Image: depositphotos.com/mgillert
Some scams are so absurd that they actually become rather amusing. This poorly executed attempt at an advance fee scam purports to be from none other than Melania Trump, “First Lady of the United State”. (I’m not sure what happened to all the other states).
Supposedly, Melania has a check for $20 million ready to deliver to you as soon as you have replied with your personal details.
But, alas, I must inform you that the email is NOT from Melania Trump and you are NOT about to get $20 million.
Of course, if you replied in the hope of getting the unexpected windfall, scammers posing as Melania would start asking you to send money. The scammers would claim that you must send this money before your funds can be processed and delivered to you.
After the scammers have extracted as much money as possible from you, they will simply disappear, and of course, you will never receive the promised $20 million. Moreover, the scammers may have also gathered a large amount of your personal and financial information. They may subsequently use this information to steal your identity.
While this example is quite obviously a scam, other versions are somewhat more sophisticated. Unfortunately, people all around the world continue to fall for advance fee scams and end up sending their money and personal information to criminals.
The Scam Message:
