I Received the following e-mail today. I will receive 1,440,000 for helping out. Yee Hah!!

FROM :  FERDINAND OWEN.
TEL :  225-xx-xx-xx-xx.
ABIDJAN, COTE D' IVOIRE.
WEST AFRICA.

BUSINESS RELATIONSHIP.


MY NAME IS FERDINAND OWEN NATIONALITY SIERRA LEONE. I AM 25 YEARS OLD, STUDIED MARKETING IN BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION IN THE UNIVERSITY. I LOST MY FATHER YEARS BACK. HE DIED DRURING THE POLITICAL CRISIS IN MY COUNTRY. MY LATE FATHER WAS ONE OF THE DIRECTORS UNDER TIJAN KABBAH GOVERNMENT. MY MOTHER IS AGED SHE IS 62 YEARS NOW AN OLD WOMAN. I HAVE FIVE YOUNGER ONES WE ARE ALL LEAVING IN COTE D'IVOIRE SINCE PAST SIX MONTH.

IT IS MY DESIRE TO WRITE FROM MY HEART HOPING THAT YOU WILL NOT BETRAY US. MY FATHER DIVERTED SOME HUGE SOME OF MONEY WHICH HE DEPOSITED WITH ONE GOOD BANK CALLED BICICI WHEN HE WAS ALIFE, IN FACT IN A BRIFE INTRODUTION. ALL THE INFORMATION WILL BE GIVEN TO YOU WHEN I HEAR FROM YOU. THIS MONEY TOTALING US$ 12,000,000.00 ( TWELVE MILLION UNITED STATES DOLLARS ) NOW WE ARE SEEKING FOR A TRUSTED PERSON WHO WILL RECEIVE THIS MONEY INTO HIS/HER ACCOUNT FOR ONWARD INVESTMENT.

HOWEVER, WHAT WE NEEDED FROM YOU IS YOUR GOOD
ASSISTANCE IN HELPING US TRANSFERRING THE SAID SUM TO YOUR ACCOUNT SINCE WE ARE INEXPERENCED IN THE WORLD OF BUSINESS, THAT'S THE REASON WHY WE ARE ASKING FOR YOUR SUPPORT. ALL DOCUMENTS CONCERNING THE DEPOSIT MAY BE GIVEN TO YOU FOR YOUR VERIFICATION. WE REALLY NEED TO MOVE THE FUND OUT OF AFRICA TO ABROAD.

I AND THE REST OF MY FAMILY HAVE DECIEDED TO GIVE YOU 12% OF THE TOTAL SUM FOR YOUR KIND ASSISTANCE. THE WORLD IS FULL OF BAD PEOPLE PLEASE CAN YOU PROVE YOUR GUNUITY TO US FOR US TO HAVE YOU AS A PARTNER. SORRY I AM NOT SAYING YOU ARE BAD PERSON BUT CONSIDER THAT THIS IS MONEY AND HOW THE MONEY WAS GOTTEN. IT IS
INHERITACE AND LAST HOPE.

SHOW YOUR INTEREST AND WE PROCEED ON THE NEXT STEP OF ACTION. AFRICA IS NO LONGER CONDUSIVE FOR US TO STAY. YOU CAN CALL US ON TEL NUMBER ABOVE.

OUR BEST REGARDS.

FERDINAND ON BEHALF OF THE FAMILY.

fraud. i got this same e-mail about a year ago.
you give them access to your acct, they make withdrawal.

Haha, those letters are always good for a laugh.

That’s bloody hysterical. My office received the exact same rubbish by fax last year.

Hey, I got one of those letters too a couple of weeks ago.

I got a bridge to sell you...

What! Holy crap. I just gave them all my bank/CC account numbers, pin codes, SSN number, DOB, home telephone # and mothers maiden name. You really think it's not legit?

Wave: Bridge huh.  You don't expect me to fall for that do you?  You should be ashamed of yourself as an Officer sworn to uphold the law! [:D]

I think you should reply, but tell them you're a little nervous about the whole thing and would feel better if they sent you a test deposit first, like $20,000 or so.  Let them know that would probably go along way to making you feel more comfortable about the whole thing.  I mean, who *wouldn't* want to help in a terrible situation such as they describe?

[:P]

Sierra Leone huh?  Ask what's his face if he has any "blood diamonds" to offload.

I'll take them to DeBeers and we can make more than that measely $1,440,000.00 he lowballed you with.

WTF am I saying?  That 12-mil is probably direct proceeds from the sale of "blood diamonds"!!!!  Do you have any idea of how many people died at the hands of those machete wielding rebels?

[B]DO NOT BETRAY HIM[/B]

Now that's interesting...

Just do what I did. I gave them my bosses bank account info[:D][:D][:D]

It's an African thing...

Can someone verify that Sierra Leone even has a university?

I asked them for THEIR account number to verify funds. Gee whiz, never heard back from them again.[}:D]

I too agree, having receive a few of these before, this one seems legit.  (Holding back tears)I hope his family gets through these difficult times...

I would love to reply to the e-mail, just to mess around with them.

Problem is, as soon as you reply they know your e-mail is active and the spam will never end.

Av.

Nah, it is a fraud. I like the other one that I received last month. The funny thing is in that: I have no telephone in Nigeria or something like that. Then how come you have access to a computer and asking me for help when you needed help to get in contact with a bank.

I tell you what I'm going to do Mr. Ferdinand Owen - your letter has affected my heart greatly and I wish to help you in any way I can.

I am going to send a copy of your e-mail to John Ashcroft, the Attorney General of the United States, Attn: Fraud Unit, Washington, DC.

Just to make certain that your e-mail gets the response that it richly deserves, I am sending a copy of it to John Cornyn, Attorney General of the State of Texas, Attn: Bunco Squad, Austin, Texas.

