Anatomy of a Scam

This is something that I'm not proud of, nor do I like talking about it.  I guess one of the only reasons I'll post this is so that people know what's going on and they can guard themselves from being a victim like me.

I'll admit that I do get scammed sometimes but it's very seldom that I do.  I'm usually very cautious and like to research everything and anything that comes my way so that I can know more about the situation and/or the person(s) that I'm dealing with ... but that doesn't happen all the time and sometimes I do get scammed big time.  There have only been a few instances that I remember being scammed, more specifically 2.  I'll go into detail about the most recent scam that I fell into ... it happened only a few weeks ago.

This is something that dawned on me after the fact, but when someone approaches you without you soliciting their services, then there is a good chance that it's a scam.  It's similar to when someone calls you saying that you won a prize but you've never entered anything.  

THE SETUP
As I'm driving into a local store parking lot a man in a car notices a dent that I have on my front fender from a tree falling on my car last year.  He promptly gets my attention and waves me down, telling me that he can fix it.  

This gets my attention as it's been somthing that I wanted to get fixed, but I know it'll cost a good amount of money to do so.  

He follows me into the parking lot and tells me that he can get that dent out in 15 minutes and it'll cost $150.  I ask him for a card because red flags started going up already since this is not the first time that I've been approached with this.  He says that he doesn't have a card and he's just free lancing that day and he usually works for a body shop during his regular work hours.  Again I ask for him number or a way I can reach him so that I can call him later when I have the cash ... but he was very insistent that we do it right then and there.  I refused a few more times and he pulls me in with "let me show you a sample."

Dropping all logic I follow him to the empty spot of the Home Depot parking lot.  Multiple flags are going off and I even joke about it in the car with Yas.  We talked about his Mercedes being a bit dented up and why hasn't he fixed it ... I even though about taking a picture of his license plate "just in case."  But I didn't take the picture and all comon sense for me went out the window.

BUILDING TRUST
As quickly as I park next to him, he comes out with his "equipment" that he had from the shop only for that day.  Standing by the dent he quickly talks about how he does this only as a side thing for his family ... a family of a few kids and a wife in his car waiting.  Some more chit chat about how the dent happened and how it would cost a few hundred to get it fixed in a body shop ... and I took the bait.  

I was coaxed in by him telling me things that I already knew, that it would cost me more money to get it done at a shop, that it would be more than a day or two to get it fixed, that there were more small dings, dents and scratches on my car.  

He was able to make me keep saying "yes" over and over again by stating the very obvious.  From that point on ... I was already deep into the scam.

THE JOB
He takes a crow bar and a rubber mallet, starts to try to push out the dent, while telling me to turn the wheel of the car slowly so that it would push on the crow bar to push the dents out.  He uses the suction cup dent remval contraption and tries to pull out the dents while making statements like he's the best in town and no one else can pull out dents like him.  

We watched ... flags are up everywhere that this is a scam, but I did nothing to stop it.  For some reason I was frozen, like a deer in head lights.  Why?  I'm not really sure ... maybe it was because I was hoping that it wasn't a scam.  That I would prove myself wrong and that it was legit and he would really fix the dent.  Maybe it was because I was already so deep in it that I didn't know how to get out ... that I couldn't just tell him "no."  

It might have been a combination of things, but the end result was I let this stranger who approaches me in the parking lot do work on my car with a crow bar ... a rubber mallet ... a screw driver ... and a few suction cups on a handle.

THE SELL
He continues on popping out the dent.  I see that he's actually gotten some of the dent out but it would be impossible to get everything out perfectly and for some reason I was alright with that for a price of $150.  More reassurance that he's doing a great job ... he tells me that he's trying to follow the contour of my car, making sure the lines match up.  A few grunts and groans of him trying to pop out the dents made him seem like he was actually working hard to get them out.  

The dent is popped out, but not as I envisioned it to be.  There was dimpling from the crow bar pushing up on the metal fender.  But he wasn't done yet.

Keep in mind that my red flags about this situation just keeps growing and growing, but at the same time they are pacified because I'm seeing some results and he's a very fast talker.  

I'm even given advice since I'm driving a black car.  He tells me that since I have a black car to take my car in for a "hot wax" twice a month and make sure I see them actually applying the hot wax on because some companies try to scam you.  They try to tell you they do something but they don't actually do it, how ironic.

