.
>>
>> Raja
>> Nepal
which was followed up by:
Dear XXX,
We contacted the phone number provided in the purported website of the
Zoological and Botanical Garden of the Kathmandu. However, the number
turned out to be for a grocery shop. The man who answered the phone
said this office was in the same house awhile back and he recounted they
had a very small operation. The man thought this office no longer
existed. As the credibility of the institution appears questionable, we
do not recommend you send your invitation letter unless Dr. Chauhan
sends you sufficient information about him and his organization to
establish that it a genuine organization.
Regards,
Consular Section
U.S. Embassy
Kathmandu, Nepal
Phone: 977-1-400-7200
Fax: 977-1-400-7281
(2)----------
Date: Mon, 20 Jul 2009 13:02:37 -0600
Thread-Topic: inquiry from Nepal
Thread-Index: AcoJbKXza1uYUpb6TvSogj1UeGLCGg==
From: <xxx>
To: <NHCOLL-L at lists.yale.edu><mailto:NHCOLL-L at lists.yale.edu>
Reply-To: xxx
Sender: owner-nhcoll-l at lists.yale.edu<mailto:owner-nhcoll-l at lists.yale.edu>
If anyone has been contacted by Govinda Bhandari, director of Research and Conservation of Nature Nepal (RECON), regarding an invitation to visit to your institution, I d appreciate it if you would contact me off-list.
---
Subject: RE: [NHCOLL-L:4398] Re: inquiry from Nepal
Date: Mon, 27 Jul 2009 11:06:12 +0100
Thread-Topic: [NHCOLL-L:4398] Re: inquiry from Nepal
Thread-Index: AcoJe2CVjmQnCnYlRUqAmsuXGqVNAQFJeNmA
From: XXX
To: <dyanega at ucr.edu><mailto:dyanega at ucr.edu>
Doug
Similar Nepalese requests but none from this particular name.
I assume all are scams. Once they get visa support from us they would be free to enter the EU and could travel anywhere in Europe without restriction. A small number may be genuine but we have a policy of not supporting any visa application unless we initiate the process rather than being solicited by strangers.
One Nepalese taxidermy museum was very persistent and applied to various email addresses through our museum website after I had clearly explained our policy.
I have also noticed that every time we organise a conference there is a spate of non-national applications, always looking for an 'invitation' as opposed to simply applying themselves.
---
From: owner-nhcoll-l at lists.yale.edu<mailto:owner-nhcoll-l at lists.yale.edu> [mailto:owner-nhcoll-l at lists.yale.edu] On Behalf Of Doug Yanega
Sent: 20 July 2009 21:32
To: NHCOLL-L at lists.yale.edu<mailto:NHCOLL-L at lists.yale.edu>
Subject: [NHCOLL-L:4398] Re: inquiry from Nepal
>If anyone has been contacted by Govinda Bhandari, director of Research
>and Conservation of Nature Nepal (RECON), regarding an invitation to
>visit to your institution, I'd appreciate it if you would contact me
>off-list.
There's a rash of things like this going around, and a few are from legitimate researchers, even if many are not. This is worth discussing on-list.
For one example I encountered recently, Narender Sharma of the Zoological Survey of India appears to be entirely legitimate.
On the other hand, Rajkumar Chauhan of the "Zoological & Botanical Garden of Kathmandu, Nepal" is a fake, and it has been suggested that this is an outfit trying to get people illegally into the US (they use the letter of invitation to get a Visa, and then sell that to a third party).
Other vaguely-similar cases in the past reported here on NHCOLL appear to be fronts for biological supply companies, but this is a different sort of scam; and it's based on the real-life practices of institutions in and around India, soliciting letters of invitation to work abroad.
One cannot safely assume either that they are all real, OR that they are all fakes. You need to investigate carefully on a case-by-case basis. There is no reason to offend legitimate researchers in the process of weeding out the frauds.
To wit: Govinda Bhandari is the name of a PhD student at Kathmandu University in 2008. I find no records, however, relating to any entity known as "Nature Nepal". Unless it is a brand-spanking new NGO, this one is suspicious. It's not impossible for a PhD student to occupy a directorship right after graduation, but it's also not impossible for someone to just grab your name off the web and use it as a legitimate-sounding but hard-to-trace pseudonym.
(3)----------
----------------------
Along this same line I received a request a few years back from an ichthyologist from an African country wanting to visit the Canadian Museum of Nature in Ottawa. He wanted to come and study curatorial techniques (all costs would be covered by a grant he had received) and so I prepared a letter of invitation. All went as planned until the day before his scheduled arrival. At that time I received an email from a hotmail address claiming to be the visitors sister and telling me that the visitor had been in a car accident and would not be coming the next day so I was NOT to bother going to the airport to meet them. In retrospect I feel quite sure this was simply a scam to get illegal entry into Canada (and perhaps from there to the USA). I also realized that the original requests all came from a hotmail address as well and at the time I simply did not question it. Given the circumstances in the world today we need to be diligent and follow up to be sure these are real scientifically based requests.
-----------
-----------
There was another related message, which I can't find in my archives, which gave an important detail regarding how the "letter of invitation" was, at least in India and Nepal, an essential item required in order to obtain a J-1 visa.
I suspect that there are more of these requests being received than people are admitting to: the above are just a few selected responses, but my impression was that lots of people had encountered this, and in the intervening years since the topic died down, it is likely that this has been ongoing but no one is talking about it. It's obviously time to talk about this again, and if anyone else has gotten requests like this recently, PLEASE share this information. The only way this scam will ever be completely shut down is if absolutely everyone knows that it is happening.
I realize it is possible that Dr. Ram Kailash P. Jadav sent this message, and I have sent a message to him to confirm it, but I consider it HIGHLY UNLIKELY, especially given that his institutional e-mail is not via yahoo (see http://cdbtu.edu.np/faculty/dr-ram-kailash-p-yadav). Note that one of the known frauds above also involved a person claiming to be associated with RECON. That alone raises a red flag here. No one should respond to this or similar solicitations until and unless you can obtain independent confirmation that the request is genuine. You should also file away the above information for future reference in case you are contacted with similar requests.
Peace,
--
Doug Yanega Dept. of Entomology Entomology Research Museum
Univ. of California, Riverside, CA 92521-0314 skype: dyanega
phone: (951) 827-4315 (disclaimer: opinions are mine, not UCR's)
http://cache.ucr.edu/~heraty/yanega.html<http://cache.ucr.edu/%7Eheraty/yanega.html>
"There are some enterprises in which a careful disorderliness
is the true method" - Herman Melville, Moby Dick, Chap. 82
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