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Title: WIDOWS IN NIGERIA
Date: Fri, 31 Oct 2003 13:07:54 +0000 (GMT) SYSTEMATIC MARKETING CAMPAIGN AGAINST TREATMENT OF WIDOWS IN
NIGERIA. [Well, certainly this guy is one of the lowest of the low. Using a charity front to scam cash]
[Time for the ever busy Church of Bread & Wine to leap into action] From: Father Brian Potter Dear Reverend Tokunbo God bless you and how are you today? Your letter has come to the right place. My name is Father Brian
Potter of the Church of Bread and Wine (please see a photograph
of one of our newest churches attached, we have nearly 300 churches
in our ministry). I think I may be able to help you reverend Tokunbo. You see, my ministry regularly makes charitable donations to worthy causes, and after speaking with my committee members just a few minutes ago, we are of the opinion that your cause is indeed very worthy, and if you will allow us we would like to make a donation to your cause to help you in your Godly work with the widows of Nigeria, which I am told is a very Christian and Godly country. Your case seems very worthwhile, and whilst we cannot donate very large amounts ( because we have already made many successful donations this year ) I think that the church would be able to send you the small sum of US $274,330 (two hundred and seventy four thousand, three hundred and thirty dollars). We are usually able to donate larger amounts but at the moment are funds are quite limited as we are at the end of our financial year. This money would be sent to you in a manner of your choosing, and hopefully it would enable you to help the widows and also forward the word of God much more easily. Of course, we do not send out payments without going through the proper procedures, so if you would like to claim the cash, these are the steps you will need to take: 1. The Church or Bread and Wine will send you a agreement form, which you will have to complete and sign. 2. On receipt of the form, we will require a photographs of you, or a trusted representative as proof of identity. You will have to get a NEW photographs taken, holding two symbol of ours. The two symbols we need you to hold are a loaf of bread and a bottle of wine (the name of our church). This proves that the person in the photograph is genuine. Passport or other photographs will NOT be accepted. If you agree to the two conditions above, we will attach the agreement form for you to complete, and then after that we will explain to you what type of photograph we need from you. Please do not send a photograph until we have explained how we want the photograph to be taken. On receipt of a SATISFACTORY photograph, we will immediately forward the $274,330.00 to you in a manner of your choice. Please let me know ASAP if you are interested in my offer Mr.Tokunbo and I will forward you the agreement for your signature ASAP. May God bless you, Father Brian Potter
Date: Sat, 1 Nov 2003 13:33:03 +0000 (GMT) Dear Father, Thank you very much for your reply, it was very inspiring and encouraging, but there is something I don't seem to understand about the whole thing, you said something about identification it is not a problem, after holding talks with my fellow board members we have resolved to do what you asked for, but I as a respected and dignified man of God I want you to understand that there is no way I will associate myself with anything that is dubious [Yeah, right!] why am I involved in this in the first place is because of the word of God which says in the book of II Cor 9vs 7 "Every man according as he purposed in his heart, so let him give, not grudgingly, or of necessity for God loveth a cheerful giver". So, if you are giving and also asking for identification then it is as if you are giving grudgingly, I personally and my fellow members are doing this selflessly in other to give this widows a lease of life because in Africa widows are treated as outcasts. I owe it as a responsibility to give them a home and shelter to take care of their children and theirselves. I hope you understand that this is a non-government organisation, and we have been doing this on our own for long, from our meager incomes but it is getting too big for us (2,532 widows) that is why we decided to seek foreign assistance. Please sir, the year is coming to an end and we have so many projects at hand, (we are building 25 blocks of flats for them and a church which we have to finish before Nov. 30th) so if you still insist on identification, please explain BETTER HOW WE CAN DO IT and also how soon the money can be remitted. So many individuals and organizations have been donating so yours will be very well appreciated. Thanks. Best regards. Rev. Tokunboh
