'Nigerian' money scam: What happens when you reply?

Anybody who has ever received the notorious Nigerian Money Scam will probably have asked themselves the same question - what would happen if I replied?

For those of you unfamiliar with this email scam, the basic idea is simple. Somebody purporting to be a Nigerian banker contacts you, offering a chance to earn some serious money. Often his bank will be looking after the considerable fortune of a deceased millionaire - from shipping magnate to former president. He says he needs a foreign bank account through which to launder the money - and in return for sending him your bank details for this purpose, he will give you a share of the spoils.

Of course those who fall for this scam never see these promised millions. Instead their bank accounts are often cleaned out once they have handed over all their details - which include bank account numbers, copies of their passport and drivers licence and phone and fax numbers - it is a simple identity theft, dressed up with a tempting lure for the gullible.

Over the years silicon.com has received hundreds of these emails. What follows is the transcript of a conversation with one such scammer which began on 20 January 2003.

We received an email from somebody calling himself Mr Madu Frank, promising us 30 per cent of a large unclaimed fund, valued in the region of around $20m. Typically these people will send emails to multiple recipients - hoping somebody will take the bait. Often it is claimed the recipient was recommended to them by 'a friend' or taken from some kind of international directory.

Having received the initial email, silicon.com's Will Sturgeon set up a Hotmail account under an assumed identity, and replied.

Thank you very much for contacting me with this wonderful offer, it sounds almost too good to be true. It's amazing, only this morning I was saying how I could do with having a bit more money - I must be a very lucky man.

Of course I would be interested in helping, but would also be very interested to hear who recommended me, as you say you have been told that I am a "reliable" and "trustworthy" person. I assure you I am, but would like to know who I have to thank for this wonderful opportunity.

Just to clarify, you say I stand to get 30 per cent of the total money transferred - this is £6.75m, right? Wow!

Thank you very much for finding time to reply to my mail. We have to begin this transaction fast, so that the fund will be in your account in about 14 banking days. First of all, you have to transcribe the letter below in to your letter headed paper, or plain paper, and send it back to me so that I will submit it to the INTERNATIONAL REMITANCE DEPARTMENT of the bank...

...I will require you to also send me your private telephone and fax numbers, I will submit this also to the bank, and they will contact you directly. When they contact you, I want you to act as the real beneficiary of the fund in question. Do not be intimidated by anybody. I will also want you to send me the front and back photocopy of your international passport or driver's licence, so that I will know who I am having a deal with. For further enquires on what you should do, call me immediately you receive this mail on my telephone number... I will be expecting your call.

He then included the text of the letter he wanted me to transcribe, including helpful blank spaces where I could fill in my name, address and, most importantly, bank details. Of course I didn't oblige... but that didn't mean I was finished with Mr Madu (wasn't he a partially sighted cartoon character?). I still wanted him to answer my question about who recommended me.

Thank you for getting back to me. I am still wondering if you could tell me who recommended me to you, as I asked in my last email.

I do not have a problem with all this, but you said in your original email that you had been told I was a reliable person - I was just wondering if you could elaborate? I am interested in finding this out - as that person may want to share in my good fortune. I should be aware of who has done me this big favour.

So I've posed Mr Madu a challenge here. We know the truth, but surely he won't admit to sending out random emails to all and sundry in the hope that some poor sucker will take the bait. No, instead he comes up with one of the most improbable - yet inventive - lies ever.

I have seen your mail, and understand the surprise that you are still passing through. I got your address from the Hotmail email directory for successful men and women. Please we have to leave out surprises at this point, and deal with the issue that we have at hand right now. Call me as I instructed you for more detail about what this transaction will look like.

I didn't know there was a "Hotmail email directory for successful men and women". You live and learn! How do they know I'm successful (I am - but I only set this Hotmail account up on Monday - and they didn't ask me then whether I am successful. Where can I see this directory?)

I hope you can understand my trepidation - I'd hate to blunder into some kind of scam (not that I would ever question your integrity or the genuine nature of this offer).

