Cash from Iraq

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Posted: Wed Sep 16, 2009 2:32 pm

This one was 5 days old when it died. It is not especially amusing, but maybe I can get some comments or tips from more experienced baiters. It is not my very very first bait but he was among the first couple of scams I replied to. It is the first one I publish.

B4rry Gr0ssm4n wants to ship a large amount of cash out of camp Fallujah Iraq. He seems under the impression that I live in the UK. My character (T0rva|ds Tur1ng) doesn't live anywhere yet, but if he had asked it would have become Marietta Georgia USA. (Oh .. right .. he did ask .. I mean: If he had insisted to the point where I would send something, whatever that point is.)
His initials mail came from Nigeria. Subsequent mails from gmail. B4rry belongs to my very first batch of replies.

The initial scam mail:

B4rry wrote:

My name is B4rry Gr0ssm4n, a Master Sgt. of The U.S. Army, deployed to Iraq in the beginning of the war in 2003.I would like to share some highly personal classified information about my personal experience and role
which I played in the pursuit of my career serving under the U.S ARMY which was at the fore-front of the war in Iraq. Though, I would like to hold back certain information for security reasons for now until you have
found time to visit the BBC website stated below to enable you have insight regarding what I intend to share with you, believing that it would be of your desired interest in one way or the other. Here is a BBC news listing that confirms what I share with you.

http://some link to some story on bbc co uk/

Also, could you get back to me having visited the above website to enable us discuss in a more vivid manner to the best of your understanding? I must say that I'm very uncomfortable sending this message to you without
knowing truly if you would misconstrue the importance and decide to go public. In this regards, I will not hold back to say that the essence of this letter is strictly for mutual benefit of you and I and nothing more. I will be more vivid and coherent in my next email in this regards.
Meanwhile, could you send me a mail confirming you have visited the site and understood my intentions? Standing by for your response.

B4rry Gr0ssm4n.

Right .. he wants to tell me somehting but only after I send an email back to him first. Ok.

My 1st reply:

I wrote:

Hiya Sarge Gr0ssm4n!
I had a hard time understanding what exactly youre trying to say. To me, the only thing that made real sense was about you being more coherent in further correspondence.
Hope you're doing well..
-T0rva|ds

Kept it short in case he doesn't read it.

He wants my info...:

B4rry wrote:

Dear Friend,

Thanks for your swift response, am indeed glad to have you responding to my previous email.I got your email from an internet directory and I was moved to write you and i can not send you my serial number but on special arrangement.Before we proceed, understand that this is a top secret between us and you have to consider the effort and sacrifice behind this and give me more assurance that you can really handle this great task ahead. We are planning to use a Red Cross officer to get those two trunks boxes across to you as you will know the best preferable place where to receive them.

This is the only way we can achieve this legally and successfully without any hitch. I assure you that the delivery through the Red Cross is 100% risk free and legal.Below are some further information about me. My name is B4rry Gr0ssm4n a widower with no child from the hospitality state (Mississippi), an army contractor attached to the US Military force in Iraq. I grew up in a motherless babies home back in Mississippi, with no parents nor relatives. Due to my childhood background and training, I picked interest in the force so as to serve my country in return of all the love, care and assistance they rendered to me while I was young.This prompted me to joined US Army to serve and protect the nation. Now I was called upon for this mission here in Iraq as I had explained to you.

Attached are the scanned copies of some photographs which I promised to show you in my last email to you.I will like to build more TRUST in you on the safe possibility of these trunk boxes before I will give you further details on what to do, so I request that you get back to me with a copy of your Identification and full contact information as stated below to enable me arrange with the Red
Cross Officer who will make the delivery to you.

1. Full Names, 2. Contact address , 3. Contact phone number including mobile, 4. An Identification of yours, 5. Occupation

Please keep this very confidential as it's a top secret among us even after the delivery of these trunk boxes to you.Remember we have no time to waste at all because here in the Falluja camp is getting unsafe every day.

Awaiting your swift response.

Best Regards,
B4rry Gr0ssm4n

He attached 2 pics of US soldiers and a 'Welcome to camp Falluja, Iraq' sign.
So he wants me to know that he is a sad case, that he wants my info and that 'we' must hurry.
I just want him to keep sending me emails...

I wrote:

Dear Capt. Gr0ssm4n,
Howre you doing? I hope youre in good condition! But from your photograph you seem to be a strong man.

That was quite a long email. Your idea sounds very intriguing. I would like to know more about the matter from your personal point of view. Your statement on the sacrifice and great task and effort was a bit unnerving. Not being familiar with such matters, I have no idea what to expect.

Of course I will keep our correspondence confidential at all times. Also, apologies for addressing you as 'sarge'. I was not aware you're a captain.

Kind regards,
T0rva|ds Tur1ng

Yeah .. explain more. I want multiple versions of every detail.

