# I'm OFFICIALLY involved in a Nigeran scam. Your thoughts? Comments? (Long) **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 16, 2002, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-officially-involved-in-a-nigeran-scam-your-thoughts-comments-long/124216 "2002-08-16T16:23:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![GrizzRich](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/7ba0ec/32.png) [@GrizzRich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrizzRich)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2002, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-officially-involved-in-a-nigeran-scam-your-thoughts-comments-long/124216/1 "2002-08-16T16:23:36Z")
So, I got an email the other day which I immediately recognized as a version of the “Nigerian Scam”. Keep in mind… I KNOW this is a scam and I’m not gonna give in. (see [www.snopes.com](http://www.snopes.com) and enter “nigerian scam” in the search area if you’re not familiar.) I’m trying to keep this person dangling for as long as I can and I’d like your help with some ideas on how to do it. ## This is the body of the email that was originally sent to me. (I have deleted my name and inserted periods.) DEAR … GREETINGS FROM ME TO YOU.I KNOW YOU DON’T KNOW ME. BUT PLEASE CAN YOU BE OF ASSITANCES TO ME. MY BARRISTER TOLD ME TO WRITE AND SEE IF YOU CAN HELPME MY NAME IS MISS JABULANI CHUGANZANI. I AM FORM ZIMBABWE, MY FATHER WAS KILLED DURING THE PRESIDENT ROBERT MUGABE. MY FATHER WAS AMONG THE FARMERS THET WERE KILLED, BUT BEFORE HE WAS KILLED HE WENT TO SOUTH AFRICA AND DEPOSITED THE SUM OF $15.5 MILLION DOLLARS IN THE SECURITY COMPANY. NOW I AM IN SOUTH AFRICA WITH MY FAMILY. PLEASE I WILL STOP HERE, THEY IS NO NEED FOR TOO MANY STORY, I PROMISE YOU IF YOU CAN HELP ME TO MOVED THIS MONEY TO YOUR COUNTRY I WILL BE GREATFULL. YOUR PENCENTAGE WILL BE MAPPED OUT. WAITING FOR YOUR REPLY. GOD BLESS. IF YOU HAVE ANY BODY WHO CAN HELP, PLEASE. ``` YOURS FAITH FULLY, MISS JABULANI CHUGANZANI. ``` * * * I almost automatically deleted the email but I thought “hmm… I wonder how long I can string this fellow along?” ## So, I responded that I’d be glad to help. Just tell me how. Here’s her response. ATTENTION:… I WANT YOU TO ASSIST ME IN THE TRANSFERRING OF THIS MONEY INTO YOUR ACCOUNT OVERSEA BECAUSE MY POSITION HERE IN SOUTH AFRICA AS A REFUGEE DOES NOT ALLOW ME TO OPERATE ANY BANK ACCOUNT NOR HAVE ANY FINANCIAL OBLIGATION ACCORDING TO THE LAW OF SOUTH AFRICA OF REFUGEE ACT 23 OF 1989. SO I HAVE CONTACTED TOP BANK OFFICIALS WITH THE HELP OF MY FAMILY LAWYER OF WHICH THEY DISCLOSE TO ME THAT THE BEST I CAN DO IS TO SEEK FOR A FOREIGN ASSISTANCE THAT WILL HELP ME PROVIDES HIS BANKING PARTICULARS INFORMATION UPON AGREEMENT AND TRUST WITH ME SO THAT RESERVE BANK WILL APPOINT AN ACCREDICTED ATTORNEY WHO WILL STAND ON YOUR BEHALF TO SIGN ALL THE NECESSARY DOCUMENTS COVERING THE MONEY ON YOUR NAME AND TO OPEN A SUNDRY ACCOUNT WHERE TO DEPOSIT THIS MONEY FOR ONWARD TRANSFER TO YOUR NOMINATED BANK ACCOUNT. SO WHAT I WANT YOU TO DO NOW IS TO SEND ME THE FOLLOWING INFORMATIONS IMMEDIATELY TO ENABLE MY FAMILY LAWYER FILE IN APPLICATION TO THE RESERVE BANK SO THAT THEY WILL COMMENCE THE PROCESSING AND TRANSFERRING OF THE MONEY INTO YOUR ACCOUNT IMMEDIATELY. THEY ARE AS FOLLOWS: 1.YOUR NAME IN FULL. 2.BANKING DETAILS(BANK NAME AND ACCOUNT NUMBER) 3.PRIVATE PHONE AND FAX NUMBERS. 4.RESIDENTIAL/ BUSINESS ADDRESS. PLEASE I NEED YOUR MAXIMUM COOPERATION AND WANT YOU TO COMPLY IMMEDIATELY. LOOKING FORWARD TO HEARING FROM YOU.THANKS. BEST REGARDS, ## JUBULA CHUGANZANI(MISS) (FOR THE FAMILY) Oh suuuuuure… I’m gonna give you my bank name and account numbers. In my next email to her, I expressed some reservations about giving out such information right away and suggested that her lawyer call my lawyer to set things in motion. The phone number I gave was to the Secret Service Financial Crimes Division in Washington DC. 😃 ## Here’s the next email I received. Note how she’s now learned to turn OFF the CAPS LOCK key. Attention:… Thanks for your mail recieved today being Tuesday 13-08-2002 .I have read and understood the content very well.Thanks once more for your cooperation. Hencewith,the name of my family lawyer is Barrister Patrick Khumalo(Solicitor and Advocate), phone number :0027-83-597-5591 .E-mail address: [attorney\_chambers@yahoo.com](mailto:attorney_chambers@yahoo.com) . So please My good friend …, you should contact my lawyer immediately with the required informations aforementioned and get back to me as soon as possible. Thanks and remain blessed. Best regards, ## Jubula Chuganzani(Miss) (for the family) Alllllrighty then! I reiterated that she should call MY lawyer to arrange the necessary transfers, again giving the phone number to the Secret Service Financial Crimes Division in DC, and gave further instructions that she could speak with any “agent” (yes, that’s the word I used) in the office. ## She responded… Dear …, Kindly please confirm the name of your lawyer and his