One of my first - a fun one involving delegation and Bitcoin.

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bruce_the_baiter
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One of my first - a fun one involving delegation and Bitcoin.

Post by bruce_the_baiter » Wed Mar 10, 2021 8:41 am

A scambaiting session featuring a personal assistant, a phony “lawyer” who can’t remember the gender of their partner-in-crime, and a scammer who snaps when I ask for proof that they have access to their Bitcoin wallet. This is a long one, so strap in and enjoy the ride.

Colour Key:
Me (baiter)
Kevin (me on another account, pretending to be my personal assistant)
Ms Valerie Parlave (scammer)
Mr Barrister Sunny Davies (scammer)

Initial scam set-up email (arrived at my spam folder)

This is Special Agent Valerie Parlave and we are here in Nigeria as an FBI/UNITED NATION delegate that have been delegated to investigate these fraudsters who are in the business of swindling Foreigners that came for transaction in Nigeria .
Please be informed that during our investigation, we found out that there is a total sum amount of money $16.2 million that has been assigned in your name as the beneficiary and these fraudsters are busy swindling you without any hope of receiving your fund.
These are the works of the fraud stars who needed to extort money from you in the name of this transfer.We have to inform you that we have made some arrested in respect of this delayed over due fund. I have a very limited time to stay in Nigeria here so I advise you urgently respond to this message .
I shall be expecting your swift response as soon as you receive this email.
Best Regard, Special Agent Valerie Parlave
FEDERAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION VISIT IN NIGERIA


My reply:

Hello,
I am very angry to hear of these fraud stars. I have been scammed in the past, and have lost thousands to these scammers. It's great news that there is $16.2 million assigned to my name. How exactly can I receive the funds?
Please give me clear instructions of what I should do next to receive the funds.
Many thanks,
Bruce

Scammer:

Dear Bruce,

Good morning,I just received your email and as a matter of urgency,you are required by the bank to reconfirm your full contact information..Your contact address,phone number,age as well as your occupation. I would like to submit it as urgent as possible in order to enable them commence with the processing of your fund for the transfer.

Regards
Agent Ms Valerie

Me: *feigns confusion *

Hello, which transfer are you referring to?
Thanks,
Bruce

Scammer:

There are two options bank mapped out for the getting of the fund to you, it is either you chose bank to bank transfer or, through diplomatic delivery means in which  I personally will come along with the bank diplomat for the delivery in your door step.

Regards
Agent Ms Valerie


Me:

Hi,
Bank-to-bank transfer is absolutely fine.
What would I be transferring?
Many thanks,
Bruce

Scammer:
Ok, these are the banking information you will send...Beneficiary Name, bank name and it's address,account number, bank routing number or swift code.

Then per your contact information, send your contact address, phone number,age as well as your occupation. These are the only thing required of you by the bank so that they can proceed with the processing of the fund.

Regards
Agent Ms Valerie

Me:
Hi,
I'm a little confused - are you asking me to transfer money, or do you want me to send the details?
You mentioned something about a bank transfer... how much money would I be transferring?
Many thanks,
Bruce

Scammer:
Mr Bruce,

I said that, the only thing I need is for you to send to me your contact address, phone number, age as well as your occupation so that I will submit it with the bank.

Regards
Agent Ms Valerie

Me:
Dear Ms Valerie,
Please, call me Bruce. 'Mr Bruce' seems a bit weird.
Anyway:
* My contact address is the very one I am emailing you on now.
* My full name is (full fake name)
* I am currently working as a hedge fund manager.
* My date of birth (DoB) is 26th July 1973, making me 47 years old.
* I am not authorised to give you my phone number, as I use a contract smartphone granted by my employer. However, I always check this email account, and you should be able to contact me here.

Scammer:
Ok Bruce,

Thanks for the information you have sent and I will submit it with the bank right away and get back to you. Please, wait for my email ok.

Regards
Agent Ms Valerie

Me:

Dear Ms Parlave,
That's fantastic. Do you think I should keep handling this myself, or is it suitable for one of my personal assistants?
I think Kevin could do the job. He's a smart and dependable guy, and he has been my right-hand man for years now. He has access to all relevant details and files of me.
Is that OK?
Or do you require me specifically to be working with you on this?
Thanks,
Bruce

Scammer:

Bruce please, this is your personal matter, bank here and I can only work with you alone and not with Kevin. I would like you to handle this by yourself please to avoid any mistake.


