The setup
If someone you admire and respect sends you an email or text message and asks you to send money by Western Union, they are likely an impostor. They go online to Facebook or anywhere else where they can get an idea of the person’s lingo, interests you have in common, etc.
Then they contact you using that information, saying wonderful things about you and saying that for whatever reason, you have a large amount of money waiting for you. All you have to do is send them about $800 USD to cover whatever expenses they think up.
These people are likely from a foreign nation with a few helpers other countries. They do it so slickly that it is virtually impossible to ever catch them.
Below is one example of this type of scam.
Text messages from scam artist are in italics.
On August 16 someone saying he/she was well-know television personality Patricia King contacted my wife using Facebook messaging. She/he ask if my wife was going to a particular 10-day conference in North Battleford.
My wife said that we could not afford it. He/she said that he/she would help pay for it.
We finally decided that we would pay the first $500 and Patricia would pay the rest. He/she went along with that.
We booked accommodations paying $500 down.
Aug.18, 8:20 am — He/she send us her personal assistant’s email address (meredithharperr@gmail.com) and said we should contact Meredith.
Later we got an email from someone claiming to be Meredith, Patricia’s personal assistant. One thing that stood out was that she had very poor communication skills. We were totally unimpressed with her personal assistant skills.
She wanted us to send Patricia $500 so that she could pay for all of our accommodation bill. That was sort of weird but we brushed it off to Meredith’s incompetence. We did not send the money.
Sept.8 @ 9:07 am — Reopened contact. He/she said has something to share and my wife should give here email. Said she has something to share “woman to woman.”
Scam continues Sept. 11 @ 9:25 am
Message from scam artist at 914-348-1981:
Monday, 5:46 pm — Text back if this gets through to you. This is Patricia King.
Am happy for you as you can’t imagine what a fortune has come into your life now until money gets to you or in your bank account. Did I mention how much was involved in this?
Don’t let that blow your mind, Linda. God has seen all you have been regarding his kingdom building and has this a medium of showing you his blessings.
A whooping sum of $630,001 is what we talk about here and less I forget I will like you to give to orphans and widows 10% of total money when it gets to you finally okay.
Yes at all time God has been faithful to his people who serve him diligently and in obedience to his words.
God knows your heart and his willing and able to make all things new again okay.
You should be giving the email to reach that banker who is in charge of all my personal belongings with the bank Linda.
No I mean contact Hakan my bank officer.
He will be throne to help you facilitate transaction so that money could be deposited in your personal account.
I will let you have his email that’s what I said sister.
Been trying to lay hands on his office email.
But you could reach him over private email.
hakansandler@gmail.com.
6:37 pm: You can just text him. Hopefully he will reply by morning.
I will need to rest okay love, feel free for I will let Hakan know that you are the one person that God picked for this and that takes care of everything am sure. Verification not an issue okay.
Around this point Hakan said that he needed some identification. He wanted her passport photo. So, my wife emailed him a photo of the inside of her passport including her passport photo and her passport number.
I will like you to pray in thanksgiving and be with a heart of expectation okay, God bless you.
Tue., 8:47 am — Morning beloved and feels good to hear from you this hour. Holy is the Lord.
9:09 am — Am here beloved.
Please do not let anyone see this apart from you and John okay. He/she got husband’s name wrong. We did not pick up on that until later. We suspect a particular person named John may be involved with the scam.
9:25 am — You have a good heart that’s why it attracts this magnitude of blessings.
10:40 am — Let me speak with Hakan beloved. I will get back to you soonest.
Hakan said you could buy bitcoin if sending courier money is a stress.
11:50 am — But if bitcoin is confusing you could just send money for courier down and have your money sent to you.
Just send money to Hakan and let him courier full amount to you ASAP.
THE $840 I am talking about.
He already gave me his aids name for you to send money to via Western Union.
Here is Faith’s details. Faith is Hanan’s assistant.
First name: Nozipho
Middle name: faith
Last name:sibiya
City: Waterbury State
Connecticut, USA
11:59 am — Amen beloved, yes this is a blessing and must come to pass in Jesus name.
12:15 pm —Send me slip so I can forward to Hakan after payments.
1:09 pm — Linda sent photo of Western Union receipt by text message.
[$1140.47 CAD was sent via Western Union at 1:02 pm PDT.]