Ivory Coast Inheritance Transfer Scam

Here's another one I received...

From: "ERIC WILLIAMS"
To: eric_willians@yahoo.fr
CC:
Subject: URGENT
Date: Fri, 11 May 2007 12:39:30 +0200 (CEST)


Dearest,

Good thing to write you. I have a proposal for you-this however is not mandatory nor will I in any manner compel you to honour against your will. I am Eric Williams,23years old and the only son of my late parents Mr.and Mrs. Williams. My father was a highly reputable busnness magnet-(a cocoa merchant)who operated in the capital of Ivory coast during his days. It is sad to say that he passed away mysteriously in France during one of his business trips abroad year 12th.Febuary 2005.Through his sudden death was linked or rather suspected to have been masterminded by an uncle of his who travelled with him at that time. But God knows the truth!

My mother died when I was just 9 years old,and since then my father took me so special. Before his death on Febuary 12 2005 he called the secretary who ccompanied him to the hospital and told him that he has the sum of Two million,Five hundred thousand United State Dollars.(USD$2.500,000) left in fixed deposit account in Continental Trust Bank here in cote D' ivoire. He further told me that he deposited the money in my name which i confirm from the bank director through the Certificate and agreement of deposit which was given to him during the time of deposit in Continental Trust Bank,

I am just 25years old and a university undergraduate and really don't know what to do. Now I want an account overseas where I can transfer this funds. This is because I have suffered a lot of set backs as a result of incessant political crisis here in Ivory coast. The death of my father actually brought sorrow to my life. I am in a sincere desire of your humble assistance in this regards.Your suggestions and ideas will be highly regarded.Now permit me to ask these few questions:-

1. Can you honestly help me as your Son?
2. Can I completely trust you?
3. What percentage of the total amount in question
will be good for you after the money is in your
account?

Please,Consider this and get back to me as soon as possible.

Thank you so much.
My sincere regards,
Eric Williams.

Donation Scam

Received this email. This time it was sent using an online form on one of my ministry websites. Be on guard for similar scams. They are phishing schemes where the perpetrator attempts to obtain your personal financial information or gets you to send them money in order to receive money. Never fall for these scams. They're all trying to rip you off. Here's the email...

NAME Joy Wilson
EMAIL J_Wilson717@yahoo.com
SUBJECT donation

Greetings In Christ

I am Mrs joy Wilson. from Kuwait, I am married to Mr. Jerry Wilson
who worked with Kuwait embassy in Ivory Coast for nine years before
he died in the year 2002.We were married for eleven years without a
child. He died after a brief illness that lasted for only four
days.Before his death we were both born again Christian. Since his
death I decided not to remarry or get a child outside my matrimonial
home which the Bible is against. When my late husband was alive he
deposited the sum of US$2.5million dollars in a Security Compay and
the money is in the one Box here in Abidjan Cote d'Ivoire.Presently,
this money is still in Security Compay.Recently, my Doctor told me
that I would not last for the next Eight months due to cancer
problem. The one that disturbs me most is my stroke sickness. Having
known my condition I decided to donate this fund to a church that
will utilize this money the way I am going to instruct herein.

I want a church that will use this fund for orphanages, widows,
propagating the word of God and to endeavor that the house of God is
maintained. The Bible made us to understand that "Blessed is the hand
that giveth". I took this decision because I don't have any child
that will inherit this money and my husband relatives are not
Christians and I don't want my husband's efforts to be used by
unbelievers.

I don't want a situation where this money will be used in an ungodly
way. This is why I am taking this decision. I am not afraid of death
hence I know where I am going. I know that I am going to be in the
bosom of the Lord. Exodus 14 VS 14 says that "the lord will fight my
case and shall hold my peace". I don't need any telephone
communication in this regard because of my health hence the presence
of my husband's relatives around me always. I don't want them to know
about this development.With God all things are possible. As soon as I
receive your reply I shall give you the contact of the Security
Compay here in Abidjan Cote d'Ivoire.I will also issue you an
authority letter that will prove you the present beneficiary of this
fund.

I want you and the church to always pray for me because the lord is
my shephard. 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.
Contact me on the this e-mail address:(j_wilson717@yahoo.com) any
delay in your reply will give me room in sourcing another church for
this same purpose. Please assure me that you will act accordingly as
I Stated herein. Hoping to receive your reply.
Remain blessed in the Lord.
Yours in Christ,
Mrs.Joy Wilson.

