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SCAM alert for real estate agents

I received an email, slightly off my business field. By starting with “Hello Mr. Steven Mak”, I though that he may have sent emails to another person previously then he copy-paste forgetting to change name. Scammers never address by names. Scammers send mass mails with empty TO: field, his email had at TO: my Yahoo email address. So I replied. His 3rd email looked suspicious as he used word TRUST excessively, and bad english, and at 4th email he said that will give me 20% of his 22 million dollars, I realized that is a SCAM. Most likely he was going to ask me to open a bank account in his country to wire the promised funds, but ask several fees in advance.

This reminds me of another suspicious email, which most likely was a serious buyer but the way he addressed me sounded a SCAM and I replied wrongly.

His email: [email protected]
Date: 10 October 2016


Scammer:

Hello Mr. Steven Mak,
My name is David Bellavia, a retired commander in US Army, I am interested in investing in property in Hong Kong. Please i need a response from you to know how to go about the process, i look forward to hear from you asap.
Regards,
David Bellavia.

 


Me:

I have some knowledge about Hong Kong housing… let me know how I can help?

 


Scammer:

Yes,,, great to hear that, and to hear back from you. I am interested in investing in real estate property business in Hong Kong, If you may give me a call, and we can get down the ideas and were to start from. My home phone number in Florida United State is: +1 (305) 320 – 2537
I will be expecting your call.
Regards
David Bellavia

 


Me:

I am not good in talking via phone, but if you want a live communication visit my website and click the LIVE CHAT bar in lower-left corner.
BTW, I am not agent but researcher and architectural designer so I don’t sell properties but I can help you with advices regarding Hong Kong properties.

 


Scammer:

That is fine as long as we can still communicate in writing so it is fine by me, because i need someone i can trust and reliable. As a researcher and an achitect in proffesion must be someone i can relly and trust doing business with. In that case, i will send you an e mail where by explaines it all and i believe we can do business together and in the near furture, if i can really trust you and as an achitect, you can help me secure some properties in Hong Kong, so you tell me what we can do and if you are really a serious business man, then let’s work. Please send me your full name and contact cell phone and your land phone, i know you said you’r not good on phone speaking English i guess, but that does not restarin us from working together. I will just need the phone number just in case and record purpose. I will be expecting your reply so i will send you an email that explaines how and all i want to do with the funds by investing in Hong Kong real estate business.
Regards.

 


Me:

Send me that email explaining in detail… I just don’t want to make phone number public. Work together? I will get any reward? so far I was providing consultation for FREE to visitors of my website.

 


Scammer:

Thank Teo,
I am an American Iraq war veteran, but presently retired from the Army and now into politics in the Western New York State. You might be surprise why have i contacted you and how. I got your email through your work place website as I was furiously searching for a trust broker or a financial manager outside the states, as i am sure this is a business opportunity for both of us. Some years back when i was in Iraq in the war, me and my co team went for a special operation in north of Bagdad to kill a foremost Islamist Militant who’s name is (Abu Musab al-Zarqawi). After the mission was successful, We later went for a mop up of the area where the terrorist where killed during the course of the operation, I went to a room and i discover that there was a wooden box hidden by a corner, so we broke it and when it opened, it was a huge sum of money, in US Dollars and I made sure i kept the box safe buried under the ground where no one could ever find it . All this happened 9 years ago,
I was able to transfer the money into the country here in the United states in January, but my financial broker and lawyer has advised me that I have to move the whole funds out of the United States, as my present political personality in the country and I am presently in Hillary Clintons Campaign team, as the pressure of Donald Trumps is threatening taxation. Last week we finally conclude with my lawyer and banker in charge of the funds, I told him to help me find a broker or someone we can trust outside the country but close by who I we can transfer the money to his or her name and he agreed and introduce someone to me in Belize, but been greedy and demanded an unbearable slice of percentage, and she said reason is, she maintained and run the account under a company name and she has inform her contact in the bank here in Belize, so I disagreed so I’m writing to you if your service can be of assistance in where to move the funds to asap. I need you to help me receive this funds in your name, as my plan with the whole money at this point, is to invest it all in buying properties abroad. I am assuring you it won’t be a problem by accepting my offer, all I need is you agreeing to help me move the funds to your account and we can finalize this transaction successfully.
The money I’m talking about is ( $ 22,000,000.00) Twenty Two Million Dollars, but $ 21.000.000 will be transferred in your name to your account, as I’m compensating my lawyer and the broker the sum of $ 1.000.000.00 usd One Million Dollars. If you agree to help me through moving the funds, I’m willing to give 20% of the total funds . I am sure you understand everything better as i await for your prompt response

Sincerely,
David Bellavia.

 


Me:

“I’m willing to give 20% of the total funds ” = GO FUCK YOURSELF nigerian scammer!

The way you addressed me looked suspicious from start, guess why? Because I am from Singapore and you asked about investing in Hong Kong. I was questioning if you have seen my website where I have 3 articles about Hong Kong and 20+ articles about Singapore, thus decided to email about Hong Kong, or is a coincidence as you found my email elsewhere. Also, the first row in your first email “Hello Mr. Steven Mak” = who the fuck is Steven Mak ?

11 comments

  1. Great post and probably something I have discovered through my own experience. Thankfully I received an email, slightly off my business field. By starting with “Hello Mr. Steven Mak”, I though that he may have sent emails to another person previously then he copy-paste forgetting to change name. Scammers never address by names. And there are plenty of outlets and forums where people are more than happy to engage in conversation about the subject.
    I think the resistance comes from the thought that people don’t engage with us socially to be sold to. but I think that’s untrue. When I like a brand on facebook, I expect (even anticipate) offers, special deals, and cool new products from the company.

  2. Whenever you ask for help from experts to write assignments, there is one thing you are sure to get, and that is the level of accuracy in what they do.

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