THE COVER
He comes back from the trunk of his car with something that looks like wax or a rubbing compound.  It's explained that this is to seal in the job and to finish it.  He puts it all over the area that he just tried to pop out.  Now I have a white area on my front fender that makes it extremely difficult to tell what work was done.  

As I continued to be in the deer in the headlights, I said nothing when he put this compound on my car.  This is a car that I know how to take care of and that I wash by hand vigilantly.  Analysing all this I still can't believe I let a complete stranger even put his hands on my car, let alone put some white compound on my car.

He walks around my car, putting the compound on any scratch or small dent he sees.  Swirling it in with his dirty microfiber towel.  So many red flags, using a dirty microfiber towel to put compound on a dirty car is not a good thing, it'll just scratch things up.

Then he sells me on the compound!  Puts some on the hood and tells me that it'll get rid of the water spots and other dirt.  Uses the towel to wipe it off, tells me to feel how smooth it is ... as a sucker, I agreed that it was smoother than the other parts of the car that were still dirty.  

Still I knew better, but said absolutely nothing.

I asked him to fix a small dent in my door on the other side, he comes back and tells me to go in the car to press on the brake so that it creates pressure and it's easier to pull out - as I walk away to the driver side ... I can't help but wonder "what pressure!?" but I did it anyway!  A few seconds later he's done and shows me that he's put compound all over my car saying that he's done my entire car for me.  

THE GETAWAY AND PAYOUT
He now asks for the $150 since he did the entire car, and also asks for a tip since he did such a great job.  I tell him that I told him I had no money and he asks how much I do have.  $40 wasn't enough for him and he wanted the $150 + tip ... he gave me that sad look and said he was just doing it for his family and kids.

Like a sucker, I fell for it.  Psychologically I already fell neck deep in his bs ... even though there were so many flags raised and I questioned things every step of the way (in my head) I was telling myself that it's only right to pay this guy since he did do work on my car.  

Stupidly we drove to an ATM ... still in shock and still caught in the headlights.  There was even a time on the way to the ATM that I wanted to let him get caught at a stop light and speed off without paying a cent but I ended up handing over about $130.

That look on his face of disappointment when I handed him only $130 should have been enough for me to take the money back ... but I didn't and I still can't tell you why.  

He reassured me with closing words of getting a hot wax and letting the compound sit for about 24 hours before getting it done.  

If you read this closely then you'll remember that the reason I followed him and parked was because he was going to show me a demo.  But the demo was in fact the actual job and I didn't even realize that this was a service that I didn't ask for, and that it was a demo he was going to show me and if I liked it he was going to pop out the dents for me ... 

This whole ordeal made me wonder and analyze everything, wondering what made me do nothing and listen to him word for word and trust him 100%.  I've figured out parts of why certain things happened but I still can't figure out why as a whole I fell for this.

It was the quick talking, it was the quick fix, the cheaper price than getting it professionally done, it was being caught off guard, it was being stupid.  The quick sell of having the dents fixed for a lower price and the pressure he put on me to get it done now now now got me thrown off balance from my usual overly cautious ways.  

Everything that happened during and after just supported me falling deeper and deeper into the rabbit hole and not being able to get out.  It was a mind f*ck and it really got me good.  It was a scam that wasn't well played by him, but rather just me being so receptive to his offer.  There were so many holes in his scam that I picked up on ... but yet I never called him out on it!  Perhaps it was the "wait and see" attitude that he might actually be legit and did fix the dent.

THE AFTERMATH
With any scam it's not only skin deep, but it goes beyond.  The scammer might think that the only damage is the exchange fo a few dollars, but it's so much more than that.  

For me it was my damaged ego, me feeling like I was just taken advantage of and to be extreme it felt like I had just been rapped.  I didn't know what to do, I didn't want to talk about it, I had no answers for why I let that happen and I didn't want to tell anyone.  I just wanted it to go away, I just didn't want to deal with it or anything.

The damage of being scammed is that you feel like a fool, and it's a chain reaction after that.  You feel that you can't do x y and z, you're self confidence takes a nose dive and it's quite hard to get back.  When someone takes advantage of you it just breaks you down mentally and emotionally.  

Often times you find yourself sitting there wondering how you can be so stupid to fall for something like that.  You ask yourself time and time again why you didn't speak up, and it effects those around you and those close to you.  

