"Nigerian" letters

It's amazing. The "Nigerian letter" scam has been going on since I can remember first using e-mail. And there's still pouring in, even though they've long since become a punch line and it's widely known that they're completely phony scams. And they can even be dangerous as well as costly for anyone fool enough to fall for them. But here are excerpts from ones that I received just the last week and a half or so.

01/10/08

My name is Senator Mahmud Bello, the Chairman of the Senate committee on Niger Delta in the National Assembly of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. I am writing you to earnestly Solicit for your assistance in helping to receive some sum of money into your account for safe keeping.

01/11/08

I am Miss Mary Johnson,The only daughter to the late Mr. Boni L Johnson of Sierra Leone who was a very wealthy Gold and Diamond dealer. My father was assassinated by unknown gun men after his return trip from Europe with my Mother. All the police efforts to track down the assassins of my late Father and mother has not been successful, Hence I decided to flee to a neighbouring country where I have been since as a refugee seeking asylum in a refugee camp there in Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire.

01/14/08

I am Mr.Ken Quattara residing in Abidjan-Cote d’ Ivoire with my sister, my father was one of the top officer with the rebel in the Northern part of the country,and he was killed during the war.
Since after the politcal problem is over, we are maintaining a low profile until we are issued with a Government attestation and passport, for now we are not permitted to travel out of our zone or operate an account or engage in any form of gainful employment until we received our attestation.

It is with much pleasure that we are contacting you because of the confidentiality involved in this transaction, our father deposited a sealed box in a Security Company containing US$9,000,000 US dollars but declared as antiquity and personal effect to the management of Security & finance company, now we are asking for your assistance to help us in cliaming the sealed box from the company by fronting you as the co-beneficiary of this sealed box.
We are ready to give 30% of the total fund to you for your assistance.

01/15/08:

I am Alan David, staff of Kleinwort Benson. I am contacting you concerning a deceased customer and an investment he placed under our banks management three years ago.

I am contacting you independently of our investigation and no one is informed of this communication. I would like to intimate you with certain facts that I believe would be of interest to you. In the year 2003, the subject matter; came to our bank to engage in business discussions with our private banking division. He informed us that he had a financial portfolio of Six Million United States dollars, which he wished to have us turn over (invest) on his behalf.

Tags: nigerian letter scam