Bogus Message From "HubPages Member" email scam
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I got this e-mail message today, sent from "HubPages Member"...obviously a scam.... but very interesting, and quite creative.
Here's the message in it's entirety:
Rita Dominic, (ritadominic15@yahoo.com) rita4u on HubPages
has sent you this message.
(email address not verified)
From Rita Dominic,
AV 332 rue 1269
Barré Treichville
Cote D Ivoire Abidjan,
P.O.Box 19950
Dear beloved one,
I know that this mail will come to you as a surprise but in brief introduction I am Sister Rita Dominic From Monrovia
Republique of Liberia, presentely I am in neighbouring Country Abidjan Cote D Ivory West African where my late father
deposited the money for ownworld transfer,
I'm contacting you to assist me transfer my inheritage fund wish my late father deposited before his death, My father
was formally the director of the Liberian Gold Mining Cooperation, and because of his position the ruling party poison
my late father in collaborating with my uncle,
But before the death of my father in private hospital, He told me about a sum of ($2,500.000.00 Million united state
dollars, which he deposited with my name as the only child in a neighbouring country called Cote d’Ivoire. Presently I
have arrived to Cote d’Ivoire Abidjan. This is why I have decided to contact you seeking your assistance to help me
transfer out my money to your care for and investment purpose and to continues my education as my late father
instructed me, after which I will come over to Live with you, and continue my living and education there in your country.
please i am a motherless child i lost my mother when she was giveing birth to me,
Dear for your urgent assistnce on this transfer i am willing to offer you 15% of the total fund, for you time and effort on
this transaction, Please I will like you to send to me your following personal and contact information’s as in: this will
aneble me to introduce you to the Bank as the Bank told me that i will prensent to them my late father foriegn partner
wish will be provided by me, contact me ritadominic@cantv.net
1. Your full Name.
2. Your private phone and fax number
3) your age and your occupation
4) Addressed
From Rita Dominic
This message was sent via HubPages from a 'member' who has no picture, no fans, and no hubs.
The 419 scam
This type of fraudulent message is known as the "419" or "Advance Fee Fraud" scam, and has been cheating people, in one form or another, as early as the 1920's.
Why would people fall for this scam?
-Some think that they are helping out some poor soul in need....Come on, Sister Dominic? How corny is that? Can't you just picture her now, in her nun's habit, surrounded by orphans, perhaps playing a guitar?
"Dominica-nica-nica-nica"'...
-Some just have dollar signs in their eyes....15% of 2.5 million dollars? That's $375,00!!! Just to help out a sweet little nun who is also an orphan!! Not to mention an orphan with an extremely wealthy late father who was tragically poisoned by some murderous ruling party!
-Some people are very lonely and/or vulnerable. .Sister Dominic does want to come live with you, after all.
What are these scammers trying to do?
I have done a little research on these hoaxes. The idea is to either get your banking information, and empty out your account, or embroil you so deeply in the process of transferring the money, that you are paying all kinds of "fees", "taxes" and other huge fake charges until you are cheated out of five, ten, twenty grand or more.
I've reported this to the HubPages abuse center, and posted a forum message
Has anyone else received this one??
The links below offer more detailed info about this particular method and other scams that are common.
Internet Scams
- snopes.com: 419 or Nigerian Scam
How the 419 scam works - E-mail Hoaxes and Fraudulent Links | Microsoft Security
Tips to help recognize fraudulent or hoax emails and links. - The top 9 e-mail hoaxes - MSN Money
Income taxes are optional, Neiman Marcus has an expensive cookie recipe and more financial fictions that crowd in-boxes. These e-mail hoaxes are designed for one thing: to drain your wallet.
Can't believe I found this..
Comments
Pity to those who actually get sucked into these scams. Seriously, who'd reach out to complete total strangers all over the world for help??? Morons. To be honest I don't receive these scams/emails anymore.
Thanks for pointing this out!
I don't understand how people could buy into something so obviously phony...But then again, we did elect Obama, didn't we...Thanks for the alert, I really appreciate your taking the time to advise everyone of this fraud...Larry
Lisa, dohn, and maven...glad you checked out this hub.
Guess none of us are going to end up 375,00 richer or with a nun for a roomate!!
The audacity of using Hub Pages to try to reach people! I've received any number of these scam emails. There are so many triggers -- the spelling/grammar errors,the address (why would someone in Africa be contacting ME?) and the ridiculous (but quite amusing) titles. I would find it funny if I didn't know that people do unwittingly fall prey. Sad.
But thank you for posting this. And oh,by the way, now I've got "Dominica, nica, nica..." in my head. LOL! MM
thanks for your comment, Mighty Mom, I've got that song stuck in my head,too!!
P.S. I feel like a second-class hubber now. I did not get any message from Sr. D. Am I sending out the wrong vibe online? Maybe she has seen some of my rational postings in the religious forum and fears I would not be hospitable? Maybe she knows I live in California, where the UC system is raising fees and students are protesting?
