To catch you up, I explained to this guy that I was going to be in his neck of the woods, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, on ‘business’ and even looked up a hotel to send him to, and told him to bring some champagne or wine to celebrate.  Due to the time change, I’m sure it was sometime Monday afternoon December 13th that he hopefully went to the Hotel Independence and asked for the room of one John Drevin, only to discover that no such person was staying there.  To his knowledge, I would have been there at about 9:30pm his time on Monday evening.  So after finding out that I wasn’t there, I can only assume he went home, so I had to wait until today to catch up to him and drop the ball.

As you will see at the beginning of our conversation, he’s not very talkative or communicative.  Perhaps be figured out what I was up to, or maybe he was busy, I don’t know……

doomed_sunn81 (10:39:18 AM): Are you there Mr. Isaac?
ahmed_issa41 (10:45:47 AM): yes
doomed_sunn81 (10:46:08 AM): how are you today?
ahmed_issa41 (10:46:41 AM): fine
ahmed_issa41 (10:46:45 AM): and you
doomed_sunn81 (10:46:49 AM): I’m great
doomed_sunn81 (10:47:44 AM): have you tried reaching me at the hotel?
doomed_sunn81 (10:52:27 AM): ? (No answer, maybe he knew what I was doing)
doomed_sunn81 (10:58:45 AM): I’m not sure if you’ve deciphered it or not, but I punked you
doomed_sunn81 (11:00:27 AM): I didn’t fall for your bullshit, I know you’re just some pathetic internet scammer trying to screw me out of money
doomed_sunn81 (11:00:41 AM): And I needed the entertainment, so I played along
ahmed_issa41 (11:01:07 AM): go and look for a job (Who the hell is HE to tell me to look for a job?)
doomed_sunn81 (11:01:16 AM): take your own advice (See comment above)
ahmed_issa41 (11:01:17 AM): because you can never meet good thing in your life (Oh, and internet thieves can?)
doomed_sunn81 (11:01:29 AM): you can’t either trying to fuck people out of their hard earned money (Well said, if I must say so myself)
doomed_sunn81 (11:03:30 AM): don’t try and turn it around on me, I know you’re just some scammer sitting in an internet cafe trying to get money out of people (By now, he’s signed off quickly, and I didn’t get a chance to type this fast enough for him to catch it, but he’ll see it the next time he signs in)
doomed_sunn81 (11:05:11 AM): All of our correspondence, via chat and email, has been copied and posted in my weblog for all to see, and its been fun chatting with you, and I assure you, you’ve kept my readers entertained

So tell me reader?  Did he, and this, entertain you?  I’m curious to know, because if I get another one of these, I’m probably going to do the same thing over again.  And I urge you, if you feel the need to do so, sign on to yahoo chat, add this guy to your buddy list and chat him up!  Tell him what fun you had reading his horseshit, and dish out a piece of your mind to him. 

And on a concluding note, I am sending him a link to this blog for him to read it.  I guess if I have any further conversations with this guy I’ll post them.  But sadly, me and Mr. Isaac might be parting ways at the time being. 

Stay tuned, because this saga just might not be over……

Mr. Isaac,
 
I will be arriving in Ouagadougou on Monday evening.  I should be at my hotel room by 9:30pm on Monday evening.  Again, I am staying at the Hotel Independence.  Just come to the hotel and ask for me, John Drevin, and the desk should be able to call my room.  I would prefer you show up Monday evening so we can do this business transaction first and get it out of the way before I undertake my business dealings the next day. 
 
Mr. Compaore and I conversed via email, and he has found me a lawyer that will apparently meet me at the hotel around the same time.  I will have all of the documents and credentials we need to finish this deal.  I’m not sure who the lawyer is exactly, but Mr. Compaore said he will choose one best suited to our deal. 
 
If you can remember, please bring with you a bottle of champagne or wine so we can have a celebratory toast once this is all over.  Afterwards, I would be happy to treat you and my lawyer to a nice dinner.
 
I look forward to seeing you Monday evening.
 
Regards,
John Drevin

I probably don’t need to explain that I of course did not speak with Mr. Compaore, I just said that to make him think I did.  Whoever is posing as Mr. Compaore is most likely this guy, or a friend of his, and if anything maybe I just confused him/them. 

I asked for him to bring the booze simply because I’m wanting to jilt him out of a few bucks, just as payback for the people elsewhere he’s jilted out of who knows how much.  And maybe he’ll show up at the hotel drooling, thinking he’s going to get a nice dinner.  If anything, I hope he shows up at the hotel and just looks like a jack ass demanding to see a person that isn’t there. 

We’ll see how it goes.  Of course anything he sends me from here on out I can’t respond to, as I would realistically be in transit via airplane.  The next step is to wait and see what he says after he looks for me at the hotel.  And this is pretty much endgame for he and I, after this will come the conversation where I drop the ball on him and explain what I’ve been up to. 

Stay tuned…….

To catch you up, I’ll mention that I did extensive googling and found out that there IS IN FACT a Bank of Africa in Burkina Faso.  After searching a while, I found a picture of the staff and emailed the link to the guy asking which one of the people in the picture was him.  Surprisingly enough, I never got a response. 

But I did get an email from someone claiming to be the foreign affairs official at the bank who asked that I download the attached questionaire and send it back to him.  I’m not because I’m not going to run the risk of getting a virus.  So I just told him that the attachment wouldn’t come through (you’ll see all that in the conversation below). 

Additionally, I decided to mess with him further and announce that I will be arriving in Burkina Faso on Monday evening December 13th, at 8:45pm on Air France flight 536.  (I got on a flight service website online and did a search for vacations to Ouagadougou, and found all that info.)  So here’s how that conversation went!

