I recieved this e-mail the other day:
Its your typical nigerian scam but this time from the Ivory Coast.
I replied back telling them I was interested in helping but had heard of scams similar to this and wanted proof. Here is his/her reply:
They also sent a picture of some woman sitting on a couch, nothing special.
My dilemma is what to do from here? how can I string this along. any ideas?
FROM MIRIAM
RUE 6 BP 01COCODY ABIDJAN
COTE D IVOIRE.
DEAREST ONE,
I KNOW MY MESSAGE WILL COME TO YOU AS A SURPRISE SINCE I DONT KNOW YOU IN PERSON OR MET WITH YOU BEFORE BUT AM OF THE BELIVE THAT YOU WOULD BE OBLIGED TO COME TO MY ASSISTANCE AFTER HEARING ABOUT MY SITUATION.
I AM MIRIAM KOLO,18 YEAR OLD GIRL, I WAS FORMELY A MEDICAL STUDENT OF UNIVERSITY OF ABIDJAN,IVORY COAST WEST AFRICA.LATE LAST YEAR OCTOBER 2006,THE REBELS IN MY COUNTRY STRUCK OUR TOWNSHIP AND KILL MY PARENTS BECAUSE MY FATHER WAS AN OPPOSITION LEADER TO THE PRESIDENT OF MY COUNTRY IVORY COAST .BEFORE HIS DEATH HE HAS $5.5 M USD (Five Million , FiveHundred Thousand dollars.)IN A DOMICILIARY ACCOUNT WITH A BANK IN COTE D IVOIRE WHICH I AM THE NEXT OF KIN.
PLEASE I NEED YOUR ASSISTANCE IN THE FOLLOWING WAYS.
1)TO SERVE AS THE GUARDIAN OF THIS FUND SINCE I AM ONLY 18.
2)TO PROVIDE A BANK ACCOUNT WHERE THIS MONEY WOULD BE TRANSFERRED TO.
3)TO MAKE ARRANGEMENT FOR ME TO COME OVER AFTER THIS MONEY IS TRANSFERRED TO COMPLETE MY STUDIES.
4)TO LOOK FOR A GOOD VENTURE WHERE THIS MONEY WILL BE INVESTED,I AM WILLING TO OFFER YOU 20% OF TH TOTAL SUM AS COMPENSATION OF YOUR EFFORT AND 5% FOR ANY OTHER EXPENCE YOU MADE AFTER A SUCCESFUL TRANSFER.
THANKS AND GOD BLESS YOU
SINCERELY
MIRIAM
Its your typical nigerian scam but this time from the Ivory Coast.
I replied back telling them I was interested in helping but had heard of scams similar to this and wanted proof. Here is his/her reply:
Dear Uncle Jeff
I thank you so much for your mail and kind mind to assist me in this hour of need. I contacted you to assist me to get the money my late father deposited with Bank of Africa bank Abidjan as fixed deposit.I have been praying since I saw your mail and asking God if you are the real person that I will trust to transfer this money into his account that my late father suffered for.Everything I told you about this money is real and legal,This is my inheritance but the problem is that i am not up to 25 years of age that my late father stated that i will be elagible to use the money and i have never told anyone about this but you. My father further stated on the clause whereby i need to make use of the fund that i should look for a foreigner that is trustworthy to assist me.I have suffered a lot since my father died,I don’t have any body to look after me, but I have some heartless and wicked relations who want to kill me too and have the money to enrich them,please i dont need any money from you,all i ask is for you to help me.That is why I don't want to have the money invested here or to leave here any more.I contacted you to help and make sure that this money will be smoothly transferred into your bank account,you will also help to source for a nice investment where you will invest and manage the money for me. You will make arrangement for me to come over to your country to continue my studies. I am presently hiding in a church guesthome were people cannot trace me easily and my feeding is just by charity help and is not my pressing problem now. I need this money to be transferred so that I can be able to have a new life altogether. I’m assuring you that any help you render to me will be much appreciated by me.
PLEASE YOU KEEP THIS CONFIDENTIAL AND NO OTHER PERSON SHOULD KNOW ABOUT THIS,till the money is transferred to you and you bring me up to your country. Please promise me that you are not going to change your mind if the money is transferred to you, because this is the highest risk I am taken in my life.
I have attached in this my photo and will be sending in my next mail the bank documents which my late father used in depositing the money in the bank as soon as I hear from you. He warned me that I can only hand over these documents to someone I trust fully and who will assist me get the money and myself out of Cote D’Ivoire. So with the documents you will contact the bank and inform them that you want them to transfer the money into your account.
With due respect; I would like to get some of your personal information and guarantee.
1) Your full name and address
2) How old are you
3) Are you married, if how many kids?
4) Are you a christian or?
5) What do you do for a living?
6) A copy of your photograph to have an idea whom i am dealing with.
7) Finally Promise me that when this money gets to you that you will not change your mind and sit on the money.
This information will be used by me to notify the bank director about you as a credible person that will be helping me after which i will get back to you. You have to keep this confidential and no other person should know about this because if people that killed my parents hears of it I am finished, until the money is transferred to you and you bring me up to your country.
Please call me as soon as you get this email so that we can discuss, that will also give me more confidence in you, but I will be very glad if you can come down here in Cote d Ivoire, to see things yourself, because seeing is believing and also afford us the opportunity to see each other physically.
I have attached my picture; I am waiting for your urgent response and call. Call me on +xxx xx xx xx xx
Sincerely
Miriam
They also sent a picture of some woman sitting on a couch, nothing special.
My dilemma is what to do from here? how can I string this along. any ideas?
Can you post that picture oughta interest? 