Nevermind the small dent in the bank account, but it's the larger dent on the individual that's long lasting.  Not having any medical background or anything, but I would compare it to having post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).  

I was extremely bummed after wards and just wanted to go home and sleep.  I didn't even want to do anything.  I just wanted it all to be behind me and I never wanted to talk about it again.  This served as a good thing for me because instead of waiting the next day to get the compound off, I just wanted this story to end so I took it to the car wash to get it all off. 

After gathering myself a few days later I found out that this is a very common scam, they are called gypsies and it's been happening for years and years.  There are so many more horror stories where people listened and left the compound on for the 24 hours ... and washed it off the following day to find that the paint under the compound had been stripped to the metal.  Now what was a $150 mistake cost them a few thousand dollars to repaint the entire car.  

This is just an example of a scam that happened to me and the steps that I now see build it's way up from start to finish.  So it's a lesson learned and the only good thing to come out of this is that I've become more aware and hopefully have learned how to say no or to just look away when I'm solicited for services that I didn't even ask for.  

These are the key things that I've learned and hopefully it'll help someone reading this from getting scammed:

• If a service or product is being pushed to you without your direct want of it, then it's most likely a scam
• If someone points out that you need help with [fill in the blank] and they offer to help you for cheap, then it's most likely a scam
• If someone tells you that they have to do whatever service right here and right now, then it's most likely a scam
• If they don't offer you a business card, a working contact number and someone that can vouch for them then it's most likely a scam
• If you're propositioned in a parking lot, it's most likely a scam
• If there's not agreement or anything in writing is refused, then it's most likely a scam
• If the service is rushed and they throw on some crap to cover up the job without you having adequate time to inspect it, then it's most likely a scam
• If you have red flags going up everywhere and you choose to ignore them, then it's most likely a scam

I hope this serves as some help and people learn how to avoid falling into the deer in headlights mode.

+mon

She's Back!

She finally responded!  Here she is ...

Hello Dear,

Thank's for your response and how are you today? I hope you are allright by the special
grace of God.


It's not tha i don't want to respond to your email,i am not ok, if my inhertance money which my late father keept for me in the bank,my life and my bright future are not secured.

I contacted you in a way after the money has been transfer to your account, i shall come over to your country to be with you,continue my education and have a new life with you as well if you wish to marry me,but you have not even contacted the bank i don't know why you refuse to contact the bank where my late father deposited my inhertance money while i have told the bank mananer about you and he has been waiting to hear from you since.I thought by now i should be in your country with you to continue my education and have a life with you while you go on investinig on my behalf.
I requested your information, your cell phone number for easy communication ,you have not send it to me ,why?


Please all i need you to do is to get this money out from the bank as that is the only way i will be liberated from my situation that i'm facing now.As i am right now i am fiding it very difficult to eat as i spent all the little cash with me and you know that i'm not doing anything neither do i move freely so please help me out and fast.I hope to hear from you soonest.

Thanks and God bless you as you proceed the transfer with the bank.

Yours Sincerely,

Miss.Monica Sankara.

And another response, two in one day!?  Oh joy!

My Dear.


You can contact the bank with this email adress,paulduncan_boaci@yahoo.fr.

This is my response to her ... I hope she doesn't drop me like a ton of bricks!

Monica!

There you are! I've been looking for you and worrying day and night, my goodness gracious, I have been worried sick and now I can finally breathe - whew!

I don't think you read my email when I did try to contact the bank. I called the number you gave me but unfortunately there was a lady who answered the phone and well if you hadn't read my email I'll put it frankly that we got very intimate on the phone. She had a very sexy voice and a man of my age gets lonely so it's easy for me to fall into things like that - will that be alright with you? To know that I might cheat on you when we are together and married?

I don't have a cell phone, I had to barrow the phone of my nurse here for me to call the bank at the number you gave me.

My dear I don't think you're reading my emails fully. I asked you if the bank manager had an email address that is directly affiliated with the bank? You never responded.

I need to ask you something Monica ... this is a really serious question. Why is it that when I want to talk about LOVE, you just want to talk about MONEY? I'm not sure you understand who I am Monica. The $7.5 million that you have inherited is a small portion of what I have collected here in the United States. If you pick up a newspaper, I am sure you will see my picture there because I do have a lot of money here kept away. But, I do want to help you with your inheritance and invest it properly, do not worry my dear, I know exactly where to put it - have you ever heard of a company called Bunghole? The bunghole is exactly where we will put it, all of it, we will put everything in the Bunghole, how does that sound to you?

