Copyright held by The John Cooke Fraud Report. Reprint rights are granted with attribution to The John Cooke Fraud Report with a link to this website.
By Susan E. Clarke
Staff Writer
The following letter came addressed to me. Not to occupant or resident, but directly to me, with full name and address, even down to the nine-digit zip code.
“IMPORTANT MESSAGE!” it fairly shouted, “THIS IS A MATTER OF THE UTMOST IMPORTANCE TO YOUR LIFE! This letter is PRIVATE and is not to be shown to ANYONE, even close friends or relatives!” (Is that because some of those close friends and relatives might try to talk me out of paying any attention to such an obvious scam?)
“You must not talk about this letter UNTIL AFTER YOU HAVE RECEIVED AT LEAST $14,000.00 (or the LARGE AMOUNT OF CASH that I feel is being CHANNELED into your LIFE/FORTUNE STREAM right now!)” (Or maybe until the twelfth of never, whichever comes first.)
“I beg you not to tell ANYONE about this letter, so as not to disturb that intricate flow of events that may be about to occur in your life.” (Intricate flow of events you say? Such as having my identity stolen, my credit rating ruined, my checking account emptied? Please tell me more!) “As soon as you finish reading this letter and discovering the AMAZING EVENTS that MAY BE ABOUT TO OCCUR, you MUST ANSWER ME IMMEDIATELY” (You mean before I have a chance to think about it, don’t you?)
“I have placed an envelope with my special seal” (oooohhh!! SPECIAL) “in this mailing. Inside the sealed envelope are six special words.” (Six special words? Let’s see, the word gullible comes to mind; or how about naive, innocent or simple-minded.) “I will tell you more about this later. You must not open the sealed envelope now, if you truly believe that I can help you to receive a VERY LARGE SUM OF MONEY.” (RIIIIPPPPP!!!)
“I want you to carefully read every word of this letter and then follow my instructions exactly. Only then may you break the seal on your personal life-fortune envelope and then do your part to make the Money Miracle happen for you.”
“Are we agreed? Wonderful! I believe that your life is about to change immensely for the better, very soon. (Very, very soon!)” (If I answer this, SOMEONE’S life will change for the better. But I seriously doubt that it will be mine. Hey those CAPS and underlines ARE kind of fun aren’t they!)
“Now I will explain why I have communicated with you.” (You mean it’s not just my charm and good looks?) “I am known to be in touch with great forces of destiny and predictive channels.” (Earth to Irene…) “I believe I have been energized with an enormously powerful secret message that applies to you.”
“This is the information I have for you: While I was channeling, I felt my entire being moving with forces that I could not explain.” (Could it have been greed, maybe??) “It was SO POWERFUL that I believe it to be the truest PREDICTIVE FORCE that I have ever experienced!”
“I instantly realized with STARTLING CLARITY that a good person, a VERY LUCKY PERSON, someone I have never met before, could receive a HUGE LUMP OF MONEY. This money could very well be $14,000.00 (that’s Fourteen THOUSAND dollars) and this money, I think, is coming FAST! Maybe as soon as a month, perhaps even in a few days. I have a deep-seated psychic impression to believe that this person just might be you.” (I’m getting a “deep-seated psychic impression” of my own about now.)
“I ask you to consider just what would happen if you did receive a very large amount of cash. Just imagine if it came to you next week, or a little later. Here are some very likely possibilities:
You might never have to work again!” (Never work again??? On $14,000.00? Get real!) “You could buy anything that you ever wanted or wished you could have. ANYTHING! Think of all the things you ever wished for! (Write them in the margin of this letter now, if you wish.)” (Everything I ever wanted??? If I fell for this scam, maybe I could buy a brain that works for my $14,000.00 (or more)!) “You would never be frightened about money again. YOU COULD HAVE PEACE OF MIND, FOREVER. (Money doesn’t frighten me. YOU frighten me. The thought that some poor SUCKER might actually believe this frightens me.) “You would have the confidence to play lotteries, bingo and other games that pay big money, and know that you had a powerful ally on your side.” (MAN-
OH-MAN! I just can’t wait to spend my enormous fortune of $14,000.00 (or more) on the lottery.) “You have a SECRET WORRY. It eats at your heart and your emotions. I will try to make that problem “go away.” (We both know that the only thing you will make “go away” is my money.)
