Sunday 5 August 2012

I get confidential email

This is another Facebook repost, from a while back:


I received a confidential email. I know it's a confidential email because it says it's confidential right there in the email itself. Plus, it's addressed to "undisclosed recipients" and you can't get more confidential than that. Anyway, here's what it said:
As-Salamu Alaykum,

I am Aisha Tagro from Republic of Ivory Coast .Being that I lost my Father recently. My father was a Minister of interior withthe regime of Ex-president Laurent Gbagbo (Mr. Desire Tagro) until his death.

He was assassinated by the Rebels following the politicaluprising. Before his death, he deposited $15. 500,000.00 (Million dollars) Thefunds are in a safe private bank here is my country which I will give youdetails upon receipt of your acknowledgement of this confidential message Iwant you to do me a favour to retrieve this money from the bank and save itinto your bank account in your country or any safer place as the beneficiarymeanwhile I have plans to do investment in your country.

This is my reason for writing to you. Please, if youare willing to assist me indicate your interest by replying me soonest I don’tmine becoming a Christian if that is what I have to do to have a good and reliable assistance for my good future.

Best regards.

Yours sincerely,

Miss. Aisha Tagro.
It's a terrible story. Miss Tagro's father was assassinated by rebels, but he seems to have been lucky in being able to stash away fifteen and a half million dollars in a safe private bank. Unfortunately Miss Tagro herself seems unable at present (though I can't see why) to use that money to invest in the UK and wants me to do it for her. Sympathetic as I am to her dire plight, I don't really see what I can do. I have little investment expertise so I can't honestly advise her, other than to suggest she contacts the concerns she wants to invest in and asks for their assistance. That, it seems to me, would be a more efficient way of going about things.

Also, I'm concerned that she thinks I might be some kind of right-wing Christian bigot, as she offers to convert to Christianity — as if that would make me more likely to assist her. It's all very confusing, and makes me wonder if she might not be a little unhinged as a result of her recent bereavement. I think she may have sent this request in grief-stricken haste and might possibly come to regret it. For the moment, therefore, I shall not respond, unless she contacts me again after taking some time to rethink her audacious plan.

(I'd be obliged if you folks didn't spread this around, since it is — as she states in her email — confidential.)


Check out the comments on the original post, as they shed some light on email scammers' motivations.