Scam Emails

I don't know what I've done to receive e-mails from the rather grandly named Liliane E Bettancourt, but they're a scam obviously by some crooks from Nigeria apparently.

The email, as they all do, says that these lovely people want to send you a sizeable chuck of the Bettancourt estate and they even provide a handy web link so that you can see for yourself that Liliane is a real, fabulously wealthy person and founder of the L'Oréal cosmetic company so they say.

But the trading standards people are on to the scammers and here's an example of their advice:  

Scam Email using Liliane Bettencourt’s name

APRIL 2, 2014 61 COMMENTS

The following email has been reported to us.  The scam email is an advance fee fraud, also known as a “419″ scam, and is a type of fraud dominated by criminals from Nigeria and other countries in Africa. Victims of the scam are promised a large amount of money, such as a lottery prize, inheritance, money sitting in some bank account, etc.

Victims never receive this non-existent fortune but are tricked into sending their money to the criminals, who remain anonymous. They hide their real identity and location by using fake names and fake postal addresses as well as communicating via anonymous free email accounts and mobile phones.

In this version of the scam, the fraudsters are using Liliane Bettencourt’s name.

Liliane Bettencourt is one of the worlds richest women, the biggest shareholder in L’Oréal and one of biggest individual shareholder in Nestle.

From: Hubbard, Shawna A [mailto:Shawna.Hubbard@Mercy.Net]
Sent: 01 April 2014 14:09
Subject: Contact me on my private email now: lilianeb@forotrabajo.es

Hello,
I, Liliane authenticate this email. You can read about me on: fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liliane_Bettencourt I intend to give to you a portion of my Net-worth which I have been banking. Respond for confirmation.

With love,
Liliane Bettencourt

Protect yourself from these letter frauds

• The first question to ask yourself is “why me?” This person doesn’t know you and has no reason to trust you. The best way to deal with an e-mail like this is to delete it straight away.
• Governments and large corporations do not transfer money through another person’s bank account. Any suggestion that they do so is a reliable indication that you have been approached by fraudsters.
• Letters and documents sent by fraudsters are usually badly written. Look out for spelling mistakes and poor grammar.
• If a deal seems to be too good to be true, then it probably is.
• Beware of being told you must act quickly or you’ll miss out on this ‘one-time deal’.
• Never send your bank or personal details. If you have done, contact your bank immediately to stop money being withdrawn and sent overseas.
• Never send any money.
• Never, under any circumstances, travel anywhere in response to one of these scams. You won’t see your money again, and you could put yourself in physical danger.

If you receive something that you think may be a scam, please report it to Citizens Advice Consumer Service on 08454 040506.

I read some funny responses to the Bettancourt email on the internet in which the intended victims write back and engage the scammers in all kinds of nonsense, but unless you got lots of spare time on your hands the best bet is to hit the delete button.