I know how generous and accommodating funeral directors are, and now, apparently, African scam artists do as well.
I just received this email:
Hello Dear,
My name is Randal Lane, Could you please quote me as per what it would cost to repatriate my late loved brother from Africa back to Country?
His remains is currently in Hometown Mortuary, located at western part of Africa Nigeria (Lagos Island) His name is John Thuan, the mortuary’s phone # is (234-8088855440) and the mortuary’s email address is (hometown.mortuary@hotmail.com)
Could you please make the arrangement as fast as possible.
Best regard,
Randal Lane Thuan
This is almost an exact replication of the “I want to buy your product” scam letter that’s been hitting various businesses. Of course, this one makes a much bigger impact, because there seems to be no request for money or bank account information.
But be warned, email and fax scammers like this have evolved tactics. The old “we’ve got $10,000,000 US” fax and email stopped working because people were informed about it. This is more deceitful and more likely to cause you issues.
Consider, if you call this person (a very expensive, long distance call) or converse by email, what assurances do you have that you’re speaking with a funeral director or that there is even a body to be shipped?
Most likely, the “funeral director” will require you to pay certain fees for the family of the deceased or pay “embassy fees” at the airport when you pick up the “body.” Will it be a real casket, or just a casket shaped box with some rocks in it?
Odds are, the charade will not go on that long, since the scammers want to make the most money possible in the shortest time.
By now, one of you readers has asked yourself, “But what if it’s legitimate?”
That’s a valid point. So let’s consider the facts:
- The letter writer has an email address of randal.lane@hotmail.com. Hotmail is a free email account service, which scammers use to mask their true identity.
- I received the email twice, coming two minutes apart. This suggests that someone was sending out multiple requests and either forgot that I’d already been contacted or that my email address was duplicated in the scammers database.
- The email starts “Hello Dear”, the same way most of the other scam emails from Nigeria begin. I doubt that Randal thinks I’m his “dear.”
- The mortuary email address (hometown.mortuary@hotmail.com) is formatted just like the address for the sender. Plus, it’s a Hotmail account, same as the sender.
- The writer did not make contact by phone.
- The writer doesn’t say where he is or where in the U.S. the body should go.
Don’t be fooled by the fact that a funeral-related request was sent to your email address. If you’ve ever published your address on a website that deals with funeral service, or if you have a website for your funeral home that lists an email address, you have already given scammers your address.
Sophisticated computer programs can scour the Internet, looking for industry sites and any email addresses that may be posted and then sends the email immediately.
How do I know that this has happened here? I don’t run a funeral home any longer and the email came to my address that I only use for the Final Embrace blog.
October 5, 2007 at 12:38 pm
The best thing to do when you receive a scam email, as we all do daily, is to file a complaint with the FBI at http://www.ic3.gov. They will take the appropriate follow up steps.
Robin Richter
Creative Memories
http://www.mycmsite.com/robinrichter
October 6, 2007 at 6:32 am
very sneeky….
looks like these scammers are trying a new trick
i always check my emails at
http://www.scamemail.co.uk
brian
October 6, 2007 at 8:03 pm
I got hit with a variation of this scam. I am a funeral director in Oregon, and last night I received a ip relay call from someone claiming to be a Jehovah’s Witness missionary in Legos, Nigeria.
FYI a ip relay service is used by the deaf and mute to communicate with friends and businesses that don’t have TTY equipment. The caller types into a computer, and an operator reads out loud the message to the receiver.
He said his name was “Michael Moore”, and his wife’s name is Arlene Moore.
He said that his wife had died September 4, and that the casket and death certificates where all taken care of.
He said that he was from the same town as my funeral home and that he wanted me to find a cemetery for his wife. This made me very suspicious, since I am in a small town, and anyone from here would be very familiar with the only cemetery nearby.
When I asked for contact info for the funeral home in Nigeria, he said, “Yes, yes I will give you the postals for them so you can make arrangements.” This person suppled an e-mail address for both him and the funeral home, and both where @yahoo.com He was reluctant to give me a phone number for the funeral home, but after I insisted he provided one.
