stephen
07-01-2008, 10:23 PM
It's possible that you have.
Its called the Nigerian 4-1-9 Email scam.
It comes around in different forms. Most come to people who put things up for sale, like on ebay, Craigs List, or even the classifieds here at the GPAWF.
The scammer sends you an email saying they "desire to transact amicably in your favor, and desire one gibson guitar like you have for sale". They dont say that precisely, but in a contrived, and mesmerizingly convoluted fashion.
But here is the kicker: they wanna pay you 100% what you asked for, plus another 2,500 bucks! But they are going to send you a cashiers check for over ten thousand dollars more than your item for sale, but you have to go down to your bank with a "friend" of theirs that is here in this country, cash it, keep your purchase price, plus the twenty five hundred, and give the balance to the friend.
This "friend will take your guitar and the "change" and go away. 30 days to three years later, that cashiers check is bounced, and you are out the balance that the friend took, and the item you had up for sale.
Then there is another where they just "phish" for email;s and randomly send out emails like:
From Sister(Mrs).Anthonia Richard
Abidjan Ivory Coast West Africa
Dearest in the lord,
I am Mrs. Anthonia A. Richard , from Sierra Leone . I am married to late Mr Edward Richard Obere , who worked with Sierra Leone Embassy in Ivory Coast for Sixteen years before he died in the year 2004,after a brief illness that lasted for only five days. We were married for Eighteen years with a duaghter (Stella) who later died in a motor accident.
Before the untimely death of my husband,we were both born again Christians(from Muslim to Christianity). And since after his death I decided not to remarry or get a child outside my matrimonial home .
When my late husband was alive he deposited the sum of (US$1.2M ) One Million,Two hundred Thousand United States Dollars) in a General Trust Account with a prime bank in Abidjan Ivory Coast .
Following my ill health, being a victim to cancer , I have decided to donate this fund to a Christain organizations (Church) that will utilize this fund the way I am going to instruct herein,according to the desire of my late husband. I want this fund to be used in Christian Activities like,Orphanages, Christain schools, and Churches for propagating the word of God and to endeavour that the house of the lord is maintained.
I took this decision because I don't have any child that will inherit this money and my husband relatives are not Christians and do not know about this deposit . I am not afraid of death since I know where I am going. Exodus 14 VS 14 says that "the lord will fight my case and I shall hold my peace".
I don't need any telephone communication in this regard because of my health situation as well the presence of my late husband's relatives around me . I don't want them to know about this development/wish of my late husband hence I want it to be fulfilled . As soon as I receive your reply, I shall give you the contact of the bank here in Abidjan and would introduce you officially to them. My happiness is that I lived a life of a worthy Christian. Whoever that Wants to serve the Lord must serve him in spirit and truth. Please always be prayerful all through your life as well commit me into your daily prayers. Contact me on this email (antonia@iname.com) as soon as possible since any delay in your reply will give me room to source another Church/christian for this same purpose. Please assure me that you will act accordingly as I stated herein. Hoping to receive your reply immediately .
Remain blessed in the Lord.
Yours in Christ,
Sister Anthonia Richard.
Avenue 4 Marcory residential
14 bp 211 Abidjan 14
Many have been scammed. Many thought it was a legitimate way to make some bucks (yeah a little underhanded, but your helping out someone who is stuck in a bad situation, who in reality, aint in bad straights at all, just someone trying to get into your pocket book.
If you get hit with these types of scams, there are a few things you can do:
1) DELETE IT! That is the best way of handling it: Just delete it.
2) Contact the correct agencies to deal with this. The state department, and the Better Business Bureau, are taking the lead on this, but there is only so much that they can do.
3) Fall for the scam, and loose a lot of your money.
A few people that thought they could make money on this, have either gotten intoa huge financial mess, bankruptcy, or worse: Some when they decided to back of it, got beat up, and a couple have actually been kild,
Dont make contact with them. Dont respond. If you feel you have to do something, contact these departments (They know what they're doing):
http://welcome.bbb.org/
http://www.fraud.org/
Its called the Nigerian 4-1-9 Email scam.
