we have all read about online scammers trying to con people to divulge their personal information and, because of greed, many people fall prey to these schemes. the online scams originated from nigeria and hence were called nigerian scams.
lately, they have been getting pretty sophisticated. note those that purport to come from banks. their messages look authentic but observe carefully their return email addresses - there is always a difference between those and the banks' genuine email addresses.
just got one of those scam mails yesterday and yahoo rightly directed it into the scam folder. but something caught my eye before i duly deleted it. it was entitled 'Dear Rev Anthony Loke, can you...' as well as the name of the sender called 'philip johnson' (who happens to be one of my supervisors!). if you read the email below, you can see that they probably got the info and my email from the seminary website.
why don't i believe in this email? it is simply this - why would anyone commit to me US$8.5 million when i am a total stranger to them? even if they ask me to take a cut or commission to help them, i can ask for almost anything from a few % to more than 50%. if i were in their shoes and really did have some money stashed away, i would do all i can to try to channel the money back to myself rather than trust a total stranger to handle something so valuable.
to try to make the email authentic, pictures are attached to this email. some gullible people would probably believe in this email but anyone can phish those pictures and make a sob story out of it. beware of scammers. it is your greed that allows them to scam you.
-------------------------------------_________________________________
Dear Rev Anthony Loke
Sir,
May The Peace of The Lord Be With You. With due respect and humility, I write to you irrespective of the fact that you don't know me. I got your contact through the international directory and publication as Member of Malaysia Theological Seminary, when I was making inquiry for foreign assistance. I have decided to contact you and bestow this trust in you, which I pray you will not ignore or betray me and apologies in advance for any inconveniences this may cause you, handle it discretely and contact me urgently if you can assist me in this transaction.
I am Prince Philip Johnson, I live in Ghana with my younger sister Princess, we are refugees. We lost our parents in the war in my country and we were among the kids rescued to Ghana by UN Forces.
We have our inheritance box here in Ghana which our late father, His Royal Highness King Musinga Johnson of Kreo Community in Liberia deposited here for safekeeping purpose due to the war situation in our country over the years. The box contain $8.5 million dollars, but the security company doesn't know the exact contents because our father deposited them as "FAMILY VALUABLES".
My questions are these below:
1. Please can you receive these boxes for us as our foreign guardian and trustee?
2. Can we trust you in helping us?
3. What percentage do you think that will be ok for you?
To prove what am telling you and for us to build trust, I and my sister crossed our minds and attached the vital documents which were issued to our father the day the deposit was made, so that you can confirm things for yourself, the burial picture of our late father is also attached including the picture of the fund for you to see, the deposit certificate, deposit mandate, our United Nations ID card and also Anti-Terrorist/Drug Certificate. We took this bold step with great faith in God and believe that you will listen to us and help us, so that we can join you in your country and continue our education which is our number one priority.
Please think about this and reply us as soon as possible for us to know what to do immediately. I have concluded all arrangement with a private United Nations Jet Pilot for safe delivery of the consignment to your door step and he will contact you immediately with further details. If you are intereted, It will require you to get change of ownership and power of attorney so that the security can release the consignment. Take good care and God bless till we hear from you. Our sincere regards to your family.
Respectfully
Prince Philip and Princess Johnson.
Mobile: + 233 20 24 22 153
lately, they have been getting pretty sophisticated. note those that purport to come from banks. their messages look authentic but observe carefully their return email addresses - there is always a difference between those and the banks' genuine email addresses.
just got one of those scam mails yesterday and yahoo rightly directed it into the scam folder. but something caught my eye before i duly deleted it. it was entitled 'Dear Rev Anthony Loke, can you...' as well as the name of the sender called 'philip johnson' (who happens to be one of my supervisors!). if you read the email below, you can see that they probably got the info and my email from the seminary website.
why don't i believe in this email? it is simply this - why would anyone commit to me US$8.5 million when i am a total stranger to them? even if they ask me to take a cut or commission to help them, i can ask for almost anything from a few % to more than 50%. if i were in their shoes and really did have some money stashed away, i would do all i can to try to channel the money back to myself rather than trust a total stranger to handle something so valuable.
to try to make the email authentic, pictures are attached to this email. some gullible people would probably believe in this email but anyone can phish those pictures and make a sob story out of it. beware of scammers. it is your greed that allows them to scam you.
-------------------------------------_________________________________
Dear Rev Anthony Loke
Sir,
May The Peace of The Lord Be With You. With due respect and humility, I write to you irrespective of the fact that you don't know me. I got your contact through the international directory and publication as Member of Malaysia Theological Seminary, when I was making inquiry for foreign assistance. I have decided to contact you and bestow this trust in you, which I pray you will not ignore or betray me and apologies in advance for any inconveniences this may cause you, handle it discretely and contact me urgently if you can assist me in this transaction.
I am Prince Philip Johnson, I live in Ghana with my younger sister Princess, we are refugees. We lost our parents in the war in my country and we were among the kids rescued to Ghana by UN Forces.
We have our inheritance box here in Ghana which our late father, His Royal Highness King Musinga Johnson of Kreo Community in Liberia deposited here for safekeeping purpose due to the war situation in our country over the years. The box contain $8.5 million dollars, but the security company doesn't know the exact contents because our father deposited them as "FAMILY VALUABLES".
My questions are these below:
1. Please can you receive these boxes for us as our foreign guardian and trustee?
2. Can we trust you in helping us?
3. What percentage do you think that will be ok for you?
To prove what am telling you and for us to build trust, I and my sister crossed our minds and attached the vital documents which were issued to our father the day the deposit was made, so that you can confirm things for yourself, the burial picture of our late father is also attached including the picture of the fund for you to see, the deposit certificate, deposit mandate, our United Nations ID card and also Anti-Terrorist/Drug Certificate. We took this bold step with great faith in God and believe that you will listen to us and help us, so that we can join you in your country and continue our education which is our number one priority.
Please think about this and reply us as soon as possible for us to know what to do immediately. I have concluded all arrangement with a private United Nations Jet Pilot for safe delivery of the consignment to your door step and he will contact you immediately with further details. If you are intereted, It will require you to get change of ownership and power of attorney so that the security can release the consignment. Take good care and God bless till we hear from you. Our sincere regards to your family.
Respectfully
Prince Philip and Princess Johnson.
Mobile: + 233 20 24 22 153
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