'motherless babies,Homeless one and all of that'

This is the opening salvo. One of my favorite parts in this first email is how she describes her work. "I am Staci Martin,a Medical Humanitarian Nurse ,and ve been involve since the past 8 years,taking care of the motherless babies,Homeless one and all of that,I am still kind of young because i just turned 27yrs old..." It's a cross between a Nigerian email scam, a sort-of sex ad, and a resume run through an online web translator.

In her rambling follow-up email she uses a completely different name (I put it in bold). And if there was any doubt as to her intent, she clears it up with some classic email scam phrases about trust funds. I pretend not to notice and introduce my character: "You sound like a very nice and kind person. I would really love to live with someone like that. My wife died last year from the cancer and sometimes I get lonely." I also decide to introduce something else I knows she wants: a money order. She gets very excited.

6 emails


to hous-585733340@craigslist.org,
date Mon, Feb 25, 2008 at 2:11 AM
subject is the place still available
mailed-by craigslist.org

** CRAIGSLIST ADVISORY --- AVOID SCAMS BY DEALING LOCALLY
** Avoid: wiring money, cross-border deals, work-at-home
** Beware: cashier checks, money orders, escrow, shipping
** More Info: http://www.craigslist.org/about/scams.html

Hi,
Hello to You overthere and how is your day? I saw your advert that You have a room available for rent and i am interested in knowing the availability of the place and i will also want to know more about the place, neighboourhood ,and the utilities included...?
I am Staci Martin,a Medical Humanitarian Nurse ,and ve been involve since the past 8 years,taking care of the motherless babies,Homeless one and all of that,I am still kind of young because i just turned 27yrs old...I Can speak both English and German,i love to live with clean people,caring,responsible,neat type. I'm 5"7' straight,and i am in south Dokota now ,I will want to move by the middle of March depending on the availability of the room ,I speaks English fluently ,so we have no barriers.
I'll let You know more about me if i am to rent this particular room that you have to offer
I will be anxiously waiting for your next email
Kind Regards

------------------------------------------------------------------
this message was remailed to you via: hous-585789096@craigslist.org
------------------------------------------------------------------

from ------------ <------------@gmail.com>
to staci martin ,
date Mon, Feb 25, 2008 at 7:22 AM
subject Re: is the place still available
mailed-by gmail.com

I would suggest looking up Hawthorn and Belmont on Google to find out more about the area. It's one of the the best neighborhoods in Portland and there's lots of info online. As for utilities, like I mentioned in the ad they're about $60 a month, depending on whether it's summer or winter. Trash and water are free.

from staci martin
to ------------ <------------@gmail.com>,
date Tue, Feb 26, 2008 at 12:26 AM
subject Am ok

Hi,
Hello to You overthere and how is your day? I saw your advert that You have a room available for rent and i am interested in knowing the availability of the place and i will also want to know more about the place, neighboourhood ,and the utilities included...?
I am Alicia Smith,a Medical Humanitarian Nurse ,and ve been involve since the past 8 years,taking care of the motherless babies,Homeless one and all of that,I am still kind of young because i just turned 27yrs old...I Can speak both English and German,i love to live with clean people,caring,responsible,neat type. I'm 5"7' straight,and i am in south Dokota now ,I will want to move by the middle of March depending on the availability of the room ,I speaks English fluently ,so we have no barriers.
I'll let You know more about me if i am to rent this particular room that you have to offer
I will be anxiously waiting for your next email
Kind Regards
.........................................................................................................................
Hi
Thanks so much for replying my mail,I really do appreciate it,. I would have loved us to see before making any plan but the distance between us is the barrier,But will be okay if you can tell me more about the place and you.
More about me again i am a humanitarian..I am the neat type,I like honest,responsible,trustworthy and hardworking people while I dislike lazy,messy,uncaring people and I love pets so much,am quiet and easy going person to live with. I'm 5"7' straight. i like tourising and,i don't keep late nights neither will i have overnight guest around.
I was in my final year when my mum died,i lost my dad before i was born,I grew up with my uncle...I ve dreamt to be a medical doctor but i liked my uncle's work been a hummanitarian worker, as i really liked his work and beliefs,i started working with my uncle,going places,Helping people. I have been a humanitarian officer,usa called us { social Worker} .for the past few Years ,we have involved in projects that includes orphans,orphanages,heart related diseases in children betweeen the ages of 4-10yrs .
My uncle is the controller of our humanitarian organisation {GRAND TRUST FUND} not a recognised one but we pray that it will,In God good grace,Just some few weeks ago,My uncle travelled to Germany and he told me if i'll like to travel with him,But i thought of seeing him in Germany before i come ,since he went on making researches , i also thought of moving on ,so as to contribute more to the development of the organistaion.
Am sure You 'll really like the person that i am ,because i will also do the dishing if you like,I work when i am to and relax when i am to,I also like sharing my thoughts also....paying rent on time will not be a problem as i will also be making the rent fee before the month ends....
So i decided to leave south dakota as to know how social workers there does and work with other social workers to get more experience ,so i planned to move in by the availability of the room..I'll also want to see more pictures of the place .
I must confess am comfortable with the price and I will want to secure the place down before my arrival so i will want you to tell me all about the place,as i can't see it before my arrival but the pictures...I also will want you to know that i have my car that i will be coming over with,and little of my furnitures,please let me know if there will be room for them..
With all that i ve said above,I have told you more about me and a picture of mine will be attach in the next email,Let me also know how i can go about securing the place down before my arrival as i will also be busy from next week preparing to come over and let me know if you can take off the ad off the site as i am going to secure the place with a deposit
Feel free to ask me any question.
Thanks..

