I remembered when I was in second or probably third year highschool, those times when I became so indulged in writing poetry (actually, I still am now), that I surfed the net and saw this website asking you to submit your poems and have a chance of winning about a thousand or million dollars, and have your poem published in a coffeetable-type book together with other writers.
Yah, I submitted my piece. I even have my own webpage featuring my poems (which is by the way, opening the door to plagiarism and the like).
Weeks later, I received a letter from that website, saying that my poem was chosen and blah blah (my parents opened it earlier due to the rising issue of Anthrax in letters during that time. Their reaction was just so funny.)
I was so happy. The feeling of having your own work chosen amongst others (especially when you have poured your whole heart and soul to it) was like getting high or being in the state of Nirvana.
But of course, Nirvana does not exist, and so does the book. Weeks after I received that letter, another letter came saying that my poem will be included in an audio book; together with a brochure asking for me to pay about $15.00 to $20.00 in order to avail of the said audio book, featuring my own poetry.
The internet, the same source where I saw this site that put a light on my weary, wannabe writer heart, was the same source that brought me to the reality that such was a scam. I never thought that I would become a victim of it, but same as the feeling when a person is in love, you become blind and irrational when the thing you loved the most is involved in the situation. That is what happened to me. I cried in front of the computer reading tons of people's reactions about such treachery. So childish, but I felt cheated.
A month ago, I received a rather odd email.
Yah, I submitted my piece. I even have my own webpage featuring my poems (which is by the way, opening the door to plagiarism and the like).
Weeks later, I received a letter from that website, saying that my poem was chosen and blah blah (my parents opened it earlier due to the rising issue of Anthrax in letters during that time. Their reaction was just so funny.)
I was so happy. The feeling of having your own work chosen amongst others (especially when you have poured your whole heart and soul to it) was like getting high or being in the state of Nirvana.
But of course, Nirvana does not exist, and so does the book. Weeks after I received that letter, another letter came saying that my poem will be included in an audio book; together with a brochure asking for me to pay about $15.00 to $20.00 in order to avail of the said audio book, featuring my own poetry.
The internet, the same source where I saw this site that put a light on my weary, wannabe writer heart, was the same source that brought me to the reality that such was a scam. I never thought that I would become a victim of it, but same as the feeling when a person is in love, you become blind and irrational when the thing you loved the most is involved in the situation. That is what happened to me. I cried in front of the computer reading tons of people's reactions about such treachery. So childish, but I felt cheated.
A month ago, I received a rather odd email.
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FROM MR NZE BARRY
DIRECTOR OF FINANCE
AUDITING AND ACCOUNTING UNIT,
BANK OF AFRICA,COTONOU-BENIN REPBLIC.
Your urgent reply to this Email address: nzebarry5@yahoo.es
My name is Mr.Nze Barry, I am the credit DIRECTOR OF FINANCE AUDITING AND ACCOUNTING UNIT, BANK OF AFRICA, COTONOU-BENIN REPBLIC. I am contacting you of a business transfer, of a huge sum of money from a deceased account. Though I know that a transaction of this magnitude will make any one apprehensive and worried, but I am assuring you that everything has been taken care off, and all will be well at the end of the day. I decided to contact you due to the urgency of this transaction.
PROPOSITION; I am the account officer of a foreigner named Gerald Welsh who died in an air crash along with his wife on the 31st October 1999 in an Egyptian airline 990 with other passengers on board. You can confirm this from the website below which was published by BBC WORLD NEWS. WEBSITE. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/502503.stm Since his death, none of his next-of-kin are alive to make claims for this money as his heir, because they all died in the same accident himself and his wife(May their soul rest in peace). We cannot release the fund from his account unless someone applies for claim as the next-of-kin to the deceased as indicated in our banking guidelines.
Upon this discovery, I now seek your permission to have you stand as a next of kin to the deceased, as all documentations will be carefully worked out by me for the funds (USD 8,000,000.00) to be released in your favor as the beneficiary's next of kin. Because after four years the money will be called back to the bank treasury as unclaimed bills and the money shared amongst the directors of the bank. so it is on this note i decided to seek for whom his name shall be used as the next of kin/beneficiary to this funds rather than allow the bank directors to share this money amongst themselves at the end of the year.
It may interest you to know that we have secured from the probate an order of mandamus to locate any of the deceased beneficiaries. Please acknowledge receipt of this message in acceptance of our mutual business endeavor by furnishing me with the following information if you are interested.
1.A Beneficiary name. In order for me to prepare the document for transfer of the funds in your name.
2. Direct Telephone and fax numbers. For our personal contact and mutual trust in each other. I shall be compensating you with million dollars ( 3 Million Dollars) on final conclusion of this project for your assistance, while the balance of 5 Million Dollars shall be for me for investment purposes. Because I intend to retire after the conclusion of this transaction.
