Ever wondered how internet scammers plans actually work? Ever wondered how an internet scammer is going to get money from you even if you do not give them your banking details? Follow this story of the “Little old Lady”, you will be surprised as to how it works.
A Little Old Lady
She’s a little, old lady, usually caucasian. Her husband died a few years back and left her a fortune. Now, the poor widow got cancer, and is dying too, but she has a heart of gold, God bless her, and wants to see to that her fortune is spent to the benefit of the worthy needing, wherever they may be. Only problem is, that her illness (usually cancer) has reached the stage where she is hospitalized, and she’s beginning to pract. She may even, and often does, include photos of a very sick old lady and she needs someone elses help. And this is where you come into the picture.
She asks for your help to take custody of her fortune after her death, and invest/donate the money to charity in your country. To some, particularly Westerners, it may seem a bit of paradox that a rich, African woman with a good heart would want to donate money outside her own country, but this is nevertheless what she is suggesting. You will get a very generous share for your trouble, of course, and she will need you to contact her barrister, who will lead you through the necessary legal steps that needs to be taken before the money can be released into your costudy. But you must act fast, as she does not have much time left to live. The clock is ticking. Interesting thing, by the way… no matter how much time it takes before you agree to contact the ‘barrister’, the ‘dying’ widow will stay alive.
The Plot
As the plot moves along and the barrister is introduced, he too will stress that time is of the essence. But more importantly, he will inform you, that there is a formal fee to be paid before the money can be released into your
account. The price of the fee can not be deducted from your money, of course, as they need to be released first. But it’s only a small amount, and it is all that stands between you and a vast fortune in dollar bills…
This part of the scam is also known as “Advanced Fee Fraud” We have discussed it on this blog quite a bit.
The Internet Scammers Actual Plans
There is just one catch: there is no widow. There is no fortune, there is no barrister, and there is no fee. It’s all just a gang of sweaty scammers telling you lies and false promises of riches. Because if you go along and pay the fee, there will be
another one. Then another one. Then there are complications, and more fees and bribes will need to be paid. Soon, you will be sucked so deep into it, and have invested so much money, that you feel that you can’t afford to stop, and have to
keep up covering the expenses. Because the money are just around the corner now – that is what the barrister keeps telling you.
The ‘dying widow’ can be male, and there can be variations to the story you are being told by the scammer – there is a South African version, where a widow and her young son needs your help to invest money and take care of the young mans education, for instance – but it all comes down to the same thing:
You will be robbed blind.
And the widow – who is really a black, West African man between 20 and 35 years old – will live happily ever after. She’ll probably be drinking champagne with the barrister.
But only if you let them… so do not reply to her mails. That way lies no fortune – only ruin.