nigerian scammer attacks friend

A cautionary tale: beware the Nigerian scammer! I received an email from a friend that had received a scheming spam email from a Nigerian posing as a lawyer. My friend assumed the email was dodgy, but asked my opinion anyway. I reproduce the Nigerian scammer email, and my judgment below, just for the hell of it :)

FROM THE DESK OF: BARRISTER EDWARD AFAMEFUNE
CHAMBER: AFAMEFUNE & ASSOCIATES
3 Allen Ave. Ikeja. Lagos - Nigeria
Tel: 234-1- 4733445, Mobile: 234-803-7223474
Fax: 234-1- 7596947

Dear [victim's name inserted here],
I know you mighty have received letter like this from internet and it came to you as a joke or game, but it real and legal which i need your urgent response on this matter.
I am Barrister Edward Afamefune a Solicitor. I am the Personal Attorney to Mr. Adams [Victim's name] a national of your country, who used to work with CADBURY NIGERIA LIMITED, On the 21st of April 2000, my client, his wife and their three children were involved in a car accident along Sagamu / Lagos Express Road.
Unfortunately they All lost their lives in the event of the accident, Since then I have made several enquiries to your Embassy to locate any of my clients extended relatives, this has also proved unsuccessful. After thes e several unsuccessful attempts, I decided to trace his relatives over the Internet to locate any member of his family but of no avail, hence I contacted you.
I contacted you to assist in repartrating the money and property left behind by my client before they get confiscated or declared unserviceable by the bank where this huge deposits were lodged. Particularly, the Bank where the deceased had an account valued at about US$10.5M (Ten Million Five Hundred Thousand United Stated Dollars).
Conseqently, the bank issued me a notice to provide the next of kin or have the account confiscated. Since I have been unsuccesfull in locating the the relatives for over 2 years now.
I seek your consent to present you as the next of kin of the deceased since you are from the same country so that the proceeds of this account valued at US$10.5MD can be paid to you and then you and me can share the money. 50% to m e and 40% to you,while 10% should be for expenses or tax as your government may require.
I have all necessary legal documents that can be used to back up any claim we may make. All I require is your honest
cooperation to enable us see this deal through. I guarantee
that this will be executed under a legitimate arrangement that will protect you from any breach of the law. Please direct your reply through this if you are interest to enable us discuss further.
Yours Faithfully,
Barrister Edward Afamefune (Esq.).
N.B. Please indicate your contact address, telephone, fax numbers for easy communication in this mutual transaction.

My friend replied tentatively to this guy asking if he was serious. This was the enthusiastic Nigerian's response:

FROM THE DESK OF: BARRISTER EDWARD AFAMEFUNE
CHAMBER: AFAMEFUNE & ASSOCIATES
3 Allen Ave. Ikeja. Lagos - Nigeria
Tel: 234-1- 4733445, Mobile: 234-803-7223474
Fax: 234-1- 7596947
Attention: [victim's name],
Thanks for your email in response interest and willingness. Let me take this opportunity to confirm to you that this proposal is not a game, scam or joke, it is real and I would like you to treat it with the seriousness it deserves. Because every serious thing in life started like this. Unfortunately you bear the same name with my client that make it easier.
Furthermore,
1. The original owner of the fund is late client, but having tried for two years to locate his next of kin or any of his relations without Success, I decided to go about it this way rather than allowing the fund to be confiscated by the Federal Govt. of Nigeria.
2. Now, if you accept to cooperate with me in the transaction and make it a ideal between both of us you would not regret doing this transaction with me, I shall declare to the Bank that I have found my late client relation, and present you to the Bank as the next of kin to Mr. Adams [Victim's name].
As soon as I receive your go head of this matter I shall forward to you Power of attorney issued to me by late client authorizing me to act as his attorney while he was alive and other vital documents. For our sharing according to the proposed percentage sharing-50% for me, 40% for you and 10% reserved for re-imbursement of expenses that may be incurred on both sides, e.g. telephone bills, mail, tax, and all other expenses.
However, before we proceed on the transaction, it is my desire that we draw up an Agreement (Memorandum of Understanding) to guide our actions and, protect our mutual interest in the transaction. For this reason, I would like you to send me in your next reply, your full name, contact address for the preparation of the Agreement and your fax number to enable me transmit copy of the Agreement to you for signing after which we shall commence action on the transaction in immediately, You should also include your telephone number so that I could reach, you should the need arise to speak with you.
Once again, I thank you for your response and interest in the proposed business. Rest assured it is true and real and above all, your security is guaranteed. Please call me for more clarification on this matter on above telephone numbers.
Awaiting you urgent response.
With best regards.
Barrister Edward Afamefune.

Below is my own smart-arse, sarky email to my friend/would-be victim, who probably hates me now ;-) (My opinion, for what it is worth, was sought on the above monstrosity).

Dear [Friend]
Ooh that [Nigerian] email is offering "Ten Million Five Hundred Thousand United Stated Dollars"! That's a LOT of money. Lucky that you are the only guy around that can help! Wow he's offering 40% to you! Gosh, this is too good to be true!
And his story is so very plausible. His client and family lost their lives, how very tragic... But wait! Loads of money locked up in a big bank!!! And he needs YOUR help to get it out! My disbelief is 100% suspended here. Yes, I'm convinced this guy must be kosha! Wonder if he could sell me a rolex whilst he's at it! I mean, he must be honest, he's a Nigerian, and he says he's a lawyer one at that. Nigerians are extremely honest folk, even more honest than scousers! Uh oh, we must not let the fund be confiscated by the evil federal government of Nigeria, we must stop that happening at all costs! God Forbid the nasty government grab our booty! Ker-ching!
Oh, a slight snag: he wants your name address and telephone number. Hmmmmm yeah, he's only a stranger from Nigeria that spammed you on the Internet, yeah, I'm sure it's perfectly safe. I mean, hell, think of the moolah!
After all, "Rest assured it is true and real and above all, your security is guaranteed".
Hmmmm. I wonder if he might start asking you to pay increasingly large sums of unforeseen expenses in advance to help him extract all those millions out of the naughty bank? I'm getting no red lights here.
Hahaha!
Try sending him the contact details of your local cop shop and string him along a bit more.

I reproduce this drivel as a cautionary tale: people do get taken in by scams like these. Astonishingly, people have been lured into lawless countries and held hostage. In a hardly less startling case, an American woman gave to these scammers over two million dollars of cash owned by the law firm that was stupid enough both to hire her and not have checks to prevent such monumental fraud. Warn innocents against folly: there are gangstas out there.

And... never trust any spam (junk) email, no matter what its content, what it is selling, or who it claims to be from.


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From:	MadPole	Subject:	PROs	2005-05-13 20:38:17

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