from ------------ <------------@gmail.com>
to staci martin ,
date Tue, Feb 26, 2008 at 8:51 AM
subject Re: Am ok

Hi Stacey
You sound like a very nice and kind person. I would really love to live with someone like that. My wife died last year from the cancer and sometimes I get lonely. I would love to be able to live with someone who has done wonderful things like you have. We would have so much to talk about.
I am traveling for work until Friday so I can't get you any more pictures of the house. But believe me, it's beautiful! There's a big yard and a garage if you need extra space for storage. Your room is upstairs and from your window you can see part of the river and the big park. Amazing!
The room will be available starting next week. Since you are on the road you can send me a money order or cashier's check for the first months rent ($500). When do you think you will get here?
Yes, please send a picture. And like I said, when I get back on Friday morning I will send you many pictures of the house.
A---

from ------------ <------------@gmail.com>
to staci martin ,
date Wed, Feb 27, 2008 at 2:45 PM
subject Re: Am ok

Stacey
I need to rent the room. Please email me if you want to live here.
A---

from staci martin
to ------------ <------------@gmail.com>,
date Wed, Feb 27, 2008 at 11:55 PM
subject Reply asap

Hi again ,
Thanks once again for the quick reply,I would have loved to call You but where i am now,i can only communicate through email but I will whenever i get reception but before that i will want to secure the place,I am very happy meeting a person like you,It 's nice reading from you again and i will never ever want to loose the room even without seeing the place ,i smell the kind of person whom you are and i like you,I will want You to know that i am okay with the cost ,if none is included again.....There many people moving over so you will have choices but i want to plead with you to rent for me
I got to believe that the person that one wants to live with matters most,i believe that you'll be a nice person,I just have my dressers,computer table,kitchen utensils and a queen size bed,2 big luggages and my car to be shipped....
With the way we ve communicated,I am okay with you and i want you to know that i don't want to make any travel plans without securing a place down now,so i ve let my uncle understand more about you and the place,He is really comfortable and he told me that it is a nice area he had lived in the states before and he said that i should not afford to loose your place also he said that i should try and make sure that i hold down the place,so i thought of it and i will be making payment to hold down the place and the mode of payment will be the Most acceptable,easier,safer and reliable means of payment which is United State Certified money order so pls let me know if this mode of payment is ok by you.
And if YES pls provide me with the following information to get the payment to you.Your full name as it will appear on the payment,your work place address to ensure delivery in your hands through regular mails or a courier service,your phone number on the package to avoid package missing in transit.I will prefer to send to your work address because you will always be available at work from morning till evening but if home address it will be sitting in your mail and no one will be at home to receive the package.And if you don't receive package at your office address then I guess your home address will be good for the delivery right ? But to avoid any delay of you receiving at home then I guess work address will be fine what do you think ? Kindly get back to me with this requested address contact information so that we can proceed asap bye for now..
Feel free to ask me any question(s) you have okay, and i am moving in by the middle of March.
Thanks...