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hickey · May 22, 2007, 03:28 PM

This has to be one of the more interesting pieces of spam/scam mail I've gotten:

TN Sir/Madam,

I strongly regret any inconvenience the receipt of this letter may cause you, bearing in mind the nature of its content coming from a person without any referral, but please read and assimilate its content and objectively consider if we can work together.

I am the head of the account department of a Private Bank in London and I would like to intimate you with certain facts that I believe would be of interest to you.

This involves a client who shared the same last name with you and had an investment placed under our bank's management years ago, the circumstances surrounding the investment made by this client who died interstate, with no known norminated successor in title over this
investment made with the Private Banking Branch of my bank has made it very difficult to locate anyone who is directly related to the deceased.

With the very strong feeling that no one will ever come forward to claim the funds and the investigation coming to an end after several months, the need for an assistance becomes crucial, as a next of kin to the depositor is earnestly being searched for, I have already developed a foolproof,legal and totally risk free means through which the fund can be
released to your norminated bank account within a very short time after due
documentation and authentification process.

The strategy is to use my position and influence as the Head of the branch and Personal Account officer of the deceased to present you as a next of Kin and beneficiary of the fund. I want to assure you that I have concluded all local modalities for the successful completion of this transaction within 10 banking days of your agreement to proceed with me as the
required assistance is perfected to be 100% risk free.

Please if you are interested to assist in this transaction kindly direct your response to my private mail box immediately and I will advice you on what we need to do.

Best regards,

VAN MARTINS.
Tel +447024074162
D/ E mail [email protected]

And I have no family in England, so the chances of it being legit are almost impossible.

Dakarʒ · May 22, 2007, 03:29 PM

You can never be sure.

Graviton · May 22, 2007, 03:31 PM

I've thought of doing an Email scam, but instead of asking for money I'd ask people to send a kidney.

Just to see how many kidneys I can get.

analogue SPRINKLES · May 22, 2007, 03:34 PM

This line ends the "Is it spam" discussion.

"I have already developed a foolproof,legal and totally risk free means through which the fund can be
released to your norminated bank account within a very short time after due documentation and authentification process."

irunat2am · May 22, 2007, 03:42 PM

yahoo.ca ..that's some seriously professional bank address action. Wee-haw!

Good luck on your idea Grav. I think you'll be rollin' in those kidneys!

Sherman Homan · May 22, 2007, 03:49 PM

'norminated'

Google the word 'norminated'.

Looks like the only time the word is used is in Nigerian email scam letters. And misspellings!

analogue SPRINKLES · May 22, 2007, 03:50 PM

Anyone want to try calling that number and see what it says on the machine?

kernokerno · May 22, 2007, 03:56 PM

When I was poor, i recieved that same e-mail.

hickey · May 22, 2007, 03:58 PM

well then Im glad im poor too, I wouldnt want a rich bloke getting this email

mdc · May 22, 2007, 03:58 PM

I agree with analogue SPRINKLES. As soon as I read that line I thought "spam."
I also found it strange that they are"the head of the account department of a Private Bank in London" and yet can't get a @privatebankinlondon email address? The phone number also points to london and yet the email address is a Canada .ca domain?

olePigeon · May 22, 2007, 04:04 PM

Open up a PO box then tell them to send you $300, because there's a wiretransfer application fee for such a large amount of money.

mdc · May 22, 2007, 04:16 PM

Originally Posted by analogue SPRINKLES

Anyone want to try calling that number and see what it says on the machine?

Me: Phone 07024074162 and tell me who you get.
Friend in London: Thanks, I just called someone in Nigeria.

Well I guess that answers that one.

hickey · May 22, 2007, 04:16 PM

might be worth a shot

hickey · May 22, 2007, 04:16 PM

Originally Posted by mdc

Me: Phone 07024074162 and tell me who you get.
Friend in London: Thanks, I just called someone in Nigeria.

Well I guess that answers that one.

haha Nice one!

analogue SPRINKLES · May 22, 2007, 04:23 PM

I like how his email also includes his date of birth which is the standard for professional bankers.

olePigeon · May 22, 2007, 04:26 PM

authentification ? Is that used outside of the US? We just say "authentication" here.