FAKE PAYPAL EMAILS

Here's an example of the text in the fake PayPal phishing scams...

From: PayPal
To: XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
CC:
Subject: Account Review Team
Date: Wed, 12 Oct 2005 00:52:20 +0200 (CEST)
Return-Path:
Delivered-To: XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Received: (qmail 25786 invoked by uid 0); 12 Oct 2005 00:27:43 -0000
X-Ob-Received: from unknown (192.168.9.26) by mta1-7.us4.outblaze.com; 12 Oct 2005 00:27:43 -0000
Received: from theta.ibone.ch (theta.dynamic-net.ch [213.203.212.82]) by spf4.us4.outblaze.com (Postfix) with ESMTP id 8033518B556 for Oct 2005 00:27:42 +0000 (GMT)
Received: by theta.ibone.ch (theta.ibone.ch, from userid 958) id F10E2196AA93; Wed, 12 Oct 2005 00:52:20 +0200 (CEST)
Content-Type: text/html
Message-Id: <20051011225220.F10E2196AA93@theta.ibone.ch>


PayPal is committed to maintaining a safe environment for its community of customers. To protect the security of your account, PayPal employs some of the most advanced security systems in the world and our anti-fraud teams regularly screen the PayPal system for unusual activity.

We are contacting you because on 11 Oct 2005 our Account Review Team identified some unusual activity in your account. In accordance with PayPal's User Agreement and to ensure that your account has not been compromised, access to your account was limited. Your account access will remain limited until this issue has been resolved.

To secure your account and quickly restore full access, we may require some additional information from you for the following reason:

We have been notified that a card associated with your account has been reported as lost or stolen, or that there were additional problems with your card.

This process is mandatory, and if not completed within the nearest time your account or credit card may be subject for temporary suspension.

To securely confirm your PayPal information please click on the link bellow:

https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_login-run

We encourage you to log in and perform the steps necessary to restore your account access as soon as possible. Allowing your account access to remain limited for an extended period of time may result in further limitations on the use of your account and possible account closure.

For more information about how to protect your account please visit PayPal Security Center. We apologize for any incovenience this may cause, and we apriciate your assistance in helping us to maintain the integrity of the entire PayPal system.

Thank you for using PayPal!
The PayPal Team

*************


These emails are sent in HTML format with images stolen from PayPal's legitimite website. Unfortunately, I'm sure a lot of people actually fall for this phishing scam and give these S.O.B.'s their PayPal password and account information.

A careful review of the email will notice the misspellings (a common occurrance with such emails - - odd that they're smart enough to create a realistic-appearing message from PayPal, but too stupid to use proper spelling and grammar). While the link in the text appears to be to a legitimate PayPal webpage, a quick mouseover (without clicking) reveals that it actually connects to another website. I haven't included that link in this message, as I don't want any of my site's visitors to click on it by mistake; but I did forward it to the United States government agency that investigates these matters, as well as to PayPal's spoof department (spoof@paypal.com).

Another dead giveaway is this claim: "This process is mandatory, and if not completed within the nearest time your account or credit card may be subject for temporary suspension." These scammers typically use threatening language to scare you into obedience. Legitimate financial institutions will never force you to follow such procedures. And the use of the phrase "within the nearest time" as the deadline demonstrates that the writer is not only ignorant of the proper use of the English language, but also of the usage of vague deadlines.

Despite the fact that I don't have, nor have I ever had, a PayPal account, these fraudsters continue to go phishing in my e-pond. Needless to say, I won't be taking the bait. I hope you won't either. If you ever get an email you suspect is from your legitimite financial institution, give them a call on the telephone to verify it. Don't EVER click on a link sent to you in one of these emails and don't call the phone numbers they give you. Look it up in your local phone book and call your bank yourself. Don't take for granted any information you get in one of these emails. Remember, their goal is to RIP YOU OFF! Don't let them.

FEDRICK / FREDCK / FREDICK LUCAS YOUNG 2005-09-27

From: "fedrick young"
To: undisclosed-recipients, :
CC:
Subject: good day friend
Date: Tue, 27 Sep 2005 03:18:49 -0800
Return-Path:
Delivered-To: XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Received: (qmail 27020 invoked by uid 0); 27 Sep 2005 11:18:50 -0000
X-Ob-Received: from unknown (192.168.9.68) by mta1-8.us4.outblaze.com; 27 Sep 2005 11:18:50 -0000
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Message-Id:
Received: from 65.54.162.200 by by108fd.bay108.hotmail.msn.com with HTTP; Tue, 27 Sep 2005 11:18:49 GMT
X-Originating-Ip: [80.179.103.219]
X-Originating-Email: [fedrickyoung@hotmail.com]
X-Sender: fedrickyoung@hotmail.com
Reply-To: fredicklucas@yahoo.co.uk
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed
X-Originalarrivaltime: 27 Sep 2005 11:18:49.0797 (UTC) FILETIME=[3C1B0F50:01C5C355]


Good day friend

l am Fredck Lucas Young, the chief executive of harrison oil . l know this proposal will come to you as a surprise because we have not met before either physically or through correspondence.