I suppose, as I said in my earlier email this just sounds too good to be true - are you sure it is all above board?

I am still very keen to help you out, and am really looking forward to getting the money - I just need to be sure it's the right thing to do.

My conversational style fell on deaf ears, Mr Madu clearly wasn't keen to hang around chewing the fat...

Please send the transcribed letter, to my fax number... or send it as an attachment to my email box. I will be expecting to hear from you soon.

OK - I have sent that fax. It should be there now. Let me know once you've got it.

I hadn't. At this point we played a little bit of email tennis. Three times I sent an email saying I'd faxed through the form - three times, on three consecutive days, he replied to tell me it hadn't arrived (that's because I'd not sent it Mr Madu) - each time urging me instead to email it to his inbox. I blamed confusion over the international codes.

I have not seen your fax yet... You do not have to add any other code. But I prefer that you send me the letter this time around, through email as an attachment, since you have tried to send it three times through fax.

I will be expecting you to send it through my email box now, so that I can submit it to the international remittance department of the bank, before the close of work today.

In the end I changed tack - suggesting it might be quicker to fax the bank directly - suggesting I might even look up the bank on the internet. I thought this might catch Mr Madu off guard, but it hardly threw him at all. He quickly replied, giving me the "direct telephone number of Dr George Ade, the Director of the international remittance department." He also gave me the department's fax number and implored me to contact them immediately.

Yet, still I resisted... Saturday, Sunday passed and still I hadn't faxed anything. Mr Madu was starting to grow impatient...

Have you faxed the letter to the international remittance department of the Eco Bank? (No) Have you called the director as I instructed you to? (No again I'm afraid Mr Madu) Please you know we have to be fast about this transaction, so I want you to act fast.

I will also require your private telephone number, so that I can communicate with you on phone. I will be expecting your mail immediately.

What's it going to take before this man gives up on me? Surely if he hasn't cottoned on to the fact that I'm winding him up, he must at least think I'm incredibly ungrateful, and more than a little disorganised.

But that's his problem, not mine... This time I replied, telling him I had gone ahead and looked up the proper numbers for the EcoBank in Lagos Nigeria on the internet - and told him that I'd sent my form straight there... Surely this will annoy him - after all, if he really believes that I fell for his scam, then surely he must believe what I've just gone and done is completely idiotic. All along he has stressed the need for secrecy and great caution. Involving the real EcoBank will surely throw a spanner in the works and annoy the long-suffering Mr Madu... and indeed it did.

ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND? I sent you numbers that you can use to reach particular people because of the confidentiality of this transaction, and you are contacting another number! Well I must inform you at this point, that since you refused to follow my instructions, you have 0 per cent chance of collecting any money from the bank. You have just shown how unconfidential you can be.

I also hope that you did not mention my name in the fax you sent to them, because I don't want to lose my job over a fund that has not been released. The best thing I have to do now is to look for someone more confidential than you are! GOOD DAY!

I can't believe I'm going to miss out on this money - but these things happen - and I can see that it was all my fault... but what a shame!!!

In truth I expected that to be the last of my dealings with Mr Madu. But he wasn't done yet. He just wanted me to understand the foolishness of what he had done, and clearly rued flying off the handle they way he had.

This transaction is very confidential even in the bank. So all I want you to do at this point, is to contact the telephone number that I gave to you right away. It is the direct line of the Director of international remittance. He knows about this transaction. His name is Dr George Ade...

It is not all over! Please just follow up the instructions that I gave you, and everything will be alright. I want to receive a mail from you tomorrow morning that you have done it. BE POSITIVE!!!

He's changed his tune! He obviously believes there is still a chance I will hand over my passport, bank account detail, phone number and driver's licence.

I wonder how he'll react when I start losing my patience with him - will he spot the irony? I pretend I have made the phone call which he implored me to make...

What's going on? Dr George Ade is not answering his phone... what time is it there? Why do you tell me to ring him when he's not around to answer his phone?

This is a waste of my time... I want to help you but I will soon lose patience. I do not need the money that badly - $6.75m would have been nice, but I can live without it and will do so if you do not raise your game very soon.

