Off topic: Scam: Contacted through Proz, not translation-related, but hilarious nevertheless
Thread poster: Yoana Ivanova
Yoana Ivanova
Yoana Ivanova  Identity Verified
Estonia
Local time: 02:10
English to Bulgarian
+ ...
Mar 30, 2019

Someone contacted me via a message directly from my profile, so I figure I should still share it here.

Plus I had a good laugh, it might be fun for you too.

I received the following message:

A ProZ.com user visited your ProZ.com profile and sent the following message.

Company: BGFI group (Fra... See more
Someone contacted me via a message directly from my profile, so I figure I should still share it here.

Plus I had a good laugh, it might be fun for you too.

I received the following message:

A ProZ.com user visited your ProZ.com profile and sent the following message.

Company: BGFI group (France)
https://www.proz.com/business/138290-bgfi-group

Good Morning

Please, I'm interested in speaking with you about a Project
I desire to actualize with you. Please to further explore
this possibility I
would like you to contact me via my email
address([email protected]) to give you a brief
description of my field of work and the
project idea.

Thank You,
Dr.Arnaud Moussavo
FROM EUROPE France.

-----------
Author: Dr.Arnaud Moussavo
Author's Profile: http://www.proz.com/profile/2701673
Author's IP address: 154.235.31.145
Message type: Collaboration


It was obvious that it's going to be some type of scam, considering neither the company profile nor his profile exist on Proz.

BGFI Group does, however, exist in general. So does the person he's claiming to be.

My response:

Good afternoon Dr. Moussavo,

Thank you for contacting me.

If you're still interested, I'd very much like to know the details of your project idea.

Best regards,
Yoana Ivanova


Here comes the longest scam message I have ever seen:

Dear Ms. Yoana Ivanova ,

I just came back from your country where I attended on behalf of my bank a seminar which was co-hosted with China Construction Bank. I want to thank you however for giving me your e-mail, and my sincere apology if the contents of this message don't meet your personal quirks. Please the reason I contacted you is about one of our deceased customers who I presumed to be your relative because of the similarities in your last names and most importantly because he was also from your country who happened to be one of the high profile personalities I have worked for while he was an investor with our bank because in 2003 he came to our bank here in France to engage in business discussions with a financial portfolio of £50.7 million which he wished to have us turn over (invest) on his behalf. I was the officer assigned to his case.We turned the money around various opportunities and made attractive margins for our first years of operation. In mid-2005, he asked that the money be liquidated for onward transfer because he needed to make an urgent investment requiring cash payments. I undertook all the processes and have the fund liquidated, and that was the last time we heard from him. I did everything humanly possible to track him down all to no avail, and since he listed no next of kin in his bio-data form I have no one to contact. It was few years after his surprise disappearance that I stumbled upon the Venezuela plane crash manifest where I discovered he actually died in the aforementioned plane crash on Tuesday, 16th of August 2005.

There is £50.7 Million plus the accrued interest abandoned in our bank all these years and now my worst nightmare is about to happen as the bank want to revert the funds back into our treasury as unclaimed and abandoned monies inline with our bank policy. What need to be done now is for me to insert your name from our system into his file as the heir and successor to the portfolio, and once that is done the money automatically become yours, after-which I will guide you with information(s) and furnish you with documents to prove your right to the funds, and have the funds release to you as the rightful and legal heir for us to share equally.

Please understand that I am basically aware it is not easy to trust anyone these days with scam, hoax, spam, ID thieves and hackers all over the net but when I saw your profile you seem like someone with some level of sensitivity, wisdom and intelligence as such I expect you to see beyond the above-listed elements and envisage a fortuitous prospect in this divine blessing. I am a family man and this is an opportunity to provide them with new opportunities. There is a reward for this project and it is a task well worth undertaking. I have evaluated the risks and the only risk I foresee here is from you refusing to work with me and alerting my bank or mistake this proposal for a scam or hoax otherwise wealth is just around the corner for you and I to grab. Remain bless as I await your response.