Monica, can we trust the bank manager???

Do you love me Monica? I really need to know if you do ... please let me know. Do you have any more pictures of yourself with less clothing? I would absolutely love to see you in some more pictures but with not so much clothing on.

Email me back my dear, and let's talk about love, love, love.
Mr. S.

We'll see if she sends me those pictures and if she's persistant on the cell number, then I'll give her my Skype number so I can record what she says!  I will keep you posted on this love affair!

+ mon

Show me a Sign

I haven't heard from her in forever, so I've been emailing her trying to get in touch.  I'll let you know as soon as she replies, if ever ... damn I'm heart broken.

Monica!? 

It's been 8 days since I have last heard from you ... and frankly I am a bit concerned.  I'm worried about you as I know there are people out there who are trying to end your life, I'm hoping that nothing bad has happened to you.  Please I am begging you to respond to my email and let me know that everything is alright!?

If you haven't emailed me back because you can't forgive me for what I had done on the phone when I tried to call Mr. Duncan and ended up with talking to a lady instead, then that's alright, I understand, but please at least just respond to me and let me know that you are not hurt and you are keeping safe.

I desperately wait for your reply ... please.

Mr. S

Below is my email to her today ... I hope I'm not getting stalkerish?

MONICA! 

Comeon, just email me back and let me know if you're doing alright!??!?!  I'm really worried, and I haven't been eating properly since I'm so worried about you!  Please Monica, email me back just to let me know that you are alright and the thugs didn't get to you.  It's ok if you're mad at me, and don't even want to talk to me again because I had some raunchy affair with that lady on the phone, but please just do me the favor of letting me know how your'e doing.

We've been through so much together Mon Baby!  Please let me know that you still are out there and safe, please let me know that you're missing me and thinking about me.  Here I am typing this email to you as my tears wet the keyboard, with each key I strike, more tears fall.  All these minutes and seconds that run by without hearing your words is causing my heart to shrivel up into a little tiny ball which will fit in the tube of a BIC pen soon ... please don't let that happen and give me a sign.  Any sign my Mon dear. 

Email me back, even just one word, just one single word from those fingertips ... just one.

Mr. S

I guess all I can do is wait ... I'll wait another day for her to respond or not, then I'm going to just let it all out!

+ mon

Mr. S & Monica are Engaged!

Wow this is great news and I can't believe it happened so fast!  She emailed me back this morning and this is what she said:

Dear beloved Raymond,


How are you today ? I hope you are all right by the special grace of God. Regarding to your question, i will want us to be business association, but if it is the will of God that will marry each other, no problem, I like your picture, you're such a hansom young health man that i will like to be with for rest of life, my hobbies, reading and watching movies.

The most important thing now is to make an effort  to see that this money is successfully transferred to your account so that I can be able to prepare my travelling documents to come and join you in your country and have a new a life with you and continue my education while you go no investing the money  in a good business you know that you can manage until i finish my education

I am worried for  you have not contacted  the bank, please send an inquiry to the bank with that their information i sent to you, tell them that you are foreign guardian and you want them to transfer the money which my late father Mr Johnson sankara deposited in  the bank to your account and you hear from them. As i explain to you about what I’m facing through now which need that you will need to act fast and get me and my inheritance money out of this country before their upcoming presidential election that is fast approaching.



Thanks and God bless you,

Your beloved;

Monica.

Can you imagine that?  How wonderful is this, don't worry all of you guys will be invited, but I might have messed it up, you'll see what I mean by my email response ...

Hello my dearest Monica,

I was doing so well today, but since I received your email, my day has been so much better.  When I saw that new message in my inbox, I had a smile from ear to ear, the nurses aid that I have here in my home even told me that the last time I looked this happy was when the Giants won the Superbowl in 2007!

You want to marry me?  Monica ... is this your way of proposing to me, because if it is, I definitely accept!  I would have thought to think that such a fugly person such as yourself would ever want anything to do with an "old" man like me, moreso to even give me a marriage proposal!

You really don't understand how bright you just made my day ... I'm lying here in bed just thinking about all the wonderful things that we can plan for our wedding and for all my friends and family to meet you!  It would be so great, I just can't wait ... actually do you mind if I have one of my best friends email you just so they get to know you a little more themselves before you come over here to the United States to spend the the rest of your horrid life with me???  

