Monday, January 26, 2015

DON’T FALL FOR THE NEWEST SCAM


There is a new e-mail scam making the rounds, and it does not say that it comes from Nigeria this time. Be sure to share with those who might get confused so that they do not fall for it.

I just received mine via e-mail:

Dear Peel,

I am Barr.Bob Kokou, My late client Mr. Robert Peel, who died as a result of the 11th September 2001 WTC terrorist attack has an unclaim safe-deposit (US$10,5 million)in a Finance Security Company,whom i believe is your relative having beared the same surname.. Contact me with my private email (***) immediately for more details Thanks and God bless.
Regards,
Attorney Bob Kokou.(Esq)

If this sounds too good to be true, it is because it is.  It is clearly a scam. Here are some things I noticed immediately:

1. It was a personal, rather than a business, e-mail.
2. It was sent to multiple undisclosed recipients, and by only last name.
3. It asked to a reply to different email address than the sender.
4. It had no other contact information that could be corroborated like an office phone or address.
5. He refers to himself a “barrister” which is a foreign word for lawyer.
6. The spelling, verb tense and coding of numbers is wrong.
7. No Robert Peel died in 9/11. Those lists are easy to locate.
8. His name is the name of a false god. From, where else, but Nigeria?!? According to the folks at Wikipedia, “In the Yoruba religion of Benin, a Kokou is one of the most highly feared warrior under-gods, and it is the most violent and powerful of the Yoruba spirits and the voodoo rituals surrounding it involves its followers to fall into a deep trance with rapidly beating drums. Once possessed by the spirit, the body in which the Kokou inhabits may remain in a trance all day and in due course demonstrate a thirst for blood with glass bottles and knives, swallow sharp objects or repeatedly beat its head against the wall until it bleeds profusely, revealing a high tolerance to pain.”

I know you are thinking that this is so clearly a scam at first blush that no one will fall for it. Believe me, these things work or they would not go to the trouble.

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