How to spot fake emails like "Care For The Poor And Less Privileged" scam email

What kind of scam is "Care For The Poor And Less Privileged"?

We have examined this email and found that it is a scam email promising a large sum of money. Typically, scammers behind such emails claim that the recipient has been identified as the beneficiary of a large sum of money from an inheritance, lottery, or some other source. These scams should be ignored.

More about the "Care For The Poor And Less Privileged" scam email

This scam email is supposedly written by Mrs. Mary Michael, a 70-year-old widow who claims to be in poor health and may not survive an upcoming surgery. In the email, Mrs. Michael states that she does not want the bank or corrupt government to have her money if she does not survive the surgery.

She claims to have selected the recipient after visiting some website and is willing to donate the sum of £1.8 million to help the less privileged in the recipient's country.

Mrs. Michael further claims that the funds have been deposited in one of the security companies in London. She assures the recipient that she will provide all necessary information to release the funds from the security company and have it delivered to the recipient's address.

This email is a classic example of advance fee fraud. The scammer behind this email is attempting to convince the recipient to provide personal information and (or) pay an upfront fee to cover various expenses under the guise of receiving a large sum of money.

Once the victim has provided the requested information or made the payment, the scammer will disappear, and the victim will never receive the promised funds. Thus, it is strongly recommended to ignore this scam email and remember not to trust similar scams in the future.

Threat Summary:

Name	Care For The Poor And Less Privileged Email Scam
Threat Type	Phishing, Scam, Social Engineering, Fraud
Fake Claim	The recipient can receive a large sum of money
Disguise	Letter from a widow
Symptoms	Unauthorized online purchases, changed online account passwords, identity theft, illegal access of the computer.
Distribution methods	Deceptive emails, rogue online pop-up ads, search engine poisoning techniques, misspelled domains.
Damage	Loss of sensitive private information, monetary loss, identity theft.
Malware Removal (Windows)	To eliminate possible malware infections, scan your computer with legitimate antivirus software. Our security researchers recommend using Combo Cleaner. ▼ Download Combo Cleaner To use full-featured product, you have to purchase a license for Combo Cleaner. 7 days free trial available. Combo Cleaner is owned and operated by Rcs Lt, the parent company of PCRisk.com read more.

Similar scam emails in general

As a rule, advance fee scams involve promising victims a large sum of money in exchange for upfront fees or personal information. Other common types of scams include lottery scams, phishing scams, and romance scams.

If you receive an email promising a large sum of money, especially if it is unsolicited and asks for personal information or payment, it is likely a scam and should be ignored or reported to the appropriate authorities.

Examples of other scam emails are "Retirement Funds Email Scam", "Mailbox Quota Exceeded Email Scam", and "Payment For Apple Gift Card Email Scam". It is important to note that emails can also be used to send malware.

How do spam campaigns infect computers?

Emails that contain malware are designed to trick recipients into downloading and running malicious software by clicking on malicious links or attachments. The types of files commonly used to deliver malware include Microsoft Office or PDF documents, archive files like ZIP and RAR, executable files, and JavaScript files.

Recipients infect computers when they download and execute malware by themselves. It is important to understand that not all files are able to infect a computer immediately. For instance, harmful Microsoft Office documents rely on macros to be enabled before they can infect a computer.

How to avoid installation of malware?

Exercise caution when receiving unsolicited or irrelevant emails from unknown or suspicious addresses, as they may contain infected files or links to malware-hosting pages. Also, download applications and files only from official sources and avoid third-party downloaders, P2P networks, or other unreliable sources.

Avoid clicking ads on dubious websites. Keep the operating system and installed programs up to date and use reputable antivirus software. If you've already opened malicious attachments, we recommend running a scan with Combo Cleaner Antivirus for Windows to automatically eliminate infiltrated malware.

Text presented in the "Care For The Poor And Less Privileged" email letter:

Subject: Greetings

My Dearest one

I am Mrs. Mary Micheal, 70 years old widow. I was married to the late Engr.Jacobson Micheal, my late husband was from California, USA, He worked with Shell Development Company here in London for Twenty-Six years before he died in the year 2017 after a brief illness that lasted only five days.

Am not in good health but God is alive despite the fact that my doctor has confirmed that I may not survive the surgery that will be performed on me soon. I do not want the bank/corrupt government to have my money if I don't succeed in the operation, My health is in the hand of God.