As for the financial part of our relationship, does Mr. Duncan have a professional email account where I can email him?  His name sounds really familiar ... do you know if he has a brother named Tim, I believe he's from San Antonio?  The email addresses you gave me seem to be his personal email addresses from those free email sites like yahoo and ubbi.com.  

I also tried calling the number that you gave me in the previous email (Tel: +2256041-8195 ) and I'm not sure if I dialed the number incorrectly or if the number you gave me had a mistake in it, but a lady answered the phone by saying "Hello there sexy, what's your name and what's your fantasy?"  I was a bit disturbed by this at first ... but then decided that I would just speak to this lady and before you know it we had about a 2 hour conversation about our deepest intimate fantasies and desires.  

Monica ... I feel really bad, it's as if I cheated on you with that lady on the phone!  Oh my goodness, I feel terrible Monica, really I do.  I'm not sure if I could ever forgive myself and I don't blame you if you can't forgive me either!  But please find it in your heart to give this lonely old man another chance.  I'm not sure what it was, but it was just a lapse in my judgement and also the fact that I've been lonely for a long time, this lady (I don't even know her name!  I feel like such a whore!) just gave me some attention ... I'm so sorry Monica!  Aside from feeling like a huge slut, my phone bill is going to be quite large because I realized after all was said and done, this was an international phone call.

Oh Monica, what would I do without you in my life?  It's only been a few days since I've known you but I feel as if we've known each other all our lives, don't you feel the same way?  Well get back to me as I wait for your email to bring that smile back to my face.

Again I'm sorry for cheating on you and please find it somewhere in that heart to forgive me.  Also, give me the information to contact the bank manager professionally and let me know if it's alright (if you forgive me) to have one of my friends contact you so that they can get to know you a little more before you come here to the US.

My bloody and beating heart lies in the palm of your little itty bitty hand ...

Mr. S.

So that's it for now and hopefully they'll ... I mean she will email me back forgiving and forgetting.  How can I be such a fool ... stupid phone lady.

+ mon

Monica's Email

As Gee had said "Monica's Email" sounds like a show or a sitcom, hence the title of this entry.

My beloved Monica got back to me today and here is what she said:

Dear beloved raymund,


Thank's for your response and your willingness to help an orphan like me.I am 19 years old,i a m not married,i stoped my education at secorndary level as result of my father's death ,i a m not from this country (Ivory Cost), ia m from sierra_leone,i came to this country (Ivory Cost) where my late father made this deposite with the bank,since that time i reside in a church guest house where no one can easly trace me and collect the deposite documents to have this money to enrich them self.

It's because of this money that my late father was killed by his enemies, this money is in a fixed deposit suspense account and can only be transfer abroad by the help of a foriegner whom i have choosen as my guardain,as agreed by my late father and the bank before his sudden death, in this case as I was well made to understand by the bank director the day I went for this money after the death of my father. I can only have assess to the money if it's transfered to my foriegn guardian,that is why I needed a foreign guardian as advise by the bank director.

I have been disturbing the bank director to help me as I know nobody outside African but he told me that is the only way for me to get this money from the bank is an agreement between the bank and my late father now he is dead.

My main problem now is to make an effort to see that the bank will transfer the money to your account so that after the transfer, I will now prepare to come over to your country to be with you and have a new life with you and continue my education , while you will go ahead to invest the money into a good investment you know you can manage very well on my behalf since it is no longer my wish to remain here in Africa.

I have met the bank Manager here and he told me that they will make exellent transfer to us but only if you can follow their instruction.So please sent an enquirey to the bank with this email adress as soon as you have receive this email,

paulduncan_boaci@yahoo.fr,
bankofafrica_remittancedept@ubbi.com,
Tel: +2256041-8195
Fax: 0022522434417
contact person: Dr. Paul Duncan.

Please use any of this e-mail to contact them My late father`s name as
the depositor: Mr Johnson Sankara Amount deposited: $ 7.5 million.
Next of kin: Monica Sankara.

Tell them that your are my foriegn guardian that you want them to tranfer the money which is deposited by my late father,mr johnson sankara to be transfer to your account and know the proccedure of of transfering this money to your account.Please in your next mail don't forget to send me your phone number for easy communication.