private phone number clearly ,the country code then with the city code to enable my lawyer call him immediately. Thanks. Best regards, Jubula Chuganzani(Miss) * * * Could this be for real? (NAAAAH!) Could she really think that “my lawyer” would also be gullible enough to fall for this? Or does she think that she’s FINALLY got a live-fish on her line and is unwilling to let it go? I responded by saying that I didn’t know the country code to the USA but that she could probably get it from her local telephone operator. I also re-re-confirmed “my lawyer’s” telephone number. ## This is her next email to me (received this morning 16Aug02). In this one, she’s addressed me by my first AND last name, presumably to note the urgency of her request. Dear … … Listen my good friend … …, due to the confidentaility and privacy required in this transaction and upon trust wishes to inform you once again that this transaction is strictly arranged for both of us upon agreement to succeed in a short possible time. I have accepted to do this transaction with you as my foreign partner in the name of one family to provide me with the following informations of yours: 1.name in full 2.banking particulars 3.private phone and fax numbers 4.residential / business address. All these requirement are needed from you immediately to enable my family attorney named Barrister Patrick Khumalo to file in application to the bank because after a meeting with top bank officials with the help of my family attorney; they disclosed that the reserve bank would appoint for you an accredicted attorney who would stand on your behalf to sign all the necessary documents covering the money bestowed to your name as the bonafide beneficiary of the money.Everything about this transaction has been arranged but the ball is on your court to cooperate and comply with us. I don’t know your lawyer’s name neither my lawyer knows;how do you think that my lawyer should call on phone with a ghost name; remember that this is not a childs play.I feel it is your duty to explain the whole information to your lawyer .My lawyer objected the idea of calling your lawyer on phone with a ghost name because it is something confidential and secret. You know how much money that is involved, it is not something to expose anyhow.This is my life , the only hope for our future.Think about it please.Unless if you are not willing to help me in this transaction. Reason with me and reply urgently .Thanks and remain blessed. Best regards, ## Jubula Chuganzani(Miss) (for the family) Well, it seems that I’m holding up the proceedings! I responded that I had spoken to my lawyer and it would be best for HER to provide ME with her full name, banking details, home/business/fax phone, address, etc. The since the banking technology is probably much more sophisticated in America, it would probably speed things up! And, this is where it stands! I’m awaiting another email from her (it’ll probably arrive tomorrow as it seems that no matter how early I send an email, her response arrives the next morning) No matter what her promises are, I’m not going to give in. But I want her to think that she’s got a real patsy on her hands. So, fellow dopers, what carrot can I dangle in front of her nose to keep her responding? I want to see just how far she’ll go before she just gives up! I’m tempted to turn all of this over to the Secret Service and let them handle it, but it’s been too much fun! ---
**Author:** ![whitetho](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whitetho/32/1059_2.png) [@whitetho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/whitetho)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2002, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-officially-involved-in-a-nigeran-scam-your-thoughts-comments-long/124216/2 "2002-08-16T16:38:57Z")
I would say the more confused you sound the better, and the more complicated the better. Tell her you have friends who are interested in supplying the money, but you need time/information to convince them. Ask about complex financial information – i.e. bring up obscure alternative payment methods, ask which would be better. See if she will let you pay in Euros. Ask bizzare questions that have nothing to do with the process but make you sound particularly clueless, like, do they have television or cars in South Africa, or can you pay in German Marks. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2002, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-officially-involved-in-a-nigeran-scam-your-thoughts-comments-long/124216/3 "2002-08-16T16:44:29Z")
I’ve received several and have begun responding, but I think they sense that I’m taking the piss. Do, however, read some of the wind-ups that “scam-o-rama” have perpetrated: [http://www.scamorama.com/](http://www.scamorama.com/) Hilarious (also ver long). ---