From: Father Brian Potter Dear Reverend, Thank you for your kind reply. The Church of Bread & Wine will also never associate with dubious activities, so please be assured that unless myself and my donation committee are 100% certain of the honesty and sincerity of a beneficiary, then the money will not be paid. As to the matter of proper identification, I will explain more carefully: My ministry spends over $13.3 million dollars every year giving away charitable donations to worthy causes. Because of this, sometimes we are approached by dishonest people who try to get money from us by deception, sometimes supplying false identification. Because of the possibility of people sending false identification, the church now insists that any prospective recipient of our funds MUST supply a new photograph of themselves (or a representative) posing with two icons of our church, in this case BREAD and WINE (as you know, the name of our church is The Church of Bread & Wine). The reason we ask you to pose with these two object is of course because some dishonest people may try to send in false pictures, but it would be almost impossible for someone to find a false picture of a person holding bread and wine together in a photograph. One receipt of your photograph showing yourself (or a representative)
holding these objects, we will be 100% sure that the photograph
is genuine, this will then facilitate the SPEEDY payment of the
donation. Note that until you have completed the agreement, do not
send in the photograph until we have explained how the church would
like you to hold the bread and wine. I have attached the agreement form for you Rev. Tokunbo Please complete the form and return it to me with your signature. Once I have received the completed form I will then explain how we would like to have the photograph posed. Please note that unless you are willing to comply to the above demands the church will be unable to forward you the donation. The above rules are non negotiable. If you agree to complete the form, and also send in the photograph we require, your payment will be made IMMEDIATELY by whichever payment method suits you best. I hope that the above explanation is helpful. God bless you, Father Brian Potter. [AGREEMENT FORM ATTACHED]
Date: Tue, 4 Nov 2003 10:58:29 +0000 (GMT) DEAR REV, HOW ARE YOU TODAY AND EVERY MEMBER OF YOUR CHURCH HOPE EVERYTHING AND EVERYBODY IS OKAY? I HAVE SENT THE AGREEMENT FORM FILLED BACK TO YOU AND I AWAIT THE NEXT INSTRUCTION FROM YOU. BEST REGARDS , GOD BLESS, REV. ODUOBI DARLINGTON TOKUNBOH
[Tokunbo's signed agreement. As I have explained previously, there is nothing special about the agreement, I am just using it to add a dash of realism (for Tokunbo) to the proceedings]
[Lets give Tokunbo a pat on the back] From: Father Brian Potter Dear Rev. Tokunbo, Congratulations! You are now only one more step away from receiving your payment. As you will know, the last step we require is a photograph of yourself posing with to representative items of our church, in this case it is BREAD and WINE. Before I proceed to explain the photograph we need, please understand that the request may seem strange, but it is for this very reason that we will know the image is 100% true. This is how we require you to pose for the photograph. First you will need to gather a BOTTLE OF WINE and a LOAF OF BREAD. You will need to sit in a chair. Place the load of bread on your HEAD, and place the bottle of wine to your MOUTH like you are going to drink it. Then, have your photograph taken in this pose and send it to us. Once our Donation Committee are happy that the photograph is acceptable, I will contact you for the payment details and The Church of Bread & Wine will forward the full payment to you IMMEDIATELY. PLEASE NOTE: It is VERY important that the photograph you attach is LARGE and CLEAR. Small or unclear photographs will not be accepted. Please contact me urgently to let me know when you will be able to send the image so that I can alert the Donation Committee ASAP. Bless you, Father Brian Potter.
Date: Tue, 4 Nov 2003 20:33:14 +0000 (GMT) thank you very much father for your coperation i will try as much as possible to send it within the next 24 hours. rev. tokunboh
From: Father Brian Potter Bless you. Father Brian Potter.
[The picture "proof" arrives] Date: Fri, 7 Nov 2003 10:48:56 +0000 (GMT) SORRY FOR THE DELAY IT IS BECAUSE OF POWER FAILURE. Dear Father, How are you and your follow men of God doing? Hope okay? may the grace of God continue to follow you, Amen. I have sent the picture it is the picture of one our very trusted members prophet jeremiah Akiola [Sure it is Rev!]. We have decided that the money should be sent this way first of all $330.00 (Three Hundred and Thirty dollars) be sent today immediately through Western Union Money Transfer through my name Oduobi Darlington Tokunbo, today and the control number and the necessary information sent as soon as the money is transfered today to this email box. The balance of $274,000 which is the actual bulk will be sent through our account which I'll give to you as soon as we receive the $330.00. Father may God's special grace continue to be with you and your members as you continue in His work.