If this proposal is acceptable by you, please endeavor to contact me immediately. Do not take undue advantage of the trust I have bestowed in you, I await your urgent reply. to this address: nzebarry5@yahoo.es
Regards,
Mr. Nze Barry
I learned my lesson already. But I give people the benefit of the doubt. Also, maybe my way of replying might bring change to other people's choices and their decisions in life. Most of all, I believe that this "benefit of the doubt" that you bestow upon people might make even the worst, vicious criminal turn into a person he is ought to be. Or in this case, swindlers and cybercriminals. And I was so bored at that time (no job etc. hehehe). Here was my reply.
DIRECTOR OF FINANCE
AUDITING AND ACCOUNTING UNIT,
BANK OF AFRICA,COTONOU-BENIN REPBLIC.
Your urgent reply to this Email address: nzebarry5@yahoo.es
My name is Mr.Nze Barry, I am the credit DIRECTOR OF FINANCE AUDITING AND ACCOUNTING UNIT, BANK OF AFRICA, COTONOU-BENIN REPBLIC. I am contacting you of a business transfer, of a huge sum of money from a deceased account. Though I know that a transaction of this magnitude will make any one apprehensive and worried, but I am assuring you that everything has been taken care off, and all will be well at the end of the day. I decided to contact you due to the urgency of this transaction.
PROPOSITION; I am the account officer of a foreigner named Gerald Welsh who died in an air crash along with his wife on the 31st October 1999 in an Egyptian airline 990 with other passengers on board. You can confirm this from the website below which was published by BBC WORLD NEWS. WEBSITE. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/502503.stm Since his death, none of his next-of-kin are alive to make claims for this money as his heir, because they all died in the same accident himself and his wife(May their soul rest in peace). We cannot release the fund from his account unless someone applies for claim as the next-of-kin to the deceased as indicated in our banking guidelines.
Upon this discovery, I now seek your permission to have you stand as a next of kin to the deceased, as all documentations will be carefully worked out by me for the funds (USD 8,000,000.00) to be released in your favor as the beneficiary's next of kin. Because after four years the money will be called back to the bank treasury as unclaimed bills and the money shared amongst the directors of the bank. so it is on this note i decided to seek for whom his name shall be used as the next of kin/beneficiary to this funds rather than allow the bank directors to share this money amongst themselves at the end of the year.
It may interest you to know that we have secured from the probate an order of mandamus to locate any of the deceased beneficiaries. Please acknowledge receipt of this message in acceptance of our mutual business endeavor by furnishing me with the following information if you are interested.
1.A Beneficiary name. In order for me to prepare the document for transfer of the funds in your name.
2. Direct Telephone and fax numbers. For our personal contact and mutual trust in each other. I shall be compensating you with million dollars ( 3 Million Dollars) on final conclusion of this project for your assistance, while the balance of 5 Million Dollars shall be for me for investment purposes. Because I intend to retire after the conclusion of this transaction.
If this proposal is acceptable by you, please endeavor to contact me immediately. Do not take undue advantage of the trust I have bestowed in you, I await your urgent reply. to this address: nzebarry5@yahoo.es
Regards,
Mr. Nze Barry
I learned my lesson already. But I give people the benefit of the doubt. Also, maybe my way of replying might bring change to other people's choices and their decisions in life. Most of all, I believe that this "benefit of the doubt" that you bestow upon people might make even the worst, vicious criminal turn into a person he is ought to be. Or in this case, swindlers and cybercriminals. And I was so bored at that time (no job etc. hehehe). Here was my reply.
=============================================================
11 February 2006
MR NZE BARRY
MR NZE BARRY
DIRECTOR OF FINANCE
AUDITING AND ACCOUNTING UNIT,
BANK OF AFRICA,COTONOU-BENIN REPBLIC.
Dear Mr. Barry,
I am sending you this email as a reply to a message you have sent on my account today, Saturday, February 11, 2006.
First of all, I would like to express my deep sympathies for the death of Mr. Gerald Welsh, as well as his wife on the tragic Egyptian airline 990 crash. I have seen this on the news although I must admit that I did not pay that much attention to it because of personal matters.
Before I state anything else, with the continuous advancement of technology nowadays, it is hard to tell what is true and what is not. Mankind has become too engrossed in improving their lives at the expense of other people's hardwork. Simple pick pocketing evolved into burglary into smuggling, and most recently, cyber crimes have become very rampant. Every day, it arrives me to some conclusion that what people invent or generate to improve their lives is what also destroys them. Like money.
I want to be as honest to you as possible. This has been the second time I have received an email such as this. The first was from an old woman from Egypt or Iraq (I am not sure) who was suffering from an illness. Same as with your purpose, she sent me an email asking me a favor if I could become her benefactor for all the wealth she gained. I replied to her email, and did not receive a reply from her since then.
So, what I told her is the same as what I am about to tell you now. If this is a mere lure in order to fool people, or take advantage of them, then I feel sorry for you and your intentions. And if I may say, the gravity of what you are doing is much more offensive than the Egyptian or Iraq woman considering that someone would have the nerve to use such a tragedy in order to satisfy their own greed or desires.