I selected you after visiting the website and I prayed over it. I am willing to donate the sum of £1.8, Million GBP, to help the less privileged. Please know that the fund was deposited in one of the security companies here in London. Once I hear from you, I will forward to you all the information you will use to get this fund released from the security company and to be delivered to your address in your country.

If you can faithfully help and use the fund to care for the poor and less privileged in your country, I am waiting to read from you for more details on my intention to help the poor and the needy in your country.

Your sister in God,
Mrs. Mary Micheal.

Another example of an email from "Care For The Poor And Less Privileged" spam campaign:

Text presented within:

Subject: My Dearest in the Lord,

 

My Dearest in the Lord,

Greetings in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. I’m Mrs. Janalle Potman, the widow of the late Mr. Alexa Potman , I’m 69 years old. I am a Christian convert, suffering from prolonged breast cancer of the breast,My husband died six years ago, and our long years of marriage were not blessed with children. My husband was very wealthy. After his death I inherited all his business and funds. My doctor has diagnosed and told me privately what I should expect, building my spirit for the inevitable . He says i may not last for more than four months, based on this i have taken the decision to share part of my funds and wealth in contribution to the development of the Church and society with major focus on the poor, needy and victims of Coronavirus,  

 

I selected you after visiting the website having prayed over it, I am willing to donate the sum of $12.5 Million USD for your work in developing the Church and to help the poor, needy,and less privileged among your congregations/society. Please note that this fund is deposited in a bank in the country in the Benin Republic where my husband worked, My lawyer will file the application for the transfer of this money in your designated name and information, after my applications and instructions. I now realize that wealth without life in Christ is vanity and non-sense. Always remember that. May the grace and blessings of God be and remain with you. I shall be awaiting for your response.through my private email:   janalle.potman@aol.com

Best Regards,  
Mrs. Janalle Potman

Yet another example of an email from "Care For The Poor And Less Privileged" spam campaign:

Text presented within:

Subject: HELLO ,

 

--
Hello,

I believe you will do better than I think,

It is understandable that you may be a bit apprehensive because you do not know me, I am writing this mail to you with serious tears in my eyes and great sorrow in my heart, I decided to contact you due to the urgency of my situation. My Name is Mrs.Nadya SALIM, Am contacting you from my country France. I want to tell you this because I don't have any other option than to tell you as I was touched to open up to you, I am married to Late Dr.Nathan SALIM who worked with France Embassy in Ouagadougou the capital city of Burkina Faso for nine years before he died in the year 2011. We were married for eleven years without a child. He died after a brief illness that lasted for only five days. Since his death I decided not to remarry again, when my late husband was alive he deposited the sum of US$10,900,000.00(Ten Million Nine Hundred thousand United States Dollars) with a bank in Ouagadougou,

Presently this money is still in the bank there. He made this money available for exportation of Gold from Burkina mining. Recently, My Doctor told me that I would not last for the period of seven months due to cancer problem. The one that disturbs me most is my stroke sickness. Having known my condition I decided to hand you over this mission to take care of the less-privileged, you will utilize this money the way I am going to instruct herein. I want you to take 30 Percent of the total money for your personal use While 70% of the money will go to charity work" helping people in the street.

Because I grew up as an Orphan and I don't have anybody as my family member, just to Endeavor that the house of God is maintained. Am doing this so that God will forgive my sins and accept my soul because this sickness has suffered me so much. As soon as I receive your reply I shall give you the contact of the bank in Burkina Faso and I will also instruct my lawyer to issue you an authority letter that will prove you the present beneficiary of the money in the bank that's if you assure me that you will act accordingly as I Stated herein. Please kindly reply me back through my private email address for more explanation.( misnadyasal@gmail.com ).

Remain blessed
Yours Sister
Mrs.Nadya Salim .

Another example of an email from "Care For The Poor And Less Privileged" spam campaign:

Text presented within:

Subject: My Name Is Mrs Alisha Stoffle

Greetings

Please forgive me for approaching you through this media. I am Mrs.
Alisha Stoffle, 63 years, from the USA, I am childless and I am suffering
from a pro-long critical cancer, my doctors confirmed I may not live a few
months from now as my ill health has defiled all forms of medical treatment.

Since my days are numbered, I have decided willingly to fulfill my
long-time promise to donate you the sum ($8.000.000.00) million dollars I
inherited from my late husband Mr.Herbart Stoffle  foreign bank account for
charities work of God and there is no risk involved; it is 100% hitch free
& safe because it is my inheritance from late husband

If you will be interesting to assist in getting this deposit fund transfer
into your account for charity for the mutual benefit of orphans and the
less privileged project to fulfill my promise before I die, please let me
Know immediately and you will take 50% percent of the total money for your
effort and assistance while 50% of the money will go to charity projects. I
I will appreciate your utmost confidentiality as I wait for your reply.

