Inheritance Scam Spam

So, the Inheritance Scam E-mail is unlike most other spam in that, when you write it, you don't pressure and guilt your audience into forwarding it to everyone. You want your audience to think that she or he alone has received this rather remarkable offer. Your goal in this E-mail is not to bounce your E-mail around the globe forever; instead the purpose is to get the recipients of the message to give you money, and lots of it.

To get your reader to give you money, you need to convince her or him that you, in fact, want to give him or her a lot of money. Convince your reader that you are linked to an important person, someone she or he may have heard of in the news. Be sure, however, that your own invented identity is not someone she or he would be familiar with. Your scheme for how to actually get the money from the poor sap is up to you (arrange a meeting in Amsterdam; send a fake money order, etc.); the purpose of this communication is to teach you how to hook your readers and convince them to take the next step, whatever that might be.

Here are some tips:
Always originate your story in another country. Americans often assume that their country is the only stable one and will therefore not be surprised when you write that recently, when the Brazilian (or Ugandan, German, Chinese, Australian, etc.) government collapsed, you escaped with millions of dollars.

Come up with any reason why you need this person's help in liquidating the money. It doesn't need to be a rational reason. Make something up.

Instead of just writing $ or "dollars" when discussing the money, always refer to it as U.S. Dollars or USD. This will demonstrate that you are an international, metropolitan person, someone people can trust.

Make lots of grammatical, spelling, and wording errors. This will make your audience connect with you, will make them think, "Gee whiz, this is someone I could go bowling with, someone I could drink a beer with." Americans value feeling this way about people and will believe you if you awaken such emotions in them.

Lastly, address your E-mail so that it sounds as if it was sent specifically to this one recipient so that the recipient thinks he or she has been specially chosen for this important task; also, include as your contact E-mail address one that includes the name of organization you are claiming to represent, but has as its domain name some common E-mail service (example: OfficialDeutcheBankRepresentative@hotmail.com).

So, here is a brief example. As always, feel free to expand on this. Oh, and 12% of all US Dollars made using this method will need to be sent to me.


Dear Sur/Mam,

Allow me introduce myself. I am Honorable Hanz Werner Magnus from Norway, and am need your help. Recently my oder brother, Crown Prince Haakon of the Emaculate Kingdom Norway, tried cheat me out my inheritence. A snivelly thing this was to do to me and so there for I took my inheritence and sneaked out of the country by way of Sweden.

This inheritance is 47 million US Dollars. I can assure you that I have always said money on my person always. As an onorable member of the royal famly I am embarrased to have to ask such a thing of you, but I need help getting said USD into a useable state. You see, I am hiding in barn in Sweden. Luckily, no one has recognized me. No one knew about me because every person talked only on my brother, not me, so I can remain hidden.

I am willing to offer you, kind sir/Madam (and I make this offer to no one else; I have been told you are unique and trustworthy), 25% of my 42 million USD if you will help me get to the U.S.A. where I will be safe from my brother. Here is what you have to do. Send me 10 thousand USD so that I can come by a plain ticket and a fake passport. As a measure of my good will toward you, I will immediately, upone receive your 10 thousand USD, send you a real money order for 12 thousand USD. When I get to the U.SA, I will give you the remainder of promised 25% of my ineritance: 37 million USD.

Please hurry. I need help. My brother soon will discovery my were bouts. You will be richly rewarded. Send me the 10 thousand USD soon before I am caught and you will be rich man/woman.

Contact me very soon at my email address: OfficialPrinceNorway@gmail.com.

Many cind thanks,

The Onorable Prince Werner--Norway.



Remember to be kind yet firm, approachable yet authoritative, vulnerable but not pitiful. But above all, be convincing!