I got your contact from our chamber of commercehere in Nigeria and have no doubt in your ability to handle thisproposal involving huge sum of money.

My father is Chief Patrick Young Chairman harrisonoil (Now Late)he was the chairman of the opposition party in nigeria ANPP in south south nigeria.

But was murdered in cold blood by unknown gun menjust a 2weeks to the april19 2003 election the election that brought this present evil government to power for the second time.

My father was killed because he wanted the Nigerians to live a very happy live.

But the bucanneers that has been ruling this beautiful country for over 35years refuse to allow a change,so they decided to kill him in order to have their way .

Meanwhile we are from eleme (an oil rich town) in south south Nigeria.My community produces 5.8% of the total crude oil productionin Nigeria and 0.5% of the Dollar value of each barrelis paid to my father as royalty by the Federal Government since he is from oil rich region.

My father was also the Chairman of ELEME SpecialOil Trust Fund. In his positionas the Chairman of the Oil TrustFund, he made some money which he left for me as the only heir apparent.

The money is Eighteen Million, Five Hundred ThousandUS Dollars(US$18.5).This Money originated from theaccumulated royalties between 1976-1998 .

Due to poor banking system in Nigeria and politicalinstability as a result of long stay of Military in government. He deposited this Money in a StrongRoom/"VAULTS"with an open beneficiary in a security company pending whenhe would finish arrangement to transfer it abroad .

He was planning this before they murdered him inside his living room . Just before my father was murdered, one day hecalled me just immediately he comes back from aso rock he told me thisgovernment might kill him if care is not taken due to the defferences he had with the government .

But he is not worried he says if they kill him since he is fighting the causeof the poor masses.Then he called my attention to the money and charged me to look for a foreigner who would assist me in the transfer/investment of the funds abroad.

So l would be very grateful if you could accept to help me achieve this great objective.I promise to give you 20% of the total funds transferred to your vital bank account as compensation for your assistance.Five percent (5%)has been set aside to take care ofall expenses we may incure during the transaction.

To indicate your interest, contact me urgently andconfidentially for more information and the roles you will play in this business. All the legal Documents concerning this Money will be sent to you as soon as we agreed together.

Please I will appreciate that you send yourtelephone/fax numbers to enable me contact you immediately for discussions.

May the almighty God bless you.

Fredick lucas Young


*************

First of all, note all the different spellings of the sender's name... The sender's email address is spelled "Fedrick Young", the reply-to address is spelled "Fredick Lucas", he introduces himself in the body text as "Fredck Lucas Young", and signs it "Fredick lucas Young". The spelling, punctuation, and grammar throughout the document hardly seems to correspond to that of the "Chief Executive" of an oil company, but it's a dead giveaway when the guy can't even decide on how to spell his own name.

Secondly, the email is from Nigeria. Unless you've been living on another planet for the past ten years, you should be aware of the Nigerian Email Scams that have become about as common as oxygen.

Note the excessive amount of trust he is prepared to invest in a total stranger. He admits that he and the addressee (me) have "not met before either physically or through correspondence," yet he claims to have "no doubt in [this total stranger's] ability to handle thisproposal involving huge sum of money." Only a complete moron would place that kind of trust in a complete stranger. And you'd have to be even more of a moron to place your trust in such a moron.

I didn't even take the time to look into the factual background cited in the letter. This scam is so common and so blatant that I didn't want to waste my time doing a background search on its historical claims. The scammer will eventually ask you for your personally-identifiable information, ie. your name, address, bank account number, etc. so he can send the money to your account. But the real intent is to either remove funds from your account or use your identity to setup a false account somewhere else. Any theft or extortion he does in your name is suddenly attributed to you.

