Here is another email-based scam making the rounds. This one, like most email-borne scams of this nature have the same tell-tale signs that you can use to keep from being scammed.

The first giveaway which we always point out to our readers is the source of the email. Not only is it from someone we don’t know who is suddenly offering us millions of dollars for little effort, it comes from yet again another free email address. The free email address this time is from yahoo, and think about it, how many people with high positions in a bank use free email addresses from yahoo or google to conduct business? Right – none. Don’t be fooled.

Now for the content of the scam email – notice the improper use of capitalization, the attempt to make you feel at ease by the writer telling you of their ”family”, and the requisite use of God to try to make you feel good about giving up your personal details and money. A bank manager making a business deal with someone they don’t know, let alone never meet, would never mention their family as it has nothing to do with the business at hand, but here it is used as a wedge to gain your confidence. Don’t fall for it.

As with most foreign scams targeting North Americans this one also has poor grammar and sentences obviously formed by someone who has English as a second language. While the writer purports to be from Ghana and one would expect them to have sub-par English skills, don’t let that gain your confidence. Furthermore, read the actual text. Mrs Sylvalin Jack at first claims that as an officer of the bank she can’t have anything to do with the money being offered to you, yet she is the one contacting you, she is the one that will be the contact for the transaction, and she will receive a full 30% of the transaction! Hello! So which is it – she can or cannot have anything to do with the money!?

If you get the following email which is posted unedited or even something similar – it is a scam. If you already replied with your personal information you need to contact your bank and local police as soon as possible.

From: Mrs Sylvalin Jack
Standard Chartered Bank
Koforidua Branch

My Dear Good Friend,

My name is Mrs Sylvalin Jack I am the regional manager of Standard Chartered Bank Koforidua branch Ghana. I got your information on a recent bank conference with other West African countries held in Lome the capital city of Togo in West Africa. I write you this proposal in good faith; I am 42 years old married with two lovely kids.

I have packaged a financial transaction that will benefit you and I, as the regional manager of the Standard Chartered Bank it is my duty to send in a financial report to my head office in the capital city Accra at the end of each business year. On the course of the last year 2007 business report, I discovered that my branch in which I am the manager made Five million seven hundred and twenty thousand united state dollars($5,720,000.00) which my head office are not aware of and will never be aware of. I have placed this funds on what we call escrow call account with no beneficiary. As an officer of this bank I cannot be directly connected to this money, so my aim of contacting you is to assist me receive this money in your bank account and get 30% of the total funds as commission.

There are practically no risks involved, it will be a bank to bank transfer, and all I need from you is to stand claim as the original depositor of these funds who made the deposit with my branch so that my head office can order the transfer to your designated bank account.If you accept to work with me I will appreciate it very much.

Email me so that we can go over the details. Thank you in advance and May god bless you and your family.

Warm Regards,
Mrs Sylvalin Jack