Me (to one of my other mailboxes, but with the scammer copied in)

Hi Kevin,
I'm currently having a conversation with Agent Valerie Parlave from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, who is helping me to recover funds of $16.2 million currently being held by fraudsters. Do you think you'd be able to handle this matter from here on out? We are near the end of the process: all that needs to happen is for them to create a bank account, transfer the funds to there, and then give me the login details. Is this all good?
Thanks,
Bruce

Me (from one of my other mailboxes to my Bruce mailbox, with the scammer copied in)

Hi Bruce,
Of course I can handle that. I believe we worked on a similar project a couple years ago, which went well, but certainly nothing of this scale.
Also, you seem to have sent the email to Agent Valerie Parlave as well. Was this a mistake?
Yours sincerely,
Kevin


Me (to scammer only)
Hi Ms Parlave,
I didn't mean to send that message to you, it was meant only for my personal assistant Kevin.
Please ignore the message: it contains nothing of note.
Many thanks,
Bruce


Scammer (beginning to show some annoyance)

Bruce,

We cannot entrust this fund ithe hands of a stranger that is not the owner of this fund. This fund is legally and legitimately yours and for you referring us to a third party to handle that on your behalf is not acceptable and it is never done anywhere since you are still alive.

Regards
Agent Ms Valerie

Me:

Dear Ms Parlance,
I completely understand. However, Kevin is not a stranger: he is my personal assistant of 4 years, and I have fully authorised him to act on my behalf.
But I can handle the arrangements myself if that is necessary for the transaction to go through.
Many thanks,
Bruce

Note: I called the scammer “Ms Parlance” as an unnecessary detail, to see if they would notice. Unsurprisingly, they didn’t.

Scammer:

What I have told you is the rules and ethics here. Please, let me discuss with the bank concerning your request for the opening of online banking and get back to you.

Regards
Agent Ms Valerie

Me:

Dear Ms Parlance,
Thank you for your email. You are very persistent!
I have told Kevin that he should no longer be involved. Don't worry: everything is underway according to your plans.
I will be busy for the next 15 minutes, as I am having a check-in with my team.
Many thanks,
Bruce

Scammer (trying to proceed with the pre-written template)

Dear Bruce,

Greetings once again, I'm emailing to give you an update in regards to my discussions with the bank. First, bank has approved that an online account shall be opened in your name here and they will send you the login details.

But, they said that before they can proceed with the opening of the online account that, all the legalities and due process must be followed. I was informed that there is need you come down in person here to handle some of the legal matters with them but I objected it and told them that it is practically impossible for you to come down here in Nigeria due to the nature of your job and they suggested you hire an acreditted attorney here who will stand as your proxy to handle some of these legal matters on your behalf.

I have approached one of the acreditted lawyer right now and I have explained to him everything pertaining his assignment and he has agreed to do that but part of his service fee need to be paid before he can commence with the job. Please, I would like to send you the lawyer's contact information so that you can contact him.

Bruce please, I don't want bank here to see reason why they should cancel this fund and that is why I'm following their instructions so that  we shall succeed on this if you can follow my guidelines. There is need you hire this attorney for this job because I know there is no way you can come down to Nigeria and handle this by yourself.

I would like you to ponder over this and, if you would want me to send the lawyer's contact, I will send it across to you because he has just given it to me.

Regards
Agent Ms Valerie Parlave.

Me:

Dear Ms Parlave,
Many thanks for your email.
First of all, it's great to hear that the bank has approved the opening of an online account. I do almost all my financial activities on the internet nowadays, so it is wonderful that the bank allows for this.
Furthermore, it's interesting to hear that you have hired a lawyer, as you said that you and I should handle this alone. But if you are OK with it, that sounds great.
You're right: I cannot come to Nigeria right now. I hear that there is a lot of civil unrest there, and my safety is paramount, so I am staying in my English home for the foreseeable future.
In that case, I would be delighted if you send me the lawyer's contact details. Please go ahead and send it to me now - I will contact them immediately.
Many thanks,
Bruce

Me (to so called lawyer)

Hello,
Ms Valerie Parlave from the Federal Bureau of Investigation has asked me to contact you, stating that a lawyer is necessary for the legalities of opening the bank account. I'm not sure I entirely understand: I would have thought that no lawyer is needed to simply open a new bank account, but if what she says is true, please do let me know what your rates are and how much I would need to pay for your assistance in opening the account.
Many thanks,
Bruce

Lawyer scammer:


Attention: Bruce,

Greetings, I write to acknowledge the receipt of your email and yes. I was with agent Valerie Parlave of FBI in the bank today and he talked to me concerning handling your inheritance fund with the Central Bank of Nigeria here.

I will handle the assignment but I have informed her that, part of my fee needed to be paid in order to enable me secure some of the needed legal documents..

If I get the part fee which is $980, I will commence with the job immediately . Sir, your need for hiring attorney is not for opening of the online banking only, it is to make sure all legalities are follows since you are not a resident in Nigeria here and also, it is a huge amount of money.

Yours Sincerely,
Barrister Sunny Davies

Note: The barrister seems to refer to his colleague as a ‘he’. I’m going to pick up on this totally irrelevant detail.

