Fraud begins in Facebook

This story begins few days ago when I received a private message on my Facebook; it came from “Patricia Gaye” (user mpatricia gaye) and says:

“My name is Patricia, please write to my email patriciagaye77@live.com, I´m writing from Africa and I have something very important to say you. Please send me an email to my mail patriciagaye77@live.com”

I must admit that was a strange post, but after reading it, my inner voice was telling me “do not answer is a fraud”, but with the pretext to document and share with you how cheating takes place, I decided free my curiosity, be a eyewitness and experience firsthand a complete process of exchanging emails with a scammer, so I send the mail to ask “what can I do for her”.

Two days after I recived this email:

Hello dear,

I am very happy in writing to you this mail. How do you do today? .
My name is Patricia Gaye. (25 years) single and never married, i am from Gambia in Africa and presently i am residing in the refugee camp here in Dakar Senegal as a result of the war in my country.

My late father Dr Abu Bakarr Gaye was the chief executive of the oil marketers and also the managing director (RKH IRON AND STEEL COMPANY LTD), in South of my country, and he was also the chairman of (CASTLE LAYING CONSTRUCTION COMPANY) before the rebels attacked our house one early morning and killed my parents in a cold blood.
It was only me that is alive now and i managed to make my way to a country Senegal

I would like to know more about you, your likes and dislikes. I will tell you more about myself in my next mail.
Attached here is my picture, have a nice day.
Hoping to hearing from you soonest. where i am living now as a refugee.
Yours,
Patricia.

And in the mail annexed 2 pictures of “her”, I guess to give me more confidence; the truth is that if someone sends you a photo by email, then you can be sure it’s the same person who writes to you, right? (heh heh heh).

Then I answered the mail to see what went on and where would the conversation, although I sensed the meaning of the mail and what she wanted, it is typically the way in which they say they have a lot of money but need to left the country with the help of any person to provide details and an account to deposit money.

After answering the mail, I looked for the message she sent me on Facebook and copy it verbatim to share it, but it turns out that several people reported to Facebook that was malicious or spam message, so the message disappeared from my tray.

I wanted to get the Facebook profile of Patricia Gaye, and it turns out the Facebook page had also removed his profile.

To make this post not much longer I’ll transcribe the answer he gave me in his second mail:

My dear,

I am happy in your reply to my email and very happy to write to you once again.
Honestly my condition here in the refugee camp is quite unbearable and i am tired of staying here any longer.

Therefore I wish to share with you in confidence that before the incident took place that killed my parents, there was a certain amount of money totaling $6.5 M USD ( Six million five hundred thousand US dollars),which my late father deposited in a bank when he was alive,all my relatives has ran away and they are no where to be found now.

I wanted to facilitate this agreement and transfer this fund by myself, but due to my refugee status, I wish to seek for your assistance and your help in transferring this my late fathers money into your account in your country to enable me to arrive to your country to start a new life there in your country, because my condition here is terrible and not good.
Perhaps I disclosed this to you alone by love and trust which i deposed in you and i wish the same from you. This fund was deposited in one of the leading bank out of my country which i am the next of kin before my parents met their untimely death which claim the life of all my family.

I shall give you the bank contact and other necessary information in my next email if you will only promise me that you will not/never betray me and disclosed this matter to anybody, because, this money is the only hope i have for survival on earth since I have lost my parents.
Moreover I have the FUND PLACEMENT CERTIFICATE and the DEATH CERTIFICATE here with me, but before I give you further information,I will like you to send me the following information about you

1.Your full names
2.Your contact and residential address
3.Your occupation and telephone.

Immediately i receive this information from you,i shall give you the bank contact/information to contact the bank and to request the bank for the transfer of the fund into your bank account in your country to enable me come to your country and start a new life in your country.
Meanwhile,you can reach me by the help of the pastor, Rev. Marc Dore, he is the pastor of the (HOPE OF GLORY CHURCH) in the camp here.So if you wish to
speak with me, call the phone number of the pastor ( +221 761336980 )
and his e-mail address is (revmarcdore@yahoo.com).
Just tell him that you want to speak with me, he will then send for me in the female hostel.
Awaiting to hearing from you soonest.

