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Phishing and the African scam letter make up two of the top scams on the Internet. By learning to recognize certain characteristics and identifying these top scams, becoming a scam victim can be avoided. The top scam in this scam letter claims to come from London, England and promises the scam victim millions of dollars if they act as next of kin to the deceased who left millions of dollars in an unclaimed bank account. The scammer, who desires to bring fruitfulness to the life of the scam victim, proposes that the scam victim can become very rich just by sending their personal information. The persistence and longevity of the inheritance and next of kin themes have made this type of scam letter one of the top scams to be continually emailed to potential scam victims. The next step usually involves the scam victim having to cash a fake check for the scammer which is at the heart of the scam. This part usually makes up the check scam.
LET US WORK TOGETHER Dearest Friend, May this year bring fruitfulness your life and your family and viceversa.I used to be a personal attorney to Late Mr.Land,a foreigner, who used to work with an oil company here in my country.I am Barrister Charles Ibeh. Before his death few years ago, my client and his entire family of four were resident in this country before the ill-fated day that they met their death as a result of a bomb explosion in London while travelling with the family On the 7th July,2005. My client before his death deposited with one of the leading banks here the sum of $17 Million and other personal effects for safe keeping, with the hope of transferring it to his country as soon as he is free to do so.Unfortunately this was not to be as a result of his sudden death. After his death, all efforts to locate any of his extended relatives was unsuccessful.After these several unsuccessful attempts, I decided to contact you SINCE YOU ARE ALSO A FOREIGNER SO THAT WE CAN HANDLE THIS DEAL TOGETHER. I have contacted you to assist in reclaiming the money and property left behind by my client before they get it confiscated or declared unserviceable by the bank as the BANK has issued me the last notice to provide the next of kin or have the MONEY confiscated. Since I have been unsuccessful in locating the relatives, I seek your consent to present you to the bank as his next of kin/heir so that this deposit of($17 Million Dollars) will be paid to you and then you and I can share the money in a 50:50 ratio, while we will jointly take care of any expenses (if any) that may arise. Please you are free to give your own opinion on this sharing modality if you so wish. All I require is your honest co-operation and effort in seeing this deal through. I guarantee that this deal will be executed under a legitimate arrangement that will protect you and I from any breach of the law. Please get in touch with me through my alternate email address:charlesibehesq@googlemail.com.As soon as I receive your mail,I will also give you my contact information. Best regards, Barr.Charles Ibeh This scam letter represents one of the top scams on the Internet. Scam letters such as this one are examples of 419 fraud and should not be responded to. Contact authorities such as email and Internet providers as well as the FBI. Scams from Africa and other countries can be avoided by observing special features that make them identifiable. Some of the characteristics of these top scams include requests for urgency and confidentiality. Sometimes, they list a large amount of money as incentive for the scam victim to act. If the scam victim replies to the scammer, other kinds of top scams can be committed such as the check scam, also known as 419 fraud, and identity theft. These top scams target individuals who think they can acquire millions of dollars or pounds in wealth with very little effort. Return to Phishing Internet Scams Home Page » Return to Top Scams Home Page |