Again, my comments are in bold italics throughout the conversation.

doomed_sunn81 (12:48:41 PM): Mr Isaac, how are you this evening
ahmed_issa41 (12:50:16 PM): fine
ahmed_issa41 (12:50:24 PM): i have been expecting to hear from you
doomed_sunn81 (12:50:51 PM): same here, I sent mr campaore an email that the attachment he sent me won’t download
ahmed_issa41 (12:51:14 PM): send me the attachment so that i can see it
doomed_sunn81 (12:53:36 PM): sent
ahmed_issa41 (1:01:00 PM): i can not see the email here
ahmed_issa41 (1:01:08 PM): send it to mr yahoo email
ahmed_issa41 (1:01:40 PM): mr_lssac_ben@yahoo.fr
ahmed_issa41 (1:01:46 PM): send it to this email
ahmed_issa41 (1:02:05 PM): mr_lssac_ben@yahoo.fr
doomed_sunn81 (1:06:22 PM): I sent it
ahmed_issa41 (1:06:56 PM): oto the yahoo email i send to you now?
doomed_sunn81 (1:07:03 PM): yes
ahmed_issa41 (1:07:07 PM): ok
doomed_sunn81 (1:07:50 PM): huh, it said my email is undeliverable
ahmed_issa41 (1:08:30 PM): why (How the hell should I know?!  I emailed it to the address you gave me!)
ahmed_issa41 (1:08:42 PM): mr_lssac_ben@yahoo.fr
ahmed_issa41 (1:08:56 PM): this is the email i ask you to send it to
ahmed_issa41 (1:08:59 PM): mr_lssac_ben@yahoo.fr
doomed_sunn81 (1:11:09 PM): done
ahmed_issa41 (1:11:19 PM): ok
ahmed_issa41 (1:14:16 PM): i was able to open it (No shit, I just told you that to give an explanation of why I didn’t do it.)
ahmed_issa41 (1:14:23 PM): is bank questionnaire
doomed_sunn81 (1:14:34 PM): yes, I wasn’t able to open it
ahmed_issa41 (1:14:55 PM): so i will arrange for the answers and send it to you
ahmed_issa41 (1:15:06 PM): ok
doomed_sunn81 (1:15:11 PM): k
ahmed_issa41 (1:15:39 PM): as soon as i arrive bank tomorrow i will work on that and send it to you
ahmed_issa41 (1:15:40 PM): ok
doomed_sunn81 (1:15:46 PM): ok
doomed_sunn81 (1:16:04 PM): I also mentioned to Mr. Campaore that I will be arriving in Ouagadougou on Monday evening
ahmed_issa41 (1:16:55 PM): if you come to burkina faso to meet with boa bank management
ahmed_issa41 (1:17:09 PM): do you have any document to prove the beneficiary of this fund?
ahmed_issa41 (1:17:18 PM): please do not put yourself into problem
ahmed_issa41 (1:17:20 PM): ok
doomed_sunn81 (1:17:24 PM): no, my company is sending me there to survey and analyze business interests we recently acquired (Best excuse I could come up with)
ahmed_issa41 (1:17:35 PM): first of all have the supporting document before coming to burkina faso
ahmed_issa41 (1:17:52 PM): with which company?
doomed_sunn81 (1:17:59 PM): MY company (I couldn’t think of anything)
ahmed_issa41 (1:18:17 PM): what is the name of your company?
doomed_sunn81 (1:18:28 PM): I’m not able to divulge this information (None of his business)
ahmed_issa41 (1:18:38 PM): ok
doomed_sunn81 (1:18:48 PM): you needn’t worry yourself with it
ahmed_issa41 (1:18:58 PM): ok (Dumbass)
doomed_sunn81 (1:19:57 PM): Monday evening, when I arrive, if you arrange for a car service to pick me up at the airport, we can finish this transaction immediately when I arrive (I was trying to get him to spent money or time coming to the airport to get me, and of course no one will be there)
ahmed_issa41 (1:21:59 PM): but you must ask boa bank to help you with a resident attorney to help you
ahmed_issa41 (1:22:02 PM): here
ahmed_issa41 (1:22:05 PM): when you arrive
doomed_sunn81 (1:22:20 PM): ok
ahmed_issa41 (1:22:49 PM): so contact boa bank now to give you a resident lawyer here (Basically, I will contact the ‘bank’ he works for and they will find me an attorney, seems fair….)
doomed_sunn81 (1:22:54 PM): my height is just over 2 meters tall, so I need a LARGE car to pick me up (Trying to get him to get me a car, spend his money)
doomed_sunn81 (1:23:24 PM): if you can put up the lawyer’s retainer fee for me, I will reimburse you when I arrive
ahmed_issa41 (1:24:15 PM): you will come with the fee to burkina faso
doomed_sunn81 (1:24:24 PM): yes, cash
ahmed_issa41 (1:25:04 PM): so contact boa bank for resident attorney contact
doomed_sunn81 (1:25:08 PM): I will
ahmed_issa41 (1:25:13 PM): ok
doomed_sunn81 (1:25:40 PM): I’m slightly uncomfortable with the fact that I will not be able to choose my own attorney (Just wanted to see his reaction)
doomed_sunn81 (1:27:27 PM): will you be able to arrange a pick up for me at the airport?
ahmed_issa41 (1:27:45 PM): no
ahmed_issa41 (1:27:54 PM): is the boa bank that will give you attorney
doomed_sunn81 (1:28:21 PM): why can’t you get me at the airport?
ahmed_issa41 (1:28:43 PM): the lawyer will pick you at the airport (I guess he’s not gonna fall for my bullshit)
doomed_sunn81 (1:29:12 PM): ok, so you can meet me at the hotel then?
doomed_sunn81 (1:33:02 PM): ??
ahmed_issa41 (1:33:19 PM): yes
doomed_sunn81 (1:33:43 PM): I will be at the Hotel Independence (Does exist, found it online)
ahmed_issa41 (1:33:54 PM): ok
ahmed_issa41 (1:33:55 PM): good
doomed_sunn81 (1:34:46 PM): actually, I think I’m going to research and find my own attorney, is that ok with you?
ahmed_issa41 (1:34:49 PM): i will come and meet you there
ahmed_issa41 (1:34:55 PM): no (At this point, I hit a nerve with him)
ahmed_issa41 (1:35:11 PM): there some attorney that dont know about financiall transfer (LAME EXCUSE!)
ahmed_issa41 (1:35:27 PM): so i prefer boa bank to give it to you
ahmed_issa41 (1:35:32 PM): that is how is done here (uh, yeah, people in Burkina Faso can’t choose their own attorneys?)
doomed_sunn81 (1:35:43 PM): thats why I’m going to do my research, to find an attorney with a finance background (Calling his bluff)
ahmed_issa41 (1:36:16 PM): since i have been in this bank for 18 years is boa bank that issue attorney
ahmed_issa41 (1:36:24 PM): so your own can not be different (How dare I choose to pick my own attorney!)
ahmed_issa41 (1:36:25 PM): ok
ahmed_issa41 (1:36:33 PM): i am so tired i will leave you now (I think he just can’t think quickly enough to counter my questions and he’s choosing to sign off)
ahmed_issa41 (1:36:34 PM): ok
doomed_sunn81 (1:36:50 PM): ok, I’ll bargain with you and bring an attorney that can at least look out for my interests
ahmed_issa41 (1:37:03 PM): is not possible (Again, its not possible for ME to choose MY OWN attorney to look out for ME?!)
ahmed_issa41 (1:37:04 PM): bye
doomed_sunn81 (1:40:39 PM): the bank phone number is 226.20.90.01.79 correct? (Actually it isn’t, I copied the wrong number)
doomed_sunn81 (1:41:10 PM): no, its 226.20.97.39.14 (This is the number for the bank, according to the online phone listings for Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso found online)

After he told me ‘bye’ it took him a total of 10 minutes to sign off.  He might be on to my bullshit, but I dunno.  I’m gonna back off a bit to see what he says, and hopefully sometime Monday or Tuesday, he’ll try to contact me asking me why I’m not in his country.  We’ll wait and see how it plays out.