[Lookin' damn sexy there Tokunbo!]
[Time to introduce another character] From: Father Vincent Price Dear brother Tokunbo. My name is Father Vincent Price of The Church of Bread and Wine. Father Potter has been sent to Coventry on church business and is unable to proceed with this donation procedure until he returns. However, please do not worry as I have been given the full details and I will be handling your case personally. Sir, thank you for the image that you attached, and I will be forwarding it to our Donation Committee later today. I shall also write back to you later this afternoon also. God bless you, Father Vincent Price.
[There's a problem] From: Father Vincent Price Dear Mr. Tokunbo, My name is Father Vincent Price. I am the head of the Donation Committee for The Church of Bread & Wine and if you remember I wrote to you earlier today. Sir, I am afraid that there is a small problem. The Donation Committee met this afternoon to consider you case, and the photograph you sent to us. I am sorry to say that there are two problems with the photograph. I shall explain: 1. The committee feel that the bread that you posed with is not a full loaf of bread. It is very important to them that you use a full, large loaf. 2. The photograph itself was quite small. The committee members have directed me to tell you that the image will need to be larger than the one that you sent. I am sorry to pass this news to you Mr. Tokunbo, but as you will appreciate, it is a very large amount of money that we are dealing with and the church must ensure that all donation procedures are strictly adhered to. Please try to get a new photograph taken and sent back to us ASAP. If you let me know the total cost of the photographs I will ensure that this amount is added to your total donation amount. May I offer some personal advice? I suggest that it may be a good idea to have two or three photographs taken in slightly different poses. Doing it this way should ensure that the donation committee will be satisfied with your efforts. I look forward to hearing from you shortly. My kindest regards, Father Vincent Price.
Date: Fri, 7 Nov 2003 20:57:35 +0000 (GMT) father vincen it is so unfortunate that you did not tell me before hand that this picture should be taken in different angles of say three different poses but i want you to undestand that we are not really desperate about this money we have other donors of international repute and they have not been stressing us with this demands . but all thesame i want you to show some seriousness . i will try and send in some more photos but does that mean that you can not send the $330. i'll try my best to send the pictures next week. try and reach me with the $330 information.
From: Father Vincent Price Dear Mr. Tokunbo. My apologies, you seem to have misunderstood me. The Donation Committee require only one photograph. It was I that suggested it might be a good idea to send more than one picture from different angles (front/side). I was trying to help you by suggesting that more photographs would be better than one. Again, the committee have only asked for one photograph, but my advice is that if you send more than one then the chances of having a correct picture will be much higher for you. I hope you understand this. I am afraid that until the Donation Committee are satisfied with the photograph then no payment can be sent to you. If asyou say you are not wanting this money, please let me know because I can offer it to other worthy causes. Let me know your decision urgently. God bless you. Father Vincent Price.
[Tokunbo takes his time to reply, but it is a positive one] Date: Sun, 9 Nov 2003 16:00:26 +0000 (GMT) hello father, thank you very much father for your advice i'll definitely get back to you.soonest.
[Tokunbo sends another picture, but with no letter] Date: Mon, 10 Nov 2003 16:29:53 +0000 (GMT)
[Still doesn't look like a full loaf of bread but I'll let him off. I let him stew for 24 hours]
Date: Tue, 11 Nov 2003 09:17:13 +0000 (GMT) hello father, how are you today? father i dont know why you have not acknowledged the receipt of my PICTURE. please we are very interested in knowing where we stand. please if you are okay with the picture kindly send the $330 to this name ODUOBI .D.TOKUNBOH SO I CAN BE ABLE TO SEND THE ACCOUNT WHERE THE BULK CAN BE SENT. WE ANXIOULY AWAIT THE CONTROL NUMBERS TO THE WESTERN UNION MONEY TRANSFER.TODAY REMAIN BLESSED. REV TOKUNBOH.