I will not be a party to any kind of funny jokes because I have a very important schedule myself.

I have called Dr George immediately I received your mail, just to find out if he had any missed call, he said no. Please I know that you are getting frustrated, but we have to keep trying. He will definitely pick up your call when you contact him.

You say "I will not be a party to any kind of funny jokes because I have very important schedule myself" - well excuse me, but I'm the one who gets the distinct feeling this all a bit of a botched operation.

Are you suggesting that I'm lying about ringing Dr George Ade. I do not appreciate being called a liar. I called the number you sent me - there was no answer. Why would I waste my time and yours lying about it?

That told him. Within a week we've gone from him cutting me off to me cutting him off. By this stage I was confident that he would still come back for more, almost regardless of whatever I said. Sure enough, Mr Madu replied, this time - giving me the email addresses for Dr George Ade and his department within the bank. Interestingly, like Mr Madu, both used Yahoo.com webmail addresses. Not very professional for a bank, I thought. (Rest assured all addresses being used have been reported to Yahoo!).

I have been in contact with an associate of yours Mr Madu Frank - I'm sure he has told you about our conversation. He has asked me to contact you to move this transaction on.

Tell me please - why does the bank have a Yahoo! email address? It doesn't sound very official - I need to be assured that this is a serious and official operation - not just people setting up Yahoo! mail addresses - which anybody could do. Please send assurances that I am dealing with honest and official people.

I wish to acknowledge the receipt of your mail addressed personally to me, Dr George Ade, on this 3rd day of February 2003. I will start by explaining to you, that this bank does not have only one branch, therefore we do not have just one website or just a particular email address. All departments of the bank are allowed to set up contact points, which will be best to access the banking procedures.

So let's get this straight. Dr Ade is telling me that companies can only set up a specific web address when they are based in just one location. This goes against everything the web stands for. What's starting to annoy me at this point is that these people obviously think I'm an idiot. That said... I did reply to the original email, so as far as they're concerned it's probably a fair assumption.

At this point it really hits me how foolish the people are who have been duped by these scammers.

Before we go on - I really don't think you are making the most of the opportunities the internet presents you.

You say "this bank does not have only one branch therefore we do not have just one website or just a particular email address".

The internet is supposed to remove such 'location-based' thinking. You sound like a good man, and I trust you, but I really think an international bank would sound far more impressive if it wasn't using free internet mail addresses. You should look into it.

I'm more than happy with Mr Madu's arrangement - but I imagine there are people out there who would be unwilling to hand out important information, such as bank details, to a Yahoo! account.

I included Mr Madu on my reply. I imagine by now there is at least one very frustrated man in Nigeria. Surely after three weeks he's getting fed up of this. After all, he originally said the transaction must be completed in 14 days... we're well over that already, and sure enough Mr Madu is not happy.

Why are you making a joke of this transaction? I have the certificate of deposit of the fund in question, and the Lodgement receipt with me, and can fax it to you if you can give me a fax number. I am not joking, I mean what I am saying.

So send me your fax number, so that I can send you these documents of proof immediately.

I waited a few days before sending my next email. By this stage we're well into the fourth week - Mr Madu wanted this done within 14 days. I thought it best to make my apologies and also make up an excuse for the delay.

Sorry Mr Madu, I wasn't making a joke of this transaction intentionally. Apologies also for the delay, but I have been away on business. As such I didn't want to leave a fax number before I went away as I didn't want this form arriving in my absence as I wanted to keep this transaction quiet - I'm sure you understand.

Anyway, I'm back from my travels now and if you could let me have the certificate of deposit and the Lodgement receipt that would be excellent - why not send them as attachments to this email address.

With the ball back in Mr Madu's court I'm kept waiting for a couple of days, until I next hear from him.

It's nice receiving your mail once again. It was a public holiday for the past two days here in Nigeria, so I will send you the documents through mail, tomorrow morning or on Saturday morning.

