West Africa Scams

[Shrdlu]

Many of you will already know about this. I first came across this in the days of MySpace, which Face Book has killed off.

I had a profile there and that produced a lot of interesting begging messages, mainly from Nigeria. A guy from there said he was a woman in Chicago who wanted to marry me. He had one (fake) display pic, on msn. I was asked to send "her" airfare from Chicago. I asked if "she" had any more pics and never heard another word. Another guy in Nigeria said he loved me and he asked for airfare from Nigeria.

About a week ago, a "widow" in Côte d'Ivoire, supposedly dying from cancer, said that her late husband had left $3.5 million in an account, to be passed on to the needy. As it happens, I have friends with orphanages in India and Ghana, so the money would have been very handy. I knew what was coming. Sure enough, I was asked to send $1500, to pay for legal clearance of the funds. Involved in this is a real lawyer's office. The lawyer is called Dr K.Jean-Louis.

So, in case you didn't know, be on the alert. I already was.

[Big Beat Steve]

 

Don't know if I actually received a letter (like in the olden days when the "Nigerian connection" was all over the place) or if it was a mail that arrived not long ago.

Anyway ... Direction ashcan. The only interesting thing was that these letters yielded an exotic stamp for distant acquaintances who were into stamp collecting.

Edited April 12, 2019 by Big Beat Steve

[Dan Gould]

I've strung along some of these Nigerian scammers, it amuses me as many of them simply buy a packet of emails to send out in sequence, so you can send a reply a be a total jackass, and the response will be the next email in the set, completely ignoring what I wrote, and setting me up for the lowering of the boom on the "fees" involved to get the money out.

One time I got a message from a scummy "banker" trying to share the great fortune of his dear, departed, former client, who died in a plane crash and his money has sat there in the account ever since. I told him I've spent the last five years trying to find my father, who was a businessman in his country, and now out of the blue I got an email from his personal banker!  Incredible! I told him that now I've learned where my father's money is, I'll be collecting it myself, no sharing of proceeds necessary.

So since I've responded to these people, I am now on the lists of prior scam victims, and most of the emails I get are from the UN or from the US State Department, assuring me that they are going to make me whole, and not only pay me for my losses, but give me the millions I was promised before**.  Can't wait!

 

***Edit to add: and loaded on an easy to use debit card, no less!

Edited April 12, 2019 by Dan Gould

[JSngry]

These things are fake, but the robocalls from the IRS are real!

[Kevin Bresnahan]

Do not hang up! This is not a sales call. We are calling in response to your recent inquiry about a medical brace.

Really? Who the hell falls for these things?

[Scott Dolan]

 

[jlhoots]

  On 4/12/2019 at 6:56 PM, Kevin Bresnahan said:

Do not hang up! This is not a sales call. We are calling in response to your recent inquiry about a medical brace.

Really? Who the hell falls for these things?

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That brace scam has resulted in billions of dollars of Medicare fraud. Fraudsters have now been indicted!!

[sonnymax]

  On 4/12/2019 at 6:56 PM, Kevin Bresnahan said:

Do not hang up! This is not a sales call. We are calling in response to your recent inquiry about a medical brace.

Really? Who the hell falls for these things?

Expand  

People who are in pain. People whose lives are limited by physical ailments. People who suffer from depression due to their chronic discomfort. People who are vulnerable to promises of hope and relief. That's who.

[JSngry]

That's one short of a Jeopardy category!

[Kevin Bresnahan]

  On 4/13/2019 at 12:07 AM, sonnymax said:

People who are in pain. People whose lives are limited by physical ailments. People who suffer from depression due to their chronic discomfort. People who are vulnerable to promises of hope and relief. That's who.

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My questions centers around the "your recent call about a medical brace". If you didn't call anyone about a medical brace, why would you talk to these people? If you did call about a medical brace but it wasn't these scammers, why would you talk to these people? I just don't get why anyone would talk to someone who starts off the conversation with a lie.

I have great sympathy for those going through life in pain. My uncle is going through this right now.

I was glad to hear that this particular scam got busted. People who prey on those in distress are the worst kind of scum.

Edited April 14, 2019 by Kevin Bresnahan

[Shrdlu]

The people aren't busted yet. It is just that I wasn't tricked by them.

However, I have kept all the emails as proof, and I need to report this gang to the police/cyberpolice/whatever. I have a name, phone # and address. It's like in that "As Catch Can" movie: they can't change those details. The lawyer involved is Dr K. Jean-Louis in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire.

[jlhoots]

The brace scam is busted.

The we'll send you 5 million dollars scammers seem indestructible like cockroaches.

[JSngry]