Then I get an email from the guy saying that I need to resend my information.  I’m sure its because he and his cohorts are trying to search for a bank called Bank of Imafag and an account number that doesn’t exist.  So he most likely asked me to resend thinking that maybe there’s an error in there somewhere.  I resent the information to him with the following line:

Here’s my information for the third time.  I’m starting to lose my patience with you Mr. Isaac.

After all, its been a few days, and I haven’t gotten my money yet!!!

So, in other news, I’ve gotten a few more emails from folks pulling the same joke. 

The first one was pretty much the same scenario, a banker with the Bank of Africa in Burkina Faso claiming to have the inheritance of a gentleman who died in a plane crash along with a spouse and child.  The gentleman emailing me assured me that it was a legit business transaction but it would have to remain a secret.  Oh, and that he had nothing to do with the death of the businessman.

The second was an email from a banker in Zurich, Switzerland with the same spiel of bullshit.

The third is probably my favorite.  It was from a woman claiming to be one Catherine Kipkalya Kones, the surviving daughter of Dr. Kipkalya Kones, the minister of roads for the country of Kenya who died in a plane crash in 2008.  I googled the name of her ‘father’ and as it turns out, it is a real man that did die, which further adds to the disgust of this scam by using a dead man’s legacy and family for felonious purposes.  Shame…..

So I played along with her and got the same generic response that Mr. Isaac sent me about needing my banking information.  But along with this spiel came a sob story about how her mother and step-father are trying to jilt her out of her inheritance and she’s been living in poverty in Burkina Faso, but had the help of a priest and mission there that supplies her with food and shelter.  How nice.  But THIS time she included a photo of herself.  I was able to view the photo since it was imbedded in the email, but I didn’t download it, I’m not stupid.  So you’ll just have to go off of my description of it.  It was a run-of-the-mill photo of an attractive young woman dressed all fancy, similar to the photos that come with picture frames when you buy them in stores.  Or for all I know it was swiped from a photographers site.  Who knows.  But she sounded sincere when she said that she hoped I liked her picture. 

I replied to her with this:

Thank you for your response, and your pictures!  You are indeed a lovely young woman.

 I have a proposal though.  Would you be interested in splitting the inheritance evenly.  You and I each get 40%, totalling 80%, and the remaining 20% will be donated to the church mission that has been helping you sustain yourself.  I think this is a great idea, and helps you to give back to those that have assisted you.

 I would like to discuss this with you further, and I suggest maybe an IM chat online using yahoo messenger.  

Would you like to chat online to get to know one another before we continue?

Regards,

Doug

I can picture it now though, once I started communicationg with Mr. Isaac, I’m sure he turned around to the other scammers in the internet cafes and said “Hey, we got a live one here!  Here’s his email address.”

Idiots.

***************************************************************************************************

ahmed_issa41 (12:41:34 PM): send the filled text of application to the boa bank email
ahmed_issa41 (12:41:35 PM): boaforeignaffair@boabn.com

doomed_sunn81 (12:41:45 PM): I will
doomed_sunn81 (12:43:34 PM): Should I put the email to your attention?
ahmed_issa41 (12:43:43 PM): no
ahmed_issa41 (12:43:52 PM): attention of Mr Kaluma Compaore (Please refer to Part 5 to read all of the form, as well as the notes on what and why I put what I did in the form)
doomed_sunn81 (12:45:57 PM): who is he?
ahmed_issa41 (12:47:07 PM): he is boa bank foreign affair director
doomed_sunn81 (12:47:14 PM): is he trustworthy?
ahmed_issa41 (12:47:20 PM): yes (After all, he’s a banker at a bank that doesn’t exist)
doomed_sunn81 (12:47:51 PM): if he does something incorrectly, will you admit responsibility since you directed me to him?
ahmed_issa41 (12:48:12 PM): there is nothing to be afraid off
ahmed_issa41 (12:48:13 PM): ok
doomed_sunn81 (12:48:35 PM): forgive me if I seem skeptical, I’m just a little uneasy doing business this way
ahmed_issa41 (12:48:46 PM): no problem
doomed_sunn81 (12:49:33 PM): where might I ask were you educated in the field of banking?
ahmed_issa41 (12:50:09 PM): in ghana
doomed_sunn81 (12:50:46 PM): in Accra? (The capital city of Ghana)
ahmed_issa41 (12:50:54 PM): yes
doomed_sunn81 (12:51:20 PM): I’ve been to the city of Takoradi, I found it lovely (From information that I quickly gathered from the net, this city is pretty much a dump, and there might be very few people on the earth that would find it lovely)
ahmed_issa41 (12:51:50 PM): good
ahmed_issa41 (12:52:26 PM): i have to leave you now (Aww, I was having fun)
doomed_sunn81 (12:52:47 PM): wait
doomed_sunn81 (12:52:53 PM): i contacted my answering service (I’m trying to get him to make a quick call and surprise or shock him)
ahmed_issa41 (12:53:00 PM): ok
doomed_sunn81 (12:53:10 PM): they will be able to put you in touch with me if you call them
doomed_sunn81 (12:53:46 PM): the phone number is (202) 332-5577 (This is the phone number of the Burkina Faso Embassy in Washington, DC.  I was trying to get him to call it, hear that, and scare him)
ahmed_issa41 (12:54:15 PM): is this your number?
doomed_sunn81 (12:54:38 PM): it is the number of my answering service, if you call them, they will connect you to me directly
ahmed_issa41 (12:55:47 PM): that will be tomorrow (dammit, I was hoping he’d do it while we were chatting)
ahmed_issa41 (12:55:52 PM): thesame time meet me on chat
doomed_sunn81 (12:55:59 PM): ok, I can do that
ahmed_issa41 (12:56:13 PM): because i have some visitor from the church who came to pay me a visit (Again with the christian angle)
doomed_sunn81 (12:56:26 PM): excellent, VAYA CON DIOS!
doomed_sunn81 (12:56:50 PM): i will chat with you tomorrow

************************************************************************************************

Thats all I have for now.  Hopefully I will remember to get online tomorrow and meet up with him again, and take this a bit further. 