I will be waiting to hear from you as soon as you have contacted the bank .Attached is my picture.


Thank's and God bless you,

Your beloved,

She also attached this picture to her email

All I gotta say is ... wow.  Can you believe that this 19 year old girl wants me just for me and nothing else???  Well you better believe it!

This was my response to her last email:

Hey Monica,

Thank you for the 2nd picture of you, again you look absolutely and adorably fugly.

You didn't answer my question from my previous email?

I wanted to know what kind of relation are you looking for with me ... would it be friends, business associates, or are you looking for a more romantic relationship?

What is it that you like to do on your free time, and do you have any hobbies?

And would you be alright if I called you MINE? Did you like the picture I sent you? I hope that you do - let me know when you get a chance.

Hope to hear from you soon and looking forward to your next email, if you have anymore pictures of yourself, please do send them to me ... I really abhor them.

Nothing' but love for ya babe!
Mr. S

I wonder if she knows the words I'm using to describe her in my emails?  Hmmmm I'm guessing she doesn't.  The saga and journey for the millions of dollars continues!

Who Wants to be a Millionaire?

I can smell the $7.5 million, it's right there!  Thanks to everyone who was telling me that this was a scam and for the heads up.  I've gotten these emails a few times already and figured they weren't legit, and they just want my info and money.  But I figured that I could see how far they would go to prove to me that they are legit and see how long and drawn out I can keep it going.  Maybe I'm doing something good by keeping their time occupied?  Instead of scamming someone who actually believes in it, they are talking to someone who knows it's fake and who is going to waste their time and in the process entertain you and me!

So here continues the saga of me in search of the $7.5M I've been promised.  She replied to me and this is her response:

Dear beloved,

Thanks for your reply to my email. i am writing you with all my hart for you to have all the hope in this tranfer may be God bring us together to help each other,money is not every thing,but God first.


I contacted you in a way after the transfer i shall come over to your country to be with you and continue my education while yo go on investing on my behalf.I have gone for this money but the bank told me that  the money is fixed deposite suspense account and my late  father left a writing  insructions that the money should be tranfer to a foreigner whom i have choosen to be my foreign guardian. It was because of this money that he was killied by his enenmies.
 
 
As you can see, this fund is very important to me and it is my only hope of survival. I want  to leave this country as soon as this fund gets to your account because my late fathers relatives are ready to see me dead so that all my late father's properties will be for them. They are one of the most wicked human beings that I have ever seen in this world. what is worst than people denying there own blood for the sake of earthly things and non of them cares about me.
 
 
They have tried many times to kill me but God have being on my side. Presentely, i am saying in a church guest house where no one can trace me easily to collect this deposite documents. Please I am begging you in the name of God to see me from the side of a desperate girl trying to secure her properties and a her brighter future. I will be happy if you can come down here to see things yourself.  i want you to send me your photo and your phone number for me to know your willingness to assist me. But before we proceed, I would want you to provide me with your sincere answer to this questions below before I can relaise the Fund Deposite Documents to you:
 
1)After the sucessfull transfer of this fund to your account, what area of business do you suggest that my percentage of this fund will be invested into with your kind assistance.
 
2)Will you be able to to direct me properly in terms of business investment in your country and manage the business for me atleast for two or three years to enable me finish my education and be familier with the environment and the business climate in your country.
 
3)Will you be able to assist me in getting his travelling documents to come over to your country after the fund is transfered to your account. What i want you to do is to assist me stand as my guardian and provide an account where this fund will transfered for investment. I have discussed about you with the bank manager, I expalined to him my intension of transfering this fund to your account and he have promised that as soon as you contact the bank, that he will direct you well on how to transfer this money to your account without any dealy.  I will send you the bank manager contact immedaitely if you promise not to betray me when this money gets to your account in your country, and do not forget to keep this beetween me and you untill this money is finaly tranfered to your account.
 
Reply me immediately with your full name and address and telephone number as soon as you read this email.


 yours beloved,
 
Miss Monica Sankara

She also attached her picture!  What a hottie ...

Well how do I say no to that ... and I had to send her back a reply:

Hey Monica,

Good to hear from you and I'm glad you got back to me.  I do hope that everything will be alright, and keep safe in the church that you're hiding in, I can only imagine the craziness that's going on right now especially with those who are trying to end your life.  I am worried about you and hope that no harm comes your way, please do what you can to stay away from those hooligans and mongers.  I will keep you in my thoughts and hope that everything will be alright for you there.