Thanks.
Patricia Gaye.

And along with the mail she attached two more photos of the alleged “Patricia Gaye” to prove that it is a real person and she’s not fooling me.

To continue with the “research” I’ve answered the mail with “my data” in a very convincing letter that she can trust me and I’m willing to help so she can get out of her country and enjoy a new life. Let’s see what she answers.

Today I just got the email response that “Patricia Gaye” and every day it becomes more unlikely story, but I know that several people have fallen into the trap, so I continued with the process.

Here I share with you the email I received:

Hello dearest one,

I am so much excited to received your mail and also writing to you.

Now, as regard to the fund transfer to your account, i will like you to contact the bank with their contact below;

The Royal Bank of Scotland
No: 36 St Andrew Square,
Edinburgh,
United Kingdom,
EH2 2YB
E-mail:
rbsbankofroyalbank@aol.com

Please
tell the bank that you are representing me (Miss Patricia Gaye) for the fund transfer of my late father Dr. Abu Bakarr Gaye and ask them the possibility of transferring the fund into your account in your country.

Kindly inform me whatsoever the bank said after writing to them and i promise to reward you with 20% of the total fund after the transfer.

Finally, please do not be discussing this matter with any body because i do not want any third party for security reasons and for my dear life. I will not like to loose my life as i lost my parents.

I will be waiting for a response from you as soon as you contact the bank.

Thanks,
Your’s
Patricia.

This mail is almost a joke, it turns out that the bank email account is “aol”, I guess the Royal Bank of Scotlan no money or financial or technical capacity to have a corporate email, and the Bank will allow me to transfer fund from one country to another.

I feel I am a very fortunate with the great friendship we have made in just 2 post, she will trust all her money to me, thanks to my clear and pure soul (Patricia Gaye could feel through my email), I will get 20% of $ 6.5 million ….. representing $ 1.3 million

“come on big bucks!!!!”.

But easy, I’m only doing it to help a poor woman who needs to leave their country; I do not care about money!.

But hey, if she’s going to give me 20% of her money, do not want to be rude and reject the offer, because fortunately my parents raised me to be a good man and attentive to others.

Let’s see what the Royal Bank of Scotlan answer my letter requesting the transfer of funds. I guess they will answer tomorrow (for the time difference). I’ll bet they’ll write asking for some money to release the wire transfer.

Guess what!!, I just got response from “Royal Bank of Scotlan” and is very convincing. I honestly do not think it was so easy to make a transfer of $ 6.5 million. Besides the Bank logo, wow, gave me confidence, because despite being a free “aol” account, the fact that has a logo of the Bank that “made ​​me sure” is real (in case you have not noticed, I’m being sarcastic).

Cc : Patricia Gaye

The Royal Bank of Scotland,
36 St Andrew Square,
Edinburgh EH2 2YB
United Kingdom.

Dear Mr. Antonio H.,

Account Ref No. GB27553502-501/2006

I have been directed by the Director, Credit Administration Dept to write you in respect to your mail which we received.

Actually, we have earlier been told about you by the young lady Miss Patricia Gaye, that she wishes you to be her Trustee/Representative for the claim of her late father’s deposit with our bank.

Dr. Abu Bakarr Gaye was our late customer with substantial amount deposited with us and the volume of fund currently deposited with our bank is US$6,500,000.00. Hence you have been really appointed as a trustee to represent the Next of Kin cum Mandate Beneficiary.

However before our bank will transact any business concerning the transfer of the fund with you, we will like you to send the following documents to our bank:

1. A power of attorney permitting you to claim and transfer the fund to your bank account on her behalf. This document must be endorsed by a Senegalaise resident lawyer.

