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You’ve likely received them before, an email from Africa (usually Nigeria) asking for your help in transferring millions of dollars into your account with no strings attached. Except you know it’s a scam and the email ends up in your spam box. But some do take the bait and fall victim to these international scammers who prey on the vulnerable and desperate. In this investigative report, Castanet takes you inside at the Nigerian letter scam, but this one is actually based out of Ghana, Africa that begins with a plea for help to complete a multi-million dollar business transaction. Castanet Editor, Kelly Hayes plays along with the scam based primarily on a flurry of emails beginning with a man named John Alfred who initiates the scam. Hayes assumes the fictitious name of John Sooker. ( Read the complete scam here)

Hello my good friend.

How are you today? Hope all is well with you and your family. You may not understand why this mail came to you. But if you do not remember me, you might have receive an email from me in the past regarding a multi-million-dollar business proposal which we never concluded. I am using this opportunity to inform you that this multi-million-dollar business has been concluded with the assistance of another partner from Paraguay who financed the transaction to a logical conclusion. I thank you for your great effort to our unfinished transfer of fund into your account due to one reason or the other best known to you. But I want to inform you that I have successfully transferred the fund out of my bank to my new partner’s account in Paraguay that was capable of assisting me in this great venture.

Due to your effort, sincerity, courage and trust worthiness you shown during the course of the transaction. I want to compensate you and show my gratitude to you with the sum of US$950,000.00. I have left a certified international bank draft for you worth of US$950,000.00 cashable anywhere in the world

My dear friend I will like you to contact my Pastor Reverend. Daniel Dunkwa for collection of your bank draft. I authorized him to release the Bank Draft to you whenever you ask him for it.

(Castanet makes contact with Reverend Daniel Dunkwa)

My name is John Sooker.

I was recently contacted by Mr. John Alfred who was in need of assistance, but has found a solution to his problem. However, he has been kind enough to offer me a generous reward of $950,000 US in gratitude.

I would like to take advantage of Mr.. Alfred’s offer and he has asked me to contact you but, in the wake of so many scams on the Internet, I am reluctant to move ahead without speaking to you directly over the phone.

What number can I reach you at?

John Sooker.
Canada
(Reverend to Castanet)

Dear John
Thanks and god bless you and i am very happy to here from you because i have been waiting to here from you regards your Draft and now you contact me i am very happy. Here is my direct phone number +233 274 615273 you can call me any time so that we can talk on how you want me to send your Draft to you.

Thanks and God bless you

Regards
Rev. Daniel
(Castanet to Reverend)

Hello Reverend,

Sorry, but I could not hear you very well on the phone and need more clarification.

I believe you said that you would send a draft for the amount of $950,000 US to me. Is that right?

If you can mail it to me, that would be convenient or is there a simpler way of doing it?

Also, how can you assure me that this is not a scam. I have heard about the Nigerian scam many times in the news and want to make sure that I don’t become a victim.

Yours truly,

John Sooker.
(Reverend to Castanet)

Dear John
Thanks for your mail to me, and i am happy here from you on phone and what i mean is that the Draft what of $950.000.00 is with me and if you like i can take it back to Bank and they total money $950.000.00 will be transfer to your account direct but if you need the Draft i can send it to you through an individual courier company here because DHL and UPS did not agree to deliver the Draft because of the amount involve in it so it is only the individual courier company agree to deliver it and they told me that it will cost the sum of $60.00 for the delivering fee regards to what the manager of the company told.

Regards what you ask me about scam for your information i am not a Nigerian and i never been to Nigeria before mean while i did not know what is scam i am Man of God so i face the work of God i am only doing this to help because Mr. John Alfred is a good friend of mine

Thanks and God bless
Regards
Rev. Daniel
(Castanet to Reverend)

How can I be sure that you are a reverend? Do you have proof? Please answer as I will NOT proceed until I see proof that you are Reverend Daniel. Can you send me a picture?
(Reverend to Castanet)

Dear John
Thanks for your mail to me and i have been waiting for your mail, is now i understand what you mean by scam but i am sorry i am not part of it i am Man of God and i hate anything that is ageist God rules i am only trying to help you

What credentials proving do you want from me do you think i claim to be reverend or what if you want to know me very well is better you come to Ghana and ask of me or we see face to face and i will deliver you please try and come i will be very happy.

