THE NIGERIAN '419' SCAM
One day I got an email from a person claiming to be a princess in Nigeria who had $18million and needed a foreign bank account to put it in.
She somehow got my email and knew that i was an honest person who could help her.
Here is the first email i recieved.
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Dear,
Good day and Compliments, I am writing this letter in confidence
Believing that if it is the wish of God for you to help me and my family,
that God almighty will bless and reward you abundantly and you would never
regret this. But may I first apologize for the unsolicited intrusion
into your privacy. Besides, I got your contact in your country’s
Directory in my search for honest person that will assist me pass through
this
impending oppression that might befall my Family and me if not checked.
I am a female student of University of Lagos, Nigeria, (23)
and
pursuing my Second Degree course. I like people, who could be caring, loving
and home oriented above all sincere and honest to be entrusted with
this long-term relationship. And again I like fraternity of helpers`` that
have the tenacity and will power not to back-off or give up until ``you
succeed `` especially in a case of where you are being oppressed due to
gender disparity. I would like to build up a solid foundation with that
person that will be in the annals of my life and that of my family.
Well, my father died earlier three Months ago and left I and
my very
younger brother behind. He was a king, which our town citizens titled
him over sixteen years before his death. I was a princess to him and the
first born child that could take charge of his wealth after his death
as the most Senior more than eight years older than my only Brother,
well because of the difficulties Our Mother had before she gave birth to
my Brother he was in fact considered a miraculous child (Son). More over
couple with the fact that my mother is not too literate increased my
responsibilities in the family I'm now seen as the engine that runs the
family.
As a matter of fact, my Dad deposited the sum of US$18Million
dollars
with Eco Bank PLC. This money was accumulation of annual payment from
Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) and Chevron Oil Company
operating in our Locality for the compensation of youth and community
development in our jurisdiction. But as luck might have it, as if he new he
was going to die he Deposited this money with Eco Bank PLC two months
earlier.
Just recently there has been attempts by my fathers kindred
and
relatives who feel that they can oppress me because they do not only feel
that
I am a woman but also for their selfish and greediest intents. But
thank God who has granted me wisdom in my approach with them because left
for me alone, I know they would have pushed my Family and myself to the
wall. Like they say is good to make Hess while the sun shines I agreed
with my Mum and My only Brother to Transfer this Money out of this our
local Bank here and possibly invest it abroad too before the knowledge
of those greedy Fellows.
It is against this background that I'm contacting you in confidence
that you will assist me in transferring this Money out of the Bank here
into your reliable Foreign Account and possibly advice me on how best to
invest it in your country. I'm confident that you are going to assist
me so that no one will take over what rightly belongs to my father and
our family too, as they are planning to do so. Besides, I still leave
some portion of blame to Our Culture that does not also have respect for
Women.
Now, I urgently need your humble assistance to transfer this
money out
into your reliable custody, That is why I felt happy when I saw your
contact because I strongly believe that by the grace of God, you will
help me invest this money wisely. I have concluded with our Family Lawyer
to pay you 20% of the total amount for your sincere assistance and
maybe after the investment 10% interest of Annual Income for supervising
and handling the business for us because we might make you one of the
Stake Holders. Please If your going to be sincere in handling this project
and again help me in securing this Money in your Account, kindly get
back to me as soon as possible so that I could link you to my Lawyer for
the necessary Legal Documentations that covers the money and further
discussions.
Please, note that this transaction is 100% risk free and I
hope to
commence the transaction as quick as possible. Please don't forget that as
soon as the transfer is completed my attorney will be traveling down to
your Country for Investments or better still I can even come myself. I
will send you my International Passport and my school Identification
card as soon as I hear from you.
Thanks in anticipation of your co-operation.
Pls, I would prefer you repry me only through our family's
email I.D:
princes_f_derago@yahoo.com so that my mum, peter my younger brother and
myself could read from you too.
Yours sincerely,
Princess Lizy
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I could not read this entire story, but I noticed the important parts.
18 million dollars could be in my bank account.
I replied immediately.
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I can transfer your money to my foreign bank account!
just give me the details!
have a good day and make the right choices
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She replied to my email with another massive story.
I only read the part with 1, 2, and 3 in front of it.
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Dear,
I must thank you for the prompt reply to my mail, as a matter of fact, I apologize for my late response, it’s just that I have been having series of Lectures in preparation of my forthcoming Final Exams but thank God I will soon be through with the whole Exams. Yes, I must thank you very much ones again for extending this hand of fellowship to assist us in this situation, my family is indeed very grateful to you. And I know that with your support we shall refuse any intimidation from any body.