Me (to lawyer scammer)

Dear Mr Barrister Sunny Davies,
Many thanks for your email.
Is Valerie really a male? I thought it was more commonly used as a female name.
Anyway, is the $980 all the payment needed, or will there be further payments after that? I would prefer to do the payment all in one go, because there is a processing fee every time a payment is made. I would rather not pay the payment fee twice when it could only be paid once, and therefore I would like to know if any further payment will be necessary after the payment of $980.
I understand why a lawyer is needed now, thank you for explaining.
Many thanks,
Bruce

Lawyer scammer:

Note: this email had the delightful subject line ‘Valerie is a female’:

Hello Bruce,

I got your email and per your question, Valerie is a female and not make. She is Ms Valerie Parlave of FBI. Then, as far as this is concerned, $980 is the only fee and nothing more.

Yours sincerely,
Barrister Sunny Davies

Me (to lawyer scammer):

Dear Mr Barrister Sunny Davies,
Thank you for your email.
I was a bit confused because you said you had met with him.
Anyway, as for the fee, how should I pay? Bitcoin (BTC) or PayPal works great for me.
Thanks,
Bruce

Lawyer scammer:
I'm sorry for mentioning him,it is a mistake from my side. The fee shall be paid through an account and it shall be through USA account. Agent Valerie can send US account to you for the payment.

Yours sincerely,
Barrister Sunny Davies

Me (to original scammer):

Hi,
Barrister Sunny Davies asked me to contact you for the Bitcoin address to send the funds to.
I am a little confused: if I am paying him, why should I be sending the bitcoins to you?
Once you have explained this, please do send over the Bitcoin address.
Many thanks,
Bruce

Scammer:

Dear Bruce,

There is no way you can send money to the lawyer without it coming through me because, we records all our activities here and once the fee is paid, I will pay him the money as soon as it is sent..

I will send the Bitcoin address now.

Regards,
Agent Ms Valerie

Scammer:

*bitcoin address*

Me:
Dear Ms Parlave,
I think this is the one - see image attached.
Please can you confirm?
Many thanks,
Bruce

(The image was of a QR code linking to the Bitcoin address, so it was basically useless. The scammer didn’t notice.)

Me:

Dear Ms Parlave,
Just before I send the bitcoins, please can you provide evidence that you have access to the Bitcoin wallet? As $850 USD is a significant sum of money, I don't want to send it to the wrong Bitcoin address, or a Bitcoin address that does not belong to you.
It's just a safety procedure to ensure the security of the funds that I'm about to send. Please send a screenshot or video of the Bitcoin wallet, and then we can proceed.
Many thanks,
Bruce

Scammer:
Hello Bruce,

There is no way I will send to you the Bitcoin address that does not belong to me. I have access to it and please proceed in sending it.

Regards
Agent Ms Valerie

Me:

Dear Ms Parlave,
I think you might have misunderstood me. I am asking for evidence (a screenshot or something) of you logged into your Bitcoin wallet. This is a necessary security check so that I do not send the Bitcoins to the wrong address.
Just a simple screenshot attached to an email will suffice. If you don’t know how to take a screenshot, I can give you instructions.
As soon as I have received the evidence, I will send the Bitcoins to your wallet.
Please get back to me as soon as possible.
Many thanks,
Bruce

Scammer:

I have told you that this is not a wrong address and if feel you can't proceed, you can forget about it.


Me:
Dear Ms Parlave,
It is simply a vital security feature of the Bitcoin brokerage system I use, so if you cannot send proof, no transfer will be allowed to take place.
Thanks, Bruce

Scammer:

And I said you can forget about sending it since you don't trust the system. I have told you I have access to my Bitcoin and for demanding screenshot did not make sense to me, if you can't send the fee, please kindly forget about it.

Regards
Agent Ms Valerie

Me:

Dear Ms Parlave,
Listen, it’s not within my control. Without evidence, the system will not allow the transfer to take place. If it was within my power, of course I would send the Bitcoins. But if there is no evidence, there can be no transfer, and that is just how the system operates.
Maybe you just don’t know how to take a screenshot. If that is the case, I will give step-by-step instructions of how to do it. Are you using a Mac or a PC? The procedure varies slightly depending on what software your computer is running.
Many thanks,
Bruce

Scammer:

This your system is different and I had been using this for a long time. Please,can you kindly forget about this.

Me:

Dear Ms Parlave,
I do not understand your resistance. If you like, I can hire a different lawyer who I can pay directly for their services, and avoid this entire confusion.
In actual fact, I have found several lawyers who are willing to do the same job for less than $850, so if you are not willing to cooperate, I could just as easily hire one of them.
So, what do you want to do?
Many thanks,
Bruce

Scammer:

Go ahead and hire another attorney and let me see how the bank here will accept him..Goodbye.

Regards
Agent Ms Valerie

Me:

Wonderful news! The bank accepted the lawyer, and the $16.2 million is making its way to my account right now! Thank you for your help during these times - I will pay you some money for your time once I am done.

Thanks,
Bruce

THE END

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