Regards your money in London i have nothing to do with it or you if you like live your money there that is not my business i have try for you even if you receive it if you like you tell me if you dont like that is your money so for you telling me you will contact Andy Thompson in England i fill is not my business because the money belong to you if you like you contact then if don’t like you live your money there in there Bank
Thanks
Rev. Daniel
(Castanet to Reverend)

I say SCAM because there are several scams on the Internet dealing with promises of money for doing nothing. I have attempted to do some research on you and found nothing on the Internet. In order to calm my fears, can you please send me your credentials proving that in fact you are a reverend. Meantime, I will contact Andy Thompson in England in an attempt to secure the funds.
(Reverend to Castanet)

Dear John
Thanks for your mail and i am happy to speak with you on phone, regards your money i have done all i could and the rest is for you by get in touch with the Bank as i told you on phone if you call then and you are not through send mail to them because they are very busy Bank as you know that NATWES Bank is a big Bank that has many customers to deal with and there phone is always busy so try and send mail to them and ask them what they want you to do so that you money will be transfer to you

I did not understand what you mean by scam please can you explain it to me because you have been saying that any time you call me on phone and please remember that i am a Reverend and i don’t need any thing that will tarnish my image so please if you don’t want me to be pat of this transaction any more let me know so that i will face my Ministry than to here what i don’t understand from you. I am happy to inform you that the attachment of this mail is my international passport and I will like to see your own as soon as you receive this mail so please try and send your own passport to me, mean while I will like to know if you have conclude with bank in London and receive your money please do not forget to send me a gift as soon as you receive your money
Thanks and God Bless
Regards
Rev. Daniel

Thanks and God Bless You i am waiting for your call
Regards
Rev. Daniel
(Castanet then receives an email from a Mrs. Carol Bryan in England, confirming that $950,000 has been placed into an account)

(Bryan to Castanet)

We wish to confirm that Eco Bank of Ghana has deposited the sum of $950,000 united states dollars only in a Trust Account in your favor, however
the supporting documents covering the fund from the depositing bank is not
sufficient to allow you withdraw from the deposit.

To this end you are hereby advised to contact our legal accredited consultants to assist you with the formalization and authentication of the applicable deposit documents so as to enable you access your account for withdrawals.

The basic reason you were advised to contact the attorney is to make sure that the associated documents supporting the deposit is in good order in line with the statutory for deposits of such magnitude.
(Castanet to Bryan)

Hello Mrs. Bryan,

I have received the information, but I have a few questions.

In your email you state: “the supporting documents covering the fund from the depositing bank is not

sufficient to allow you withdraw from the deposit.”

How much do I need in the account to make the transaction happen? Also, how do I deposit the necessary funds into the account to secure the outcome of the deal?

Regards,

John Sooker
(Bryan to Castanet)

Dear John,

Please your fund is in your account already,all you need to do is to contact
the lawyer as directed and the lawyer will help you to perfect your account
suporting documents.

Once the documents are in place,we will not hesitate to allow you access for
withdrawal immediately.

Thanks for your co-operation.

Carol.
(Castanet to Bryan)

Hi Carol,

I will call you Wednesday for clarification as I don’t want a lawyer involved.

John.
(Bryan to Castanet)

Dear John,

Please there is need to involve our accredited Lawyer because your fund must
be registered with H/M Customs before we can allow you access for withdrawal
and he is the one Authorized to handle such case.

Do contact him,he will arrange the process carefully ok.

Dont worry,just contact him first.

Thanks.

(Bryan even gives Castanet a phone number to get access to the account with a pin number. He calls and sure enough, the pin number doesn’t work. So Castanet follows Mrs. Bryan’s advice and calls Mr. Andy Thompson — a lawyer based in England who appears to be in control of the account.)
(Castanet to Thompson)

Hello Mr. Thompson,

I spoke to you briefly over the phone Friday regarding my money. I could not hear you very well and need some clarification on certain matters.

First, I am unclear about your role in this transaction. Do you have my cheque and how to do obtain it?

I tried calling the bank and entered the pin code, but it indicated there was “internal error” and therefore, I cannot confirm if the money is in the account or how to obtain it.

I also tried calling Carol Bryan who referred me to you, and I cannot establish contact with her.

Regards,

John Sooker
Canada
(Thompson to Castanet)

Mr.John Sooker,

Thank you for your brief phone call/your mail now,like I told you on phone earlier,I will visit the bank tomorrow morning for more information and I will advise you.

Moreso,call this natwest account confirmation number below to confirm your deposit.

44-2070197234 and listen to the voice prompt then click {1}follow by the six digit pin which I think the bank might have given you.

Thanks for your understanding.

Andy Thompson QC.
(Castanet to Thompson)

Hello Mr. Thompson,

Thank you for the quick reply.

I phoned the number you provided me and entered the six digit number provided by Carol but it says “sorry, internal error.”
The pin number provided is the following: 239501
Could you please clarify as to why I need to do?

Regards,
John Sooker

(Thompson to Castanet)

Dear Client,

Follow up to your mail/tel conversation of yesterday, I have been to the Natwest Bank and I deliberated with Mrs.Carol Bryan, she did confirm to me that the said amount {$950,000 USD} was deposited in a trust account in your name.

However, that the account would not be made accessible to you for withdrawals due to insufficient documentation cum clearances required in compliance to the British anti money laundry act 2003 with special emphasis to the registration of one time deposits in the excess of equivalent of 50,000.00GBP with Her Majesty Customs.

In light of the above, what is required basically is to register the transaction with HM customs, due to limited time, the registration would be done as soon as possible.