In as much as I am going to inform my Attorney to tell you how the transaction is going to go which of course will from to my Dad’s Bank (Eco Bank PLC) here where the money is Deposited into your foreign Bank as well as for further discussions, please permit to get your unalloyed and sincere support for this. I really want you to understand here that what we are talking about is the transfer of our Family fortune of which if something happens we are finished and the spirit of my father will not forgive me not even my younger brother Peter when he grows up. So, my dear in the interest of my family and posterity, if you don’t mind I will like to hear from you ones again that this show of help you are trying to put up is for real and genuine, and that you are going to keep to your promise till the end.
Please I hope you understood me, because I don’t mean to offend you or doubt the originality of your help but I am only trying to protect the interest of my family, because at the end if something otherwise happens I am dead, my mother and peter will hold me responsible and you know what that means for someone to be responsible for a misfortune that befall a family of NO father, that is managing to survive in the means of unscrupulous and greedy uncles and unties that want you skinned a life, because I am the one that contacted you in the first place. Besides, I will not also like a situation where at the end it will be like ‘jumping from frying pan to fire’; because my lecturer always tells me that all that ‘glitters is not gold’ so please try and understand. But to be frank my spirit is some how comfortable with you since the very first time I got your contact, and it will be my particular delight to have this transfer done with you, but I don’t want to jump to conclusions until I hear from you.
As soon as I get this assurance from you I will go ahead to discuss with my Attorney and all the Documents relating to this Transaction will be sent to you forthwith and the transfer will be effected immediately, then I will start making preparations to come down for investment purposes because then I would have finished my Exams. Besides, mind you I still remember my Promise for your assistance so don’t think I am selfish because I know time is money and any genuine assistance has to be rewarded but I know that the ultimate and perfect re-warder is God and I believe he will reward you abundantly so your time and efforts.
More importantly do not forget to mail me the following information to enhance communication and boost Friendship/partnership: they are
1) Your Telephone & Fax Number for easy communication.
2) Contact Address
3) Personal Identification e.g. Scanned Driver’s licence, picture, etc
I will scan and attached some of pictures tomorrow after my lectures and please let me have yours too, I shall be sending you my International Passport as soon as I am through with my Exams, because my scheduling is really very tight because of this Exams, but I promise to be checking my mails regularly from now on because of this Transfer. Meanwhile you can also get me with this number 234-803-3271062.
Thanks for your understanding, expecting to hear from you soon, God bless.
Yours truly,
Princess Lizy
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I replied and asked her to keep the next message short.
I gave her the phone number from the song by Tommy Tutone called '867-5309 (Jenny)'.
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my phone number is 618-867-5309
and next time you reply, spare me the bullshit and cut to the chase
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Her reply contained 3 pictures of herself.
Notice that her eye color is not the same in picture one and three.
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Hello,
Thanks for your mail. And I pray and hope you could understand my plight here because I am not talking any bullshit here neither do I mean any bulshit too. Well I believe that this relationship that has started between both families will grow from strength to strength.
Meanwhile, like I told you I had already discussed with my Attorney of your willingness to assist us, and he gave his consent since I have also accepted you for this long-life investment relationship based on the confidence I have reposed in you. So I have agreed with my mum that I direct you to my Attorney so that the due process of transfer could start immediately, so that as soon as I am through with my Exams I would come over immediately for investments.
So, I am giving you right now the contact of my Attorney so that he will discuss every modality for the transfer with you and for other necessary Documentations and probably an Agreement, which will be binding between both of us for record purposes:
Name: Barrister Kenneth Coffman
Address: Coffman & Coffman Chambers,
Barristers and Solicitors/Legal
Practitioners.
#25, Keffi Street,
Lagos-Nigeria.
E-mal: coffmanchambers@lawyer.com
Direct Phone No: 234-1-7767603
Feel very free to contact him immediately because I have discussed along side with my mum that you start every necessary due process with him since I have agreed to do so based on the confidence I have reposed in you. Besides, that of course means that you might likely not entertain too much questions from him (Barrister Coffman). Please I will prefer you call him for prompt response because he is a very busy Man, and tell him that I directed you to inquire about the transfer of fund belonging to Darego's family. Please try and update me with the outcome of your discussions with him or your Attorney’s discussions with him.
My dear, you will agree with me at this juncture that honesty and trust will be highly needed from you especially when you receive this money and moreover you should guarantee my safety when I visit your country for Investments. I have been able to Scan some of my pictures, please view and let me have yours too to enhance familiarization before meeting face to face.
