The Inheritance Scam

GaryBC

We've all got them in our inbox: "Dear John. A person has died and left $x millions in my charge. If you act as his beneficiary you can have the money - less my bit". Or words to that effect.

I got one recently and, for a bit of personal entertainment, I decided to string them along for a bit - up to, but not including, the point where I give out my bank details. I even made a point of telling the scammers that I have no bank account (sorry mum, I'll wash my mouth out!).

I've got them to the point where 'the bank' is ready to release 'the money'. As I have 'no bank account' it's been suggested that I open an offshore account purely to receive 'the money'.

I'm expecting that I am very close to the point where they go very quiet (signalling them giving up) but I've been racking my brains as to what on earth they expect to get out of this!

I've told them I have no bank account - so they'll not have that to plunder. And if they carry on to the point where I open an offshore account it'll be empty - so there's still no account to plunder!

On the presumption that there is no dead long lost relative and that it really is a scam, (be just my luck if this one really is kosher and I blow it by my obstructive replies!!) how is it supposed to work?

I'm blowed if I can figure it out!

Discuss!!

MamaMoo_2

GaryBC wrote: »

We've all got them in our inbox: "Dear John. A person has died and left $x millions in my charge. If you act as his beneficiary you can have the money - less my bit". Or words to that effect.

I got one recently and, for a bit of personal entertainment, I decided to string them along for a bit - up to, but not including, the point where I give out my bank details. I even made a point of telling the scammers that I have no bank account (sorry mum, I'll wash my mouth out!).

I've got them to the point where 'the bank' is ready to release 'the money'. As I have 'no bank account' it's been suggested that I open an offshore account purely to receive 'the money'.

I'm expecting that I am very close to the point where they go very quiet (signalling them giving up) but I've been racking my brains as to what on earth they expect to get out of this!

I've told them I have no bank account - so they'll not have that to plunder. And if they carry on to the point where I open an offshore account it'll be empty - so there's still no account to plunder!

On the presumption that there is no dead long lost relative and that it really is a scam, (be just my luck if this one really is kosher and I blow it by my obstructive replies!!) how is it supposed to work?

I'm blowed if I can figure it out!

Discuss!!

You'll find that just as it comes time to release the cash, there will be a release fee that needs paying, an could you just send £xxx to Mr. ayoumu hdjdnindj in Barclays Bank, London, Nigeria....

MackemPunk

If you open an offshore account in your name and give them the details, they can use it to launder money and when the police catch on, guess who'll be getting a 5 o'clock knock?

GaryBC

MamaMoo wrote: »

You'll find that just as it comes time to release the cash, there will be a release fee that needs paying, an could you just send £xxx to Mr. ayoumu hdjdnindj in Barclays Bank, London, Nigeria....

They've tried the 'release fee' one! I told them to borrow it and take it out of the $xx,xxx,xxx when it arrives!

GaryBC

MackemPunk wrote: »

If you open an offshore account in your name and give them the details, they can use it to launder money and when the police catch on, guess who'll be getting a 5 o'clock knock?

Good point. I'd not thought of that one. Maybe if they're daft enough to deposit $xx,xxx,xxx in my bank account I'd better move it out and close the account sharpish!! LOL!!

Like your 'bomb disposal' one-liner! Here's another one: "You only need a parachute if you intend skydiving twice"!!

CapJ

They'll put money in your account and ask for a portion of it to be sent back to them once it has "cleared" Except it won't have cleared, despite looking like it has, so when the transaction reverses you are left owing the bank enormous amounts of money.

Make up an account number - just make sure it isn't correct (eg too few digits). Give them this and insist it is what the bank is giving you.

Or ... tell them someone else has contacted you and offered you the money for a smaller release fee which you have paid!

BTW - just to check - I hope you are not using your real name etc with them?

davidlizard

Make up any old bank account details and send those to them - they won't check - they are usually not that advanced. The main way these things work is to get people to send them money - usually via Western Union or similar - for various fees and other expenses they incur, then get them to throw more money at it.

Also if you do want to wind them up, which is an extremely worthwhile and rewarding thing to do, remember to give absolutely no information away that could lead them to identify you whatsoever. Whilst they are unlikely to fly all the way from Nigeria to see you, they might know someone just round the corner. Its worth considering using an email account that hides the IP address.

The golden rule is to make them do all the work and act stupid. If they want a scan of your passport, simply send them a DLL from your PC renamed to passport.jpg. Then its their fault they cannot open it and tell them to stop wasting your time. You get the idea.

GaryBC

CapJ wrote: »

They'll put money in your account and ask for a portion of it to be sent back to them once it has "cleared" Except it won't have cleared, despite looking like it has, so when the transaction reverses you are left owing the bank enormous amounts of money.

Make up an account number - just make sure it isn't correct (eg too few digits). Give them this and insist it is what the bank is giving you.

Or ... tell them someone else has contacted you and offered you the money for a smaller release fee which you have paid!

BTW - just to check - I hope you are not using your real name etc with them?

Yeah, I've heard of that one. If they're daft enough to transfer actual money I'll cross that particular bridge. (Can't imagine they would!)

They already had that info as they contacted me - by name - via my hotmail account.

GaryBC

davidlizard wrote: »

Make up any old bank account details and send those to them - they won't check - they are usually not that advanced. The main way these things work is to get people to send them money - usually via Western Union or similar - for various fees and other expenses they incur, then get them to throw more money at it.

Also if you do want to wind them up, which is an extremely worthwhile and rewarding thing to do, remember to give absolutely no information away that could lead them to identify you whatsoever. Whilst they are unlikely to fly all the way from Nigeria to see you, they might know someone just round the corner. Its worth considering using an email account that hides the IP address.

The golden rule is to make them do all the work and act stupid. If they want a scan of your passport, simply send them a DLL from your PC renamed to passport.jpg. Then its their fault they cannot open it and tell them to stop wasting your time. You get the idea.

It's great fun!!

They already had quite a lot of stuff - I guess it's pretty easy to get hold of.

As for this I photoshopped a genuine scan of my actual passport so that it's nearly right!! Hehehe!

paddyrg

Go over to 419eater.com - a whole community of very specific advice on this very subject. There you can learn and collaborate with all kinds of evil types who do this regularly, and they'll also help you to do so safely. It is called 'scambaiting', and head over to the forum at 419eater.com and you'll soon get stuck in :-)

davidlizard

Re personal info - I do not respond to any scams sent to my normal email addresses - I have a couple of email addresses specifically for this sort of thing. These are publicised them on the web - typically in guestbooks - and a steady stream of scams appears. There's nothing that can link me to these email addresses.

Concerning passports, I usually act totally thick (which can wind them up brilliantly) when they ask me for a scan of my passport, and after the usual DLLs renamed as jpg trick, I eventually send them a copy of the front cover of my passport.

One little issue with sending them passports, albeit heavily doctored, is that they can be used by these Nigerians in future scams.

Concerning bank details - they normally only use these to prepare what appears to be official documentation which they email back for signing - all part of the scam.