God Bless you,
Mrs. Alisha Stoffle

Yet another email from "Care For The Poor And Less Privileged" spam campaign:

Text presented within:

Subject: From Mrs Lynn,

 

I hope this letter finds you in good health and high spirits. My name is Mrs. Lynn Berrycloth, and I write to you with the utmost respect and sincerity. Please allow me to apologize for any inconvenience caused by reaching out to you through this electronic medium. However, I find myself compelled to seek your assistance in fulfilling a charitable project, which holds great importance to me in light of my circumstances. I want to donate my inheritance ($20Million US Dollars) that my late husband left for me and recently, the doctors told me that I might not survive the latest surgery which I have been booked for.
 
It is with a heavy heart that I reveal my ongoing battle with cancer, a diagnosis I received six years ago. Despite the challenges and uncertainty that this illness has brought into my life, I have chosen to remain optimistic and resilient. As I face the inevitable, I am determined to make a positive impact and leave a lasting legacy of kindness and compassion.

In light of this, I have embarked upon a mission to establish a charity project that will cater to the needs of the less privileged. This endeavor is of utmost importance to me, as I strongly believe in the power of generosity and collective effort to uplift the lives of those in need. However, given the limitations of my health and circumstances, I find myself in need of a trustworthy and educated individual who can serve as a confidant and aid me in realizing this noble cause.

I understand that my request may appear unconventional and even risky, as we are not acquainted in person. Nonetheless, my current situation has left me with no other option but to seek assistance through this medium. I implore you to consider this proposition with an open mind and a compassionate heart. Your participation would mean more to me than words can express, and your selfless act towards the less privileged would bring immense joy and fulfillment to my final days.

If you choose to accept this responsibility, I assure you that every effort will be made to ensure your safety and security. Our collaboration would be conducted with the utmost transparency and adherence to ethical principles. I am more than willing to provide you with any necessary documentation or information that will help solidify your trust in this endeavor.
 
I want you to use 30% of the fund to build orphanage homes in your country while 20% goes to cancer research programs and then donate 25% to institutions housing elderly couples who cannot give birth and homeless children in their lifetime just like my late husband and I could not bear children. The remaining 25% goes to you as the person who agrees to carry out my last wish and I will give you more details only if you are willing and ready to handle this project. I humbly request your prompt response, expressing your willingness to assist me in fulfilling my last wish.

Thank you for your attention, and I eagerly await your favorable reply.

With profound gratitude and warm regards,

Mrs. Lynn Berrycloth

Yet another example of charity donation-themed scam email:

Text presented within:

Subject: Re: LUCKY YOU..CONTACT ME IMMEDIATELY.

 

Reply-To Email: E-mail: billiondollarman8888@hotmail.com

Dear Sir/Madam,

My name is Roman Abramovich and I was the former owner of Chelsea Football Club which has been sold out and all funds have been given to charity since I seriously condemed the Russian invasion in Ukraine which i am against the president's decision Mr. Vladmir Putin as we have since both parted ways for good..  I found your email address and profile on Google search and saw a distinguished person about you.. In this regard i am offering that you contact my account officer which i will send to you his contact email address and that would be after i have received your personal details in your next reply to me. He will help you secure the the sum amount of $100,000,000 (ONE HUNDRED MILLION US DOLLARS ONLY). After receiving this funds i want you to donate 60% of the funds to any good Charity Organization and Motherless Babies Homes of your choice and you can thereafter have the rest for yourself. You will co-operate with the account officer to secure the funds. Please take note that during the course of this transaction there will be no phone call or communication, this is for security reasons.

You should send the following information back to me so i can forward it to my account officer as i have briefed him already about this matter.

1. Full Name:
2. Nationality/Country of Origin:
3. Country Currently Staying:
4. Age:
5. Male/Female:

I expect to hear from you immediately.

Best Regards,

Roman Abramovich
Former Owner; Chelsea FC
E-mail: billiondollarman8888@hotmail.com

Additional example of an email from "Care For The Poor And Less Privileged" spam campaign:

Text presented within:

Subject: Dear Beloved Please Read And Get Back To Me

 

Dear -,

I hope this message finds you well. My name is Valentina Sakun, and I am from Ukraine. I was married to Mr. Yevhenii Sakun, the camera operator of Kyiv TV Tower, who tragically lost his life due to the ongoing crisis and a Russian missile strike on Kyiv's Babyn Yar on March 1st, 2022. You can find more information about this incident here: link.