Hoping to hear from you soon,
Yours truly,
Princess Lizy
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I replied with my address.
The address I used is for Wendy's.
I also sent her three pictures of myself.
Two of them are of Mike Ditka and one is some crazy guy.
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ok here are my pictures
my address is 3000 Washington Ave, Alton, Illinois, USA
when do i get my money?
Picture 3
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In her reply she wonders why my pictures are of different people and why i keep asking about the money.
She also calls me 'Dave'. Maybe because Dave Thomas was the owner of Wendy's.
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Hello Dave,
I got your mail, thanks for the Address, but what worry me most is your continues demand to know when this fund will get to you, forgetting that this fund is bent for my Family’s Investment purposes and that your just assisting us to keep it in good custody pending when I will come for Investments after my Exams, and thereby giving me the impressions that I do not want to be consider to be real, because from the pictures you sent to me you are old enough to be my father and should be seen addressed like that. And of course I know that know father will ever allow his daughter to fall pry into a mischievous hands.
But in any case, maybe I will still try and see my Attorney tomorrow in his Office after my Lectures maybe he will find time to attend to this transfer soon, and I hope you have written him like I told you earlier, his is the only one that can Adjudicate between us because I think for this Transfer we have to have an Agreement that will be binding between us. Besides, too he has all the Documents my Dad use in making the Deposit at the Bank because he was my Dad’s personal Attorney before he died. So he is to hand over all those Documents to you and others, so you really need to call or mail him maybe before I get there tomorrow afternoon.
Lest I forget, thanks for the pictures too, but there are what I don’t seem to understand in the two photographs. The one you opened your mouth, and secondly who are those girls with musical instrument.
Hoping to hear from you soon.
Your Daughter,
Princess Lizy
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Now I have to see if she knows what a 419 scam is, but I can't just ask her.
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How did you know my name was Dave?
you are calling me mischievous hands???? Does the number 419 ring a bell?
That picture is of me in the 60s when i was the lead singer
of a rock and roll band called Buffalo Springfield.
I can't contact your attorney because i keep getting the busy signal or something.
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In this reply she tells me she meant to type 'Dad' and not 'Dave'.
Her english is getting worse every email.
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Hello Dad,
You know you had not told me your full names, that Dave you saw there was just a typographical error I wanted to write Dad, but all the same what is your full names.
Secondly, the numbers you talked about is no doubt strange to me but I think I understand what you are trying to say, and don’t forget I am not calling you names I am only being careful, just like any other person.
Why not write him since your getting busy signals all the time.
Yours
Lizy
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Her lawyer started sending me emails at this point.
His english is not very good.
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Dear Sir,
After thoroughly discussion I had with Princess Lizy this morning, I was made
to understand that both of you has concluded to transfer her late father’s
money into your bank, so I am very happy to hear that she has found someone
she trusted, I was scared to look for any trustworthy foreigner on her behalf
and because of what is happening sometime here in Africa and abroad, one cannot
trust anybody with the rate of scams and corruption all over the world.
However I understand the fact that you are an elderly person with wisdom and I believe in my heart that you will be able to assist her more on her education and investment, but before I will proceed on this matter, I want you to scan your personal picture to me, because I will be hold responsible if anything funny happens after the transfer of the fund into your bank account and base on the fact that I will be the one who will go to court to sworn an affidavit on your behalf and further instruct the local bank here where the fund is deposited to wire the fund into your Bank.
Sorry I forget to ask Princess for your telephone number and address and I may likely want to speak with you on phone, so please e-mail me your telephone number and your personal picture, if you need my picture, do not hesitate to indicate it on your e-mail reply.
You can call me on telephone 234 1 7767603 and always tell my secretary to direct your call to my office
Thanks and God bless you
Yours Faithfully
Barrister Kenneth Coffman
(S.A.N)
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I sent the following as a reply to the princess.
My name is David Thomas Wojciechowski to fit the Wendy's thing.
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Ok my name is David Thomas Wojciechowski (its Polish pronounced
Wa-chow-ski).
Why not use your money to buy a plane ticket and fly over here. I know this
guy named Howard Long who can get you a great deals on real estate.
And I will email your lawyer.
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I then sent this reply to her lawyer.
His email is at lawyer.com which is not a real website.
Because he used the ending 'Yours Faithfully' I will use stupid endings from now on.
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Dear Mr. Coffman,
There are certain risks involved with the transfer of large amounts of money.
