This is a type of scam that I've not seen previously. Still not very clever, but it makes use of an attention-getting email subject line and includes a humorous twist on the stories that accompany most 419 scam emails. While this ploy still relies upon the greed of the stupid, the twist is that the issue of a scam is central to the email. More interesting is that for the recipient to go after the promised large payout, he must believe that he has to scam someone else (in this case, a London police detective!) to prevent a third party from completing a different scam, thereby laying claim to the unearned prize before the recipient.
No, I still can't see anybody who possesses a reasonable level of intelligence and wariness falling for this (even beyond the preposterous story, the email suffers from the same ludicrous grammar and punctuation problems that plague most of these messages), but it seems to indicate a sense of humor on the part of the scammer, and I can sort of appreciate that.
From: METROPOLITAN POLICE UK
Date: 2011/5/13
Subject: ARE YOU STILL ALIVE
To:
Attention; Beneficiary,
My names are INSPECTOR WALMSLEY GEOFFREY ROBERT from METROPOLITAN POLICE UK, there is presently a counter
claims on your funds by one MR.JOHN LEWIS, who is presently trying to make us believe that you are dead
and even explained that you entered into an agreement with him before your death, to help you in receiving your fund US$ 2,000,000.00 So here comes the big question.
Did you sign any Deed of Assignment in favor of ( JOHN LEWIS ),He further claimed that you died on the 24/06/2006 and you have been buried , thereby making him the current beneficiary with his following account details:
MR JOHN LEWIS,
AC/NUMBER: 6503809428.
ROUTING/122006743,
B/NAME:Bank Of American ( B.O.A ),
ADDRESS:NEW YORK,USA,
We shall proceed to issue all payments details to the said Mr. john lewis, if we do not hear from you within the next two working days from today.
Thanks
INSPECTOR WALMSLEY GEOFFREY ROBERT
Email : ukpol@post.com