Still pretty much scripted:

B4rry wrote:

Dear T0rva|ds,
how are you ,i hope fine , i accept your apologies ,what i meant about my statement of sacrifice and great task and effort is that in this transaction is that your we must be very careful because my work is at risk if my cover is blown and anybody know about it ,i will attach a picture of the boxes and your informations will be need for the delivery of the boxes and you can now keep it with you till am out of here ,then will can now meet and share it ,and why i say it is a great task is because will be moving this money and it is cash and it is a big numbers we are talking about nad we be moving it from one location to another location ,so we need it very careful done because it will be delivered to you by my friend a red cross officer and his is not aware of it content because i told him that it my personal effect that i am sending to you,and he or nobody should know the content and he does not have the key combinations of the trunk ,so he cant open it i will give you the key combination of the trunk boxes if i confirm that you are in possession of the trunk boxes.
i await you response and your informations ,so it can be forwarded to my friend the red cross officer because he will soon be leaving to uk on a mission and i want him to carry the trunk along with him to uk because he will be using our military aircraft to uk and will be accompanied by some soliders and we he get to uk you will be contacted by him,so give your informations.
i await your response.

take care
B4rry Gr0ssm4n

Right .. so at least for you, this is not 100% risky free. But how about me? Of course I won't tell a soul (except you guys).

Thanks, please write more stuff...

I wrote:

Hi B4rry,

Thanks for your explanation. You can trust my complete confidentiality. Of course I understand how delicate your position is in this matter. I can only imagine the painful scandal if this gets out in the open. Especially for a man of your rank and standing.

I did not find any attachments with your mail. (Did you maybe forget to attach them? That happens to me all the time..) It'd be much appreciated if you could re-send them. Thanks.

I would be interested to hear your opinion on how and where to store the boxes. It could be more low-profile and less conspicuous not to use an official storage facility. I have an idea for that but I have to check it out before I can say more about it. Also, please explain about the proceedings for the personnel when the arrive in the UK. I must admit that I am not very familiar with military protocol.
Hope to hear from you soon.

Kind regards,
T0rva|ds Tur1ng

B4rry wrote:

Dear T0rva|ds,
how are you and your family,it good to hear from you,i am happy to hear that our secret is safe with you and you are also making arrangement for the trunk boxes to be safe with you and i can also tell you that you can keep the money in your personal bank account ,it is ok with me and if you have another arrangement you can also let me ,i will reattach apic of the trunk boxes ,soyou can see them .
The personnel is not a military officer or solider but just a red cross officer in my military camp that take care of wounded soilders here in the camp and he is not aware of the content of the trunk,when he get to uk he will call you on phone for more directions to meet with and drop the trunks and as i told you he is not aware of the content ,asi told him that it is my personal effect that i am sending to you and you have to be very co-operative with him,so i need your informations so i can give to him so he will leave with it to uk because he is coming to uk on an official trip,so i need your cooperation with him and your informations so i can give to him for directions too.
i await your response
take care
B4rry Gr0ssm4n

He sends along a picture of 2 large wooden boxes filled with $100 bills.

This is getting interesting.. ..I want to get my hands on the money but I don't want B4rry or any Red Cross personnel to get their hands on me.
Let's tell him that...

I wrote:

Good morning B4rry,
Thank you for getting back to me so quickly. Also, thank you B4rry for your interest and concern. It makes me feel more confident. I am in good health, albeit quite busy with work. There is a big trade show coming up and I have to fly to Europe tomorrow.
I have no family of my own, as I am a single man with no children. On the other hands, both my parents are still alive and well and I have a younger sister, who lives in Norway.
Hopefully you are doing good as well. I don't know if you have found someone new, someone special in your life, but if you have, I hope they are in good health and please send my best regards.

It is good to know that it is not my concern to get passed military security and past customs. What are your ideas on how the red cross guy and myself would meet? I have to get used to the idea meeting with a total stranger for an exchange like this. Does the red cross guy know what is going to happen, or will you only tell him at the latest moment? If possible, I would like to be introduced prior to meeting him in person. Forgive me for trying to be on the safe side.

Again, thank you for the information and I hope to hear from you soon.
Best regards,
T0rva|ds Tur1ng

This mail bounced immediately... Sad

Mail Delivery System wrote:

This is an automatically generated Delivery Status Notification

Delivery to the following recipient failed permanently:

B4rryGr0ssm4n01 at gmail.com

Technical details of permanent failure:
Account disabled

...so I wrote a reply to the original 'From' address, which was different than the 'Reply-To' address.
Please don't drop me!

I wrote:

Dear Capt. B4rry Gr0ssm4n,

Just now, 5 minutes ago, I tried to email you. I was surprised to get an error message from google mail that your address does not exist anymore. I hope you are not in any kind of trouble. Please let me know whether you receive this message and where we stand.
Sincerely,
-T0rva|ds Tur1ng

I never heard back from B4rry

So in the end I hardly got him off script and never got anything personalized... Sad

Is it common to end this way, or should I have sent him more information sooner?
Thanks for reading