Thank You

Yours sincerely,
Dr. Arnaud Moussavo
Managing Director & Financial Controller
Private / Investment Banking Division
(BGFIBANK EUROPE)


So the language is horrible all throughout, but okay, not everyone can be fluent. Do people still fall for these kind of dead-relative-huge-inheritance-scams anymore, however?

He contacted me because our last names are similar? Come on! Ivanov(a) has got to be one of the most common Slavic names out there. Let's keep playing along.

Dr. Moussavo,

Please excuse my lack of eloquence, but I have no words after these news. Is there anything more you could tell me about the person who passed away in this horrible accident? I have family all over the world, some of whom I haven't been in touch with for a long time, so any information would be much appreciated.

About your proposition, what would we have to do in order to make this happen?

I shall await your response.

Kindest regards,
Yoana Ivanova


Gotta show some interest in the relative. Such a successful person and I never knew them. So sad.

Dear partner Ms. Yoana Ivanova ,

I received your email and quite understand your message, the deceased customers, Dr.Antonio Y Ivanova was from ‎ your country Bulgaria but he was residing at: 71 Rue de Turbigo, 75003 Paris, France. He was into crude oil exploration and in collaboration with French Government in oil exploration and exportation. In addition he was an anonymous high profile execute investor with GESTOCI, Ecofund Laboratories SARL and other oil and gas companies. The attorney we are going to hire to legalize the entire process will be able to go to the Ministry of Trade and Commerce to get you more information about his involvement with our government and all his business activities when the time comes. He was 64 years when he died in a plane crash in Venezuela on Tuesday, 16 August 2005. I will make the complete plane crash manifest and all the documents relating to this funds available to you on the course of this project.The reason most wealthy people operate a foreign currency account especially pounds is because it allows them to bill in a foreign currency. It makes dealing with overseas or foreign businesses much easier. It also allows them to hold the foreign currency in a local account that they control. One of the biggest advantages of these accounts is avoiding conversion costs, you see, there must be something this wealth people are doing right that lift them up so high in the world of today where majority of the populace are finding things difficult no matter how hard they(we) have tried. He happened to be one of the high profile personalities I worked with while he was an investor with our bank as an Investment Director and Fellow of Chartered Institute of Securities and Investment.I have also worked as an independent adviser to several Ministries of Finance and Economy all over the world and like I told you in my last email,the most important thing here is that you have the same surname with the deceased.

All that needs to be done now is for me to from the bank data base/system insert your name into his file and have you listed at the successor and/or collateral heir to his abandoned and forgotten estate, and once this is done the funds automatically becomes yours by inheritance. We are going to follow religiously our bank inheritance claim process and requirements to be able to officially and legally secured the funds and share it equally afterward. This is a very straight-forward and risk-free project, because I am here to make sure I handle all the logistic and supply virtually all the necessary information and relevant documents. Like I stated earlier there is a huge reward for this project, and it is a task well worth undertaking.I have evaluated the entire process and if you response to issues as fast as they arrive we will acquire this wealth within a week. I am the only one who knows of this situation, good fortune has blessed you with a name that has planted you at the center of relevance towards the acquisition of this wealth. Please provide me with your cell-phone number,that is connected to whats-app for us to have some oral conversation for any more questions.


Thank You

Yours sincerely,
Dr. Arnaud Moussavou
Managing Director & Financial Controller
Private / Investment Banking Division
BGFIBANK FRANCE
Address: 10/12 General Foy Street, 75008 Paris, France
Telephone: (33) 75 68 51 731
Facsimile: (33) 1 45 62 62 70
Email: [email protected]
Web-site: https://groupebgfibank.com/
Link: https://twitter.com/bgfibank


The signature somehow randomly keeps getting more and more professional. Where was all that before?

Take note of my relative's name: Dr. Antonio Y Ivanova

Was he perhaps Spanish-Bulgarian? Was he a she before and never got to changing his name?

Uh-oh, he wants a phone number, no way, let's ignore that part.

Dear Dr. Arnaud Moussavo,

Thank you for explaining everything so clearly. This really does seem like a very straight-forward process. He seems to have been a very successful individual. When would you be able to provide me with the manifesto?