**Author:** ![World\_Eater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f04885/32.png) [@World\_Eater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/World_Eater)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2002, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-officially-involved-in-a-nigeran-scam-your-thoughts-comments-long/124216/4 "2002-08-16T16:44:52Z")
Christ, my eyes glazed-over half way through reading the OP. ---
**Author:** ![TalkingHead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bcef8e/32.png) [@TalkingHead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TalkingHead)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2002, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-officially-involved-in-a-nigeran-scam-your-thoughts-comments-long/124216/5 "2002-08-16T16:45:39Z")
Tell her that you just spoke to your attorney (hehehe, the “ghost name”) and he wanted to use a specialist professional to extract the funds for her… he has several South African operatives who could remove the moeny for her physically in South Africa. Explain that you will arrive Sunday if she provides you with all her information and you and your team of specialists will remove her money and the percentages will be drawn out after they survey the situation first hand. ---
**Author:** ![TalkingHead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bcef8e/32.png) [@TalkingHead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TalkingHead)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2002, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-officially-involved-in-a-nigeran-scam-your-thoughts-comments-long/124216/6 "2002-08-16T16:51:03Z")
Tell her that she is not proceeding in the best manner for her and that her attorney may be trying to steal from her because the last time you did this, all you needed was all of her information and it was done within minutes, and now that family lives two doors away from you… Little Gimhalla, their 13 year old daughter is so indebted to you that she has already betrothed herself to your first heir. That family is comfortably living in a 25 room house and they are moving hte rest of their family in on the interest they are earning on the investments they made upon arrival. You are currently moving another family who had similar situation, but they didn’t provide the right information and they are now stuck in INS explaining themselves, but you are living on their money until they explain themselves… ---
**Author:** ![TalkingHead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bcef8e/32.png) [@TalkingHead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TalkingHead)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2002, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-officially-involved-in-a-nigeran-scam-your-thoughts-comments-long/124216/7 "2002-08-16T16:54:35Z")
This could be fun, if you have a US attorney’s office willing to investigate… Call your local U.S. attorney’s office and get their investigative unit, or high tech crimes unit. Tell them about the persistence of this lady and what she wants… They might actually be able to give you a bank account number and stuff to give her (he’s probably a 16 year teen hack harvesting numbers for another company anyway)… I’m sure they have some tools for this operation that could make it fun… ---
**Author:** ![GrizzRich](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/7ba0ec/32.png) [@GrizzRich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrizzRich)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2002, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-officially-involved-in-a-nigeran-scam-your-thoughts-comments-long/124216/8 "2002-08-16T17:08:36Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by World Eater \* > \*\*Christ, my eyes glazed-over half way through reading the OP. \*\* Hey, I WARNED that it was long!😛 ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2002, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-officially-involved-in-a-nigeran-scam-your-thoughts-comments-long/124216/9 "2002-08-16T17:15:56Z")
_Hey People!_ These scammers are _scary_ bad evil people. There have been some victims who lost more than money, e.g., taken for ransom, killed etc. They can and have shown up in the US, looked up their victims and taken them to their banks at gunpoint. It is really _stupid_ to mess with people like this. Don’t ever respond, don’t toy with them, etc. They do not have a sense of humor and might decide to take revenge. This is not being “smart”, this is being “dumb”. ---
**Author:** ![Sterra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8c91f0/32.png) [@Sterra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sterra)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2002, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-officially-involved-in-a-nigeran-scam-your-thoughts-comments-long/124216/10 "2002-08-16T17:30:07Z")
Well, yes giving your personal information out over the internet is dumb. Not giving out your personal information and trying to string them along as long as possible is not dumb. ---
