This might be the biggest email scam I've ever seen (you gotta read this)

[Arkitech]

I received this scam in my hotmail account. I wonder how many people actually fell for this





Greetings,
I am Paul Baba, Bank Manager of ORIENT BANK OF
NIGERIA, Lagos Branch. I have urgent and very
confidential business proposition for you.
On November 1997, an American oil consultant/contractor
with the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, Mr.
Barry Kelly made a numbered time (Fixed) deposited for
twelve calendar months, valued at US$25,000,000.00
(Twenty-five Million Dollars) in my branch. Upon
maturity, I sent a routine notification to his
forwarding address but got no reply. After a month, we
sent a reminder and finally we discovered from his
contract employers, Nigerian National Petroleum
Corporation that Mr. Barry Kelly died from an
automobile accident. On further investigation, I found
out that he did not leave a WILL and all attempts to
trace his next of kin were fruitless.
I therefore made further investigation and discovered
that Mr. Barry Kelly did not declare any next of kin
in all his official documents, including his Bank
Deposit paperwork. This sum of US$25,000,000.00 is
still sitting in the Bank and the interest is being
rolled over with the principal sum at the end of each
year. No one will come forward to claim it. According
to the Nigerian Law, at the expiration of 5 (five)
years, the money will revert to the ownership of the
Nigerian Government if nobody applies to claim the
funds.
Consequently, my proposal is that I will like you as a
foreigner to stand in as the next of kin to Mr. Barry
Kelly so that the fruits of this old man?s labor will
not get into the hands of some corrupt officials. This
is simple, I will like you to provide me immediately
with your full names and address so that the attorney
will prepare the necessary documents and affidavits,
which will put you in place as the next of kin. We
shall employ the services of two attorneys for
drafting and notarization of the WILL and obtain the
necessary documents and letter of
probate/administration in your favor the transfer. A
bank account in any part of the world, which you
provide, will then facilitate the transfer of this
money to you as the beneficiary/next of kin. The money
will be paid into your account for us to share in the
ratio of 60% for me and 40% for you.
There is no risk at all as all the paperwork for this
transaction will be done by the attorney and my
position as the Branch Manager guarantees the
successful execution of this transaction. If you are
interested, please reply immediately via the private
email address below. Upon your response, I shall then
provide you with more details and relevant documents
that will help you understand. Please observe utmost
confidentiality, and rest assured that this
transaction would be most profitable for both of us
because I shall require your assistance to invest my
share in your country.
Awaiting your urgent reply via
email : pb1@hknetmail.com

Thanks and regards

Paul Baba






Is it just me or does this sound like the beginning of a Quentin Tarantino movie?

 

[PG]

I received this scam in my hotmail account. I wonder how many people actually fell for this

Not many because you seem to be the last person who had not yet seen this or a story about it.

 

[C'DaleRider]

Variants of this has been floating around for several years. Still cannot believe anyone would be foolish enough to believe that out of the blue THEY were chosen out of the billions of people on earth to "stand in" for whatever the email says.

 

[Beau]

I have recieved sooooo many of those. The story differs usually, sometimes it's in egypt, sometimes kenya, and sometimes nigeria.

 

[Arkitech]

Originally posted by: PG

I received this scam in my hotmail account. I wonder how many people actually fell for this

Not many because you seem to be the last person who had not yet seen this or a story about it.

I usually don't open mail from names I don't recognize, but I opened this one because the name is similar to one of my uncle's. I wonder what they do when people send them information.

 

[Cuda1447]

No I swear its real, I made uh... 40 million dollars the last time someone contacted me about it.

I can't wait till sept. when Intel Cuts there prices again I need a good 2.4ghz P4!

 

[ThePresence]

 

[tefunk]

From CNN:

Internet fleecing scams thrive in Nigeria


From Jeff Koinange
CNN Lagos Bureau

LAGOS, Nigeria (CNN) --It begins innocently enough. A letter or an e-mail comes addressed to you from a Nigerian claiming to be the son of a former military head of state, and heir to millions of dollars stashed in secret accounts across the world.

They say you're one of the lucky few selected to receive a certain percentage of it. But there's a catch.

Shahla Ghasemi and her husband, a doctor, lost nearly $400,000 after they were contacted by a man posing as a Nigerian government contractor. What made her believe the initial information was that the man knew exactly who the Ghasemis were.

"Someone in Nigeria left the money for your husband in his will. I said if someone doesn't know us, how can he leave the money for us?" she said.

But after a few more questions, Ghasemi was convinced the letter was legitimate. Their share of the money was $27 million dollars, and all they had to do was send a lawyer's fee of $7,500.

The Ghasemis complied. But there were further requests for more money, and close to half a million dollars in transactions later, the Ghasemis were broke.

In letters, phone calls and especially e-mails, con artists pose as sons of former military dictators laying claims to millions of dollars in offshore accounts. Others still say they're chiefs of villages with exclusive access to oil and diamond concessions.

In Nigeria, it's referred to as 419 -- a colloquialism for advance-fee fraud. And just last month alone there were more than 50 arrests in Nigeria.

Internet cafes in Lagos' busy commercial district make it easy for scammers to reach would-be victims with the simple click of a mouse.

The Nigerian police are even setting up a Web site where victims can report these scams, and posters in the city offer rewards for information leading to the arrest of Web scammers and fraudsters.

With the help of Interpol and the U.S. Secret Service, police these days are locating and shutting down local Internet sites used by scammers. They're also pushing for legislation that will lead to the deregistering of banks that accept large cash transfers from dubious sources.

"We are victims of financial terrorism. Other people have to make sure they throw letters from Nigeria into the garbage," Ghasemi said.

Police admit that their fight against 419ers is an uphill battle. The best advice they can offer is that when in doubt, apply the basic rule of thumb: If it sounds too good to be true, then it probably is.

link

 

[diskop]

Actually been around for decades, starting out as a regular mailing scam