But then again, I give everyone the benefit of the doubt. If your intentions are as pure as what they must seem to be, I suggest of why not donating this large amount of money to charities or social institutions that would help millions of people who deserve these amount of dollars more than I do. I must admit, I am still young. I came from a country who suffers from poverty which pushed me and my family to move to another country for a "better life." And a reply to this letter may be putting my reputation on the line, or foremost, my own safety. As well as that I will not deny that the call for money didn't enter my mind. Of course, it did as any person would. Most especially that I am not nor have I been a wealthy person. But, I believe that the call to help others is much stronger than that of money. And that also I watch too much Oprah (a talk show host) in the hope that she could change me and I would become a philantrophist as well.
I apologize for the long stories. You may choose to reply or not to my message. I am just giving you other posibilities that you may wish to consider; choices that will allow you to change other people's lives. I am not religious, I just hope that by this little step I might make a difference to others. Now, considering that you have the purest intentions, if it comes to the point that I am your last resort about this matter, after you have done everything in your power to resolve such a "problem," then you may contact me in this same email and maybe, I could help you in some way.
Again, I am sorry for what happened. And I hope that such a large sum of money will land in the hands of those who will make good out of it. Thank you very much for your time.
Sincerely yours,
April
A day after sending this email, Mr. Barry (as who he said he is) replied to my email. And I was online during that time...
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Dear April
Thank you for your email details, I am a believer of Lord Jesus Christ, I was born into a roman catholic church, a Christian home, I am a senior banker and I am contented with my monthly salary, however I couldn't seat down here and watch my director confiscate my late client fund for they selfish interest, I am very close to late Gerald Welsh and I tried all possible means to trace any of his relatives without any luck, I could love to donate the fund to charity organization, I believe that the fund will change a lot of lives, I don't need the fund, but a lot of people needs it.
Further more, I can't donate this fund to aid organization without putting claim to it, I have to present someone out there as my late client next of kin before the fund can be transfer out of my bank, my late client domiciliary account has been domat, because nobody has operated on the said account for years now and I can't put a claim myself due to code of conduct guarding every staff here, I am not allow to operate a foreign account, so I need you to get the fund out of here first, perhaps you will decide on what to do with the fund afterwards. building houses for homeless and doing Gods works.
If you are really sure of using the fund to change a lot of lives, well, God knows, because I am not a money Morgan, I don't worship money, because money is the root of all evil, the bible says, I quote "What Shall It Profit A Man To Gain The Whole World And Lose His Soul" I was afraid of contacting people for some years now, because considering what is going on the global today, everybody are afraid of next person to him or she, although I barely met you, but my mind tells me that you will handle the fund very well, you need to have the fear of God in you to enable you do Gods work.
Finally, you have nothing to be afraid, because the transfer will be complete under legal procedures to avoid any breach of law, you can call me on telephone number +229 97167754 for more chat. I do watch Oprah a talk show too and I learned a lot from her show.
You can call me or reply by email for more discussion, I have to write you today 12-Feb-06, because tomorrow will be too busy for me, but you can call me anytime you wish.
Yours faithfully
Thank you for your email details, I am a believer of Lord Jesus Christ, I was born into a roman catholic church, a Christian home, I am a senior banker and I am contented with my monthly salary, however I couldn't seat down here and watch my director confiscate my late client fund for they selfish interest, I am very close to late Gerald Welsh and I tried all possible means to trace any of his relatives without any luck, I could love to donate the fund to charity organization, I believe that the fund will change a lot of lives, I don't need the fund, but a lot of people needs it.
Further more, I can't donate this fund to aid organization without putting claim to it, I have to present someone out there as my late client next of kin before the fund can be transfer out of my bank, my late client domiciliary account has been domat, because nobody has operated on the said account for years now and I can't put a claim myself due to code of conduct guarding every staff here, I am not allow to operate a foreign account, so I need you to get the fund out of here first, perhaps you will decide on what to do with the fund afterwards. building houses for homeless and doing Gods works.
If you are really sure of using the fund to change a lot of lives, well, God knows, because I am not a money Morgan, I don't worship money, because money is the root of all evil, the bible says, I quote "What Shall It Profit A Man To Gain The Whole World And Lose His Soul" I was afraid of contacting people for some years now, because considering what is going on the global today, everybody are afraid of next person to him or she, although I barely met you, but my mind tells me that you will handle the fund very well, you need to have the fear of God in you to enable you do Gods work.
Finally, you have nothing to be afraid, because the transfer will be complete under legal procedures to avoid any breach of law, you can call me on telephone number +229 97167754 for more chat. I do watch Oprah a talk show too and I learned a lot from her show.
You can call me or reply by email for more discussion, I have to write you today 12-Feb-06, because tomorrow will be too busy for me, but you can call me anytime you wish.
Yours faithfully
Mr. Barry
After that encounter, I never replied to his email again. I received another email from a different person offering the same thing(and by the way, I am not a religious person, so I have to ignore all the Godly talk and most people who preach about them being so religious end up being the hypocrites of this society. Sorry kung may tamaan).
Go to this link: [sorry I can't find that site anymore. what a bummer] (it's kind of a long reading). I admire this man for doing this, although he was just playing with him all along.
So, lesson learned: I don't know. Just figure it out, if there's actually something. ;)
Have a great weekend everyone.
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