Let me know if either one of those gentlemen is able to help you.

Eric The(Cruel)Hun[>]:)]

...Known as the Nigerian scam. Usual MO is to ask for your account info so they can make deposits. Instead, they dip in and take money and once its gone there's nothing you can do about it.

Edited to add, the FBI tracks this stuff. You can follow the links on their website to a report section.

Here IS One I got
---------------
Subject:
       YOUR ATTN IS NEEDED
  Date:
       Thu, 31 Jan 2002 17:40:54 -0800 (PST)
  From:
       kemi oluwa
    To:
       XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX




DEAR SIR/MADAM

I greet you in the name of our lord Jesus Christ
My name is Mrs Kemi Oluwa I am a widow and a mother
of three all girls. I know you will see my letter to
you as an embarrassment considering the fact that we
do
not know ourselves. I plead with you to be patient
with me I feel very pleased to contact you for some
assistance and business relationship. I live in
Nigeria with my children. My late husband was a
loving, caring and hardworking and businessman
who died unfortunately In a ghastly auto crash.
Before  the sudden death of my beloved husband, and
father of my daughters, my late husband intended to
establish a business in the united states of America
with the sum of$30 million united states dollars, but
unfortunately he died before this proposed venture.
Following his death, his family members are telling me
that I am not entitled to his property(Assets and
money)because i am a woman and my offspring\'s are
girls as and I did not have a male child for my
husband. well ,according to some barbaric traditional
laws here in Nigeria(Africa)which doesn\'t permit a
woman to inherit a man\'s property, but and my
children will be catered for by my the late husband\'s
members as they are expected by tradition to take over
the management of his business and other properties
including myself who automatically becomes a wife to
one of his immediate brothers. Unfortunately to this
wicked family members, the $30million united states
dollars which my late husband intended to use in
establishing a business in the United States was
deposited in a bank account unknown to his family .I
and the lawyer is the only one aware of this money, so
I have discussed this matter with a staff of the bank
that i want this money personally so that I will be
able to take care of my children\'s educational needs
since my husband\'s family member vehemently opposed
the furtherance of their education. According to the
staff of the bank, the best way to secure this money
is to transfer this money to a bank account outside
Nigeria Forsafe-keeping, later it will be used for
business establishment subject to the Advise of
whosoever finally assists us. At this juncture, I
sincere assistance in providing us with your bank
details and the enablement to facilitate the
remittance of this fund into your nominated account.
As soon as I get your positive response, I shall
provide you with all the necessary detail for this
transfer. However, I have decided to to give you 30%
of the total money as a reward for your sincere
assistance and the remaining 60% of the money will be
for my investment why the 10% will be for the expences
as I will want to keep aglow my late husbands dream of
investing in real estate. To be able to help me,
kindly send through my email, your personal details
including your contact information for easy
communication.


Thank you,
Mrs Kemi Oluwa

Here's another good deal:

From MR JAMES KOROH
E mail:
ABIDJAN COTE D’IVOIRE

ATTN: the director

Dear sir,
I know that this letter may not come to you as a
surprise since your organization is well advertised however I am writing based on the prevailing information I gathered from louis haug concerning your esteem company in your country.

I have full confidence that you can execute this
business to our mutual benefit and I believe that you will not let down the trust and confidence I am about to repose on you. I am working with an Ivorian based public relations
firm ”AKWABA” I’m working as the corporate affairs manager.Between the 12th-14th of march 2001 a seminar was held at Bouake Cote d’Ivoire of which I attended. In this seminar, I was lucky to meet ALHADJI AU BOSTRA the president of MACDOWELS ETS. ALHADJI BOSTRA is an accomplished businessman. He is a millionaire with cattle farms in Mali,Burkina faso and
Chad republic, more so he is thegreatest supplier of attle to the whole west africa.
On knowing my profession he told me about the huge amount of money he spends on purchase of a particular medicine but important cattle medicine precisely he buys at US$5.000 a carton, sometimes he buys up to 1200 cartons. He asked me if my organization can source for a cheaper supplier.

Back to my office I discussed the business with my boss he decided to handle the supplies by himself. We did market research and discovered that we can buy these medicine in Holland or London for US$2.000 per carton. We moved a proposal to MACDOWELS to supply him at US$4,800 per carton which he accepted I agreed with
my boss that he will give me 15% of the profit.
On the 21st december 2001 we made our first supplies of 120 cartons to MACDOWELS my boss never gave me a dime instead he bought an old model second handed 504 peugeot car for me since then my relationship with my boss have seized to be cordial. He never talk to me about MACDOWELS again. Recently I intercepted some letters from MACDOWELS to my boss, I was surprise to learn that my boss had made two more supplies to MACDOWELS which I knew nothing
about.

More so MACDOWELS is requesting for more supplies of 400 cartons on or before september 30th this year these letters never got to my boss instead I called ALHADJI BOSTA THE PRESIDENT OF MACDOWELS and convinced him that I can arrange for an international supplier who can supply him at the price of $4.100 per carton
but that he au BOSTA will pay cash before lifting the goods ALHADJI AU BOSTA is presently waiting for me and my foreign contact. For the moment he has stopped all contact with my boss.

If you can handle this project please contact me
immediately  on my address above for details and
negotiations, as regards my commission we will discuss that at the reception of your letter of intent. Please note we buy four hundred cartons at US$ 800.000 we sell at US$4.100 per carton our client pays cash before lifting of goods and he must not know our purchasing point in Holland or London. Thanks you be bless.

Mr JAMES KOROH

Waverunner...  I thought that had already sold the bridge, or was that the one in London that you dumped on those full auto guys in AZ? [:D]
W

Someone always beats me to it!