What kind of information do you need from me, are there any forms I have to fill in?

Thank you in advance.

Kind regards,
Yoana Ivanova


Please provide me with your cell-phone number,that is connected to whats-app for us to have some oral conversation for any more questions.

Thank You

Yours sincerely,
Dr. Arnaud Moussavou
Managing Director & Financial Controller
Private / Investment Banking Division
BGFIBANK FRANCE
Address: 10/12 General Foy Street, 75008 Paris, France
Telephone: (33) 75 68 51 731
Facsimile: (33) 1 45 62 62 70
Email: [email protected]
Web-site: https://groupebgfibank.com/
Link: https://twitter.com/bgfibank

Disclaimer
This email and any files transmitted with it are confidential and intended solely for the use of the individual or entity to whom they are addressed. If you have received this email in error please notify the sender Dr.Arnaud .G. MOUSSAVOU, the Associate Professor of Accounting & Finance, BGFI Bank Europe. This message contains confidential information and is intended only for the individual named. If you are not the named addressee you should not disseminate, distribute or copy this e-mail. Please notify the sender Dr.Arnaud .G. MOUSSAVOU immediately by e-mail if you have received this e-mail by mistake and delete this e-mail from your system. If you are not the intended recipient you are notified that disclosing, copying, distributing or taking any action in reliance on the contents of this information is strictly prohibited.


Very insistent. Time to stall. Even more work done on that signature though.

Is there any other means of communication that would be okay for you, Dr. Moussavou?

I have not used WhatsApp before, what about Skype or Viber?

Thank you in advance.

Best regards,
Yoana Ivanova


And now, it's finally time for him to mess up.

Dear partner Ms. Yoana Ivanova,

Please WhatsApp is far better than Skype and Viber, it is what everyone is using now. Please simply download it from playstore and start using it means while for the interest of time.Thanks once again for your response to my email.The good news now is that I have just took the necessary and most important steps toward the successful actualization of this project by inserting your name from the bank data base/system into the file of Dr.Rade N.Ostojic and have you named as the legal and legitimate successor to his abandoned portfolio/estate. I have just finalized with that, and as we speak now, you are now the rightful and legal heir to the money but because of our bank security-check process and inheritance claim requirements, the bank will want to see a copy of his death certificate that confirmed his death and also a copy of his last Will/Testament that listed you by Dr.Rade N.Ostojic himself as the successor to his money because since I just named you in his file as his successor his last-will should also reflect this as such the bank will want to see a copy of his last will, so here is where a lawyer will have to come in, he will go to the court to make declaration of his death, obtain a permission which he will require to go the ministry of health to obtain his death certificate.

He will also assist us to draft his Back Dated Will/Testament and have you named as heir to his money. Once these documents are secured, the lawyer will bring them to me directly in my office "office of Managing Director & Financial Controller, BGFI BANK EUROPE,10/12 Rue du Général Foy, 75008 Paris, France" which I will accept from him and table before the bank management board, and then proceed to open a file in your name officially declaring your right to the inheritance, obtain a permission from the board to transfer the funds to you officially, legally and legitimately, and once I obtained this permission I will then send to you our inheritance claim form directly from our bank office email address in an official capacity, and once you complete the form and send back the bank will do a last minute verification check to compare your documents with the information in our system and literally it will match because I have already inserted your name into his file from the system, once the bank management is done, and officially declare you the heir to the estate, I will have the funds liquidated and transfer to you after-which I will follow it up by coming to your country for my share of the money. In this email is the contact information of the lawyer, he is one of the lawyers attached to Canada Embassy here in Paris, Franc. I selected him because of his ability to speak both French and English.His contact detail is as stated below as it is writing in his business card:

His name is : Barrister JAG A GBAMIN
Email: [email protected]

Please do well to send the lawyer an email immediately you received this mail and get back to me once he reply to you. I will send to you in a separate email what i will draft to help you when drafting the message to the lawyer. God is with us and will continue to guide our steps towards the successfully actualization of this project

