by Fukuda
Mon Sep 02, 2013 5:43 pm
I just wanted to inform you that this scam still exists. Today, my father recieved a letter in an envelope sent through Royal Mail (Airmail). My family is from Sweden where we all live, and as far as I know I have no relatives, living or dead, who have lived abroad for longer than a year. I guess the scammer chose a bad family this time. Also bad luck for the scammer that the general English-skills of Swedes below 40 years of age is very high. That way I could read the letter and assure my father that it was 100% fake, despite the big words. I have a feeling it's easier to be fooled when you don't know the language since those "warning bells" become harder to find. Now, back to the actual point:
The text is pretty much identical to the OP except for minor details, names, and contact information. It's generally shorter without mentioning religion or profession of my (fake) dead relative. The last part, however, is longer and much more "nagging" about the confidentiality of the matter.
The name of our (still very fake) dead relative is Peter Johansson. Johansson is one of the five common surnames in Sweden, if not the single most common, so it's not like that makes it more believeable. Rather the contrary since the "lawyer" uses the name as a way to confirm the relation between my rich relative and my father. The name is somehow in a larger font than the rest of the letter. Seems wierd and lazy. Maybe a way to draw one's gaze to the name but it just makes the name seems pasted in and easily replaced (which we know is the case).
The name of the "attorney" is David Dembe. After googling I found there is a real attorney named David Dembe, but he lives in New Jersey, USA. Maybe it's a way to make it more believable, or it's just a coinsidence.
E-mail: [email protected] (attorneys do sure do love their free online-email...)
Phone number: +44 207060 5546 (once again a re-directed number)
Fax: +44 207060 5547 (same as the phone number exept for the last digit)
The letter ends with an obviously printed signing by this "David Dembe". It's probably not forged, but rather just made up.
As a final comment: It's laughable how little information the letter provides about my father's supposed relative. The only information that is given is that he has the same last name and that he died in a traffic accident. I would be pretty interested in things like his age, occupation and above all HOW is he related to my father. But of course, if there was a specified relation it would be easy to look up... I think this got me a little more exited than it should, but I'm just a 23 year old nerdy guy who sits at his computer playing games all day. I wish I was a little more brave and smart so I could find this scammer and put him to justice...
The text is pretty much identical to the OP except for minor details, names, and contact information. It's generally shorter without mentioning religion or profession of my (fake) dead relative. The last part, however, is longer and much more "nagging" about the confidentiality of the matter.
The name of our (still very fake) dead relative is Peter Johansson. Johansson is one of the five common surnames in Sweden, if not the single most common, so it's not like that makes it more believeable. Rather the contrary since the "lawyer" uses the name as a way to confirm the relation between my rich relative and my father. The name is somehow in a larger font than the rest of the letter. Seems wierd and lazy. Maybe a way to draw one's gaze to the name but it just makes the name seems pasted in and easily replaced (which we know is the case).
The name of the "attorney" is David Dembe. After googling I found there is a real attorney named David Dembe, but he lives in New Jersey, USA. Maybe it's a way to make it more believable, or it's just a coinsidence.
E-mail: [email protected] (attorneys do sure do love their free online-email...)
Phone number: +44 207060 5546 (once again a re-directed number)
Fax: +44 207060 5547 (same as the phone number exept for the last digit)
The letter ends with an obviously printed signing by this "David Dembe". It's probably not forged, but rather just made up.
As a final comment: It's laughable how little information the letter provides about my father's supposed relative. The only information that is given is that he has the same last name and that he died in a traffic accident. I would be pretty interested in things like his age, occupation and above all HOW is he related to my father. But of course, if there was a specified relation it would be easy to look up... I think this got me a little more exited than it should, but I'm just a 23 year old nerdy guy who sits at his computer playing games all day. I wish I was a little more brave and smart so I could find this scammer and put him to justice...
