Nigerian E-Mail Scam Moves to Facebook

You know those e-mails you get from people who claim to be in Nigeria, or some African village, and who want to give you enough money to make you independently wealthy, if you’ll just give them your bank account info?

Trent Seibert, of the Texas Watchdog shared with a group of us at the State Policy Network Convention in Scottsdale, AZ a couple of weeks ago that he’d received one of those e-mails, and that he didn’t need us anymore, because any day now, he was going to be richer than… (he was kidding, obviously). He did explain something that I did not know, however, which is that many of these scammers are actually in Nigeria, because of that country’s no-extradition policies.

Well, I had a little surprise waiting in my e-mail box this morning. This was a message sent to me by someone named “Mohamed Yaya” on Facebook:

PLEASE CONTACT ME ON MY PRIVATE EMAIL//
barr_yayatg@yahoo.com

I am Barrister Mhamedi Yaya, a solicitor at law, personal attorney to Mr.J.C.Sierra, a national of your country,who used to work as a contractor in Lome Togo.

Here in after shall be referred to as my client. On the 24th of June 2006, my client, his wife and his only daughter died in a motor accident along Kpalime express Road.Since then I have made several enquiries here to locate any of my clients extended relatives,

this has also proved unsuccessful.After these several unsuccessful attempts,I decided to searcht-through with his name which motivated me to contact you, to locate any member of his family hence I contacted you.I have contacted you to assist in repartrating the fund valued at US$ 9.5 million left behind by my client before it gets confisicated or declared unserviceable by the bank where this huge amount were deposited.

The bank has issued me a notice to provide the next of kin or have his account confisicated within the next twenty one official working days.

Since I have been unsuccesfull in locating the relatives for over 2years now, I seek the consent to present you as the next of kin to the deceased since you have the same last name, so that the proceeds of this account can be paid to you.Therefore, on receipt of your positive response, we shall then discuss the sharing ratio and modalities for transfer.

I have all necessary information and legal documents needed to back you up for this claim. All I require from you is your honest co-operation to enable us see this transaction through. I guarantee that this will be executed under legitimate arrangement that will protect you from any breach of the law.
private number +228 936 7153

PLEASE CONTACT ME ON MY PRIVATE EMAIL// barr_yayatg@yahoo.com

Best Regards.
Barrister Mhamedi Yaya(Esq)

Suffice it to say I have no relatives named J.C. Sierra.

Naturally, I have no intention of contacting this person. I used the “Report Message” option on the Facebook message (upper left-hand corner of the message - see below). In doing this, Facebook also gave me the option to block the member, which I also did.

Has anyone else received this type of unwanted spam on Facebook?