I would like to know some more information.
Can you send me you picture so i know what you look like?
What lawschool did you go to?
Yours Extremely,
David Thomas Wojciechowski
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The princess then replied with this email.
She cannot come to the US because of final exams.
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Hello Dad,
It appears to me that you do not still understand my true position here, I still have my exams to right here and I can not come now, but mean while the transfer could be done how while I right my exams because I know that me exams are around the comer and I will soon finish, after which I will start processing for my Visa. So, it will be important you dialogue with my Attorney first on the Transfer and secondly the best Investment plains.
Meanwhile, I hope too my now you must have head from him (Barrister Coffman) because I was in his office yesterday and he promised writing you. Let me know far your dialogue has been.
Your Daughter,
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The lawyer sent me an email with his picture.
Instead of telling me what college he went to he acts insulted.
He has an awesome tie/shirt combo with the yellow and purple stripes and pink and purple dots.
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Attn: Mr. David Thomas
Dear Sir,
Thanks so much for your mail response, first of all, are in doubt of my personality? Be rest assured that every processes regards to this transaction must be done legally, so I don’t think you have anything to fear.
I have scanned my picture and I will attach it below this message, so please view attachment below and feel free to ask me any question.
Thanks
Barrister Coffman .
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It is time to stir things up.
I sent this email to the princess telling her the lawyer is trying to cheat her.
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Your Royal Highness,
You should watch out for this Coffman guy. I suspect he is trying to steal
all your money. He is not a real lawyer. I asked him what law school he went
to and he told me that he wasn't a lawyer. He also told me that if i do the
money transfer i could have 7 million dollars and he would keep the other
11 million. So watch out.
Yours Surely,
David Thomas Wojciechowski
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I sent this to her lawyer.
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Dear Mr. Coufman,
The laws in your country and mine are very different. I do not know if you
know all of the laws regarding a transaction such as this so I ask again,
what law school did you go to.
Yours Until Death Do We Part,
David Thomas Wojciechowski
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Today (7/10) the princess replied. I am still waiting for a reply from the lawyer.
Maybe she had him executed.
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Hello Dad,
I understood your mail, and I will get back to you soon.
Princess
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After all this i decided to report the scammers to the FBI at fbi.gov.
I submitted this tip in their tip submission page.
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I recieved an email from a person claiming to be Nigerian royalty.
They want me to open a ban account so they can transfer 18 million dollars
into it. The original email came from lizdare110@quick.cz .
She asked me to reply to princes_f_derago@yahoo.com . Her lawyer also contacted
me with the email coffmanchambers@lawyer.com .
I have saved every email they sent me and I have uploaded copies of them to the internet here http://www.oocities.org/egraham60/nigerian419/
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They made an un-automated response telling me to make sure everyone sees this site so they know how to handle the nigerian scammers.
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THIS IS NOT AN AUTOMATED RESPONSE
Thank you for your submission to the FBI Internet
Tip Line. In as much as the FBI receives reports
of this type of activity on a regular basis there
is no need to forward any such additional emails
to us.
A review of the information you provided revealed
that you are being approached over the Internet to
participate in one of many variations of an
advance fee scheme being perpetrated by
individuals from various West African nations,
particularly Nigeria. This scam has also become
popular and perpetrated by individuals all over
the world, including in Korea and the UK.
Victims have lost substantial funds in the past
and all requests for travel to foreign locations
should be ignored. The United States Secret
Service (USSS) has developed an excellent,
detailed description of this fraud scheme, which
can be accessed at
www.secretservice.gov/alert419.shtml. If you have
been victimized by one of these schemes, please
forward appropriate written documentation to the
USSS, Financial Crimes Division, 950 H Street, NW,
Washington, D.C. 20223, or contact them via
telephone at (202) 406-5850. We encourage you to
share this Web page with family and friends. Your
continued cooperation in this and other matters is
greatly appreciated.
You do not need to forward the emails to us. If
you have not, simply delete them from your
computer. Also, if you know that you are
receiving spam mail, it is advisable not to open
them, because even if you do not reply, the sender
has validated your email address. And, you may
get other spam mail.
For your information, the Internet Tip Line was
created on 9/11/01, in response to the terrorist
attacks upon America. We quickly established a
mechanism for the public to submit information to
the FBI via the Internet. Our operation is
completely automated and paperless. Submitted
tips are received immediately, reviewed within
minutes and prioritized by trained Professional
Support personnel, and Agents set action leads
within the hour, as appropriate.