So I guess stay tuned and we’ll see what happens next!!! 

Hopefully there will be a Part 7 to this.

 Dear Partner,

Signed
Boa Bank Managements.

So I replied with this:

Mr. Compaore,
 
Per the instructions of Mr. Isaac, here is the text of my application.
 
 
> —————————————————————————————————-
> APPLICATION FOR WILL BENEFICIARY.
>
> MR John Drevin
> Address: 742 Evergreen Terrace – Houston, TX 77001
> TEL: 713-555-1212
> Fax none
> E-mail:runwiththedevil@hotmail.com
>
> ATTN. MR KALUMA KABORE
> THE DIRECTOR
> FOREIGN REMMITANCE DEPT.
> BANK OF AFRICA ANNEX
> OUGADOUGOU,BURKINA-FASO.
> WEST AFRICA
> Email: boaforeignaffair@boabn.com
> Tell/00226.50.47.61.06
> Fax/00226.50.42.01.30
> DEAR SIR,
>
> APPLICATION AS WILL BENEFICIARY TO ACCOUNT HOLDER NUMBER BF108894584 ROUTING NUMBER 91211
> —————————————————————————————————-
> I MR.John Drevin HUMBLY APPLY TO THIS BANK TODAY December 4, 2010 AS WILL BENEFICIARY TO YOUR DECEASED CUSTOMER MR HUSSEIN MUBARAK FROM KUWAIT.
>
> I HERE BY APPLY PUTTING CLAIM OVER HIS WILL WITH THIS BANK VALUED AT SEVEN POINT FOUR MILLION U.S.($7,400, 000.00 USD)LEFT IN HIS ACCOUNT NUMBER/ 108894584 .
>
> I ALSO WISH MY APPLICATION WILL BE GIVEN AN URGENT ATTENTION IT DESERVES AS I
> WISH THIS BALANCE WOULD BE RELEASED AND RE-TRANSFERED INTO MY ACCOUNT AS STATED BELOW.
>
> BANK NAME: Bank of Imafag
> ADDRESS OF BANK : 2300 Holcombe Blvd – Houston, TX 77030
> TEL: 1-800-328-7448
> FAX: 1-800-938-2868
> ACCOUNT NUMBER: 485498801
> NAME OF BENEFICIARY MR John Drevin
> ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
> THANKS FOR YOUR SINCERE CO-OPERATION.
> YOUR NAME:MR John Drevin

Take note of a few things:

-My bank’s name, Imafag

-The address I put for myself is the address of the Simpsons

-The address for the bank is a shopping center near the medical center in Houston

-The 800 number for the bank’s phone translates to 1-800-EAT-SHIT, and the fax translates to a sex line I made up, but I will assume is a working number.

-The account number I put down as MY bank account number is merely the bank account of the deceased Mr Hussein Mubarak mentioned by the scammer, but I reversed it.

Next up, Part 6.

