A Sample Scammed Mail

ATTN: CEO,

REQUEST FOR URGENT TRANSFER OF THE SUM OF TWO MILLION FIVE
HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS {US$2,500,000.00} ONLY, INTO YOUR ACCOUNT.

Compliment of the season.

I am the Deputy Director of Finance, Foreign Payment Approval Dept. of
West African Monetary Control Board (WAMCB). North-West Regional office
Burkina Faso. My office oversee all developmental projects financed by the
Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). Within this zone (Burkina Faso, Niger, Mali, Ivory Coast, Ghana and Guinea).

With reference to an introduction and recommendation of you by a friend
who works in the Burkina Faso Chambers of Commerce and Industry, I do
hereby, Wish to commence talk with you on a highly confidential level. After due consultations, I have decided to contact you in order to arrange for a possible transfer of the sum of Two million Five hundred thousand dollars (US$2.500.000.00) into your account. This money is a subject of an over inflated sum acquired from contracts awarded by my Agency in the past years.

The original contractors have however, been paid and all projects
executed by then commissioned. This over inflated amount can not be withdraw locally from the paying Bank because the contractors concerned are Foreign Firms. As a matter of trust, honesty and secrecy, I have decided to contact you as to assist me provide an account for this transaction if you have accepted to assist and fully participate in this transaction, kindly furnish me with the necessary information such as

Bank Name/
Bank Address/
Account Number/
Swift Code/
Account Name/ 
Your full address/
Scan copy of your identity/

With this information provided, the said sum will be transfer to your account without difficulties.

The terms of sharing the money after a successful transfer will be discuss as you indicate your interest in assisting to transfer this money.

Immediately all these information gets to me, I will then present
every document to the paying bank and the copy will be send to you for verification and record purposes.

Be rest assured with my connections, everything will be through within a short time. After many years of meticulous services to the government and people of our sub region I would not want my image to be dented. Therefore I expect you to handle this transaction with utmost maturity by keeping everything secret. I can assure you that if my instructions are carefully adhered to, there will not be any hitch through out the transaction, there is no risk on your side, because I have perfected the deal very well over years.

After the transfer, we will be coming over to your country for further
Sharing and possible investments.

I'm waiting to read from you urgently through the electronic mail address ASAP.


Regard,
Dr.Abraham ZONGO


ANALYSIS
This is a sample scam email. This mail is actually aiming at the greedy victim who wants to reap where they did not sow. A reply to this mail will have a more promising mail that will end up with the victim sending money to help in clear the money that will have a clearing problem in any country the scammer has agents (it usually starts with as little as $500 and continues to as more as $50,000  to $100,000) or the scammer will your account information that he is requesting to hack into your account.


COMMON SENSE
Common sense they say is not really common. Some people before falling victim do not ask which friend of theirs gave their contact to the said Dr. Abraham ZONGO (Deputy Director of Finance, Foreign Payment Approval Dept. of West African Monetary Control Board (WAMCB). North-West Regional office Burkina Faso) for such a serious fraud  without contacting them. what makes you think that a man who is not faithful to his employer that he has (according him) served for many years will be faithful to you, a total stranger.
He talked about his connections. If he is that connected why is he trying to use a stranger with all his acclaimed connections in any part of the world?
Some people have not even thought of the fact that good business discusses profit sharing before they commence business, here he wants to gets his greedy victims by all means.


N/B: this mail was forwarded to us by a person who almost fell to it from Hong Kong