Before my husband's untimely passing, we jointly owned assets valued at approximately $6.5 million (USD), securely stored in a vault located in Dublin, Ireland.

Currently, I am seeking refuge in a Polish hospital due to my deteriorating health. I am 48 years old, and my doctor has informed me that I am unable to travel due to kidney and liver failure. I have only a few more months left, but I am not afraid of death because I know where I am headed.

Before my husband's passing, we made a heartfelt decision to donate these funds to a person of strong faith, someone who would pledge to use the money to support motherless baby homes, orphanages, charitable organizations, assist the less privileged, spread the word of God, and contribute to the fight against Russian rebels in Ukraine.

We made this decision because we do not have any children to inherit this money, and I am determined to honor the promise we made together to donate the funds to someone guided by divine direction. Upon receiving your response, I will promptly proceed with the immediate release of the funds to you through my lawyer.

I kindly request your prayers for me during this challenging time, as my days are numbered.

Please respond privately to me at this email address: valentinasakun@ncapitalloan.com

Please stay safe and may the Lord be with you.

Yours in the Lord,
Valentina Sakun

Yet another example of an email from "Care For The Poor And Less Privileged" spam campaign:

Text presented within:

Subject: Dear Beloved

Dear -,

Greetings My Beloved One.

It is true that this letter may come to you as a surprise. Nevertheless, I humbly ask you to give me your attention and hear me well. My name is Mrs. Debry Goita from United States of America. I am married to Mr. Williams Goita who once worked with our Embassy in Hungary in the year 2002 and he also worked in an embassy in London for a period of 16 years before he died.

We were married for 25 years without a child before he died after a brief illness. Since his death I decided not to remarry due to my religious belief. When my late husband was alive he deposited the sum of USD$15.000.000.00 (Fifteen million United State American dollars) with a Bank here in America. Presently this money is still in the custody of the Bank. Recently, my Doctor told me that I would not last for the next Four months due to my cancer illness.

Having known my condition, I decided to donate this money to good person that will utilise this money the way I am going to instruct herein.

I want you to use this money for Charity organisation, orphanages, elderly people, widows, to build animal care clinics, free hospital and school for poor people that are in need. l took this decision because I don't have any child that will inherit this money. Moreover, my husband's relatives are not close to me since I develop a Cancer problem and it had been their wish to see me dead in order to inherit his wealth since we have no Child. These people are not worthy of this inheritance. This is why I am taking this decision to contact you and donate this fund to you in order for you to use it for the charity works.

As soon as I receive your reply, I will also issue a letter of authorisation to the bank to transfer the funds to your account. I also want you to reply this message with your full names, address and telephone number where I can reach you.

Any delay in your reply may give me room to look for another good person for this same purpose. Please assure me that you will act accordingly as I stated above.

Thanks and Remain blessed.

Yours faithfully,
Mrs Debry Goita
goita.debry@gmail.com

Yet another example of an email from "Care For The Poor And Less Privileged" spam campaign:

Text presented within:

Hello I'm Lee Shau-kee, a Hong Kong business magnate, investor, and philanthropist. I'm the chairman and majority owner of Henderson Land Development, a property conglomerate with interests in property, hotels, restaurants and internet services. I gave away 25 percent of my personal wealth to charity and I also pledged to give away the rest of 25% this year. I have decided to donate €2,000,000.00 Euros to you. If you are interested in my donation, do contact me for more info. I will also want you to be part of my Charity Foundation once you receive this money so we can join hands together to help the needy. Warm Regard Mr. Lee Shau Kee

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Quick menu:

• What is Care For The Poor And Less Privileged scam?
• Types of malicious emails.
• How to spot a malicious email?
• What to do if you fell for an email scam?

Types of malicious emails:

Phishing Emails

Most commonly, cybercriminals use deceptive emails to trick Internet users into giving away their sensitive private information, for example, login information for various online services, email accounts, or online banking information.

Such attacks are called phishing. In a phishing attack, cybercriminals usually send an email message with some popular service logo (for example, Microsoft, DHL, Amazon, Netflix), create urgency (wrong shipping address, expired password, etc.), and place a link which they hope their potential victims will click on.