A word to the wise: Do not reply to such emails. Do not give them ANY information. Even something as simple as your mother's maiden name or your favorite kind of breakfast cereal can be used to con your financial institution into giving them your account information. Report these scammers to the government (spam@uce.gov) and to your email service provider's abuse department. If you are able to determine the sender's email service provider (for example, this email was sent via hotmail), you may want to let them know that one of their customers is attempting this scam.

MAYOR AQUEEN 2005-08-28

Here is an example of a scam that was attempted on a ministry with which I am associated. I have included the FULL HEADERS of the originating email to reveal the IP address and identity of the would-be scammer, and have censored my ministry's email address to protect it from further spamming. Following the original email is my initial response.


From: "mayor aqueen"
To: mayoraqueen@yahoo.fr
CC:
Subject: REMAIN BLESSED IN THE LORD.
Date: Sun, 28 Aug 2005 22:01:43 +0200 (CEST)
Return-Path:
Delivered-To: XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
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Received: from web26902.mail.ukl.yahoo.com (web26902.mail.ukl.yahoo.com
[217.146.176.91]) by spf3.us4.outblaze.com (Postfix) with SMTP id B9D1153816 for
; Sun, 28 Aug 2005 20:01:48 +0000 (GMT)
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Domainkey-Signature: a=rsa-sha1; q=dns; c=nofws; s=s1024; d=yahoo.fr;
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Dear brothers and sisters in christ,

I greet you in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ our Lord, we have to worship our Lord Jesus christ with all our heart because we have determined to remain under the covering of His anointing, Obedience to His purpose and living a life that honours Him will keep us under His hand of blessing.

I am Mrs Aqueen Mayor from Kuwait. I am married to Mr Phillipe Mayor who worked with Kuwait embassy in Ivory Coast for nine years before he died in the year 2003.We were married for eleven years without a child. He died after a brief illness that lasted for only four days.Before his death we were both born again Christian.

Since his death I decided not to remarry or get a child outside my matrimonial home which the Bible is against.When my late husband was alive he deposited the sum of US$2.5million dollars in a Bank here in Abidjan Cote d'Ivoire.Presently, this money is still in bank.

Recently, my Doctor told me that I would not last for the next Eight months due to cancer problem. The one that disturbs me most is my stroke sickness. Having known my condition I decided to donate this fund to a charity organization that will utilize this money the way I am going to instruct herein.

I want an organization that will use this fund for orphanages, school and church ,widows, propagating the word of God and to endeavor that the house of God is maintained. The Bible made us to understand that "Blessed is the hand that giveth".I took this decision because I don't have any child that will inherit this money and my husband relatives are not Christians and I don't want my husband's efforts to be used by unbelievers.

I don't want a situation where this money will be used in an ungodly way. This is why I am taking this decision. I am not afraid of death hence I know where I am going. I know that I am going to be in the bosom of the Lord.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 hence the presence of my husband's relatives around me always. I don't want them to know about this development.With God all things are possible. As soon as I receive your reply I shall give you the contact of the Bank here in Abidjan Cote d'Ivoire.

I will also issue you an authority letter that will prove you the present beneficiary of this fund. I want you and the church to always pray for me because the lord is my shephard. 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.

Contact me on the this e mail. mayoraqueen@yahoo.fr , any delay in your reply will give me room in sourcing another church / Organisation or individual for this same purpose. Please assure me that you will act accordingly as I Stated herein. Hoping to receive your reply.

Remain blessed in the Lord.

Yours in Christ.

Mrs.Aqueen Mayor.



From: XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
To: "mayor aqueen"
CC:
Subject: Re: REMAIN BLESSED IN THE LORD.
Date: Mon, 29 Aug 2005 18:44:55 -0500


Dear Mrs. Mayor,

We are sorry to hear about the loss of your husband and of your deteriorating health. You will certainly be in our prayers as you suffer this ordeal. We thank you for your interest in donating to XXXXXXX Ministries. As you have contacted us with the expressed understanding that we would use the funds for purposes relating to the propagation of the Gospel, you have obviously seen our website and understand what type of ministry we are. Please be assured that all funds donated to XXXXXXX Ministries are used for the propagation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ as described in detail on our website. Likewise, any funds that you should donate to our ministry will be used in accordance with our official policy. If you are interested in
donating these funds to XXXXXXX Ministries to be used according to our official policy, please visit the following webpage and complete the form. We cannot proceed with any transactions until this form is completed. Please also make assurance that all of your representatives handling the transaction undertand and agree to the
terms delineated on that webpage, as they cannot be amended. Please keep us updated on your health, as we will be praying for you. Here is the link:

[LINK REMOVED]



Here is a transcript of the information on the link...