The transaction information has been provided to me by Mrs.Carol Bryan at the Bank however I will still need a recent utility bill of not more than 6 months old bearing your current address and a copy of your passport or company’s id card to be able to fill the registration papers.

Furthermore, the registration would attract a custom stamp duty of £3,720 pounds only.

You are therefore required to forward the utility bill along with the fee for the stamp duty on or before the end of work tuesday so as to ensure that the registration is completed before the end of business on wednesday next week to avoid confiscation action from the Financial Regulatory authorities .
As soon as I hear from you I will advise you on how to send the fee.

I await your urgent response to this matter.
(Castanet to Thompson)

Hello Mr. Thompson,

Thank you for your correspondence.

I understand that I must submit a utility bill dating back six months. I regret to inform you that I can’t provide this documentation and am unsure as to why you would require this information.

Also, the duty stamp you mention in your previous email is also cause for concern. Do you mean to say that I must submit more than 3000 pounds in order to secure the funds promised to me. That seems to be an exorbitant amount. Also, before I move forward, I would like to see a fax of any documentation regarding this transaction and a copy of your credentials.

Yours truly,

John Sooker.
(Thompson to Castanet)

Dear Sooker,

Thanks for your mail.

Please Sir, the required documents will help the bank to file your account back up papers, even in your country, there is no way you can open an account without your personal information as required by the bank.

On the issue of stamp duty fee for the registration of your fund, I think the amount is not much to compare the amount involves in your transaction and it is a good thing for you to have your transaction authenticate by the court here.

Moreso,I will not give you my credential in this manner because I am not begging you since the fund in question belong to you alone and not me, if you like, you can abandon it.

I will not hesitate to furnish you with my CV as soon as I am convinced that you are not forcing me to do so and there is no way the bank can fax you since the account opening requirement are yet to be in place.

I thank you once more.

I remain yours in service.

Andy Thompson .

(Castanet refuses and demands proof of Thompson’s credentials)
(Thompson to Castanet)

Dear Sooker,

Thanks for your mail.

Please Sir, the required documents will help the bank to file your account back up papers, even in your country, there is no way you can open an account without your personal information as required by the bank.

On the issue of stamp duty fee for the registration of your fund, I think the amount is not much to compare the amount involves in your transaction and it is a good thing for you to have your transaction authenticate by the court here.

Moreso,I will not give you my credential in this manner because I am not begging you since the fund in question belong to you alone and not me, if you like, you can abandon it.

I will not hesitate to furnish you with my CV as soon as I am convinced that you are not forcing me to do so and there is no way the bank can fax you since the account opening requirement are yet to be in place.

I thank you once more.

I remain yours in service.

Andy Thompson .
(Castanet to Thompson)

Hello Mr. Thompson.

Okay, I cannot furnish you with a copy of a utility bill. However, I will still like to be proceed with the transaction and am willing to pay the duty stamp fee even though I find the price exorbitant. Who do I make payment to?

Yours truly,

John Sooker
(Thompson to Castanet)

Dear John Sooker

Please pay the stamp duty fee to the agency receiving account below and dont forget to attach the ID/UTILITY BILL while sending the payment receipt,you can send any receipt as utility bill provided it carry address and any identity card even company ID,what they want is some thing to show that you have address and you know it is very important for the proper opening of your account.

Natwest Bank Plc
204 High Street E17 7ll
London England
Sort Code: 60 22 23
Account: 68032692
Swift Code: NWBK GB 2L
IBAN: GB62NWBK60222368032692
Name: Eri Financial &Business Solutions.
Thanks.

Andy Thompson QC.
(Castanet to Thompson)

I am putting everything on hold because I’ve been informed that this is a scam.
(Thompson to Sooker)

Dear John Sooker,

I don’t understand what you are trying to say.
Kindly put me clear.
Andy.
(Castanet to Reverend and Thompson)

The game is over.

My name is not John Sooker, but rather I’m an investigative reporter in Canada.

(Thompson to Castanet)

My Brother,

Please,we are in a free world and I beleive God gave us money as a gift and it is for every brainy person, I need money provided we did not kill, we are still on normal business.

Let see how we can work together and get our own share of money,no rich person get it without one deal or the other.

I am waiting for your response.

Andy.

End of emails.

Kevin Rothwell of the Better Business Bureau says this is a classic example of how the Nigerian letter scam works.

“This is very very typical of most of the Nigerian Letter Scams we see. When probed there is considerable redirection and attempts to cloud the issue, put you onto someone else, all the while trying to build another layer of credibility, and eventually go for some sort of payment.”

Rothwell says that despite all the publicity, he’s amazed on how many people haven’t heard of this scheme.

“The most elaborate one I have witnessed actually used a CNN news report showing a plane crash in which a doctor was killed, the scammer purported to be a relative of the doctor, claiming his estate was going to be claimed by the government, unless he was able to get a “friend” to assist him in getting it out of the country.”

Rothwell says Canadians lost more than $5 million last year after falling victim to Nigerian Letter Schemes.