Nigeria to Hong Kong: The Dying Woman Inheritance scam
Oh, poor Mrs. Barbara Manenga. She’s dying and wants to name you (and all the other people she’s scamming) as beneficiary for a whopping $7.5M. All you have to do is contact her barrister, one Jeffery Edward, for the details. Want to bet it’s that you provide him with your bank information? Oh, and of course, you’ll have to give him a particular sum in “good faith.” Yeah, these Nigerian scams always prove one adage over and over again: “If it sounds too good to be true, then it definitely is too good to be true.” I mean, honestly, who in their right mind thinks that some supposedly dying woman in another country is going to pick you, a random stranger, to receive a ginormous amount of money? Think about it. It really bugs me that the reason these scams continue is that there are always enough suckers who believe this crap. Extreme greed can get you in trouble, my friends.
Here’s the text of the email (with this in the subject line: “I am Mrs Barbara”):
Good Day!
My name is Mrs Barbara Manenga a dying woman who has decided to donate what I have to charity through any thoughtful and selfless someone, I got your information while browsing through the internet, although I am not comfortable using this medium owing to the unsolicited emails everywhere but someone has to be used to save this transaction. So, I honestly crave your indulgence to digest and do what I have to say, please.
I am a woman who was diagnosed for cancer about 2 years ago, after the death of my husband who had left me everything he worked for. I have decided to donate from what I have inherited from him for charity through you since I cannot do it all by myself considering my condition.
I have WILLED the sum of US$7,500,000 to you for the less privileged rather than allow my greedy relatives to use my husband’s hard earned funds inappropriately.
I will be going for an operation tomorrow morning and at the moment I cannot take any telephone calls, however, I have adjusted my WILL and my Executor is aware. Please, you and he should arrange the transfer of the funds from my Bank to your humble self, wherever you are. Please contact him with his private E-mail:
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BARRISTER JEFFERY EDWARD
E-mail: legal.integrity@ymail.com
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With your full names, phone/fax numbers and or your contact address and tell him you are the one that I have WILLED the sum of $7,500,000 to, for specific and good work. I will appreciate your utmost confidentiality in this matter until the task is accomplished as I do not want anything that will jeopardize my last wish. I will try and be in contact with you at any given opportunity.
I wish you all the best and, please use the funds well and always extend the good work to others.Regards,
Mrs. Barbara Manenga
Noted Dr Phil Evans is my personal doctor and I am sending you this mail through his email.Dr.
Specialties:
Radiology, Diagnostic
Clinical Interests:
Biopsy; Breast Conditions, Breast MRI.
Appointments:214-645-XRAY
Apparently this particular scam has been making the rounds since 2011, so I’m assuming it’s been quite lucrative for “Barbara” and her “doctor.” So, as of this year, Mrs. Manenga has been dying or in remission for the last four (well, not counting when she was originally “diagnosed”) years. Apparently ill-gotten cash scammed from dupes is the cure for fake cancer.