Help me convince Missy that this is really just a scam

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Hello I'm New here! Joined: 07 Jun 2014 Posts: 3

It's tough for some to let go of the fantasy of inheriting/stealing/finding millions.

Please help me convince my girlfriend that she is wasting her time and wasting her hopes on this.

Maybe we could even drag the scammer out into the light - just for a quick look see.

Here is the bait. I have changed a few things to protect the privacy of the innocent (but not the guilty).

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: frank raymond <[email protected]>
Date: Mon, Apr 7, 2014 at 4:20 AM
Subject: Step/Bank will contact you.
To: Alley <m*********@gmail.com>

Dear Missy West,

I want to assure you this transaction is 100% legal. All documents
will be authenticated in your name and favor as the next of kin. Since
I am an attorney I shall ensure every legal step is taken to ensure
there is know breach of law, you don't have to go any court since am
here to stand on your behalf and make sure the fund is been transfer
into your bank account in your country. I will be representing you
locally, and I know how the system works here in Africa.

NOTE: - The claim that I made to the bank on your behalf is that:

1. You are the heir/successor to my late client and to the best of my
knowledge his only living next-of-kin.
2. Late Mr. Adam West is your Cousin.
3. You wish to take possession of the money he deposited in his bank account.

The bank manager said to me that they will contact you through email
or telephone to further confirm from you the authenticity of this
claim. So, please regularly check your email box for arrival of any
mails from the bank.

The bank's name is Union Togolaise de Banque Lome, Togo. As soon as
you receive feedback from the bank either by phone or email, I advise
you to send/report it to me for me to offer you advise before you
respond to the bank. This is very important so that you will be well
guided because we cannot afford to make any mistakes that will make us
lose this golden opportunity of receiving this enormous financial
inheritance.

Below is the Bank contact information.

UNION TOGOLAISE DE BANQUE (UTB)
Direction General Lome Boulavard Circulairo
Boulavard du 13 Jenvier, BP: 359 Lome-Togo
Tel: + 228 223 43 030 Tel: +228-98059877
Fax: +228-222 7047
Email: [email protected]

Waiting for your confirmation any time the Bank contact you.

Thanks and God Bless.

Frank.
Tel: +228-97334992.

Posted: Sat Jun 07, 2014 10:27 am

Hi Albert and welcome to eater. I did a couple of google searches and found the following, the from email can be found on this site http://www.419scam.org/emails/2013-10/31/00511906.6.htm , the reply email is listed on this site http://joewein.net/dbl-update/2014-02/2014-02-07.htm and the telephone number can be found as Example 2 here http://internetcrimefightersorg.com/email-scams-2-beware/

If your girlfriend still has doubts you could also ask her to visit our sister site Scamwarners where she will be able to read similar scam formats that have been posted by members and victims.

Posted: Sat Jun 07, 2014 10:42 am

As agnomen said, you will be better off posting at Scamwarners as the support team over there are more experienced at dealing with helping victims - we just waste the scammer's time and resources.

One quick suggestion though, this https://www.utb.tg/en is the website of the real Union Togolaise de Banque and there is a contact form here https://www.utb.tg/contact/0/en - that will connect you to the real bank, not a scammer using a free email address pretending to be them.

Hello I'm New here! Joined: 07 Jun 2014 Posts: 3

agnomen wrote:

..... visit our sister site Scamwarners where she will be able to read similar scam formats that have been posted by members and victims.

It seems impossible to register there.

"The solution of task you submitted was incorrect. Please read the instruction and try again."

Posted: Sat Jun 07, 2014 10:09 pm

http://www.419scam.org/emails/2013-10/31/00511906.6.htm

He's been using this format since 2013 at least.

His phone number was also reported here.

http://www.419scam.org/419-phone-2014-01.htm

The format is classic 419 fraud. Don't let her send any money, she won't see it again, or any other money from this guy.

