Burkina Faso & a $15.8 Million pay-out!

I've just received an unsolicited e-mail from a Mr Karim Ahmed suggesting that I make a claim against the estate of someone who was killed in a plane crash in Burkina Faso in 2003. My share is $15.8 million and Mr Ahmed kindly offers to be my legal representative handling this transaction.

99.9% of people will laugh this off as 'too good to be true' but if this e-mail is broadcast to tens of thousands of people there will be some takers. What motivates the 0.1% who do respond to these sorts of scams? Psychological research in this field suggests that it is not that the 0.1% think the scam is neccesarily for real, but they get sucked in on the basis of "what if"!

That fear of 'missing out' motivates a tiny minority of people to take a 'punt' even though they realise it sounds 'iffy'.

Of course the other aspect of this is that you are required to make a false claim - and once you've done that you cannot then back out. After you've taken that step then the authors of the scam have some leverage on you. There is a saying that 'you can't con an honest person' - and that happens to be true!



Post-Script, 21st March 2010.
Just to prove that last point I've received a second similar e-mail today from a Mr Mohammed Waleed. The e-mail purports to seek to arrange the transfer of 2 Million US Dollars to my bank account in the mistaken belief that I am his business associate. This apparently misdirected e-mail is an opportunity for me to claim to be the legitimate third party and hand over my bank account details in anticipation of a rich payout. Once my account has been cleared out, would I be inclined to report the matter to the police? The scam once entered into gives the scammers leverage over you! Having attempted to 'con' "Mr Waleed" myself I could hardly claim the moral highground could I?

Further Post-Script, 24th March 2010.
I must be at the top of someone's "Most Gullible List" somewhere because yesterday I received another scam e-mail which is a hybrid of the two above, Mr Mohammed Waleed suggested that I claim to be a relative of someone killed in a plane crash in Burkina Faso etc.
Then this morning I received an e-mail from someone purporting to be Dr Richard Green of the 'Journal de Pharmacie' based in Burkina Faso. They say they have checked my ID and believe I would be a worthy agent for a $10.8 million donation towards charity work - he does add not to bother replying if I am "of an ungodly character"!
A couple of hours after this e-mail I had another from a Jim Ovia of the United Nations/World Bank Compensation Unit saying that if I have been the victim of an internet scam I can claim $500,000 in compensation. All I have to do is send them my bank details so they can make the transfer.................!

Final Thought, 25th March 2010.
I received five e-mail scams over as many days, the total sum offered was $43.6 million or £29 million at the current rate of exchange. They obviously like big numbers don't they and bank on exploiting peoples' naked greed.