“It would make me so happy if you received all the money I feel you should have.” (I’D be happier if you got EVERYTHING I feel YOU should have!) “If you do not act within five days, you may never find out about the $14,000.00 (or more), I see for you. Or the other great changes I see for you, or be able to CASH IN on the new good fortune I see for you!” (Or get to participate in the exciting world of ruined credit histories and identity fraud.)
PLEASE PAY CAREFUL ATTENTION
“I am going to ask that you NOW open the sealed envelope, and therein you will notice 6 words I have written there for you. I want you to PUT A CIRCLE around TWO WORDS that appeal to you the most. Don’t even think about it, just do it quickly.” (JUST DO IT! A new twist to financial fraud: fraud by sports slogan.)
“When I receive your circled words, I am going to interpret them with a numerological method that I feel certain will produce a special set of numbers for you. THESE NUMBERS WILL BE FOR YOU!” (Hot-diggity-dog! Just for me?) “You will be able to use them for lottery winning games, well, you will know what to do with them.” (I’d like to tell you what YOU can do with them.) “I feel they will help you get the GIANT REWARD that I feel is “right around the corner” for you!
“NOW, take a pen in your hand, open the envelope, and circle TWO WORDS ONLY. As you are breaking the seal, think about the money you wish to have.
“Answer the questions printed on the paper inside the sealed envelope, then return the paper in the courtesy envelope enclosed” (it’s not even a postage-paid envelope, you cheapskate), “and please be sure to include $20.00.” (Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy!! Now we are getting to the good part!) “This is for my time and efforts on your behalf. I will reply to you quickly, with your special numbers, and other information about exciting changes that I believe will occur for you.
“Please speak to no one about this!” (I’ve sent the same letter to everyone on your block and if you all found out, it might screw up my scam.) “Try not to discuss the special words with anyone. Act today (or within the next five days.) This is so important!” (I REALLY need your money.)
Especially yours,
Irene F. Hughes
Pretty bad, huh? But wait…there’s more.
Irene F. Hughes, whose letterhead lists her as an “Initiate of Golden Order of Wealth & Astrological Monetary Interpretation,” said I should not only be sure to circle two of the six words (FRIENDSHIP, LOVE, LUCK, HEALTH, MONEY, EDUCATION) on the enclosed note, I should also answer all of the questions. And what questions did Irene ask?
She asked for my phone number and if I liked to travel. Then she got to what I believe may have been the heart of the matter with the following list:
“I was born on: ___________________
My time of birth was: ______________
(If you do not know your time of birth, leave blank)
My city of birth was: _______________
My maiden name was: ______________
I believe I could get unexpected money:
( ) very strongly
( ) perhaps
( ) not at all
Signature:___________ Date: _______
( ) I have enclosed $20.00 payable to Irene Hughes in cash, check or money order, for the numbers and special information she will be sending me.
( ) I wish special RUSH processing. Here is $3.00 extra ($23.00 total)
The really sad thing about this is that there are people who will respond to such a mailing. It’s bad enough that some gullible people would send Irene the $20.00 fee she requested. Imagine what other havoc could be wrought with the requested information.
With this information, Irene now knows enough to obtain a birth certificate, which of course, contains other information, including the mother’s maiden name (commonly used for customer identification in bank records). The birth certificate can then be sold for use by others.
Irene also knows whether the person is a good prospect for further letters by the answer given to the last question. Those who strongly believe they will receive money are more likely to get a follow-up letter from Irene.
What Irene will probably get from me is a quick forwarding of her letter to the postal authorities.
© Copyright 1996 Alikim Media