Posted: Sat Jun 07, 2014 11:11 pm

Albert

If all of the above isn't enough to convince your girlfriend that she is in contact with a scammer, ask her to watch this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yzU82Ul96pU

Quote:

The main narrative follows the story of Sweet Home, Oregon resident Janella Spears, who falls victim to an elaborate Nigerian 419 scam. Initiated by e-mail, the scammers promise Spears and her family the return of a dead relative's lost fortune. Interested in her family's genealogy and persuaded by a death certificate purported to be her relative's, Spears eventually loses US$440,000.

Posted: Sun Jun 08, 2014 2:11 am

AlbertSchwitzer wrote:

It seems impossible to register there.

Temporary glitch perhaps - someone registered an hour or so ago.

Posted: Sun Jun 08, 2014 6:16 am

If you have trouble convincing her that this guy is fake, try another tactic. Why would she have a long lost relative in Africa? And why would this relation she has never heard of leave her millions? And is she really the next of kind? What is the relation? Try to appeal to her better sense of logic.

Posted: Tue Jun 10, 2014 12:51 am

If logic doesn't work, let the internet provide proof:

http://www.deadoraliveinfo.com/dead.nsf/wnames-nf/West+Adam

Hello I'm New here! Joined: 07 Jun 2014 Posts: 3

bware419ers > If logic doesn't work, let the internet provide proof:
> http://www.deadoraliveinfo.com/dead.nsf/wnames-nf/West+Adam

It was me who made up that name.

The name on her letter is Adam Somethingelse, the same as Missy's last name. How the scammer got that name I don't know yet. I guess from the habit of using one's real name as one's gmail address.
eg. missy.somethingelse @ gmail.com

Scamzilla > Why would she have a long lost relative in Africa? And why would this relation she has never heard of leave her millions? And is she really the next of kind? What is the relation?

She does (did) have a branch of family in Africa, but her geographic awareness is not keen. I will talk to her about that branch and try to get a better sense of who those people are. Judging by her race, it's likely South African. I will also learn about where the name Somethingelse came from. It's likely that she has no blood relation bearing that name.

Asena > If all of the above isn't enough to convince your girlfriend that she is in contact with a scammer, ask her to watch this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yzU82Ul96pU

I did play that in the background while working. It's good, for what it is, but terribly overlong. Someone should edit that down to about 5 minutes. People who fall for scams, such as we talk about here, tend to have short attention spans.

I don't want to sound demeaning. Maybe more important to discuss is why people will hang onto hope when the evidence is so clear that they are getting scammed. It's frustrating to watch someone fall for this crap. It's sort of like trying to explain physics to someone who is convinced he can run his car on water.

Thanks to all for the help.

Posted: Tue Jun 10, 2014 12:58 pm

Have you tried contacting the real Union Togolaise de Banque? They will soon tell you that the email address [email protected] is nothing to do with them.

Posted: Tue Jun 10, 2014 1:03 pm

Quote:

It was me who made up that name.

And now I know. The way it was written didn't make it appear to be a fictional name.

Quote:

How the scammer got that name I don't know yet.

There are many possibilities. The name in her email is one way, and probably the likeliest. She may have filled out a form on a phishing site or countless other ways.

Quote:

Someone should edit that down to about 5 minutes.

I beleive that was just used as an example and point of reference. I might be wrong, but do not believe that it was made by a member here.

Quote:

Maybe more important to discuss is why people will hang onto hope when the evidence is so clear that they are getting scammed. It's frustrating to watch someone fall for this crap.

It is very frustrating and the members of http://www.scamwarners.com/ are ideal for handling this situation. As for why people hang on to hope, the first five items listed here cover many of the reasons: http://forum.419eater.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=32877

Trophy Videos · Posted: Fri Jun 13, 2014 8:15 am

You need to convince your girlfriend to register at scamwarners, and directly talk to victim support members there. Playing "man-in-the middle" never works out, plus there may be added emotional baggage or whatever preventing her from listening to you. Like, perhaps she won't listen, because she wants to "prove she is right in your eyes." Removing you from the picture and having her talk to a neutral party helps most of the time.

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