After clicking the link presented in such email message, victims are redirected to a fake website that looks identical or extremely similar to the original one. Victims are then asked to enter their password, credit card details, or some other information that gets stolen by cybercriminals.

Emails with Malicious Attachments

Another popular attack vector is email spam with malicious attachments that infect users' computers with malware. Malicious attachments usually carry trojans that are capable of stealing passwords, banking information, and other sensitive information.

In such attacks, cybercriminals' main goal is to trick their potential victims into opening an infected email attachment. To achieve this goal, email messages usually talk about recently received invoices, faxes, or voice messages.

If a potential victim falls for the lure and opens the attachment, their computers get infected, and cybercriminals can collect a lot of sensitive information.

While it's a more complicated method to steal personal information (spam filters and antivirus programs usually detect such attempts), if successful, cybercriminals can get a much wider array of data and can collect information for a long period of time.

Sextortion Emails

This is a type of phishing. In this case, users receive an email claiming that a cybercriminal could access the webcam of the potential victim and has a video recording of one's masturbation.

To get rid of the video, victims are asked to pay a ransom (usually using Bitcoin or another cryptocurrency). Nevertheless, all of these claims are false - users who receive such emails should ignore and delete them.

How to spot a malicious email?

While cyber criminals try to make their lure emails look trustworthy, here are some things that you should look for when trying to spot a phishing email:

• Check the sender's ("from") email address: Hover your mouse over the "from" address and check if it's legitimate. For example, if you received an email from Microsoft, be sure to check if the email address is @microsoft.com and not something suspicious like @m1crosoft.com, @microsfot.com, @account-security-noreply.com, etc.
• Check for generic greetings: If the greeting in the email is "Dear user", "Dear @youremail.com", "Dear valued customer", this should raise suspiciousness. Most commonly, companies call you by your name. Lack of this information could signal a phishing attempt.
• Check the links in the email: Hover your mouse over the link presented in the email, if the link that appears seems suspicious, don't click it. For example, if you received an email from Microsoft and the link in the email shows that it will go to firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0... you shouldn't trust it. It's best not to click any links in the emails but to visit the company website that sent you the email in the first place.
• Don't blindly trust email attachments: Most commonly, legitimate companies will ask you to log in to their website and to view any documents there; if you received an email with an attachment, it's a good idea to scan it with an antivirus application. Infected email attachments are a common attack vector used by cybercriminals.

To minimise the risk of opening phishing and malicious emails we recommend using Combo Cleaner Antivirus for Windows. 

Example of a spam email:

What to do if you fell for an email scam?

• If you clicked on a link in a phishing email and entered your password - be sure to change your password as soon as possible. Usually, cybercriminals collect stolen credentials and then sell them to other groups that use them for malicious purposes. If you change your password in a timely manner, there's a chance that criminals won't have enough time to do any damage.
• If you entered your credit card information - contact your bank as soon as possible and explain the situation. There's a good chance that you will need to cancel your compromised credit card and get a new one.
• If you see any signs of identity theft - you should immediately contact the Federal Trade Commission. This institution will collect information about your situation and create a personal recovery plan.
• If you opened a malicious attachment - your computer is probably infected, you should scan it with a reputable antivirus application. For this purpose, we recommend using Combo Cleaner Antivirus for Windows.
• Help other Internet users - report phishing emails to Anti-Phishing Working Group, FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center, National Fraud Information Center and U.S. Department of Justice.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Why did I receive this email?

Scammers often send out thousands of these emails to random addresses in the hope of finding a victim who will fall for their scam. These emails are not personal.

I have provided my personal information when tricked by this email, what should I do?

Contact your bank or credit card company immediately to report the incident and freeze your accounts if necessary.

I have downloaded and opened a file attached to this email, is my computer infected?

If you have downloaded and opened a file attached to a suspicious email, there is a possibility that your computer has been infected with malware. It depends on the type of the file.

I have sent cryptocurrency to the address presented in such email, can I get my money back?

These transactions are almost impossible to trace, making it highly unlikely that you will be able to recover the lost funds.

I have read the email but didn't open the attachment, is my computer infected?

If you have received a suspicious email and read the contents but did not download or open any attachments, your computer is unlikely to be infected. Simply opening emails is not harmful.

Will Combo Cleaner remove malware infections that were present in email attachment?

Combo Cleaner has the ability to identify and remove almost all known malware infections. However, it is important to note that sophisticated malware is often concealed deep within the system. As a result, it is crucial to conduct a full system scan to ensure complete detection and removal of any potential threats.

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