I do look forward  to you coming here and finally meeting in person.  I am curious, when you do move here, what kind of relation are you looking for with me ... would it be friends, business associates, or are you looking for a more romantic relationship?

Tell me a little more about yourself Monica, how old are you?  What is it that you like to do on your free time, and do you have any hobbies?  Were you working prior to your fathers death or were you in school?  Are you married, single, do you have any children?

1 - I would suggest that you invest your portion of the funds into the food industry.  As you know, people will never stop eating and I believe that the money is in the food industry since it will be an ongoing investment.
2 - I will definitely be able to help you with that and will be more than happy to do so.
3 - Yes I will be able to help you with that as well.

As for the information that you are asking from me, I believe that if we are going to have this business relationship, that we first get to know each other and get to know each other intimately.  I will give you the information you asked for, but let's talk a little more and if you have anymore pictures of yourself please do send them.  I look forward to your next email and for your answers to my questions that I asked in the above email.

I have also attached a picture of myself, it's a little blurry and taken last year but that is the best picture I can find of myself.  I hope my age does not turn you off, nor does my receding hairline.  I hope this email finds you safely and you keep safe.  Until our next email, I wait with baited breathe and with bells on.  Thank you for the picture, you are absolutely scrofulous and in slang terms that I have heard the kids use here ... you are absolutely and adorably fugly.

Until then Monica ... MY Monica ... would it be alright if I could call you mine?

Mr. S

And I also attached a picture of myself to wet her appetite, what do you think?

So we wait and see to where this leads and to see what Monika has in mind for Mr. S!  I'll keep this updated as much as I can.  As they say ... you're one step closer to a million dollars!

+ mon

I'm Rich! $7.5M Here I Come

I recently met a friend, Monica, who is asking me to hold money for her ($7,500,000 to be exact!  Yes you read that correctly, I'm going to be loaded), and she will gladly give me some money just for that and helping her out a bit with her investments here!  

Well the details of it are that her father died and his instructions were too ... ok I'll just add her email here:

Dearest One,

My name is Monica Sankara, I am the only daughter  of late Mr Johnson Sankara who was the Director of the Coffee export business in Bouake the northern city of Abidjan the Economic Capital of Ivory Coast.

My  mother died when i was a baby and for this reason, my father took me  so special because i was  motherless. Unfortunately, my  father was poisoned and he died in 2006 in the general hospital here in Abidjan . Before his death he deposit the sum of USD $7,500,000.00 (seven Million  five, hundred thousand dollars). In a bank and he left an instruction that the money is strictly for investments abroad. However, before his death, he explained to me that it was because of this wealth that he was poisoned by his business associate and for this reason, he advised me  that encase of  his death, i should move from Bouake down to Abidjan town with some important documents which he used in depositing the fund with the bank.

He also advice me  to seek for someone from a country of my  choice to be my guardian and help me to safeguard this fund in his/her private account for investments which he/she will manage till i  finish my education. I want you to do me a favour to assist me  to transfer the money to your account in your country as my Investor, who is going to assist me travel to your country and continue my education.  i have plans to do investment in your country, like real estate and industrial production. This is MY reason for writing to you. Please if you are willing to assist me, contact me immediately via email  for more details. i promise to reward you ramsonly with a reasonable percentage for your utmost assistrance and kindness to me.

Finally, note that the confidentiality of this transaction would be highly appreciated, Please reply as soon as possible.

Yours, truly,

Monica.

Can you believe that?!  She's going to ransomly reward me a percentage of that for my assistrance!  This is what dreams are made of ... forget that "all it takes is a dollar and a dream" it's more like "all you need is an email address and some luck!"

I emailed her back and am waiting for her reply, so I can get started on this financial venture into being filthy rich!  My response is below:

Hi Monica

I have read your email and would be interested in helping you. Could you provide me with more details and what you would need from my end?

Could you also include a picture of yourself so I know who it is that I am corresponding with?

Looking forward to hearing from you.

Mr. S

I will keep everyone who reads this updated as often as I can - hey if ... WHEN I get that cash, I won't forget you all and will share it with everyone of you!

Tebaya chicken wings + $7.5M ... wow this is turning out to be a great and wonderful day!

+ mon