Email scams are instantly recognisable to those of us who are not new to the internet and this one sent by Dhr D. Van. Mark is quite typical.
Good Day To You
Before i commence i would like to introduce my humble self to you am Dhr David Van Mark by name, agent of an International Remittance/Foreign Operations in Netherlands, the one in charge of your fund.
We are to notify you that your over due inheritance fund has been gazetted to be released, which is the sum of ( $5 million Us Dollars) to your nominated bank, we are sorry for the late communication.
Meanwhile a lady came to our office few days ago with a letter, claiming to be your true representative, here are her information below of which she asked us to make the transfer of your behalf immediately:
Name: name removed for privacy reasons
Address Line 1: Address removed for privacy reasons
Bank Name: Bank of America
Account Number: …………..
Routing Number: …………..
Driver’s Licence No: ……………
DOB: 06-03-45
Please. Do confirm to this office, as a matter of urgency if this lady is from you so that the management of this office will not be held responsible for paying your funds into a wrong bank account, with the office director, to handle and transfer all foreign inheritance funds this second quarter payment of the year.
However, we shall proceed to issue all payments details to name removed for privacy
reasons, if we do not hear from you within the next seven working days from today on. Get back to us as soon as you get these message.
Note you are required to get back to me through my private e-mail address davidvanmark@aol.nl
Send my warm regards to your friends and family and i pray that God will give you the wisdom to make use of the funds wisely and judiciously.
Best Regard,
Dhr D. Van. Mark
…………………………………………………………….
A $5,000,000 inheritance would set me up for life but I’m sure that it won’t be through this scammer. Apart from it being an obvious scam I was disgusted to find in a search that the lady named as my true representative exists and that the contact details were correct. Imagine how horrified this or any other 63 year old lady would be to discover that her details were being used in an effort to obtain money from others by fraudulent means. Her details will be in the scam email to push victims into replying quickly and I’m even wondering if she was a previous victim and that is how this jerk got hold of so much information.
Telling you that you have to reply to a different email address is an indication of it being a scam. The reason being that a scammer will use a free email account to spam potential victims, but once it has been reported the providers will close the account down. The second email address is to make sure that the victims can get through. I decided to reply to Dhr D. Van. Mark, to see what this scumbag had to say.
Dear Dhr D. Van. Mark,
Thank you for your email. I went away on the 8th for a few days to celebrate my birthday which was on the 8th. Perhaps I can consider your email as a birthday present if I’m not too late.
Are you sure that I am the right person that you are looking for? I really can’t think of anybody who might have left me all of that money though I did have a Dutch aunt who ran away with a Greek rock musician when she was 16 and my family have never heard from or of her since.
I know of no lady called name removed for privacy reasons nor do I know anybody who comes from the part of the world that she comes from. She is obviously not a representative of mine and if she comes to your office again please send her away with a flea in her ear.
I look forward to hearing from you again.
Sincerely
I. Kidder
…………………………………………………………….
Dhr D. Van. Mark replied within 3 hours and this is what he had to say:
OFFICE OF THE DIRECTOR FOREIGN FUNDS
REMITTANCE & CASH TRANSFER DEPARTMENT.
ADDRESS: JONCKBLOETPLEIN 30-31,
REGENT’S PLACE, 2523 AS ‘S-GRAVENHAGE
NETHERLANDS
CONTACT NUMBER: +31 681758514
Attn: I. Kidder
Compliment of the day, your e-mail was recieved and well acknowledged,we have stopped any further transactions with
name removed for privacy reasons who claimed that she was sent by you to claim your inheritance/compersation funds totalling the sum of [$5million Usd] which was approved by the ministry of finance and that of ministry of Justice inconjuction with the International Remittance/Foreign Fund Operations Department here in Netherlands.
This office is entitled with all the payments/release and transfers of all funds,so right now you are required to re-confirm to this office the informations below so that we can be able to procure all the necessary documents/legal backings required for the transfer of the funds and also all the requirements involved in the fund transfer as demanded by the Duetch laws and ethics.
we don’t send funds to beneficiaries through western union money transfer to avoid misconduct and impersonation of which we have been encountering here since we resume with is project.
The informations required from you are as follows:
1. Full Name:
2. Address/Country:
3 Contact Number:
4. Age:
5. Occupation:
6. Marital Status:
7. Bank Name:
8. Bank Account Number:
9. Routing Number:
10. A scanned copy of your identity either Drivers licence or working identity card.
As soon as all this informations are recieved and verified by our payment director,it will be filled into our database and we will immediately commence with the transfer of the funds into your designated bank account there in your country.
Your swift response to this regards urgently needed.
Regards
Dhr D.Van.Mark
Director Of Operations
…………………………………………………………….
He has got to be joking I thought and wondered how long it would take him to clean me out and perhaps use my identity to further his dodgy dealings. I find it difficult to believe that anybody would send their personal details to a stranger, but thousands of emails will have been sent out and even if only one is suckered in by hope or greed it is worth it to a scammer.
I decided to play him along and replied to his email.
Dhr D.Van.Mark
Thank you for stopping transactions with name removed for privacy reasons. I really cannot do as you ask because my scanner is broken, but by coincidence I will be visiting Amsterdam next week. You are right to be concerned about security with western union money transfers, but that won’t be a problem because we can complete the payment whilst I’m in Holland.
Looking forward to meeting you.
I. Kidder
I haven’t heard back and I doubt that I will, nor do I ever want to. A search for variations of his name gave no results, but when I searched for the email I found that slight differences of the same email has been used with different details over and over again. This could be a new scamster trying it on or a seasoned one with a change of name. Whatever, this is a prime example of what is called a 401 Nigerian Fraud and scams like this were kicking around long before computers or the Internet were invented. The scumbags wouldn’t find it worthwhile if they couldn’t find victims so
watch out they’re out to get you!
Patricia Jones owns Articles Abroad travel article directory and the UK Travel Guide where you can download free city travel guides with maps.