*****************************************************************************************************

doomed_sunn81 (11:10:49 AM): is this isaac?
ahmed_issa41 (11:10:57 AM): yes
doomed_sunn81 (11:11:39 AM): my name is John, we have been conversing via email about the inheritance of one Hussein Mubarak
ahmed_issa41 (11:11:51 AM): yes
ahmed_issa41 (11:12:04 AM): so how far have you gone with the bank
doomed_sunn81 (11:12:28 AM): Banks in america are closed on Saturdays
ahmed_issa41 (11:12:55 AM): so what is your next steps
doomed_sunn81 (11:13:26 AM): I will have to wait until Monday to contact a representative of my bank, but i have a few questions for you
ahmed_issa41 (11:13:35 AM): ok
ahmed_issa41 (11:14:11 AM): but you have to know that this transaction have to be secret between me and you (Again with the secret, NO ONE ELSE CAN KNOW!!)
ahmed_issa41 (11:14:44 AM): so as to avoid problem when this fund get into your account
doomed_sunn81 (11:15:34 AM): fair enough, and you can assure me that I will not get into trouble with the american IRS or SEC? (I dunno why I said SEC, its the best I can come up with in a hurry)
ahmed_issa41 (11:15:46 AM): yes
ahmed_issa41 (11:15:56 AM): 100% you will not get into any problem
ahmed_issa41 (11:16:07 AM): if you follow up my instruction’s
ahmed_issa41 (11:16:07 AM): ok
doomed_sunn81 (11:16:11 AM): ok
doomed_sunn81 (11:16:33 AM): Since this money is classified as an inheritance, will it be subject to my country’s inheritance tax?
ahmed_issa41 (11:17:02 AM): no (Like he would know if the inheritance tax is real, or if I’d get hit with it)
doomed_sunn81 (11:17:41 AM): ok and how did Hussein Mubarak amass this fortune might I ask?
ahmed_issa41 (11:17:49 AM): yes
ahmed_issa41 (11:18:04 AM): because his death he have already give me this file that as soon as he dies
ahmed_issa41 (11:18:39 AM): that boa bank should do a random draw any email choose on the draw should share this fund with me (Yeah, he’s mentioned this a few times in his emails, but maybe he thinks I forgot)
ahmed_issa41 (11:18:48 AM): as a token
doomed_sunn81 (11:18:58 AM): I understand that, but I’m asking how did Mr. Mubarak make such an amount of money
ahmed_issa41 (11:19:17 AM): he is international business man
ahmed_issa41 (11:19:28 AM): he do contract in west africa
ahmed_issa41 (11:19:48 AM): also he deal on gold
doomed_sunn81 (11:20:00 AM): I will have a problem morally accepting money that was gained through illicit means
ahmed_issa41 (11:20:14 AM): this is not illicit means (I guess internet scams aren’t illicit)
doomed_sunn81 (11:20:23 AM): can you guarantee me of that?
ahmed_issa41 (11:20:39 AM): why i said so is that boa bank will give you a resident lawyer to help you procure all the legal certificate to back up this fund (Cool, he’s gonna get me lawyer to make sure this is legit)
ahmed_issa41 (11:20:40 AM): ok
doomed_sunn81 (11:21:24 AM): and you mentioned that Mr. Mubarak is from Kuwait, correct?
ahmed_issa41 (11:21:30 AM): yes
doomed_sunn81 (11:22:04 AM): my country takes issue with money or business dealings centered around the Middle East region of the world.  Would you be able to help me sort of launder the money, as to conceal its source?
ahmed_issa41 (11:22:38 AM): that source of fund certificate or what?
doomed_sunn81 (11:23:08 AM): basically I need to cover up the fact that its coming from a man with a Kuwait nationality.  Can you assist me with this? (I was trying to get him to admit to other felonious dealings)
ahmed_issa41 (11:23:23 AM): yes
ahmed_issa41 (11:23:59 AM): what i will want you to know that the resident attorney boa bank will give to you will get all the certificate to back up this fund
ahmed_issa41 (11:24:11 AM): all what you have to do is to follow up my instruction’s
doomed_sunn81 (11:24:33 AM): Ok, can you provide me with this attorney’s name and contact information so that I might contact him personally?
ahmed_issa41 (11:24:50 AM): is the boa bank that will do that
ahmed_issa41 (11:25:02 AM): not me
ahmed_issa41 (11:25:09 AM): first of all you must apply first
doomed_sunn81 (11:25:18 AM): is it an attorney employed by the boa bank?
ahmed_issa41 (11:25:37 AM): no
ahmed_issa41 (11:25:47 AM): is going to an attorney here well known (I’m sure an attorney chosen by this guy in Burkina Faso is more than reputable)
ahmed_issa41 (11:25:56 AM): which boa bank will choose to assit you
doomed_sunn81 (11:26:07 AM): oh ok, that makes sense
ahmed_issa41 (11:26:26 AM): so you have to fill the text of application and send to boa bank
doomed_sunn81 (11:27:00 AM): I also have another quick question for you, I tried to do an internet search for Bank of Africa in Burkina Faso, and was unable to find any such information.  Do you guys have a website? (I was trying to see what he would say to the fact that Bank of Africa doesn’t exist)
ahmed_issa41 (11:27:54 AM): the bank have his own website
doomed_sunn81 (11:28:00 AM): which is?
ahmed_issa41 (11:28:16 AM): is in my file in the office
doomed_sunn81 (11:28:36 AM): are you not currently in your office?
ahmed_issa41 (11:28:50 AM): no
ahmed_issa41 (11:28:54 AM): today is saturday
ahmed_issa41 (11:28:57 AM): i am at home
ahmed_issa41 (11:29:02 AM): here we work,half day
ahmed_issa41 (11:29:11 AM): on saturdays (Damn, since he’s ‘at home’ and not ‘at work’ I can’t get the bank’s website)
doomed_sunn81 (11:29:35 AM): how long have you been in the finance industry?
ahmed_issa41 (11:30:09 AM): 18 years now
ahmed_issa41 (11:30:48 AM): can you give me your full name also with you country and your occupation?
doomed_sunn81 (11:31:49 AM): my full name is John Drevin, I live in the United States, and I am an engineer for a mining operation
doomed_sunn81 (11:32:13 AM): In fact, I am interested in Burkina Faso, as your country has a large amount of copper deposits to excavate (I looked that tidbit up online through Wikipedia, I wanted him to think I was a legit businessman, like I said, its all off the top of my head)
ahmed_issa41 (11:32:39 AM): yes
ahmed_issa41 (11:33:08 AM): your mobile number
doomed_sunn81 (11:33:32 AM): hopefully by February, I will be able to travel over to that country to examine the industry.  would you be able to introduce me to some engineers?
ahmed_issa41 (11:33:47 AM): no problem
ahmed_issa41 (11:34:00 AM): but we have to be fast and get this fund transfer into your account
doomed_sunn81 (11:34:00 AM): Can you recommend a good hotel to stay at?
doomed_sunn81 (11:34:35 AM): I understand the need to be fast, but unfortunately we are at a standstill until my bank opens up on Monday morning (I’m trying to stall him and make conversation with me)
ahmed_issa41 (11:34:58 AM): why?
doomed_sunn81 (11:35:14 AM): I’m unable to set up the transfer process if my bank is not open
ahmed_issa41 (11:35:34 AM): what do you want to transfer?
doomed_sunn81 (11:36:04 AM): you mentioned that there will be expenses to share.  I assumed that by that you meant that I will have to wire you some money to cover my half of the expenses
ahmed_issa41 (11:36:17 AM): yes
ahmed_issa41 (11:36:27 AM): but first of all you must apply to the boa bank first
doomed_sunn81 (11:36:34 AM): oh ok, I will do that
ahmed_issa41 (11:36:51 AM): have you fill the form and send it to boa bank?
doomed_sunn81 (11:37:08 AM): but there is one way that I can get you my share of the expenses by tomorrow, I can use a wire transfer service such as Western Union to directly send you the money (I was trying to get him to give me a physical address)
ahmed_issa41 (11:37:36 AM): i said first of all contact boa bank
doomed_sunn81 (11:37:51 AM): you mean the application?
ahmed_issa41 (11:37:58 AM): yes
doomed_sunn81 (11:39:20 AM): did you email it to me?
ahmed_issa41 (11:39:56 AM): that is why i said send your full name and occupation and mobile number to my email
ahmed_issa41 (11:40:01 AM): so that i can send it to you
ahmed_issa41 (11:40:03 AM): ok
doomed_sunn81 (11:40:12 AM): unfortunately I don’t have a mobile number
doomed_sunn81 (11:40:20 AM): too expensive, money that I don’t care to spend
ahmed_issa41 (11:40:30 AM): dont you have lanline
ahmed_issa41 (11:40:33 AM): landline
doomed_sunn81 (11:40:43 AM): I just have an office number
ahmed_issa41 (11:40:48 AM): good
ahmed_issa41 (11:40:59 AM): send them to my email
ahmed_issa41 (11:41:02 AM): immediately (damn, this guy’s in a hurry)
doomed_sunn81 (11:41:07 AM): what is your email
ahmed_issa41 (11:41:16 AM): you have my email already
ahmed_issa41 (11:41:20 AM): send it to me
ahmed_issa41 (11:42:05 AM): send it to my email address
ahmed_issa41 (11:42:14 AM): i will be back in 15 minutes time
doomed_sunn81 (11:42:15 AM): I’m emailing it to you right now.  you should get it in just a few minutes
ahmed_issa41 (11:42:36 AM): ok
doomed_sunn81 (11:43:13 AM): just sent it (All I said was that my name was John Drevin, an engineer, and gave him the number of a pharmacy up the street)
ahmed_issa41 (12:00:20 PM): ok
doomed_sunn81 (12:00:31 PM): did you receive it?
ahmed_issa41 (12:00:38 PM): let me check
ahmed_issa41 (12:01:01 PM): yes
ahmed_issa41 (12:01:18 PM): i will send to you the text of application to fill and send to boa bank immediately
doomed_sunn81 (12:01:24 PM): ok
ahmed_issa41 (12:01:31 PM): so that the boa bank can start the procedure on monday
doomed_sunn81 (12:01:39 PM): excellent!
doomed_sunn81 (12:02:03 PM): your currency is the XOF franc, correct?
ahmed_issa41 (12:02:10 PM): yes