But they didn't turn up. Has Mr Madu finally given up the chase? Saturday and Sunday pass, with no forms arriving. For five days there is silence from Mr Madu, I start to suspect he's lost interest but I've one last trick up my sleeves to elicit a reaction.

Since starting this email conversation we've received dozens more of these Nigerian emails. Perhaps it's time to introduce Mr Madu to some of his peers.

Have you shared my details with colleagues of yours. Just this past weekend I received two emails:

First up is Dr Godfrey Ugo who is offering me a share in the fortune of "a foreign customer who died along with his entire family in a Concord plane crash in the year 2000 in Paris".

Secondly I heard from Sunday Ikechukwu who says he works for the Foreign Remittance Department of the Zenith Bank. He is offering me a share of money held in "an account that belongs to one of our foreign customers who died along with his entire family in November 1997 in a plane crash."

This stirred Mr Madu back into action, though he was hardly phased at all by the revelations in my email. In fact he offered this incredible response.

This is just exactly what I told you about delay in anything you do. I investigated the mails that you sent to me, and found out that the mails where sent to you by some fraudulent officials of my bank, who know about this transaction, but want to send the money through another bank.

Please, let us be fast about this transaction before somebody else will come and claim the fund.

Please do not contact any of those people, because you may end up not even getting anything at the end of the day.

So there it is - in so many words my Nigerian scammer has admitted that these emails are a fraud. He has also instructed me not to contact these people because he would rather he got the chance to clean out my bank account than one of his peers.

Here's another site of someone who's having a lot of fun leading these scammers on. My particular favorite is the "Lady Vader" story.

http://sweetchillisauce.com/nigeria.html

I just received an email from Azuka Bala offering me the same deal. I am so shocked that it was not on the level (sarcasm on).

Someone would have to be awfully stupid or awfully greedy to get caught up in this.

'Nigerian' money scam: What happens when you reply?

Most likely, you're placed on the Democrat National Committee's mailing list for eternity.

Michael M. Bates: My Side of the Swamp

scamorama.com bump

Some of those accounts are sidesplitters to read through. The scam with the British royal family, the one where the guy scammed the Nigerian con man out of $3, and the ultimate where the guy scammed a con man out of several grams of gold.

It's like a new Internet sport.

No wonder they haven't deposited $10,000,000 to my account yet. They have been too busy screwing around with you. Stop wasting their time. I could have had the money by now.

These Nigerian scams are pre-Internet. Back in the 80's a Japanese Businessman received a letter or fax, answered it and complied with all instructions. He lost about 50K $US$. He flew to Lagos and tried to find the scammers. He ended up dead in a roadside ditch. Not connected - a Japanese woman a few years ago froze to death in the Dakotas trying to find the buried ransom money from the movie Fargo. I guess there's always a sucker out there. The latest Nigerian email I have received is from Dr. Bello Bature, from the "Ministry Of Mines & Power" in Nigeria...offering a share of 24 million $US$. I loved the way you played this knucklehead!! Semper Fidelis!!

I've had emails going back and forth between myself and someone allegedly with millions to share. I've been trying to get him to give me a contact name in the US. Now that I have read your account I will really begin to play games with him.

FOR YOUR ATTENTION

I am BILL CLINTON, a former PRESIDENT of the UNITED STATES OF NORTH AMERICA. After a corrupt opposition STOLEN THE ELECTION from my party, I was forced to flee from the EXECUTIVE PALACE so that they could not jail me on false charges.

I have managed to save some of the property in the EXECUTIVE PALACE from falling into the hands of the COUP. However, I am in needing of your ASSISTANCE to get the money and property out of NORTH AMERICA to a safe haven in CHINA.

19 posted on 02/21/2003 6:53:58 AM PST by Doctor Stochastic (Vegetabilisch = chaotisch is der Charakter der Modernen. - Friedrich Schlegel)

I replied back to one the emails.... Told them to eat elephant dung and to swim in the rivers where the wildebeest cross. I did receive a reply.... Was told the voodoo man would visit me. My reply to the "voodoo man". Be prepared to digest some 185gr, HydraShoks from my 45. End of emails.....!

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