Thank You

Yours sincerely,
Dr.Arnaud Moussavou
Managing Director & Financial Controller
Private / Investment Banking Division
BGFI BANK EUROPE
Address: 10/12 Rue du Général Foy, 75008 Paris, France
Telephone: (33) 75 68 51 731
Facsimile: (33) 1 45 62 62 70
Email: [email protected]
Web-site: https://groupebgfibank.com/
Link: https://twitter.com/bgfibank


Oops, someone forgot to copy/paste the right name.
He resent the very same email and added a sentence at the beginning.

please excuse me for any mistake age is not on my said


He also sent me a form to fill and send to the aforementioned lawyer.

Dear Sir,

My name is .........................., Address (office or residence).............................. Age......................Telephone/Fax number is .................Profession.....................

My family member, Dr.Antonio Y Ivanova who passed away (died) on Tuesday 16 August 2005 in a plane crash in Venezuela, conducted business with several countries, one of them being France. Investigations uncovered he left an estate with a bank called BGFI Bank in Paris, France and as his only surviving relative I want to connect with the bank regarding this estate but a reliable source who has years of experience in the banking industry listed the documents the bank will require from me. Majority of this documents are already in my possession except the two listed below:

1) A back Dated Death Certificate of Dr.Antonio Y Ivanova
(Which I do not have because he died in a plane crash in Venezuela in the month of August 2005 like I stated above)
2)
His last will
(Because his vital documents, which include his last-will were with him when he perished in the plane crash and as such non of these were recovered)

So, I am kindly asking for your services to be my representing attorney in your country, meet the bank on my behalf, I will give you the name and information of the person you will contact at the bank when the documents are ready. You are to go to the probate section of a high court to register my relative's death, secure a permission to proceed to the ministry of health to canvass for and subsequently obtain all the necessary paperwork, especially the death certificate. I have all the other deposit related documents that will be required by the bank to authenticate the claim and prove my rights to the inheritance.I would like you to inform me of your requirements, how long it will take for you to prepare the needed death certificate and Back Dated Will, also tell me your fees and method of payment for your services.

I really need your help and legal representation in obtaining these documents, in order for me to have the trust allocated to my person as fast as possible. Thanking you in advance, hoping to hear from you soonest, I remain,

Sincerely Yours
-----------------


I guess it would be those fees that are the point of the scam that I would inevitably need to cover in order to claim my inheritance.

Time to call him out. My last message to him:

Really? Forgetting to copy/paste the name of my made-up relative?

Here’s the deal.

It’s been fun playing along, but it was obvious from your very first message that this is some elaborate scam.

1. You contact me through Proz, a site for professional translators, with no talk of translation whatsoever.
2. The company Proz profile you sent me doesn’t exist.
3. For someone so reputable, you use Yahoo, really?
4. You claim you found the connection because of my last name? It’s literally one of the most popular Slavic last names out there.
5. You have no clue how Bulgarian names work. Antonio is not a Bulgarian name and the last names change depending on if you’re male or female.
6. Your scam is available on the internet.
Here: https://www.espeakers.com/support/scams/
And here: https://www.booksie.com/580613-a-conversation-between-me-and-a-scammer-chapter-1
7. Do I really need to go on?

This will be reported first on Proz, second to the real individual you’re claiming to be, and third to the bank you claim to represent.

I have no doubt you will now disappear and never answer this message, but I also have your IP despite your amateur attempts to hide it.

Have a great day, Mr. Scammer!

Sincerely,
Yoana "I’m not stupid" Ivanova


As expected, no answer.


[Edited at 2019-03-30 20:10 GMT]
Collapse


Liviu-Lee Roth
 
Lian Pang
Lian Pang  Identity Verified
Netherlands
Local time: 01:10
Member (2018)
English to Chinese
+ ...
the versatile Nigerian prince Mar 30, 2019

Didn't even have the patience to read through his stories.

