We are in a land of great opportunity. And the invention of email has given way to a plethora of even MORE wonderful opportunities!
When I am not being notified that I just won the Nigerian Lottery, I get opportunities to help widows of important political figures invest hundreds of thousands of millions dollars in safe accounts. In return, I am offered thousands of dollars for my time.
They always ask if they can completely trust me (see #4 below), which leads me to believe that I MUST be able to completely trust them. It is a no-brainer, right?
Below is a copy of one of the many emails that I get on a weekly basis. I am one lucky woman…
What a great investment opportunity!
Greetings to you,
My name is Mrs Helen Kologo, I am contacting you because of my intention to invest in your country. This is why I decided to write you, to tell you about myself, which I believe you would be of great assistance to me I am the wife of late Chief. Kenneth Kologo. My husband was a very wealthy cocoa merchant in Abidjan, the economic capital of Ivory Coast. My husband died before the start of the political crisis which is going on in our country Coted’ivoire.
Before the death of my husband on November 2005 in a private hospital he secretly called me on his bed side and told me that he has the sum of Eight Million,Five Hundred Thousand United State Dollars. USD($8.500,000) in a bank here in Abidjan Ivory Coast as a family treasures that he used my name and my son’s name for the next of kin in depositing of the fund. He also explained to me that he might not survive the situation then.However That I should seek for a foreign partner in a country of my choice where I will transfer this money and use it for investment purpose and upbring of my son Jonnas who is with me right now.
I am in a sincere desire of your humble assistance in this regard .
Now permit me to ask these few questions:-
(1)Can you help me for the retrievements of this fund on my behalf and son Jonnas from the bank here to your country by transfer?
(2)Can you make an arrangement for me to come over with my son to your country and invest the money strictly on your advice?
(3) Can you honestly take us as members of your family and help to invest this money wisely?
(4)Can we completely trust you?
(5) We ready to offer you 15% of this USD($8.500,000) I hope it is acceptable by you?.
Please,Consider this and get back to us as soon as possible so that i can forward the documents to you after we must have agreed on the conditions for your assistance. Our life is not safe here and we need to be out of here as soon as possible
I want to leave here as soon as you help us to have the money transfered out of here and Lodge into a safe account in your stable country We are waiting for your reply.
Thank you so much.
Tel. +xxx xxxx xxxx
Best Regards,
Madam Helen Kologo and son Walter
… or not.
Ines
March 2, 2008 at 3:04 pm
That Helen Kologo sure gets around! I received the same letter just a little while ago……..now I’m hurt.
Maureen Francis
March 2, 2008 at 3:24 pm
I am already working with Helen.
Mariana
March 2, 2008 at 7:08 pm
Ines – WHAT?!? I feel violated…
Maureen – Now I feel even worse! I feel ike I was just offered exclusivity with a lead seling company, only to find out they were sharing the same lead with 14 other agents. Great.
Ines
March 2, 2008 at 7:25 pm
LOL!! :}
Christopher Zabka
March 3, 2008 at 11:45 am
Um, are you guys saying these are fake?
Ah, geez…
Mariana - Colorado Springs Real Estate Agent
March 3, 2008 at 12:18 pm
Christopher – Um. No. Why would you think that?
Eric Bouler
March 3, 2008 at 9:47 pm
The local scams are so much more exciting. New Orleans has a Congressman who is indicated on 22 counts on an Africian Scam that was actuallly working till he put 90k in freezer and his brother bribed the Pres. of the New Orleans. The bribe was 60k and Jefferson got a 900k commission on the sale. The school board bought a 3.4 million dollar program to teach Algerba in the public schools. The program proved to be useless after 2 years. The money to fund the business was a Congressional earmark. Money has some strange ways. Maybe hire some math teachers?????
Mariana
March 4, 2008 at 8:05 am
Oh! You would think that people who have enough time on their hands to come up with that stuff could do SO MANY BETTER things. Geesh!