From: Father Vincent Price Dear Mr. Tokunbo, Thank you for your second image. It appears you did not take my advice, but who the hell cares now, I certainly don't Sorry for the delay in replying to you, but as I have mentioned previously, we have certain procedures that must be adhered to. The picture has now been shown to the Donation Committee and I have to say that they are not a happy bunch. Sadly to them it appears you have not used a FULL loaf of bead in the image and the Donation Committee were all ready to tell you that the picture was unacceptable. However, I have put in some good words in your defence, and I have convinced them to allow you to receive the FULL donation amount (you can thank me later). However the Committee are not totally convinced, and they have told me that as a compromise they would like you to do the following: The Donation Committee have decided that if you send them a HAND WRITTEN letter of thanks for their donation then this will clear the way for IMMEDIATE PAYMENT to you of the full amount. 1. The document MUST be hand written. 2. You must SCAN the document. 3. The received document must be scanned at such a resolution as to make the text LARGE, CLEAR and EASY TO READ. If you are agreeable to this then please let me know URGENTLY and I will help you by sending you the text you will need to write. As a gesture of good faith, for your records I have attached my passport image. Blessings upon you, Father Vincent Price.
[Father Vincent's passport, which not surprisingly shows the actual picture of Vincent Price!]
Date: Tue, 11 Nov 2003 17:36:51 +0000 (GMT) dear father, thank you very much for your kindness and your putting in a word for the widows of nigerian cause please we have tried our best in trying to meet up with the specific picture you are asking for and we dont know how else to do it. but thank you for putting in a word for us all thesame. please send the desired specimen of the hand written letter and we will be more than greatful to send it to you with the necessary instuction on how to send it.
From: Father Vincent Price Dear Rev. Tokunbo, Thank you for your email and I am happy that you are in agreement to the final stage of this procedure. My apologies over the delay in these matters but I am afraid some things are out of my hands. Hopefully once your letter is received we can get this matter finalised very quickly. Anyway, please find below the exact text that I suggest you write. I have worded it in such a way that it will appeal greatly to the six members of the Donation Committee. Please be certain to make sure the scan is very large and very clear. I do not want to have the Donation Committee refuse your letter if it is not clear. Blessings. Father Vincent Price. [TEXT ATTACHED]
[Does Tokunbo smell a rat?] Date: Wed, 12 Nov 2003 12:11:50 +0000 (GMT) FATHER VINCENT, soory i can not come down to that level because of that money it is not for my private use so after consultations with my fellow members we have decided that the whole thing just does 'nt make sense. if you want to donate to a worthy cause you can donate if you dont want to you can forget about it.
[Father Price doesn't take any crap. I introduce another lad, always a good idea when things are coming unstuck] From: Father Vincent Price Dear Rev. No problem. Thank you for your email and I am sorry that we cannot seem to help you. I shall advise the Donation Committee that you no longer require the donation. [Now comes a kick in the balls!] Your email has come at a fortuitous time as only this morning we have received a cry for help from THE DAVID'S HARP FOUNDATION also in Nigeria who are in desperate need of funds for books and teaching materials. We shall forward your refused donation payment to them once they have completed our procedure. I hope you find help somewhere else. Sincerely, Father Vincent Price.
[Tokunbo's gonna make damn sure the fake lad doesn't get his cash] Date: Thu, 13 Nov 2003 15:40:03 +0000 (GMT) hello father vincent, how are you today? we thank GOD for his mercies,after doing alot of brain storming with the board of trustees and considering this'' Blessed is the man that vows to help his fellow man, for he will indeed give his fellow man all that he deserves". we decided to send the text, so if you are okay with it you can send the $330 on ths name oduobi .d.tokunboh immediately. rev tokunboh [Tokunbo attaches his written letter of thanks]
[No prizes for people spotting my 4-1-9 clue in the letter!]