 
Lincoln Hui
Lincoln Hui  Identity Verified
Hong Kong
Local time: 08:10
Member
Chinese to English
+ ...
I am impressed Mar 30, 2019

Please the reason I contacted you is about one of our deceased customers who I presumed to be your relative because of the similarities in your last names and most importantly because he was also from your country who happened to be one of the high profile personalities I have worked for while he was an investor with our bank because in 2003 he came to our bank here in France to engage in business discussions with a financial portfolio of £50.7 million which he wished to have us turn over (invest) on his behalf.

To completely avoid the use of commas in a sentence of such length is no mean feat.


Jessica Noyes
Sheila Wilson
 
Noura Tawil
Noura Tawil  Identity Verified
Syria
Local time: 03:10
Member (2013)
English to Arabic
!! Mar 30, 2019

Lincoln Hui wrote:

Please the reason I contacted you is about one of our deceased customers who I presumed to be your relative because of the similarities in your last names and most importantly because he was also from your country who happened to be one of the high profile personalities I have worked for while he was an investor with our bank because in 2003 he came to our bank here in France to engage in business discussions with a financial portfolio of £50.7 million which he wished to have us turn over (invest) on his behalf.

To completely avoid the use of commas in a sentence of such length is no mean feat.


I am out of breath.


Yoana Ivanova
 
Yoana Ivanova
Yoana Ivanova  Identity Verified
Estonia
Local time: 02:10
English to Bulgarian
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
All very impressive indeed Mar 30, 2019

Lincoln Hui wrote:

Please the reason I contacted you is about one of our deceased customers who I presumed to be your relative because of the similarities in your last names and most importantly because he was also from your country who happened to be one of the high profile personalities I have worked for while he was an investor with our bank because in 2003 he came to our bank here in France to engage in business discussions with a financial portfolio of £50.7 million which he wished to have us turn over (invest) on his behalf.

To completely avoid the use of commas in a sentence of such length is no mean feat.


I run out of breath halfway through, some lungs he must have.

Lian Pang wrote:

Didn't even have the patience to read through his stories



He has transformed into a French banker this time.


 
Noura Tawil
Noura Tawil  Identity Verified
Syria
Local time: 03:10
Member (2013)
English to Arabic
Unintentional help Mar 30, 2019

That was fun to read, but I think that your last email can help him improve his scam and avoid the pitfalls he made by pointing out exactly where he messed up.

Yolanda Broad
Thayenga
Philippe Etienne
Daniela Slankamenac
Dmytro Nehrii
Katarzyna Slowikova
MollyRose
 
Yoana Ivanova
Yoana Ivanova  Identity Verified
Estonia
Local time: 02:10
English to Bulgarian
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
A little bit intentional Mar 30, 2019

Noura Tawil wrote:


That was fun to read, but I think that your last email can help him improve his scam and avoid the pitfalls he made by pointing out exactly where he messed up.


You're right indeed, but considering how bad this is, he needs all the help he can get. I sincerely doubt, however, that he would change anything other than the email he uses and the name of the person he's pretending to be, at least judging by the links I referred to in my email.

He has clearly spend a lot of time coming up with these long-winded series of emails.


Noura Tawil
Natalia Pedrosa
Khalid Sabili
 
Robert Forstag
Robert Forstag  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 20:10
Spanish to English
+ ...
I received the same initial email last Friday Mar 30, 2019

But not being in any mood to play, I did not bother to respond.

 
Marjolein Snippe
Marjolein Snippe  Identity Verified
Netherlands
Local time: 01:10
Member (2012)
English to Dutch
+ ...
thanks! Apr 1, 2019

Thanks for the entertaining episodial story! It has been fun to see how these scams develop if you take the time to respond.

Yoana Ivanova
 
Abby Harrison
Abby Harrison  Identity Verified
United Kingdom
Local time: 00:10
English to Welsh
+ ...
Contacted me too Apr 1, 2019

I also received the same e-mail on Friday!

 
Yoana Ivanova
Yoana Ivanova  Identity Verified
Estonia
Local time: 02:10
English to Bulgarian
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
Poor scam target group Apr 1, 2019

So at least three of us have received this message, I imagine the number is much higher.

This is such a poor choice of platform to search for victims. Most of us have already encountered different translation scams that look much more legit than this. The rest have at least heard and/or read about what goes on.


 
Katarzyna Slowikova
Katarzyna Slowikova  Identity Verified
Germany
Local time: 01:10
English to Czech
+ ...
Dissapoiting Apr 1, 2019

Yoana Ivanova wrote:

Really? Forgetting to copy/paste the name of my made-up relative?

Here’s the deal.

It’s been fun playing along, but it was obvious from your very first message that this is some elaborate scam.

1. You contact me through Proz, a site for professional translators, with no talk of translation whatsoever.
2. The company Proz profile you sent me doesn’t exist.
3. For someone so reputable, you use Yahoo, really?
4. You claim you found the connection because of my last name? It’s literally one of the most popular Slavic last names out there.
5. You have no clue how Bulgarian names work. Antonio is not a Bulgarian name and the last names change depending on if you’re male or female.
6. Your scam is available on the internet.
Here: https://www.espeakers.com/support/scams/
And here: https://www.booksie.com/580613-a-conversation-between-me-and-a-scammer-chapter-1
7. Do I really need to go on?

This will be reported first on Proz, second to the real individual you’re claiming to be, and third to the bank you claim to represent.

I have no doubt you will now disappear and never answer this message, but I also have your IP despite your amateur attempts to hide it.

Have a great day, Mr. Scammer!

Sincerely,
Yoana "I’m not stupid" Ivanova


As expected, no answer.


[Edited at 2019-03-30 20:10 GMT]


I was hoping that it develops into one of those hilarious stories like on 419eater.com but this is not only completely unfunny, you're even giving him tips on how to get better next time.
Big fiasco, to say it politely.


 
Yoana Ivanova
Yoana Ivanova  Identity Verified
Estonia
Local time: 02:10
English to Bulgarian
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
I'm sorry Apr 1, 2019

Katarzyna Slowikova wrote:

I was hoping that it develops into one of those hilarious stories like on 419eater.com but this is not only completely unfunny, you're even giving him tips on how to get better next time.
Big fiasco, to say it politely.


I'm sorry you were disappointed. I'm not really versed in the art of scambaiting. I've just heard that it's good to try and waste some of their time. I had some minutes to spare so that's what I did.

Like I said above, however, I really don't believe he's going to change his approach to scamming. The email he sends is already available online and that hasn't deterred him. He's spent plenty of time making up these ridiculously lengthy emails. At most he'll switch to another email account and take care to copy whatever relative name he makes up before clicking send.


 
John Fossey
John Fossey  Identity Verified
Canada
Local time: 20:10
Member (2008)
French to English
+ ...
Incredible Apr 1, 2019

It's incredible that this "Nigerian" scam is still running. It must be successful to some extent to keep on coming. I remember receiving this same type of story by snail mail in the 1970's. I called the police to report it and they would not take a report, because they said they already had "rooms full" of reports on the same type of scam.

 
Sheila Wilson
Sheila Wilson  Identity Verified
Spain
Local time: 00:10
Member (2007)
English
+ ...
Some people simply can't resist a "good deal" and do no research at all Apr 1, 2019

John Fossey wrote:
It's incredible that this "Nigerian" scam is still running. It must be successful to some extent to keep on coming. I remember receiving this same type of story by snail mail in the 1970's. I called the police to report it and they would not take a report, because they said they already had "rooms full" of reports on the same type of scam.

I'm active on Trip Advisor for my island and there's an endless supply of tourists ready and apparently willing to dive into any of the scams: non-existent villas, timeshare, dodgy electronics, fake stuff (stuff they think is real, e.g. cigarettes and alcohol, rather than just buying bags etc for the kudos of the name), and the car rental firm that has court cases active and pending all around Europe. These businesses all do a roaring trade because every flight brings a new load of unsuspecting and gullible first-timers who haven't bothered to do their homework. Then they rant on TA in yet another multi-page thread that's identical to all the others they'd have found with a simple search. It's very sad . Some of them are probably freelance translators.


 


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Scam: Contacted through Proz, not translation-related, but hilarious nevertheless







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