Internet Scam: 419 Nigerian Scam

Could this story from this scammer be any longer? Geez, they want to KILL their victim with details. Notice all the references to things that would seem to verify the "story". Notice how the 'FROM' email address is different then the 'REPLY-TO' address.

This is a variation of the 419 Nigerian scam. In the typical scam, there is some inheritance from some wealthy person and the victim is walked through all these hoops to extract money out of them - typically explained as "fees" or "bribes" to release the inheritance. This scammer is skipping the Nigerian part and skipping the story where the money has to be released and pretending like she's already sent it somewhere - hoping that will trick someone into acting faster (but he/she did slip in some non-existent attorney has to go to DHL to get the money released, so the story is not that different after all).

This scam is always pretty easy to spot because the amount of the money is ridiculously high. But the scammer isn't seeking to spend their time on someone who can figure that out - they are seeking the most gullible of the gullible because they have a lot of steps to walk a victim through to extract the most money and they want to be sure to spend their time and energy on someone who will fall all the way through the scam.

Okay, I best post this before my comments get longer than the scammer's massive essay below.

Reply-To: [mariascoular@yahoo.com.ph]
From: "Mrs. Maria Scoular Norman"[wernermig@saol.com]
Subject: Contact DHL Express for Delivery of your Cheque

Dear,

Good day to you and your family today.

I am sure this mail would be coming to you as a surprise since we have never met before and you would also be asking why I have decided to chose you amongst the numerous internet users in the world, precisely I cannot say why I have chosen you but do not be worried for I come in peace and something very positive is about to happen to your life right now and to the lives of others through you if only you can carefully read and digest the message below. The internet has made the world global villages where you can reach anybody you have not met before.

Before I move further, permi t me to give you a little of my biography, I am Mother Mrs. Maria Scoular Norman, 87 Years old woman and the wife of Late Sir Milne Robert who died in a Plane crash on Monday the 7th of September 1998 GMT 14:22 UK while they were flying from New York to Geneva. Please see site below for more information. http://www.cnn.com/WORLD/91609/swissair.victims.list/index.html

After the death of my husband I became the Head of his investment and now that I am old and weak I have decided to spend the rest of my life with my family and loved ones whom I never had time for during the course of my business life, but before the death of my husband we had a plan to use the last days of our lives to donate half of what we have worked for to the less privilege and charity homes and the other half for ourselves, family members and close friends, and it is so unfortunate that my husband is not alive today to do this with me and I am very weak and old now, hence I have decided to do this philanthropic work on behalf of my late husband and I.

Presently, I have willed out almost half of our assets to several charity homes and to some of the less privilege in different countries. Despite the agreement between my late husband and I to give aid to the deprived, we also agreed to render support to an individual we have not meet before in life due to the fact when we were still young in life we receive an anonymous help from an individual we did not know and which we have not being able to know till date, the impact we got from such gesture made us to do same.

I am sorry to inform you that you will never have the chance to know me because I have just concluded the assignment which my husband and I have agreed upon before his sudden death and you happened to be the beneficiary of our last WILL, irrespective of your previous fina ncial status, hence I need you to do me a favor by accepting our offer that will cost you nothing.

I have presently deposited a Cheque in the sum of 5,1600,000.00 British Pound with DHL Express to deliver to you, what you have to do now is to contact the My Attorney as soon as possible so that he can go the delivery company to know when they will deliver your package to you because of the expiring date.

For your information, I have paid for the delivering Charge, Insurance Premium and Clearance Certificate Fee of the Cheque showing that it is not a Drug Money or meant to sponsor Terrorist attack in your Country.

You have to contact the DHL COURIER SERVICE now for the delivery of your cheque
with this information bellow;

Contact Person: Mr. Ronald Gates
Email: dhl_express@blumail.org
Tel: +44 703 197 9272

Again, you are not to pay for the delivering Charge, the Insurance premium and the Clearance Certificate Fee of the Cheque because I have already paid for them, the only money you are expected to pay is One Hundred and Sixty Great British Pounds (160GBP)for the security keeping of the cheque so far.

I would have paid the fee but the company insisted that I should not because they don't know when you will be contacting them and to avoid demurrage or further cost.

You are to reconfirm the below information to them to avoid any mistake on the Delivery.

Postal address;
Full Names:
Direct telephone number;

Below is the security keeping code: (FED/0433/SKC) of you draft, you are to also
present it to them for verification before delivery.

Let me repeat again, try to contact them as soon as you receive this mail to avoid any further delay and remember to ask them to provide you with the method they wish to use in receiving their security keeping fee of (160GBP) One Hundred and Sixty Great British Pounds for their immediate action.

Note: Please I do not want you to thank me or my husband all I need you to do is to invest wisely with it and do the same good to someone’s life someday as this is the only way this world would be a better community if we render selfless services to one another.

Be also notified that I will no longer be reading my emails or surfing the internet as I have retired completely from the outside world to my ranch, at this moment I have nothing to do with cars, emails and other luxuries, all further correspondence should be forwarded to the courier company for the delivery of your cheque to you.

Yours Faithfully,
Mrs. Maria Scoular Norman