I received this in my inbox today. I have fairly strict spam checking, so I was surprised that this fell through the filters. Anyway, it’s basically a 419 scam, where someone is promised a certain amount of money for helping someone else retrieve a larger amount of money. For those who are wondering why it’s called a 419, it’s because scams of this type are so prevalent in Nigeria that a section of the penal code, section 419, was created specifically to deal with it. I’m a little surprised that anyone still gets caught up in that nonsense in 2006!
This is a bit of an evolution in the 419 scam. In this case the “sender” pretends to be someone who needs your help in retrieving property which is supposedly legally his. The text of the spam message is included further down.
I actually find it quite amusing. I have some questions I’d like to ask this so-called “kid”:
- Why don’t you just get a lawyer and have this taken care of quicker?
- You say you don’t contact your mother, which could make things a lot easier, because your father told you to have nothing to do with her. But then you’re willing to ask some stranger on the internet?!?
- Also, why is the money in the “Union National Bank UK”, when there is no such bank?
- Why do you misspell your own name (Hunt Martin) as “Hunt Matin”?
Anyway, it’s clear that the story has fundamental problems. Always remember that if something seems fishy, it probably is.
What’s going to happen if you respond is this:
- the “kid” will send you some contact details, probably an email and a phone number, and possibly a mailing address, most likely in Amsterdam. It’ll be the address of some other bank, one you’ve never heard from before — because it doesn’t really exist.
- the “bank manager” will say it’s no problem, but that due to local banking regulations you will have to send them some money to defray costs related to withdrawing the money.
- after you’ve sent the money you’ll be contacted by the “bank manager” with bad news — there are more fees to be paid for things like legal representation, etc.
- if you keep sending money they will keep asking for more.
- if you decide to go over there to see what’s going on, if you’re lucky, you’ll just discover it was all a scam and there’s no one at the address you’ve been sending your money to. If you’re not lucky for whatever reason they’ll discover you floating head down in a canal in the red light district with a knife in your gut.
So, people, do yourselves a favor. Whenever you see an email like this, report it as a scam to your ISP, or just delete it. Don’t be stupid. Normally I would have just destroyed it after having a laugh, but every once in a while I read a web story about someone who got suckered into a similar scam and then going on to doing things like killing themselves and/or their spouses because of it. One recent case mentioned a lawyer (I think it was in Florida) who had pissed away hundreds of thousands of dollars of a client’s money because of that con. Personally I’ve been laughing at this obvious scam for many years, but there are still some people out there who think that this is for real.
Here are a few links about this:
The same scam as a blog entry on a Taiwanese web site
An entry on The Register that talks about a very similar scam (so I guess it’s not a 100% new twist)
The full text of the spam mail will follow:
———————————-
From: Hunt Matin
Reply-To: Hunt Matin
To: undisclosed-recipients
Subject: Hello please help.
Hello
I am Edward HuntI am 14 years old I live in Manchester(UK) before my father died, now I live with my mother in Ireland. my father is from Manchester UK and my mother is from Ireland. My late father Mr. Hunt Martin has a big Real Estate company in Manchester before he died in a car accident last year July 25th 2005. he left £10 Million (Ten Million Pounds) in his account before he died. The £10Million is in (Union National Bank UK)
I have been trying to collect the money from (Union National Bank UK) but the account operator told me to go and look for some one honest and old enough to help me collect the £10 Million (Ten Million Pounds) I could have told my mother to assist me in collecting the £10Million but my mother and father where divorced before my father died and my father told me not to have anything to do with my mother, I don’t even want her to know about this because what my father told me before he died was correct, now that I stay with my mother in Ireland she doesn’t take care of me all she dose is to take hard drugs and to bring men to the house and she always hit me.
I don’t want to have anything to do with her, I just want some one old enough and honest to help me collect the £10Million from the bank as I am too young to take control of £10Million. Please I need your help, if you can assist me to collect the £10Million from the bank I will give you 30% and take 70%. I have all documents in my name you can confirm from the bank. I am indeed the Next of Kin to my late father Mr. Edward Hunt Martin.
The account operator (Union National Bank UK) told me to look for some body that is honest and old enough so that he can send the £10Million to the persons account as soon as possible.
If you can help me I will contact the account operator (Union National Bank UK) and tell him that I have found an honest person who is willing to help me collect the £10Million, so when you contact him he will know I sent you.
I will give you is contact so you can contact him to enable him send the £10Million to your provided account immediately Please help me. I will be waiting for your urgent reply so I can give you the contact of the bank and send you the last statement of account of my late father and I will also send you my picture and my birth certificate. Please help me reply back on this email: edw00@mail.gr so I can send you all information’s you need.
Best Regards
Edward Hunt