**Author:** ![GrizzRich](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/7ba0ec/32.png) [@GrizzRich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrizzRich)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2002, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-officially-involved-in-a-nigeran-scam-your-thoughts-comments-long/124216/11 "2002-08-16T17:39:16Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by ftg \* > \*\*_Hey People!_ > > These scammers are _scary_ bad evil people. There have been some victims who lost more than money, e.g., taken for ransom, killed etc. They can and have shown up in the US, looked up their victims and taken them to their banks at gunpoint. > > It is really _stupid_ to mess with people like this. > > Don’t ever respond, don’t toy with them, etc. They do not have a sense of humor and might decide to take revenge. > > This is not being “smart”, this is being “dumb”. \*\* Not to doubt a fellow doper, but I’ve never heard about THIS happening! Have you a cite? ---
**Author:** ![DaToad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@DaToad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DaToad)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2002, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-officially-involved-in-a-nigeran-scam-your-thoughts-comments-long/124216/12 "2002-08-16T18:32:54Z")
I get these things all the time. The one following came to my office this AM, and **World** it’ll glaze your eyes after the first paragraph. From the desk of: DR. REX CHUKWU Email: [rexchukwu@hotmail.com](mailto:rexchukwu@hotmail.com) Lagos, Nigeria. ``` REQUEST FOR AN URGENT CONFIDENTIAL BUSINESS RELATIONSHIP ``` After due deliberation with my colleagues, I have decided to forward to you this business proposal. We want a reliable person who could assist us to transfer the sum of Twenty Million Five Hundred Thousand United States Dollars ($20,500,000) into his / her account. This fund resulted from an over-invoiced bill from contracts awarded by us under the budget allocation to my Ministry and this bill has been approved for payment by the concerned authorities. The contract has since been executed, commissioned and the contractor was paid the actual cost of the contract. We are left with the balance US$20.5M as part of the over-invoiced amount which we have deliberately over estimated for our own use. But under our protocol division, civil servants are forbidden to operate or own foreign accounts.This is why I am contacting you to be our custodian for this fund. As you may want to know and to make you less curious, I got your address from a site in the internet that portrayed you (your establishment)in good light. I am the Chief Accountant/Internal Auditor of the Contract Award Committee (C.A.C.) of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation(NNPC). This transaction is very much free from all sorts of RISKS and TROUBLE from my Government. We the N.N.P.C. Officials involved in this deal have put in many years in service to this Ministry. We have been exercising patience for this opportunity for so long and to us, this is a life time opportunity we cannot afford to miss. You need not to worry about the responsibilities of transferring this fund into your account, because all the administrative step needed for the transfer of this fund into your designated bank account will be done by me. We have agreed to COMPENSATE you duly if agreement is reached by both of us. My colleague and I will come to your country to arrange for our share,upon the confirmation from you that the money has been credited into your nominated bank account. Consequent upon your acceptance of this proposal, kindly confirm your interest by sending me a revert email via the email accounts below ([rexchukwu@hotmail.com](mailto:rexchukwu@hotmail.com) ) Your indication by revert email to me of your sincere and serious Interest will enable me send you the PROCEDURE FOR OPERATION. NOTE: In the event of your inability to handle this transaction please inform us so that we can look for another reliable person who can assist in this respect. It might surprise you why we choose you and trusted you for this transaction. Yes, we believe that good friends can be discovered and business like this can not be executed without trust. This is why we have decided to trust you for this transaction. We are looking forward to doing this transaction with you. Be further informed that everybody interest and security had been considered before you were contacted, so be rest assured and feel free to go into this transaction with us. But let Honesty and Trust be our watchword throughout this transaction and your prompt reply will be highly appreciated. Thank you and God bless. Best Regards, DR. REX CHUKWU. Please reply this mail via the above listed e-mail address [rexchukwu@hotmail.com](mailto:rexchukwu@hotmail.com) for confidentia I’ve never responded, and I forward the e-mails to the US Attorney in Phoenix. I don’t know what action, if any, has been taken. ---