We encourage you to share this information with
your family, friends, and co-workers, and
encourage them to not hesitate to submit
information they may deem of interest to the FBI.
IMPORTANT - NOTE THE FOLLOWING:
The FBI does not maintain an email address to
submit information or attachments to directly;
therefore, please do not reply directly to this
message via your email client. The FBI maintains
an automated system that is designed to track all
information received, to ensure that all tips are
addressed in a timely and efficient manner.
Therefore, please visit the FBI.GOV Web site again
should you have occasion to submit additional
information. We WILL NOT open or respond to
“reply” email.
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I got tired of waiting for the princess to send me an update so I sent her a message.
Hopefully she will reply. If not that is proof that the FBI busted down her door and arrested her.
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Your Royal Highness,
What is the current situation?
Yours Ultimately,
David Thomas Wojciechowski
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Just when you thought it was over, she replied.
She says exams will be finished on "twuesday" which is the time when tuesday meets wedensday I guess.
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Hello Dad,
I got your mail, and I want to plead sincerely with you to give me till next
week twuesay to roundoff my Exams, so that I will really have the whole time
for this transfer with out endengering my family's furtune.
Thanks for your understanding and for being there.
Yours
Princess
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On the site http://419eater.com they have pictures of Nigerian scammers holding up signs.
I asked the princess to do this to prove that she is for real.
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Your Royal Highness,
I have recently shown some of the emails that you sent me to my advisor. He
says that I should try to help you, but that he does not know that you are
the same person because you started typing in a different style than you originally
did. He suggests that i have you send me another picture of yourself. I decided
that i should take his advice.
Could you please send me a picture of yourself holding up a piece of paper
that has the words "BOOM - John Madden" written on it? If you can
do this then we can move on with the money transfer.
Yours Comprehensively,
David Thomas Wojciechowski
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The princess replied after finishing her exams.
She has agreed to send the picture of her holding the sign.
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Hello
I have just finished my Exams, and I came to see this mail of yours demanding that I send you another picture of myself, I will do that but sending my picture holding up a piece of paper that has the words "BOOM - John Madden" written on it? Is what I do not understand, I do not know about John Madden how much more BOOM.
However, my Attorney will soon get back to you as he promised because I have also since him on this matter too.
Meanwhile thank for your patients and for being there.
Princess
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I replied explaining the BOOM - John Madden sign to her for the second time.
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Your Royal Highness,
I only need the picture of you holding something to prove to my advisor that
you are who you say you are. I picked "BOOM - John Madden" because
it is something strange that if you put on a piece of paper and took a picture
it would be solid proof.
Yours Blatantly,
David Thomas Wojciechowski
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She replied and sent another picture of herself, but she was not holding the sign that i asked her to.
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Hello,
I have been able to scan another of my picture and I am attaching it to you. I am sorry that the picture was not taken with the so called Book and can never be because there is no way I can lay my hand on that. I believe this picture will do unless you are looking for something else or probably you do not want to help, just let me know my fate.
Meanwhile, I have been working seriously to get another Attorney for myself, and once I the finish my dialogue with him tomorrow I will get back to you so that both of you will discuss how best the transfer will be effected along side with the local Bank here where my Father deposited the fund.
Thanks and I shall get back to soon.
Princess
Picture
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I really want the BOOM John Madden picture so i have sent her step by step instructions on making the sign.
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Your Royal Highness,
I do want to help you transfer your money to an account. I need proof that
you are the person that you sent me pictures of.
I will break this down into several easy to follow steps.
1. Get a camera.
2. Get a piece of paper.
3. Get a marker.
4. Use the marker to write three words on the piece of paper. Those words
are "BOOM", "John", and "Madden"
5. Give the camera to your attorney, a friend, or a random person on the street.
6. Have them take a picture of you holding the piece of paper so that the
camera can see it.
7. Have the film developed at Walgreens or the Nigerian equivalent.
8. Scan the picture and send me it.
That is only 8 simple steps!
Yours Unequivocally,
David Thomas Wojciechowski
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She has found me out!
It's over.
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Hello David Thomas Wojciechowski or Ethan Graham,
Maybe I should look for someone else to assist me.
Thanks
Princess
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I have gotten the last word in.
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Your Royal Highness,
CONGRATULATIONS - YOU HAVE BEEN REVERSE SCAMMED!
Also I would like to give you a warning. The FBI is after you. I sent them
all the emails you send me and now you are going to get arrested by them.
Have a nice day and make the right choices.
Yours Until The End Of Time,
Dr. Benjamin Franklin Pierce
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