[I decided to make Tokunbo sweat for a couple of days, and didn't reply to his message above] Date: Sat, 15 Nov 2003 15:28:56 +0000 (GMT) dear father, i hope everything is well with you and the committe members please , why the sudden silence on this issue. sir me and my fellow members are very anxious to know what 's next. rev tokunboh
[What's this? Another guy representing the Widows of Nigeria? No, just me pretending to have had another contact!] From: Father Vincent Price Dear Rev. Tokunboh, My apologies over the late reply but I must tell you there has been some disturbing news. Three days ago, the church received an email from a Dr. David Mbeke, claiming to be a representative of The Widows In Nigeria asking for a donation ( [email protected] ) Of course, I was shocked to receive such an email and so as I have done with you, I asked him to provide proof of his identity by sending me a photograph of himself featuring Bread & Wine. Today a photograph has arrived (I have attached a copy for you) and I have to say that I am very confused because the image seems to me to me genuine. Do you have other people besides yourself working for the Widows In Nigeria Rev. Tokunboh? I have also attached the email which he sent to me. Please explain what is going on? Sincerely, Father Vincent Price. [I attach a copy of the picture from my David's Harp bait]
Date: Mon, 17 Nov 2003 11:27:20 +0000 (GMT) dear sir, thank you very much for your email , i am not surprised to find out that there is another organisation in nigeria that has thesame ideals and goals we have in our organisation. dear sir i must refer you back to my very first proposal to you when i highlighted the problems widows are facing in nigeria and other african contries, it is a general y surprised to find out there is another foundation sharing our name. so sir, i implore you to try as much as possible in the name of GOD to donate whatever you want to donate to us even if it is not up to the initial $274.330 we initially agreed upon , you can share the money in between the two of us. [Amazing - A scammer willing to share his loot?!]
GOD bless you as i await your favourable response. rev tokunboh
From: Father Vincent Price Dear Rev. Tokunboh, I'm afraid that it is impossible to share this payment between two organisations, the United Kingdom charities law (section 4, paragraph 7) forbids this. I have spoken to the Donation Committee and they have decided that the organisation which has the MOST number of employees working for the good cause of the Widows of Nigeria will be awarded the payment without further delay (or course some proof of this may be required). I have spoken to the other gentlemen (Dr. David Mbeke) and explained to him that we will give the money to the organisation who employs the most workers. Dr. David Mbeke tells me that in his organisation there are 17 (seventeen) officers working in his organisation. Rev. Tokunboh, do you have this many or more people working within your organisation? If you do have more (and can prove this fact to me) then I am very happy to send the money to you immediately. Please get back to me very urgently on this matter as the Donation Committee are very eager to finalise this payment very quickly. Blessings, Father Vincent Price.
[Surprise surprise, Tokunbo tell me he has even more workers] Date: Wed, 19 Nov 2003 07:11:04 +0000 (GMT) dear father vincent thank you very much rev for your prompt response actually we have about 20 workers working for us here amd(some volunteer workers too) but i dont know how to prove it to you. rev tokunboh
From: Father Vincent Price Dear Rev. Well you would certainly qualify for the donation in that case, however, there has to be some way for you to prove that you have so many workers/members. Are you able to get a photograph of them all together? If so, please let me know. Of course there will have to be some way that you can prove the people that are in the photograph are actually members, perhaps they could hold some kind of evidence. Get back to be ASAP if you can get the photograph taken and I will discuss today with the committee how show proof that your photograph shows workers. It would be good if you could do this because we are needing to get the payment sent as soon as possible. All the committee members take the Christmas break on the 27th of November, so if we could get things completed by then it would save a long wait until after Christmas. Blessings, Father Vincent Price.
[Tokunboh worries about the cost] Date: Wed, 19 Nov 2003 19:48:24 +0000 (GMT) thank you very much father vincent for your mail , but i don't know the nature of the photogragh all i want you to ubnderstand is that we will not be able to afford wines and breads. rev tokunboh
[I set his mind at ease a little] From: Father Vincent Price Dear Rev. Tokunboh, Yes, I fully understand your situation, and I have explained that to buy 20 bottles of wine and 20 loaves of bread will be expensive for you. The donation committee have asked me to ask you if you would be able to get a photograph of all your members each holding a sign with a password phrase on it? If this can be done, please return your email to me as soon as possible and I will speak with my boss to suggest a suitable password phrase. I hope that we can agree on this very urgently Rev. as we really need to get this donation sent to the right person ASAP. Bless you, Father Vincent Price.
