---
title: "Still collecting chain letters"
author: "Stan Voo"
url: https://www.99rabbits.com/blog/still-collecting-chain-letters
published: 2012-01-26
summary: "This time the scammers found me a dead namesake with $9.5 million sitting in a bank in Togo. If you googled your way here: yes, it's a scam."
---

# Still collecting chain letters

This time an email arrived in my work mailbox with an attached text file named after my surname. How they connect my work mailbox to my surname, I still can't figure out.

Here's the text:

> Hello / / From desk Johnson Ikemba.
>
> I am Mr. Johnson Ikemba., Bank headquartered in Lome Togo. Indicate your interest in receiving transfer (in US dollars 9,500.000.00) 9500000 dollars, on your account 50% for me and 50% for you.
>
> You will act as the next of kin of our late client Mr. Ruslan Parshin, whose account at present, I know you will be very surprised because we have never met before, but I made my intention to open for you the understanding that Mr. Ruslan Parshin, a client of our bank, who died several years ago together with wife and only daughter in a car crash, as a result of which the total sum (in US dollars 9.5Million USA) in a dormant account in the bank nobody leaving behind claim, but as internal auditor, and also the accounts of the deceased employee, I decided to do this work and invite you to the partner kachestveinostrannogo to represent the gap, as next of kin. Due to the fact that you have the same surname with the deceased, and the inheritance of our country allow us state funds as long as the family, I advise you to keep it as "top secret", as I am still in the service and intend to go into retirement from the service after conclusion of this deal with you, **Besides, it is very difficult to send messages to your email address (MAIL.RU).** I suggest you create a new email message directly to one of the email service providers below, to allow me to send you more detailed information about this project.
>
> [WWW.YAHOOMAIL.COM](http://WWW.YAHOOMAIL.COM) / /
>
> [WWW.GMAIL.COM](http://WWW.GMAIL.COM) / /
>
> [WWW.HOTMAIL.COM](http://WWW.HOTMAIL.COM) / /
>
> Contact me through my private email address ([johnsonikemba@yahoo.com](mailto:johnsonikemba@yahoo.com))
>
> with perfect respect
>
> Johnson Ikemba

I love these guys: they always cheer me up!

**If you landed here by googling part of this letter and you're wondering whether someone is trying to con you... You've come to the right place: yes, these are scammers!**

Nobody is going to just up and die and leave you a lot of money. Relax.

P.S. I was amused that they find it so hard to send letters to Mail.ru, the big Russian webmail service. Can't disagree there, and I also advise switching to Gmail :)