doomed_sunn81 (12:02:47 PM): its customary in the US to tip banking executives who assist with dealings like this.  would you consider it offensive if I tip you for helping me? (To clarify this, I was hoping to tease him with the thought of me giving him a tip.  I got on an online currency convertor and found out that 1 XOF franc in his country is worth roughly $0.0025 US.  So one dollar of his currency is barely worth one quarter of a cent in the US.  I was going to tell him I wanted to give him a 500 XOF tip, which translates to barely over $1 US currency.  I just wanted to see what his reaction would have been, but I didn’t get that chance)
ahmed_issa41 (12:03:59 PM): as you know it have to be secret between us (yeah, he’s mentioned that a few times)
ahmed_issa41 (12:04:15 PM): check your email i have send to you text of application to fill and send to boa bank
ahmed_issa41 (12:04:16 PM): ok
doomed_sunn81 (12:04:47 PM): let me check my email
ahmed_issa41 (12:04:55 PM): ok
doomed_sunn81 (12:06:24 PM): when I travel to Ouagadougou, I will need to fulfill certain carnal needs.  would you be able to help me with this
ahmed_issa41 (12:06:41 PM): like which need?
doomed_sunn81 (12:06:49 PM): women (Again, I’m just trying to get him to talk about more felonious things, but he didn’t take the bait)
ahmed_issa41 (12:07:03 PM): please let us complete this transaction first
doomed_sunn81 (12:08:51 PM): I’m filling out the application now
doomed_sunn81 (12:08:57 PM): just sit tight for a second
ahmed_issa41 (12:08:59 PM): good
doomed_sunn81 (12:10:44 PM): I noticed a few grammatical errors in the application, would you mind if I correct them?
ahmed_issa41 (12:11:34 PM): no problem
doomed_sunn81 (12:15:36 PM): can you do me a quick favo
doomed_sunn81 (12:15:37 PM): r
ahmed_issa41 (12:15:45 PM): like what?
doomed_sunn81 (12:15:51 PM): would you be able to call my bank’s fax line to make sure its active?
doomed_sunn81 (12:16:01 PM): if it is, you’ll just hear the modem noise
ahmed_issa41 (12:16:05 PM): just put the number
ahmed_issa41 (12:16:28 PM): it is when the fund is approve for transfer boa bank will contact your bank
doomed_sunn81 (12:16:34 PM): oh ok
ahmed_issa41 (12:16:35 PM): no problem about that
doomed_sunn81 (12:18:53 PM): I just sent it, let me know when you get it (I’ll post that exchange in part 5)
ahmed_issa41 (12:19:51 PM): to my email or bank email?
doomed_sunn81 (12:20:12 PM): whatever email address you just sent it to me from, ended with a boabn.com
ahmed_issa41 (12:20:19 PM): ok
ahmed_issa41 (12:20:21 PM): good
ahmed_issa41 (12:20:29 PM): the boa bank will acknowledge it on monday
ahmed_issa41 (12:20:36 PM): that is bank email not mine email
ahmed_issa41 (12:20:38 PM): ok
doomed_sunn81 (12:20:47 PM): whats the difference
ahmed_issa41 (12:21:04 PM): this is my private bank email
ahmed_issa41 (12:21:10 PM): why the bank have his email
doomed_sunn81 (12:21:15 PM): ok
doomed_sunn81 (12:21:42 PM): and  you can assure me that the source of this money is not drugs, mafia murders, prostitution, blood diamonds, or human trafficking, correct?
ahmed_issa41 (12:21:55 PM): yes
ahmed_issa41 (12:22:03 PM): you should not be afraid of anything (If you can’t trust an internet scam artist, who can you trust?)
ahmed_issa41 (12:22:04 PM): ok
doomed_sunn81 (12:22:05 PM): I can’t have that kind of karma attached to me
doomed_sunn81 (12:22:16 PM): do you believe in karma?
ahmed_issa41 (12:22:21 PM): what is karma? (I didn’t think he knew what it was)
doomed_sunn81 (12:23:02 PM): the spiritual concept of cause and effect.  If this money was gained through illicit means, it will bring me bad luck
ahmed_issa41 (12:23:27 PM): never
doomed_sunn81 (12:23:36 PM): for instance, if you Mr. Isaac are engaging in illegal or immoral activities, the cosmos will send bad fortune your way (I was trying to give him a guilt trip and he what his reaction was going to be.  It didn’t really work out, as I don’t think he understood what I was getting at)
doomed_sunn81 (12:23:50 PM): I don’t want that, and I’m sure you don’t either
ahmed_issa41 (12:24:05 PM): do know that is the beneficiary of this fund who gave me this file
ahmed_issa41 (12:24:10 PM): before his death
ahmed_issa41 (12:24:25 PM): so why will he rise up again and do anything evil against me? (I was really not expecting such a comical response from this guy, and this comment he gave made me erupt in laughter.  I can only assume it gave him a chuckle as well)
doomed_sunn81 (12:24:39 PM): he won’t, but someone else will, acting as an agent of karma
ahmed_issa41 (12:24:50 PM): is not possible (Like he would know)
doomed_sunn81 (12:24:56 PM): of course it is
doomed_sunn81 (12:25:07 PM): are you a religious man Mr. Isaac?
doomed_sunn81 (12:25:26 PM): all religions and cultures have a principle of karma
ahmed_issa41 (12:25:40 PM): i am a christian (surprise surprise, he claims to be a christian)
doomed_sunn81 (12:25:52 PM): really?  what denomination?
ahmed_issa41 (12:26:01 PM): petecostal church (I assume he means pentacostal)
doomed_sunn81 (12:26:10 PM): excellent
ahmed_issa41 (12:26:22 PM): which church do you attend? (I wasn’t expecting that)
doomed_sunn81 (12:26:25 PM): I very much prefer to do business with religious men, they do God’s work
doomed_sunn81 (12:26:35 PM): Mormon Church
doomed_sunn81 (12:26:46 PM): in america, its called the Church of Latter Day Saints (Best I could come up with on a whim, and knowing Mormons, they might very well have missionairies in his country that he might be familiar with)
ahmed_issa41 (12:27:00 PM): good
ahmed_issa41 (12:27:27 PM): why dont you give me your house mobile number were i can get you easily
doomed_sunn81 (12:28:16 PM): I normally don’t give out my house number, but since you are a religious man, I trust you (Yes, I did say that)
doomed_sunn81 (12:28:20 PM): (713) 218-2180 (The number of a pharmacy chain nearby, when you call it, its just an automated response of ‘press 1 for this and press 2 for that’, no harm done)
ahmed_issa41 (12:28:49 PM): good
ahmed_issa41 (12:29:37 PM): were are you now?
doomed_sunn81 (12:30:04 PM): I am at home, and just for good measure, let me give you my wife’s mobile number, just in case (for the record, I’m not married)
doomed_sunn81 (12:30:10 PM): (713) 523-5697 (this is the number of an African restaurant in Houston, I pulled it from the internet)
ahmed_issa41 (12:30:15 PM): ok
ahmed_issa41 (12:30:24 PM): is your wife aware of this transaction?
doomed_sunn81 (12:31:04 PM): no, I will just pretend this is a business deal with my company, I want this transaction to be a surprise that I will tell her about once its completed
ahmed_issa41 (12:31:21 PM): good
doomed_sunn81 (12:31:30 PM): She knows better than to ask questions (I was trying to be chauvanistic to see what he would say, I guess he didn’t understand)
doomed_sunn81 (12:32:34 PM): will you be calling soon?
ahmed_issa41 (12:32:46 PM): i prefer not to call her number
ahmed_issa41 (12:32:54 PM): but i will call your house number now
doomed_sunn81 (12:32:59 PM): ok
ahmed_issa41 (12:33:21 PM): is not going through
ahmed_issa41 (12:33:29 PM): the house number you gave to me
doomed_sunn81 (12:33:35 PM): i believe the country code is 1
ahmed_issa41 (12:33:47 PM): yes
doomed_sunn81 (12:33:56 PM): so dial 1 then 713 218 2180
ahmed_issa41 (12:34:14 PM): yes
ahmed_issa41 (12:34:48 PM): telling me to press one press two (I assume he got through to the pharmacy’s number, if nothing else, maybe this will just cost him a few extra dollars making an international call to a bogus number)
ahmed_issa41 (12:34:55 PM): i dont understand
doomed_sunn81 (12:35:17 PM): I don’t either, it should just ring straight to me
ahmed_issa41 (12:35:44 PM): that is what i dont understand
doomed_sunn81 (12:35:49 PM): oh, I’m sorry, my number is actually 713 218 2108, I incorrectly typed it out (I just reversed the last few numbers, pretending to get the number wrong.  If anything he’d just call a number and ask for John Drevin and get someone saying ‘Wrong number’ assuming there was an answer in the first place)
ahmed_issa41 (12:36:14 PM): ok
doomed_sunn81 (12:36:21 PM): I apologize
doomed_sunn81 (12:36:27 PM): i will sign off now and await your phone call
ahmed_issa41 (12:36:36 PM): ok
ahmed_issa41 (12:36:40 PM): is ringing
ahmed_issa41 (12:37:02 PM): the operator is saying the number is disconnected (I genuinely did feel bad knowing that someone here in Houston would get a wrong number call, but I guess I got lucky that its a disconnected number)
ahmed_issa41 (12:37:16 PM): you call me
ahmed_issa41 (12:37:22 PM): +226.78.56.90.78 (Like I’m gonna waste good money calling this dude.  But anyone out there in internetland reading, please feel free to prank call him)
doomed_sunn81 (12:39:09 PM): it must be a problem with the fact that its an international call
ahmed_issa41 (12:39:47 PM): please give me a correct number to contact you
ahmed_issa41 (12:39:48 PM): ok
doomed_sunn81 (12:40:12 PM): that is my number, I don’t understand why its not going through
doomed_sunn81 (12:40:31 PM): but I would think that since you are calling internationally, the phone service is having trouble connecting
ahmed_issa41 (12:40:57 PM): ok
doomed_sunn81 (12:41:33 PM): I have an answering service through my company that you can call me through
ahmed_issa41 (12:41:34 PM): send the filled text of application to the boa bank email
ahmed_issa41 (12:41:35 PM): boaforeignaffair@boabn.com