Mastrap · May 22, 2007, 04:46 PM

This is the oldest scam in the book - it actually predates the internet, it was originally a fax scam. And still people are falling for it.

There's an amusing website out there dealing with these guys, Welcome to the 419 Eater

peeb · May 22, 2007, 04:57 PM

The person died 'interstate', it's possible he died while traveling between states, rather than without a will, but....

mduell · May 22, 2007, 05:13 PM

Just another 419 scam.

Big Mac · May 22, 2007, 05:38 PM

I recently got what seems to be a very sophisticated PayPal spoof - at least PayPal claims it was. The strange thing is, it addressed the account owner by name, had a link to paypal.com, and more importantly its headers seemed to confirm it came from PayPal. The outgoing IP address was owned by eBay Inc, and it even had a paypal.com domain key signature. I have to imagine it was sent through an exploited system on PayPal's end because it looks so legitimate there is virtually no way to differentiate it from a real PayPal message.

- - e r i k - - · May 23, 2007, 03:08 AM

How is this in any way weird? It reads like a standard 419 to me. I have hundreds of these and some far more entertaining. I want my money back

hickey · May 23, 2007, 01:02 PM

well this is my first email of this type. so I enjoyed it.

peeb · May 23, 2007, 01:15 PM

The most frightening ones of these I have seen are actually relatively professional looking and use postal mail.

Kerrigan · May 23, 2007, 02:41 PM

I saw an MSNBC documentary on online identity theft, and there are Nigerian scammers in London convincing fat, depressed Americans that they are actually professional models who run successful businesses too. The scammers then propose over the internet to marry these Americans, and then after that, they suck them dry.

peeb · May 23, 2007, 03:54 PM

Well, I'm depressed that anyone would marry someone, or give money to someone that they have only met over the internet.

ghporter · May 23, 2007, 09:38 PM

Why would a banker in the UK have a Yahoo Canada email address? Because it ain't real? BINGO!

It's an interesting spin on the old Nigerian scam, but that misspelling is a great giveaway that it's just a scam.

dcmacdaddy · May 23, 2007, 10:16 PM

Hmm, a client who dies "interstate" instead of intestate (without a will) gave it away for me. The funny thing is I used to work with a Nigerian guy who talked like this. He was born in Nigeria and attended schools in England but never quite mastered the subtleties of English vocabulary and was always using the wrong word (like using "assimilate" above to mean absorb/comprehend/understand). I don't know if this is indicate of how Nigerians learn English or, perhaps, a reflection of their native-born language structure and syntax. But I find it amusing.

mdc · May 25, 2007, 03:05 PM

I put my PowerBook on Craigslist about an hour ago and just received this email.

Hello seller,
I will like to know if this item is still available for sell? because i want to buy it for Husband for his birthday and i will be paying you with my paypal account or western the money to you by email me your name and address...please try and get back to me the total cost of item and shipping fee to him in Nigeria as soon as possible...get back to me with your paypal email address or send me invoice via your paypal to mine their email address@gmail.com so i can make the payment as soon as possible... or send me your information so i can send the money via western office so you are to make your choice out of the two options listed.
Note: Just take the item to usps priority global express (ems) to confirm the shipping cost and get back to me the following is the shipping address

Name: Prince Ademola
Address: Suite a1 Ogo oluwa beside texaco filling station challenge
City: Ibadan
State: Oyo
Country: Nigeria
Zipcode: 23402

best regards...
Mrs Catherine

I like the part "Address: Suite a1 Ogo oluwa beside texaco filling station challenge"

They must scour Craigslist and eBay looking for people to try defraud.

Sherman Homan · May 25, 2007, 03:23 PM

They can be scammed back:
419 Nigerian Scams

- - e r i k - - · May 25, 2007, 09:23 PM

Originally Posted by mdc

I put my PowerBook on Craigslist about an hour ago and just received this email.

I like the part "Address: Suite a1 Ogo oluwa beside texaco filling station challenge"

They must scour Craigslist and eBay looking for people to try defraud.

