This came in this morning’s e-mail batch. Highly amusing, but I get the feeling there’s real danger and criminal intent behind the polite words. Anyone else get this kind of a thing?
I inserted my UserName after “ATTN:”, but in fact it had my real name in there originally.
This is a bog-standard Advance Fee Fraud (AKA 419 scam after a section of Nigerian penal code)
What happens is this:
You get involved with the scammer, exchange half a dozen emails or so, during which you are asked for various bits of information; typically these are only used to create forged official documents, copies of which are faxed to you.
At the point where the scammer feels you are sufficiently ‘hooked’, he will tell you that some kind of advance fee (such as transfer/administration/release fees, or some local tax) needs to be paid before the transaction can continue, you send several thousand dollars and he disappears with your money.
And/or…
You are asked to fly to the scammer’s home country to complete the transaction and, oh, would you mind bringing some presents for the scammer and his buddies (although you’re told that these are the accountant and his assistants), plus some cash. You fly to the scammer’s country and at best you are mugged, at worst murdered.