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A classic email scam, purporting that there is an outstanding inheritance to be claimed.

Below is the content of the email.

Reply-To: stevejohnson2001088@yahoo.co.uk

Palmer Commercial Finance Ltd

46, Alfred Close,

Totton Southampton,

SO40 8TD.London,

London-U.k

Attention: Sir/ Madam.

My name is Mr.STEVE JOHNSON, the Director of Palmer Commercial Finance Ltd London. I am writing in respect of a foreign customer of our bank with account number 14-255-114 whose name is Late Mr. Morris Thompson, an american by citizen who perished in a plane crash of Alaska Airlines Flight 261 which crashed on January 31 2000, including his wife and only daughter.You shall read more about the crash on visiting this site which I got during my investigation;

http://www.cnn.com/2000/US/02/01/alaska.airlines.list

Since the demise of this our customer, I personally has watched with keen interest to see the next of kin but all has proved abortive as no one has come to claim his funds of US$9.M (Nine Million,United States Dollars). which has been with our London branch for a very long time. On this note, I decided to seek for whom his name shall be used as the Next of Kin as no one has come up to be the next of kin. And the banking ethics here does not allow such money to stay more than Ten Years, because the money will be recalled to the bank treasury as unclaimed fund after this period.

NOTE: This is a legitimate transaction without government interference

with interest in companies with potentials for rapid growth in long terms investments. our is interested in placing our money fund in your country if your country`s by-laws allows foreign investment,then 10% has been maped out to donate to the motherless baby home,in view of this, Please send to me Your details informations such as Full Name and Address,Your Mobile Number, Your Account Beneficiary,

Yours Sincerely,

Mr.STEVE JOHNSON.

PALMER COMMERCIAL FINANCE LTD.

LONDON, (DIRECTOR)

###

This scammer has made a number of fundamental mistakes that show this email as a fraud:

1. The business address stated is almost correct for the company name used (the company is unlikely part of this fraud, its just used to make the scam look legitimate), but for some reason the scammer added “London,London-U.k” to the end. No business is going to add an arbitary city to their address.
2. A commercial finance house is unlikely to deal with personal inheritance funds.
3. If I had been tracked down as a beneficiary of an inheritance, I would expect they would know my name and not address me as Sir/ Madam (in fact if this was real they would send it by snail mail).
4. Poor grammar.
5. Use of a link to a item on a news website. We know planes crash but what is reported in the news doesn’t mean I am entitled to someone’s money!

So what is this criminal after? Most likely if you were to contact them, they would ask for money to release the “funds” to you. Its just another advance fee scam. If you recieve this (or any similiar emails), delete it and get on with your day

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