It comes around in different forms. Most come to people who put things up for sale, like on ebay, Craigs List, or even the classifieds here at the GPAWF.
The scammer sends you an email saying they "desire to transact amicably in your favor, and desire one gibson guitar like you have for sale". They dont say that precisely, but in a contrived, and mesmerizingly convoluted fashion.
But here is the kicker: they wanna pay you 100% what you asked for, plus another 2,500 bucks! But they are going to send you a cashiers check for over ten thousand dollars more than your item for sale, but you have to go down to your bank with a "friend" of theirs that is here in this country, cash it, keep your purchase price, plus the twenty five hundred, and give the balance to the friend.
This "friend will take your guitar and the "change" and go away. 30 days to three years later, that cashiers check is bounced, and you are out the balance that the friend took, and the item you had up for sale.
Then there is another where they just "phish" for email;s and randomly send out emails like:
From Sister(Mrs).Anthonia Richard
Abidjan Ivory Coast West Africa
Dearest in the lord,
I am Mrs. Anthonia A. Richard , from Sierra Leone . I am married to late Mr Edward Richard Obere , who worked with Sierra Leone Embassy in Ivory Coast for Sixteen years before he died in the year 2004,after a brief illness that lasted for only five days. We were married for Eighteen years with a duaghter (Stella) who later died in a motor accident.
Before the untimely death of my husband,we were both born again Christians(from Muslim to Christianity). And since after his death I decided not to remarry or get a child outside my matrimonial home .
When my late husband was alive he deposited the sum of (US$1.2M ) One Million,Two hundred Thousand United States Dollars) in a General Trust Account with a prime bank in Abidjan Ivory Coast .
Following my ill health, being a victim to cancer , I have decided to donate this fund to a Christain organizations (Church) that will utilize this fund the way I am going to instruct herein,according to the desire of my late husband. I want this fund to be used in Christian Activities like,Orphanages, Christain schools, and Churches for propagating the word of God and to endeavour that the house of the lord is maintained.
I took this decision because I don't have any child that will inherit this money and my husband relatives are not Christians and do not know about this deposit . I am not afraid of death since I know where I am going. Exodus 14 VS 14 says that "the lord will fight my case and I shall hold my peace".
I don't need any telephone communication in this regard because of my health situation as well the presence of my late husband's relatives around me . I don't want them to know about this development/wish of my late husband hence I want it to be fulfilled . As soon as I receive your reply, I shall give you the contact of the bank here in Abidjan and would introduce you officially to them. My happiness is that I lived a life of a worthy Christian. Whoever that Wants to serve the Lord must serve him in spirit and truth. Please always be prayerful all through your life as well commit me into your daily prayers. Contact me on this email (antonia@iname.com) as soon as possible since any delay in your reply will give me room to source another Church/christian for this same purpose. Please assure me that you will act accordingly as I stated herein. Hoping to receive your reply immediately .
Remain blessed in the Lord.
Yours in Christ,
Sister Anthonia Richard.
Avenue 4 Marcory residential
14 bp 211 Abidjan 14
Many have been scammed. Many thought it was a legitimate way to make some bucks (yeah a little underhanded, but your helping out someone who is stuck in a bad situation, who in reality, aint in bad straights at all, just someone trying to get into your pocket book.
If you get hit with these types of scams, there are a few things you can do:
1) DELETE IT! That is the best way of handling it: Just delete it.
2) Contact the correct agencies to deal with this. The state department, and the Better Business Bureau, are taking the lead on this, but there is only so much that they can do.
3) Fall for the scam, and loose a lot of your money.
A few people that thought they could make money on this, have either gotten intoa huge financial mess, bankruptcy, or worse: Some when they decided to back of it, got beat up, and a couple have actually been kild,
Dont make contact with them. Dont respond. If you feel you have to do something, contact these departments (They know what they're doing):
http://welcome.bbb.org/
http://www.fraud.org/