Editor’s note: This article was first published in April 2011. The scam emails it describes exploit the war in Libya, and details such as asking for a fax number belong to that period.
I have to admit that scammers keep getting more ingenious, even exploiting situations like the war in Libya to make their requests more believable. The old estampita con (a classic Spanish street swindle) hasn’t gone away. Since, statistically, at least 1 in every 1,000 people will fall for this kind of fraud, we feel obliged to issue a warning: with the internet, sending mass emails and reaching millions of people is easier than ever. Here’s how these scams work.
1. A few weeks ago I received an email from the daughter of a Libyan businessman who had lost his life in the war. She is 19 and has €1,300,000 in an account she can’t touch until she turns 21, so she kindly asked me to look after the money until she came of age. In return, she would give me 35% of her fortune. A very profitable business for me.
All I have to do is go with her to a bank in England or France, pretend to be her partner, transfer the money to my account, and that’s it. I’ll have made €455,000 and helped a good cause into the bargain.
If you think about it coldly, you’re not taking any risk, and she might even be the one getting swindled. In reality, though, it could be the most expensive trip of your life, because if you agree to help, one of two things can happen:
- The first is that the person really does transfer the money to your account and gives you the agreed percentage. I give her back what is hers, and all I’ll have done is take part in money laundering. The authorities wouldn’t ask me to account for €455,000, but for the €1,300,000 paid into my account. Now try explaining to them who that person is.
- The second can be even more serious. You don’t know what, or who, is waiting for you when you get off the plane, so you could end up penniless in a foreign country, kidnapped and/or beaten up.
2. This other person made it even easier for me. They have been reading my articles for more than six months and have concluded that I am trustworthy and good-hearted. They were recently diagnosed with a terminal illness, have about two months to live and have no heirs.
They have asked me to take charge of their small fortune, €950,000, on just one condition: that I give 70% of that money to charity in the future. All I have to do is send them:
- My full name.
- My phone and fax numbers.
- My exact address.
- A photocopy of my DNI (Spanish national identity card).
- The number of the account I want the money transferred to.
This is a clear case of attempted identity theft. With that information, this person can buy whatever they want in my name, charge expenses to my account and even carry out all kinds of fraudulent tax operations.
The thing is, I feel lucky. In less than two weeks, two people have trusted me, and I could have made more than a million euros. And they say it’s hard to get rich 🙂
Seriously, though, always use common sense with these cases. Unless you have a rich relative, the chances of someone leaving you an inheritance are zero, let alone a complete stranger.
Further reading
- A virtual girlfriend swindles a man out of $200,000
- A scam spreading through Facebook
- A free app for your phone in case of loss or theft
Featured image: Mohamed Hassan, CC0 1.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