After being contacted several times by international persons and agencies with proposals of donating funds to XXXXXXX MINISTRIES, we have decided to publish this webpage with our OFFICIAL POLICY regarding the acceptance of monetary funds.

I. DEFINITIONS - For the purposes of this document, the pronouns we, us, and our shall refer to XXXXXXX MINISTRIES and/or its affiliates, [affiliates named here], and/or their respective members, directors, and/or representatives. For the purposes of this document, the pronouns you and your shall refer to the DONOR or BEQUEATHOR of the funds in question. In circumstances where the donor or bequeathor of said funds handles the transaction(s) and/or communication(s) through a representative individual or agency, it shall be understood by all persons involved that this document shall apply fully and completely with all transactions associated with XXXXXXX MINISTRIES and/or its affiliates, etc. as above listed.

II. XXXXXXX MINISTRIES is thankful for any desire from any individual(s) or group(s) to support our ministry(ies) financially. With gratitude for the generous spirit in which the donated funds are offered, we set forth these guidelines and policy(ies) in order to better facilitate the acceptance, delivery, and usage of said funds. Effective May 01, 2004, it is the policy of XXXXXXX MINISTRIES to provide this policy to any persons proposing donation(s) to XXXXXXX MINISTRIES and/or its affiliates. Upon receipt of this document, further pursuit of the proposed transaction implies acceptance or the terms and conditions of this policy by all persons and/or agencies involved.

III. You assert that you are DONATING the said funds to XXXXXXX MINISTRIES and/or its affiliates, members, directors, and/or representatives without solicitation from us. You further assert that these funds are to be donated to us for use at our sole discretion, without limit or restriction, for purposes relating directly to the goals and objectives of XXXXXXX MINISTRIES.

IV. Any and all fees, taxes, and/or other financial payments or disbursements associated with the transfer of these funds shall NOT be paid by us. It is the responsibility of you and/or your representative(s) to see that these expenses are taken care of prior to initiation of said transaction(s). Under no circumstances shall XXXXXXX MINISTRIES and/or its affiliates, members, directors, and/or resresentatives initiate or authorize any transfer of funds from ourselves or our account(s) at any time whatsoever for any purposes associated with said transaction(s). Our financial institution(s) is/are instructed to allow transfers of monies TO our account(s), but not to allow transfers of monies FROM our account(s). Any attempt(s) to do so shall be viewed as a criminal act of attempted theft, fraud, larceny, and/or any and all other applicable crime(s), and shall be prosecuted as such to the furthest extent of the law.

V. Under no circumstances shall XXXXXXX MINISTRIES and/or its affiliates, members, directors, and/or representatives engage in, or authorize, any interstate or international travel whatsoever in regard to said transaction(s). All communications shall be done via e-mail and/or the United States Postal Service. The mailing address for all materials associated with said transaction(s) shall be:

[Address removed]

The e-mail address for all communications associated with said transaction(s) shall be: XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Due to the nature of our ministry and the fact that we do not have a manned telephone system, there shall be no communications via telephone or fax.

VII. We assert that we shall comply with any and all United States Federal, state, and local laws regarding to said transaction(s), including the U.S.Patriot Act (H.R. 3162) enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled on October 24, 2001. Under no circumstances shall we willingly and intentionally participate in any illegal or immoral activities, nor in any way condone their support or funding through our organization. Furthermore, under no circumstances shall any representative(s) of XXXXXXX MINISTRIES authorize the transfer of funds to any individual(s) and/or organization(s) that has/have been determined to be suspect under the previously-cited U.S.A. Patriot Act (H.R. 3162) and/or any other applicable local, state, or federal laws. It shall be understood that XXXXXXX MINISTRIES and/or its affiliates and/or its or their representatives shall not be held liable under any circumstances whatsoever for any unintentional and/or unwitting inolvement with any individual(s) or organization(s) as defined above, and/or for any unintentional or unwitting involvement with any illegal or immoral activities in regard to said transaction(s).

If you agree to these terms, please complete the following form and click SUBMIT.

SCAM SPAM 101

Have you ever received one of those emails from some wealthy, dying widow or preacher in Nigeria who wants to send you a million dollars? If you've got an email address, it's likely that you've gotten your share, and so have I. If you haven't already figured it out, it's a scam. And I've gotten tired of seeing the scammers get away with their fraudulent enterprises. So I've set up this forum to expose the scammers. Here we go...