Let’s quickly move on to Part 5 so you can see what I gave him as my contact details.

 Dear Partner,

thanks
your’s Issac.

Please note that he’s back to using the name of Isaac.  But also, this guy wants me to send him a copy of my passport so I can verify myself.  I guess he’s calling my bluff.  If I was more skilled at photoshop or something, I would gladly scan my passport and alter it to throw this guy for a loop, but I’m not going to take this risk.  He says he’ll send me his staff ID card, but I won’t push this, because I don’t want him to send me a file via email that I will have to download, I don’t need a virus.

He takes the time to answer my requests though.  He gives me his user ID on yahoo for us to chat, but unfortunately I will be unable to view him as he has no webcam.  Shame.  As far as any of his business constituents?  Out of the question, as this transaction is a secret, and no one else can know.  That seems fair, as any of his friends might get mad that they weren’t included in this inheritance.  And unfortunately, having the Burkina Faso embassy account for him would just simply take too much time, and we can’t have this procedure delayed can we?

So I took the next step.  I cooked up a phony yahoo chat ID of doomed_sunn81 and added this guy to my contact list.  Sure enough, he was on.

But thats in Part 4…..

 Dear Partner,

I am very happy in receiving your reply which give me more assurance that you are honest and ready to assist me which i want to asure you that you dont have anything to be afraid of in this transaction because I am a senior staff of the bank that has put in long term of meriteous service to the bank and well trusted. Account officer to late Mr.
Hussein Mubarak from Kuwait who is an gold merchant Agent here in Ouagadougou Burkina Faso, a well known Philanthropist before he died.

He made a Will stating that $7.4Million dollars (Seven million four hundred thousand USD) should be given to a citizen of our choice overseas as one of his own donation to humanity .the bank gave me the permition to have made a random draw of email’s and your e-mail address was picked as the beneficiary to this Will. I am particularly interested in securing this money from the Bank because they have issued a notice instructing me been the account officer to produce the beneficiary of this will before end of this year 2010 else the money will be credited to the Government treasury as per law here.

It is my utmost desire to execute the Will of my late client Mr. Hussein Mubarak since he is no more alive, both wife Nera Mubarak, and daughter Fatimata Mubarak are no more, may there soul rest in perfect peace.