[You can almost smell the frustration] Date: Thu, 20 Nov 2003 07:44:08 +0000 (GMT) hello father vincent, how are you today? please if you are really serious about giving us this donation let us know immediately. you know you have giving us a donation number already. and i told you you we have so many projects on hand. just tell us how you want the photograph taken. rev tokunboh
[I set his mind at ease a little] From: Father Vincent Price Dear Rev. Please gather all your workers together. We need EVERY one of the real workers to hold a sign with a password phrase. To ensure no possibility of forgery we require that each individual worker hold a sign with a different password, which when photographed with spell out the name of our church and a message. As you have 20 workers, I have written the following which is 20 words long. Please ask each worker to make a CLEAR sign with one of the words: [A 20 word message is needed!] DEAR CHURCH OF THE BREAD AND WINE COMMITTEE MEMBERS HERE IS A PHOTOGRAPH OF ALL THE DOPEY WORKERS IN NIGERIA As explained above, give each of your 20 workers a sign with ONE of the words above, so that when they are all standing together holding their signs it makes the sentence above. If you find that you have some extra workers, this will be very encouraging. Give any extra workers a sign which reads, "I AM A SPARE". Rev. Tokunboh, it is EXTREMELY IMPORTANT that this photograph is VERY LARGE and VERY CLEAR. I am hoping that this will be the final thing that will be needed so that we can send you the payment VERY URGENTLY. Please do not cause any delay by sending a BAD photograph. If the photograph is too small to see each individual worker and sign, we will not be able to accept it. If you do not understand fully what we require above, please let me know and I will try to explain more clearly. I wish you well Rev. and please let me know when you will be able
to send Blessings, Father Vincent Price.
[There's been no reply for tokunbo for a few days now, so perhaps a reminder is in order?] From: Father Vincent Price Dear Mr. Tokunbo, Am I to assume that due to your lack of reply that you are no longer interested in the Donation? Please let me know ASAP because if you do not want it I shall forward the payment to Dr. David Mbeke. God bless. Father Vincent Price.
[A reply at last!] Date: Thu, 27 Nov 2003 11:19:12 +0000 (GMT) dear sir , thank you very much for taking out your time to mail us that means that you still very much have us in mind to give us this donation. sir we have men and women of dignity in the society THAT ARE INVOLVED IN THIS ORGANIZATION that has made up there minds and heart to follow a just cause and we have concluded that it will be too demeaning for them to carry such placards. so sir if you are still interested in giving us this money please do in the name of GOD. REV TOKUNBOH
[Looks like the game is at an end. I try one last attempt] From: Father Vincent Price Dear Reverend Tokunboh, Thank you for your email. I am sorry that you have decided not to proceed with this donation procedure. I have no choice but to contact Dr. David Mbeke and award the full payment to him. I shall wait 24 hours just in case you change your mind. If I do not have a positive response from you by midday tomorrow (Friday 28 November) then I shall contact Dr. David Mbeke and ask him for the payment instructions. I wish you well for the future, and I am sorry we can not seem to help you. Sincerely, Father Vincent Price.
[Tokunbo signs off sarcastically] Date: Thu, 27 Nov 2003 10:44:27 -0800 (PST) THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR WASTING OUR TIME AND MONEY I WISH YOU AND DR MBEKE GOOD LUCK
[Time to own up!] Dear Rev. Tokunboh, I am not a preacher, not a father, not a reverend. I am what you might call a scam-baiter. You see, from your very first email I was aware that you were a thief, a scammer, and a liar. I am sure that Tokunboh is not your real name, but that does not matter. Perhaps the two pictures you sent with a loaf of bread on your head and milk to your mouth was not you. Maybe you paid some poor fool to pose for you. That does not really matter to me to me. I made you waste your time and energy to do all this for me. WHAT KIND OF IDIOT POSES WITH A LOAF OF BREAD ON HIS HEAD?! [I never got a reply from the Rev. Not surprising really!]
END.
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