Below is one of many Nigerian scam emails that we have received in our inbox. This is provided for your entertainment as well as to give you an example of what these scams look like. If you have received one of these email messages (and odds are you have or will receive many of them) simply delete them from your inbox. They are scams, designed to con you from your hard-earned money.

My Name is Powell Charles Pedersen,
and I am writing you from my home in Santa Clara, about 165 miles east
of Havana, the Capital City of Cuba. Santa Clara is known for two
landmarks; The famous Revolutionary, the Guevera is buried here; and it
is home to one of Cuba's largest universities, La Universidad Central
"Martha Abreu " de Las Villas.

This is a compelling story, and I beg you to be patient and read through
to the end?I was adopted in 1960, at age 14 months by Mr. Giovanni
Pedersen, the Sugar and tobacco millionaire; some say he also made his
fortune from the lucrative illicit drugs trade.

My adoption brought so much controversy that Mr. Martins was forced by
his family to put me into a foster home at age 5,where I stayed until
maturity; Like most Cuban youths, I dreamt of freedom, which every one
here knows is called America; like most youths, in time, I joined an
Anti-Castro group and that merited automatic 24 hour s round the clock
surveillance by the Secret Police, but this is also normal in Cuba!
My father nevertheless funded my education through the above mentioned
university, where I graduated in Automobile Engineering. I am now
a mechanic, making just enough to take care of my wife Vanessa, and 3
boys, Junior, Denis, and woodison.

Sadly, My father died in 1998; left only his wife and family (he died
childless), and I was not invited to his funeral by his family, but we
mourned him deeply; I had no memory of my real father; but I loved him
for his kindness to me; he frequently defied his family to visit me? When
I got married, he gave my wife a ring present which we later found out
was a diamond ring!

His Last Will and testament was read and probated. No mention was made
of me and my family. Understandably, I carried on with my life.
Two weeks ago, I received a letter from England, United Kingdom, a country in
Europe, from a Commission, and the contents of that letter put me into
shock! I kept the letter for a week without mentioning it to my wife.
Eventually I revealed everything to her? Apparently My late father,

Mr. Martins had provided for us after all! Mr. Farigamo had bought shares
worth about 8 Million USD in 1978, (when I turned 18) and left it in my
name; over time, my father bought more shares and increased the
shareholding to USD28 million! (I am made to understand that the
current market value is far in excess of this figure?).

The letter explained that according to the terms and agreement reached
with my late father, the shares were to be delivered to me (The Beneficiary) one
calendar year after his death; The Director of Operation of the Commission in his letter apologized to me for waiting so long to contact me; information of my father's death
simply did not reach him until a chance newspaper publication alerted him of the f act.

I was then invited to come forward to the United Kingdom, to claim my Inheritance!
The total current value of my shares now stand at approximately USD43 million and rising!
But this simple invitation to travel to The United Kingdom is fraught with problems!
I have no International Passport! It is impossible to travel out of Cuba, unless
with special permission which will of course take months of paperwork
to procure? As an Anti-Castro sympathizer, I have absolutely no hope of
leaving Cuba legally? The only option is to leave by illegal ferry to the
American Coast of Miami, which is extremely dangerous? Every one knows
that success rate is about 30%, the unlucky get captured and repatriated
back to prison. But the rich and the connected have a better chance by
using low flying aircraft (which will beat the Cuban Radar) to smuggle
themselves out.
I therefore desperately need your help! I need you to contact the
Commission in Spain on my behalf; secure the Share Certificates from
the Commission, and sell/redeem the shares for the current market value
and deposit the money into your Bank Account. Once the money is secured, I will make the usual underground deal to be smuggled out of Cuba by aircraft, to freedom! There is absolutely NO
RISK to you in this transaction; I and my family are the ones at risk...
Therefore, I will make no attempt to call you by land based telephone, which
is routinely bugged and monitored by the Secret Police.
In consideration of your expenses during the course of this transaction, I freely offer you 20% of the value of my shares. If you are willing to
help me recover my inheritance, please so indicate in your return reply
mail and I will follow up with more details of the
Commission contact address and also more details of the
transaction.
I want you to reach me with this my private email address: (censored)
Looking forward to your urgent reply,
Sincerely,
Mr.Powell Charles Pedersen.