**Author:** ![Violet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/ebca7d/32.png) [@Violet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Violet)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2002, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-officially-involved-in-a-nigeran-scam-your-thoughts-comments-long/124216/13 "2002-08-16T18:58:32Z")
Hmm. I guess I should start posting the ones I get here, too, or at least their email addresses so the web crawlers get their email addresses to spam them to death! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![bernse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a9a28c/32.png) [@bernse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bernse)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2002, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-officially-involved-in-a-nigeran-scam-your-thoughts-comments-long/124216/14 "2002-08-16T19:07:25Z")
Tell them your Lawyer needs a $1000 retainer (or something) to oversee the transaction and only a Western-Union transfer will do. Get them to send it to you as a “good will” gesture so you can\* be sure \*they are not scamming you. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Robb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a183cd/32.png) [@Robb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robb)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2002, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-officially-involved-in-a-nigeran-scam-your-thoughts-comments-long/124216/15 "2002-08-16T19:13:02Z")
Maybe it’s time for your lawyer to get skeptical, but you want to prove him wrong. Unfortunately, when you query the [Law Society of South Africa](http://www.lssa.org.za/), you can’t find a reference to her barrister. Maybe she could tell you the name and address of his chambers, because that would convince your lawyer. ---
**Author:** ![GrizzRich](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/7ba0ec/32.png) [@GrizzRich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrizzRich)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2002, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-officially-involved-in-a-nigeran-scam-your-thoughts-comments-long/124216/16 "2002-08-16T19:40:58Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by bernse \* > \*_Tell them your Lawyer needs a $1000 retainer (or something) to oversee the transaction and only a Western-Union transfer will do. Get them to send it to you as a “good will” gesture so you can_ be sure \*they are not scamming you. > 😉 \*\* That’s a great idea! I’d like to use it but I’m afraid that it might scare them off. ---
**Author:** ![photopat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e95f7d/32.png) [@photopat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/photopat)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2002, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-officially-involved-in-a-nigeran-scam-your-thoughts-comments-long/124216/17 "2002-08-16T19:41:34Z")
A couple of times when I got those e-mails I responded with a piece of long garbled text and at the bottom words including “virus” in the hope of scaring them. I doubt it worked, but it felt good. ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2002, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-officially-involved-in-a-nigeran-scam-your-thoughts-comments-long/124216/18 "2002-08-16T20:34:35Z")
I’m hurt. No one has considered me for a Nigerian scam. (sniff sniff.) All I get are spam to refinance my house or consolidate my loans. Contact your local FBI office and let them know what you’re doing. They may take it over from you in order to nab them. I think you’re doing a good job so far, but you may be getting in over your head. ---
**Author:** ![ENugent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/4af34b/32.png) [@ENugent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ENugent)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2002, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-officially-involved-in-a-nigeran-scam-your-thoughts-comments-long/124216/19 "2002-08-16T20:52:27Z")
Call that phone number for the Secret Service, and get the name of someone there (almost anyone will probably do). Then give her that name as the “ghost name,” with the same phone number. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2002, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-officially-involved-in-a-nigeran-scam-your-thoughts-comments-long/124216/20 "2002-08-16T21:35:11Z")
I have also taken to getting the email addresses of Nigerian Scams from friends of mine, changing the African references to Irish ones, and sending them back. Nobody’s responded yet. These people may be criminals, but as long as you don’t give them any (real) personal information, you’re not going to be in that much danger. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-officially-involved-in-a-nigeran-scam-your-thoughts-comments-long/124216.md?page=2)