October 8, 2005
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I don’t know whether to applaud their audacity or their creativity but
these Nigerian scammers simply won’t give up. Often called the 419 Nigerian Advance
Fee Fraud, poor sods get ripped off (either out of greed or ignorance but I
much prefer to think it’s the former) every year resulting in hundreds of
millions of dollars lost. Authorities around the world are saying these scams
aren’t slowing down and you just have to wonder what the Nigerian government is
doing about it.
There have also been some reports
of lives lost and persons
missing with regards to the scams, and there is every indication that
these
scams have escalated thanks to the accessibility of the internet. That
it's still around after so many years is evidence that this clever con
simply works. There was a
time when I received variations of the scams via snail mail, but here’s
one of
several that arrived in my email box recently (note tsunami reference):
From: Williams Joeffrey Ruphus esq.
The inspiration to contact you is simply divine providence,I
am making this proposition because I have to seek the partnership of a resource
person to help me realise this project.
I am Williams Joeffrey Ruphus esq a solicitor and investment consultant based
in
was attending a business luncheon in
introduced to the renowned German businessman and property mogul, Mr Andreas
Schranner(of the blessed memory).
He engaged my services as attorney and investment consultant and my primary
assignment was to spearhead his investment forays in the United Kingdom.three
months later I invited him to London and under my professional guidance and based
on my advice he made a fixed deposit of 30,000,000,00EUR at with security
companies in Germany and Netherlands.
This deposit was for 12months and upon maturity I made effort to contact my
client, I could not reach him or any member of his family. I was forced to
travel to germany and there I got the tragic news that on July 25TH, 2000, my
client Mr Andreas Schranner, his wife maria, their daughter eich and husband
christian and their two children perished in the Air France concorde New York bound flight; please
click here:http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/859479.stm
I have made effort to locate any member of his
family with strong biological links to my late client without success. The
search to find a close relation is one that has consumed time and resources.The institution is asking me to either present a
next of kin to late Andreas Schranner or forfiet the depsosit. My proposal is
to you as next of kin to late Andreas Schranner and process the deposit and
collect the deposits for our mutual benefit.My capacity as solicitor/investment consultant
to my late client gives me the discretion to package and transfer the deposit to
you.
I will give you 30% for your effort, 60% for me
and 10% for Charity and Tsunami Victims. It will amount to injustice if i do
not take this decisive step to secure this deposit, and invest it . The late
Schranner was also a friend in addition to our business relationship.I will wait for your reaction and response and then together we can jumpstart
this project and nurture it to reality.Please, make sure you respond through this my
confidential email
address:
williamruphusesq@katamail.com
orYour swift response is anticipated.
Yours faithfully
Williams Joeffrey Ruphus esq.
Related links:
The 4-1-9 Coalition Website
claims it is fighting scammers through education. Includes country
specific guidelines to help victims from the countries cited.
United States Secret Service Website pretty much covers similar grounds except that it carries a stamp of authority.
Another version of the above con is called the Black Money
scam (in Malaysia, the con is frequently associated with Africans).
Unsuspecting victims are shown a pile of blackened banknotes. Victims
who pay for chemical dye removers end up with useless bundles of paper
and an expensive lesson about greed. South African police warn about
Black Money in this news report.
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