He wanted me to arrange with the funeral home in Nigeria to have his wife’s “Corpse” as he put it, transported to the nearest airport, and he asked me where the closest airport would be. Again, anyone from around this area would know that the closest international airport is in Portland. He wanted to pay for all this over the phone with a credit card.(Presumably another ip relay)
You know, what would happen if you actually where a missionary in Nigeria and your wife died, AND you where deaf/mute?
October 10, 2007 at 11:07 pm
I own an ecommerce company that sells funeral and cemetery merchandise from our website, and we have received countless emails requesting ‘assistance’ in the transportation of a deceased person from the African region. The very tone of these emails is a dead giveaway that it is leading up to some kind of scam. – I just delete them.
Additionally, we have received many ip relay phone calls and attempted purchases that request shipping to Nigeria. Almost always they are requesting multiple quantities of our 14kt gold cremation jewelry products. – I never accept ip relay phone calls anymore.
This has led me to add some text to our ‘Contact us’ page that in effect says we do not deliver to Nigeria or any other international destination.
But, still they come as persistence is their key to finally finding a sucker I guess.
October 11, 2007 at 1:32 pm
Wonderful information. I forwarded this blog post to my brother who is a funeral director with a web site.
Thanks for giving everyone a “heads up.”
October 16, 2007 at 3:07 pm
They are still out there fishing. I was called yesterday and enjoyed throwing them back a little cranial intercourse. They called back again but to no avail.
February 26, 2008 at 4:57 pm
I too have been contacted by phone and by fax by Mr. Michael Moore, regarding his deceased wife Arlene Helen Moore. They are operating under the auspices of being hearing impaired and are using a relay service. It took me a while to ralize this was a scam, they are so convincing. Beware!
May 7, 2008 at 2:25 pm
Well, they are still at it, I believe. I am a Funeral Director in SC who specializes in repatriation to other countries. I received an email from a “son” working in Africa whose mother is deceased in London, England (took me several emails and a phone call to determine that we were talking about England instead of Canada). He wants me to arrange with the funeral home in England and the funeral home in the U.S. for the repatriation of his mother and burial of her remains in a local cemetery in Minnesota. I was dooped for about a week and have corresponded with both the son, funeral assistant in England and funeral home in Minnesota but, luckily, I had enough sense to correspond through email primarily and found that the responses to questions I asked the “funeral assistant” in London were fishy. Not your typical funeral home lingo that most funeral directors would use. The son is named Sani Yakubu. The funeral home in England is Donsite Funeral Home and the funeral assistant only addresses himself as “Ben”. I have spoken to Ben by phone on 2 occasions. Both times I got the feeling that it was a mobile number and when I asked him if he was a born and bred Brit, he responded “yes! yes! of course” but I have had enough dealings with the English to be suspicious of his “british” accent. Was not at all convincing. Needless to say, my husband did some internet searching when I got suspicious and we have now been enlightened. By the way, in the midst of all of this, I was contacted by Greg Scott as well whose uncle passed away in Nigeria and needs to be repatriated to the U.S. I’m not sure, but the letter is almost exact in wording from the first letter I received from Sani Yakubu. The hard part is knowing a scam from the real thing. I do this for a living so I was on the hook longer than most. No money has exchanged hands and I did call the FBI. The lady I spoke to in the local office was no help, by the way. She didn’t let me finish my sentence but determined that this was a scam w/o knowing the details. Obviously, bored with the whole thing already. I think I’ll just have a little fun w/ Sani and Greg a little longer. As one of the above responses put it, a little “cranial intercourse”. Good luck and yes…….BEWARE!
October 9, 2008 at 6:29 am
Thank you very much for posting this warning!
Our company just recieved a fraud letter from a “Jeff Morinson” who wanted to have his father repatriated to Sweden. The body was in a Nigerian Morgue - Partlifemortuary@yahoo.com. The problem is, it
was no repatriation, since the late mr. Morinson - who in the beginning was referred to as “my uncle” by Jeff, who ought to know the difference between his father and an uncle - were not Swedish. They had been here in the 1970:ies. Jeff says he resides in LA…
The e-mail letters exchanged showed that Jeff had no knowledge of Swedish geography, and was a copy of the one posted on your site. I said we accepted NO economical responsibilities, and now I simply told him the Swedish police said the “repatriation” was impossible. BEWARE of these letters! And - once again, thank you for keeping an eye open…/HB Dept of Pathology.