Gah! Tell me about it. My eBay item got delisted TWICE from these scammers. Even though I put "AUSTRALIA ONLY, no "brothers in Nigeria" in shipping and almost a 100% sure I put in "require immediate payment before de-listing" on my re-listing.

Now I have to wait weeks before I can complain if I don't want to pay the re-listing fee (again).

Kerrigan · May 25, 2007, 09:35 PM

Another hoax email from 419eater.com

Attention.........
This is the only way I could contact you for now, I Want you be very careful
about this and keep the secret with you until I make out a space for us to
see, You have no need of knowing who I am,or where am from,I know this may
sound suprising to you but it"s the situation, I have being paid a ransom in
advance to terminate you with some reasons listed to me by my employer,its
one I believe you call a friend,I have followed you closely for a while now
and have seen that you are innocent of the accusation he levelled against
you,Do not contact the police or try to send a copy of this to them, because
if you do I will know, and might be pushed to do what I have being paid to
do,besides this is the first time i turned out to be a betrayer in my
job.Itook pitty on you,that why i have made up my mind to help you iof
you are
willing to help yourself.
Now listen,I will arrange for us to see face to face but before that I need
the amount of $30,000.00(USD),I will come to your home, or you determine
where you wish we meet,I repeat do not arrange for the
cops,if you play hard to get,it will be extended to your family,do not set
any camera to cover us or set up any tape to record our conversation,my
employer is in my control now,An account will be provided for you to make a
part payment of $20, 000.00 first which will serve as a guarantee that you
are ready to coperate,then one of my boys will deliver a video tape to you
that contains his request for me to terminate you(i tape-recorded our
conversation)which will be enough evidence for you to take any legal action
against him b/4 he goes employing another person for the job. you will pay
the ballance of $10,000 once you recieve the video tape .

WARNING

O NOT CONTACT THE POLICE,MAKE SURE YOU STAY INDOORS ONCE IT IS
7:30PM UNTIL THIS WHOLE THING IS SORTED OUT,YOUR NEGLIGENCE IN ANY OF THESE
WARNINGS,YOU WILL HAVE YOURSELF TO BLAME.
YOU DO NOT HAVE MUCH TIME SO GET BACK TO ME IMMEDIATELY
GOOD LUCK

WTF

chipchen · May 25, 2007, 10:29 PM

Have you watched Matchstick Men? They pull the same kind of scam.

Basically, they get your account information and the right "authorization" to the account. And they clean you out. Pretty plain and simple.

Love Calm Quiet · May 26, 2007, 01:00 AM

... and I would like to intimate you with certain facts...

He wants to do ?what? with you.

Don't spammers think that improper grammar/word-usage will decrease success?

Maybe it doesn't -- since its readers don't catch it...

I also have to second the comment above... How can you *possibly* think the HEAD of a bank department would:
1) attempt to work out any such issue via email.
2) use a yahoo.ca (or yahoo.anything) account.

voodoo · Jun 13, 2007, 02:29 AM

Originally Posted by Mastrap

This is the oldest scam in the book - it actually predates the internet, it was originally a fax scam. And still people are falling for it.

There's an amusing website out there dealing with these guys, Welcome to the 419 Eater

hehe I love that website!

very funny!

V

analogika · Jun 13, 2007, 04:29 AM

The question remains:

What do you do if you live in Nigeria and you actually *do* want to buy a Powerbook?

OTOH, I suppose if you're in the position to want a Powerbook in Nigeria, you'll probably have the funds and opportunity to just buy one the next time you're overseas...

Nivag · Jun 13, 2007, 06:08 AM

Originally Posted by mdc

Me: Phone 07024074162 and tell me who you get.
Friend in London: Thanks, I just called someone in Nigeria.

Well I guess that answers that one.

That's a non-geographical UK number, it'll probably cost your friend a bit of money on his phone bill, they can cost around £5 per minute depending on how it's setup.

turtle777 · Jun 13, 2007, 10:49 AM

How the heck is that *WEIRD* ?

It's a standard scam.

-t