I have recently heard from folks receiving the following type of emails regarding their
"suposed" inheritance. Well, here's the lowdown on this. It is a scam
folks. Please steer clear of such messages. This scam is targeting genealogists.
Rex Bertram
PO Box 651
Redkey, IN 47373
Jay County Indiana Webpage co-ordinator
http://www.rootsweb.com/~injay/
Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky, or Michigan research help
http://home.insightbb.com/~rexwb/index.htm
I do Free Genealogy Look-ups from many sources.
Check out my web page.
http://www.angelfire.com/in4/genealogyhelp/lookup.html
Excerpt from:
RootsWeb Review: RootsWeb's Weekly E-zine
Vol. 7, No. 14, 7 April 2004, Circulation: 840,331+
(c) 1998-2004
RootsWeb.com, Inc.
http://www.rootsweb.com/
* * *
1c. TIPS FROM READERS. Old Scam Now Targeting Genealogists
By Ed Criscuolo
For 20 years or more, long before the Internet as we know it, there was
a scam going on by mail known as the "Nigerian Scam" (also known as a
"4-1-9" or "Advance Fee Fraud" scheme). Nowadays, it is done via e-
mail over the Internet. Typically, messages from Nigeria (or Sierra
Leone, or the Ivory Coast, or almost any other foreign nation) are sent
to addresses taken from large mailing lists. They go something like
this:
A wealthy foreigner needs your help moving millions
of dollars from his homeland to yours and will
reward you with a hefty percentage of this fortune
if you agree to assist him.
In another variation:
A church or religious organization is contacted by a
wealthy foreigner who says he desires nothing more
than to leave his considerable fortune to that
particular group.
Now there is a new variation, specifically targeting genealogists. In
it, the scammer claims to have the same surname as you, and wants you to
pose as his uncle (or other family member) in order to assist in
claiming/releasing/transferring a large sum of money left by his late
family, which he will share . . .
Clearly this has been designed to prey on our usual eagerness to help
out anyone with the same surname. After all, they might really be
family.
Should you agree to participate in this international bail-out,
something will go wrong. Paperwork will be delayed. Questions will be
asked. Officials will need to be bribed. Money from you, an
insignificant sum, really, in light of the windfall about to land in
your lap, will be required to get things back on track. You pay, you
wait for the transfer . . . and all you'll get in return are more
excuses about why the funds are being held up and assurances that
everything can be straightened out if you'll just send a bit more
cash to help the process along. Once your bank account has been sucked
dry or you start making threats, you'll never hear from these scammers
again. As for the money you've thrown at this -- it's gone forever.
Information on this scam can be found at the 419 Coalition Website:
http://home.rica.net/alphae/419coal/
RootsWeb Review: RootsWeb's Weekly E-zine
Vol. 7, No. 14, 7 April 2004, Circulation: 840,331+
(c) 1998-2004
RootsWeb.com, Inc.
http://www.rootsweb.com/
* * *
Editor: Myra Vanderpool Gormley, Certified Genealogist
Editor-RWR(a)rootsweb.com
Certification:
http://www.bcgcertification.org/certification/
===============================================================
IN THIS ISSUE:
1. NEWS AND NOTES.
1a."RootsWeb DAFFYnitions: Geek to Me"
1b. Editor's Desk: Military Medals
1d. Tips from Readers: "Old Scam Now Targeting Genealogists"
2. Connecting Through RootsWeb: "Gold in California (lists, that is)"
3. New RootsWeb Mailing Lists
4. New Webpages at RootsWeb
5. New/Updated FreePages and HomePages
6. New User-contributed Databases
7. RootsWeb Review's Bottomless Mailbag: "Bounder, or Man on a Fast
Horse?"; "Wobbling on Spellings"; "Perils of Family Lore";
"An
Italian Rose"; "Gravestone Inscription Mystery"; "Updating
E-mail
Addresses on Trees"; and "Stamping Out Myths No Easy Task"
8. Humor/Humour: "Pushing His Luck"
9. Reprint and Submissions Guidelines; Help; Advertising Contacts
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