Once more this transaction is 100% risk free which I earlier assure you about and I truely hope that you will carry out my instructions to the letter.

I trust you with my mind although we have not meet before and this transaction will not take more than 8 working days before the fund is transfered to your account and it is then I will travell down to meet with you for the sharing of the money.

Furthermore,know that this fund will be term as unclaim fund before the end of this fiscal year so we must hasten up whatsoever we are going to do about it before it is forfeited as unclaim bill and sent to the treasury.

Between you and me we all know what to do with such a hugh sum of amount because my plan is to invest in your country when this fund get to your account so for our dream to be successful we have to work hand to hand to make sure that there will be no mistake or delay,

knowing what human beings are like the board of directors here and also the conrespondnece bank in europe will be the people to inherit it than us again

let me inform you as a senior staff the bank director’s will be doing all possible best to discourage you so that they can eat the money at the end of the year so follow up my instruction’s and be attentive to my word’s.

It has taken me some time to map out this plan so I will not want anything that can jeopadise the effort that i have put in this transaction since so try and keep this as confidential as possible because nobody loves a successful person so that there will be no problem when this fund get to your account and also that our chances should not be in vain.

Be aware that any expenses will be shared between me and you which will be druing the process of the transaction and after we shall deduct it on the percentage i earlier
mentioned.

Do know that after you have agree to one of this process if you want this fund to be transfer to you through boa bank conrespondence bank in europe or through boa bank in africa here then i will tell you the next to take.

Note:Do assure me that you will be sincere to me until the end of this transaction and do not hesitate to ask me any question which you know is bordering your mind because I am ready to answer any question which you will ask.

This is my mobile number+226.78.56 90 78 which I will also want you to send your direct mobile number to me for easier communication so that I can easily call you for any urgent information’s. so do not delay in calling me or send me an urgent mail as you know we dont have any time to waste.

I will send to you My Staff Id Card and also statement of account of this fund as soon as you prove to me that you are ready to assist me in this transaction also to follow up my instruction’s.

As you know the year is coming to an end the bank have started auditing program so any delay will not in any way help us so you have to hasten up things so that this fund can be credited into your account soonest.

Which you must make sure you state clearly which bank you choose to credit this fund into your account boa bank here or conrespondence bank in europe.

If you need this fund to be credited to your account through this bank conrespondence bank in europe is agreed by me but you must agree to follow up my instruction’s so as to avoid mistake.

CHOOSE FROM THIS TWO OPTIONS.
———————————————————————–
1.Do you want this fund to be transfer to you through MT103 transfer.

2.Do you want the transfer through online account,that is to say you will have online account with this bank and this fund will be credited into the online account which you will transfer this fund through your online account into your account or any account of your choice round the world.

Do know that i will meet with you as soon as this fund get into your account in your country but first of all you have to follow up my instruction’s and again if you want this fund to be transfer to the boa bank conrespondence bank in europe to credit this fund into your account is possible.

thanks
yours sincerely
Mr Philipe Traore

Note that its a different name he’s now using, Mr. Philipe Traore.  And yeah, I’m not giving this guy my cell number or spending the ridiculous amount of money to prank call him on his cell phone.

I really didn’t know what to say to him, so I came up with this response:

Thank you for your timely response and assurance that this is a legit business transaction.
 
I appreciate the nature of your urgency, due to the fact that it is nearly the year’s end.  And I wish we were both able to meet face-to-face before we make this transaction, however, I understand that this might not be able to happen. 
 
Since this is the case, I was wondering if you might be able to take one or two extra steps to further identify yourself specifically, as well as your bank.  This can be accomplished in a number of ways.
 
1) An internet conversation via a webcam, where you can show me your identification and credentials
2) A business constituent here in the United States that can contact me
3) A diplomat from the Burkina Faso Embassy in Washington DC that can account for your position within your bank.
 
If you and I can accomplish one of these tasks within the next few days, then I assure you that we can take the next step necessary to seal this business transaction.  Normally, I would not hesitate to contact you on the phone number you have provided, however I am unable to make overseas phone calls at this time. 
 
Please reply to me as soon as you can so we can accomplish this transaction.
 
Regards,
John

I sent that email to him on a Friday evening, and with the time change to wherever in Africa I knew it would be a while before I got a response.  I was really wondering what he’d come up with in response to my asking for his verification.  Really, I was willing to put on a dress shirt and tie, sit in front of my webcam and pretend to be sitting in my office, and have a webcam conversation with this guy to see if he not only shows his face, but shows me some phony credentials.  If he would have given me a phone number of someone here in the US to contact to verify himself, I gladly would have called it anonymously from a payphone at the nearest gas station.  And I was hoping he would flip out on the notion that I wanted his country’s embassy to account for him.

So I had no choice but to sit and wait for his reply…..

Continue to Part 3.

From The Manager Mr.Issac Ben
Foreign Remittance Dept
Bank of Africa

Dear Friend

I am the account officer to late Mr hussein mubarak of kuwaite a well known Philanthropist after his death the bank gave me the permition to make arandom draw of emails and your e-mail address was picked as the beneficiary to his Will of $7.4Million USD, send to me your full details as follow’s or call N°0022678719685 for full detail of this very will

1. Your Name in Full:……………………………….
2. Your Occupation:…………………………………
3.Your Nationality:…………………………………..
4. Your Mobile number:…………………………….
5. Your Age And Gender:………………………….

 Furthermore,I am putting it clear to you that you have choice to choose if  you need this fund through boa bank here or through this bank conrespondencebank in europe to credit this fund into your account which any of your  choice will be accepted by me as long as you are ready to follow up my instruction’s.

 Mr.Issac Ben
Foreign Remittance Exchange Manager
Bank of Africa Ouagadougou Burkina Faso

Wow!  I must be the luckiest man in the world.  MY email address was chosen at random to get some phony dead guy’s fortune!  Not YOUR email, not my neighbor’s email, but MY email! 

Cool, I’ll bite, and I replied with this:

This all sounds great, but I don’t like to do business over email or the internet. 
 
Might I suggest a meeting place somewhere else?  I tend to be in Europe quite a bit for business.
 
Regards,
John

I just pulled this out of my ass because initially I was hoping he’d put me in touch with someone that I can set up a meeting with.  My plan was to just send him to a random hotel somewhere in Europe and await a response from him saying he went to meet me and I wasn’t there.  But as you will see in my next posting, I had to change my plan.

Keeping reading!  Up next, Part 2.