October 9, 2008 at 6:34 am
After reading more about the other scams, I must add that there is a serious risk that an unsuspecting and well-meaning funeral director might help transport a murder victim out of Africa. At the best, it is “a box full of rocks” - it is far worse if it is a dead body, since it is likely to have been stolen or simply is a person they want to get rid of. /HB
October 14, 2008 at 5:24 pm
Thanks for the warning. I have had conversation with Jeff Morinson as well. He said that it was his father that he wanted brought back to Indiana. However, he did not know how to spell his fathers last name, or the area in which we are located.
I have been intentionally sorting through all the information that he gave me trying to decide if this was a scam.
When reschearching the phone of the funeral home that he gave me, I found it to be a boogas number.
Be aware of Jeff Morinson.
October 17, 2008 at 1:12 pm
got three calls this morning via ip relay, Larry Smith wants to get the body of Ken Brown out of Nigeria to be buried in my town. Total scam. phone number given was 480-554-2347, nigerian number was +2348075344219
email given is allshesacares@yahoo.com
October 20, 2008 at 11:47 pm
Well, glad I could help in some way.
Jeff Morinsons little scam ended like this; when he thought everything was clear and we would go ahead, he replied that “not found you, my father would be dumped somewhere in africa, i want nice flowers and also catholic priest”…I replied that FIRST we needed Jeff’s full biodata, and that police regulations (!) stipulated that we needed every piece of information about him and his father before we could proceed. A moment of silence, and then I said: “Frankly your fraud wasn’t very good…” to which he replied: “wiseone. goodluckdem ass”.
Now, the interesting part is that the “Partlife mortuary” in Lagos that I believe is either Jeff or at least involved in the scam, said they were victims of the same scam. Jeff had instructed them to take the money I’d send for the repatriation through KLM and transfer it all to Jeff. Then he would pay KLM. I don’t believe in mr “Segun” at Partlife, but he declared he “am no part of him (Jeff)” and told me to alert other funeral directors of mr Morinsons activities.
Thus, my advice is to dismiss both Morinson and Partlife mortuary! Stay safe! Yrs truly, Hans B/Anapath International.
October 22, 2008 at 3:35 pm
We have been having this same type of issue with our trade business. On 2 occasions we received a phone call on the trade service line which only deals with funeral home, not the general public. the calls were from ATT&T teletype relay. These two calls were from Ralph Green wanting help burying his wife, but they came 2 weeks apart. I was suspicious the second time he called with the same name and his wife had died. Poor woman died weeks ago. But everytime I inquired about where she was he hung up. Then today I got 2 calls from Ira Walker wanting to making arrangements for his father who was at Best Care mortuary in Nigeria. After he gave teh number and asked for me confirm the number he hung up.
October 23, 2008 at 11:28 am
I can inform you that “Ken Brown” is identical with “Joe Morinson”.
Same scam, same death certificate.
November 7, 2008 at 1:23 pm
We received ATT&T teletype relay. Joe Morrison has died one again! Want’s to be shipped to Roseville, California from Embony Memorial Park in Nigeria.
BE WARE!
November 13, 2008 at 2:18 pm
We were contacted through a relay with AT&T. The deceased (Joseph Morrison) was in Nigeria and they gave us a credit card that actually went through as payment to get their loved one to the US. We were supposed to turn around and wire the funds to their acct. We were suspicious and asked for further information. They went as far as emailing pics of themselves and Joe’s death certificate. The funeral home name given was Ebony Memorial Park. The funeral director’s name was Segun. The person calling through the relay service from LA. Beware.
November 25, 2008 at 3:31 am
…and “Mr. Murray” has a sensational money-offer for us, if we only arrange the repatriation of an unknown some-body! Wow… He wants us to move it to the USA, it seems. Funny thing to ask of a Swedish pathologist/body recovery manager.
“Segun” is the usual name of the Funeral Home or boss of the Morgue no matter where in Nigeria they are. I also have a nice “death certificate” of “Joe Morinson”. With stamps et al.
The bottom line still reads: all of these names, places etc are fake.
We must learn from this, and never, ever open their mail, never respond and avoid all sorts of conversation with these gangsters.
I no longer think they are harmless - their attitude has grown rather aggressive, and they all have contacts in our home countries. Stay safe! Yrs truly, HB.