Confessions of a Home-based Business Entrepreneur

What a slacker! Well, I suppose I’d better get at least one post in for October (squeeze it in on the very last day).

For Halloween, I thought I’d post one of the scariest emails we recently received. One of our sites is a site offering tax information. This was a reply to our welcome email after this woman signed up for our newsletter. Here’s the email:

Please help me;

I have received a notification notice form PAN AFRICAN LOTTERY International, having an address of ;

PAN AFRCIAN LOTTERY INTERNATIONAL
Suite 105C Lottery Complex
Garki, ABuja Nigeria

The bank involved who transacted me for bank transfer is;

STANDARD TRUST BANK, PLC
Office of the Director International Affairs
Standard Trust Plaza
UTFSC Plaza, #25 Adeniyi Jones Avenue
Garki- Abuja, Nigeria
TEl: 234-8043233650
International Affairs Department

That I was been selected as the starprize winner of this lottery draw as my email address attached to ticket number as drewn. And therefore been approved to claim a total sum of $1M USD in cash.

I hade followed all their instructions as instrustructed, and the last thing is that the bank holds the transfer of my fund to my bank account for they received a stop order from Federal Inland REvenue Commssion requiring me to pay my income tax in the total sum of US$850. They require me to pay via Western Union Money Transfer paying directly to;

MR. OKORO OKECHUKWU
Wing 5 Apt 12 Garki,
ABuja Nigeria

I understand that we have to pay our income tax, as I am working in a government office here in our country as the Senior Accoiunting Processor B, assigned at accounting section. And as i understand also that when paying taxes it must be directly paid to the Federal Inland Revenue Commission not to a person.

Please help me about this matter, i am so confused of what I have scanned in the website about “LOTTERY SCAM”.

I need your prompt response on this matter, I am

Sincerely Yours,

CARMENCITA DIAO CORONEL

Every time we receive emails like this my heart sinks. I mean, are there really people out there who fall for this kind of stuff?

The answer if “YES!”

Unfortunately, this is not the first, second, or even third email we have received asking for help after having been scammed by unscrupulous scammers. If truth be known, we regularly receive emails from people who have been scammed.

Now, that’s scary!

Heidi

This entry was posted on Monday, October 31st, 2005 at 6:29 pm and is filed under Personal Ramblings, Our Latest Home Business Activities, Things a Home Business Owner Should Know. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.