Or maybe there is a "do not bother" list over there in Liberia or wherever. Once they've been turned down by a recipient they don't bother trying to scam them again....LOL!
Maybe they are afraid of your Mighty-Ness, Mighty Mom!
Thanks for this vital information elisbathkcmo. Sadly, to many people have been dupped by such schemes, that's why there are so many. Never will I understand the need or desire to trick people out of their hard earned money instead of putting their own noses to the grindstone and making an honest living.
I get these kinds of letters all the time. I either delete them or label them as spam.
Veronica, it's a shame that people are willing to lie, cheat and steal to make a living. I'm thankful that we live in a place where we at least have oppontunity to succeed.
alekhouse, I've heard about these messages before, but this is the first time I received one, and this one in particular was thru HubPages. Thank goodnes my email address is still private!
I've seen these scams on come to my emails for quite sometime! Really crazy stuff! Karitka
Definitely a spam! Thanks for the info.
kartika, just hope everyone else can see thru these scams... thanks for your comments
definately a spam, but least it was imaginative!
thanks for checking out my hub, ABTEODORO!
Does anyone fall for this?Poor Sr Rita,she'll just have to come up with something more heart wrenching!!!!
Thanks for posting this. I haven't received this particular email but I did receive a bogus Paypal email telling me that my account was locked up until I clicked on the link in the email and verified by password.
that's funny, itakins, I'm sure the good Sr is coming up with something right now!
I received many spam messages from Paypal and eBay to, Wife Who Saves. This is the first one from 'HubPages Member'.... they're getting more creative, I guess
Thanks for the reminder and the heads up! Also, hilarious nun pic below!
your welcome, Ben, and glad you enjoyed the pic!
You have to give them credit for creativity, a nun, military opression, and an orphan WOW! How gullible do they think people are? Thanks for the update.
sounds like a movie, huh, Cosmo? Thanks for your comments.
Seen a million of those. I usually delete them but sometimes im a jerk and tell them I have their ip address and am reporting them with a few choice words.
The one that almost had me was the yahoo mail scam. They tell you its an official message from yahoo and they need to verify info on your acct because of a virus whic is circulating. Still a scam , but looks very real!!!!! Better off to avoid all of these and not even open or ever respond because of a potential virus threat to your computer.
good info, akycrawler, thanks!
I've gotten a fair few of these messages, but not lately, and not HP. If only everyone's parents taught them: If it sounds too good to be true, it most likely is.
Excellent hub !
I fear for the wellbeing in this cruel world of the poor souls naieve enough to actually fall for these obvious scams!
Thanks for your kudos, iskra, and I agree, it's sad that some still fall for this, its too bad that these scam artists continue to make up a new version of the same old scam!
Great hub!
I have received personal emails through yahoo with variations of the above email that you showed in this hub. It is all ridiculous! Keep up the good work with your writing, it is very easy to follow.
I appreciate the compliment, Info Help. Just hope I don't ramble too much....
This was a great hub that I enjoyed...I will not be richer anytime soon but good reading nonetheless...thanks
glad that you enjoyed this hub, mtsi! I won't be any richer either, by the way...
Thank you for sharing. Greatly appreciated. Glad to be a fan.
I appreciate your feedback, Cagsil, thanks to you as well!
It always amazes me that folks fall for this stuff. Great info!
Hopefully, most people are savvy to this by now, but now they're trying to contact us thru more devious methods... thanks for your comment, habee!
I did have some similar emails a while ago and reported them. I have turned of my contacts on the sites where I write for now. Shame as I had received some good contacts before. Spammers are a pain also.
I agree, it's too bad that you have to turn off all your contacts to protect yourself, but ...
what ya gonna do? take care, ethel
tee hee they are everywhere. Great information. Nice to meet another nurse here.
Tammy, thanks for checking out my hub... nice to meet you too!
Hello, elisabethkcmo, GREAT hub! Wonderful read. Voted up and away! Great talent you have in writing and presentations. I too almost fell for a "Beauty Queen Scam" on Facebook about a month ago, except she was stictly an amateur--asked me too quickly for the dough. She used a gimmick that she was being held hostage in a motel room in Rio and the manager wouldn't let her go until she gave him $450.00, which I didnt have, but she tipped her hand by telling me her job was that of a travelling buyer and seller of gold and antiques that were with her in this room. I told her to barter with gold. And moved on. This scam of yours is similiar, but very mysterious. I love your writing. I am now a fan and follower, if that is okay with you. Sincerely, Kenneth Avery, from a rural town (Hamilton), in northwest Alabama, that reminds people of Mayberry, where Andy and Barney lived.
Ha, Ha, I've got them now!
Lisa Luv 2 years ago
Wow thank you for the info!