2. An affidavit of oath from the Senegalaise High Court.

3. A scanned copy of your Identity.

4. Letters of probate from the High Court of Justice in Senegal where Miss Patricia Gaye is residing.

As requested the entire fund could be transferred to your account on her behalf on receipt of the above documents issued by a Senegalaise High Court of Justice. You are advise either to fly down there to arrange an attorney or you simply ask your partner to get an attorney for you to procure all these documents for you urgently to enable us effect transfer as she had earlier requested us to assist her as soon as you contacted us.

Note that the above are compulsory, and are needed to protect our interest, yours, the next of kin after the claims. These shall also ensure that a smooth, quick and successful transfer of the fund is made.

To enhance quicker processing of this fund, you are to provide this bank with the following information needed in our BTD Form 41.

1. Full Name
2. Contact Address
3. Fax Number
4. Nationality
5. Bank details where this fund is expected to be wired to.
6. Passport No.
7. Occupation/Profession.

These information are urgently needed on receipt of this mail so that we can create your Fund Transmission File with the Data Processing Department and International Payment Office/Telex Services Dept respectively.

We promise to give our customers the best of our services.
Kindly confirm receipt of this mail for our records.

Yours Faithfully,

Mr. George Osborne
For: Royal Bank Of Scotland.

Cc: Patricia Gaye

And immediately I told my dear friend and almost sister Patricia Gaye, what bank informed me, she also got a copy of the mail as the bank sent it to her, and she then sent me an email with what I intend to do to get the papers need for “help”

Hello dearest one,

This is the copy of bank’s mail i received.
I have discussed with one lawyer concerning the documents the bank requested and he (lawyer) said that he will write to me and i am waiting for his mail.

I will get back to you after hearing from the lawyer.

Yours ever,
Patricia.

Hello dearest,

I’ve discussed with the lawyer concerning the documents the bank needed in your name for the transfer and the lawyer said that you will pay him the of 950 euro’s for him to get the documents for the transfer.

This is the Lawyer’s contact;

Cletus Gomis Sof,
Clets & Associates Law office.
4 Boulevard Franklin Roosevelt & Kleber
Street – Trilenium Building – Dakar – Senegal.
E-mail: cletusgomis@yahoo.fr
Tel: +221 771517156

Please try and contact him and also discuss with him concerning the payment so that he will secure the documents for the transfer.

Awaiting,
Patricia Gaye.

“Now I get it!” I have to pay 950 euros for the lawyer to do the paperwork so I can get my …. sorry! Patricia Gaye’s 6.5 million. Anyone can think, what are 950 euros if I’ll receive $ 6.5 million. But the truth is that I will negotiate with the attorney to let me pay after receiving the money from Patricia (ha ha ha ha) surely will not accept, or who knows, if a lawyer working on Sundays surely give me credit for a few days (ha ha ha ha).

Sincerely I got bored of reading and answering so incredible emails, but to finalize what I started, I replied to Attorney (Cletus) to tell me what is the next step so I could get the papers the bank is asking me.

By now I hope you all are clear that this is a HUGE FRAUD, and that you must not fall into such traps, because they are only going to steal your money. 

Patricia Gaye contacted me again, I guess she is eager to leave her country, or perhaps steal my money:

Hello dear,

I am so happy to write to you at this moment. How do you do?
Please how far have you gone with the lawyer concerning the documents the bank requested?

Have you send the money to the lawyer?

I awaits to hearing from you soonest.

Thank’s,
Your’s,
Patricia Gaye.

You see they urged me to send money to “lawyer”, typical of the extortionists, the pressure is the main weapon to steal money from others.

The truth is that I will leave this article up to this point, but I must say that to date I keep getting emails from “Lawyer” and “Patricia Gaye” asking them to deposit the money and trust them. I asked them to send me a copy of a photo ID, professional license and a number of additional data, but poor Patricia tells me not to complicate things because the lawyer is her Pastor’s friend and please trust her, “I do not need to send you anything because you will have 20% of $ 6.5 million” and that she is risking more (ha ha ha ha ha).

So they’ve been pushing and pushing, at least I made them waste their time and I documented the way they operate to share it with you; and to think that this fraud started with an innocent Facebook message. DO NOT BE FOOLED!