Asked 'n Answered...Sorta

Sometimes, an online scammer isn't so much a scammer; he's just an online mooch.

Take for example George Kokou Brown of wherever he is.  Here is the very simple series of exchanges we've had over him wanting money from me:

On Wednesday, February 19, 2014 4:19 AM, George Brown Kokou
> <georgebrownkokou@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> I saw your post on guestbook, i decided to contact you Via your mail.
> I want to know if you will be of any assistant to me financially no
> matter how small it is. Thanks and remain blessed


Well, how small is it?  We can negotiate. 


Thanks for your mail. I will be pleading to ask you to assist me with
any amount from your heart. I am  a poor barrister with a very low
income. I have no any amount to ask you of because I never give you
money any money or given you your wealth. You will never go down, you
will always be blessed, you shall eat the fruit of your labour, and
your pocket shall never dry. Please no matter any help you can assist
me with I will really appreciate and will always remain greatful to
you. Thanks so much and kind gesture to me 


Fine, George.  What is it you wish my assistance with? 


I wish to know if you can send me some money here even thou is 200$ or
anything from your mind to help my family 


So what did I do?  I sent him two of the 'Seymour $100 bills' along with I can send you some money.  You'll find it attached. 

George doesn't necessarily get that he's not going to get real money, but he thinks an established dialogue is a start:

Dear Ben,
Please use this information below to send me money through western
unionif you are serious ok?

Receievers name; George Brown
Country ... Lome Togo 

I repeat my previous email with this added: I am serious, George.  Print the attached and you are better off.   BTW George, a job would be of equal if not more help to you. 

I dont understand what you mean.  if I print this I get arrested? 

Oh hell, the North Koreans do it all the time and no one arrests them except their own leader.  Their a Third World country.  You're a Third World country.  It all works the same.  

I don't understand what you mean. 

He doesn't understand much...

That's okay, George. I've had three concussions and don't understand what I mean half the time either.  What were we discussing? 

I am asking to know if you can help me with any amount of money so i
can help my family out 

Sure.  What kind of money?  

Thanks for your mail , if you canhelpme with a 500$ or less will appreciate


What currency do you wish? 


What is this you ask please? 


Truly Third World...what KIND of money do you want?  West African francs?  Saddam Hussein era Iraqi dinars?  Monopoly money? 


usa dollar is fine.


So I send him a 'usa dollar' in email...


please I tell you how send me money western union.  I tell you again it is
reeievers name; George Kokou
Country ... Lome Togo


Okay, so he's changing his name around...let's dig for more:


George, what kind of a bannister are you?  What kind of law do you practice poorly? 


are you send me money please?  any amount please. 


Answer my question please and we'll see. 


please just send me money in dollar, pound or euros.  this is all I ask. 


Okay, I get that euro prefer pounds of dollars.  I'll get on that for you.  


 God will forever bless your pocket of wanting to help me out. 


My pocket could have used His blessing at tax time, but I digress.  BTW...that's an acronym for 'by the way'...just for the record, what kind of bannister are you again?  Inquiring minds want to know. 


Thanks for your mail . I am a legal consultant here in my country Lome
Togo. The salary been paid to me here as a barrister is a low income
that is not even enough to feed myself, my wife and my 6children. So
my good brother I will be greatful for you if you can help meas you
said.

This is my details information that you will use to send me any amount
you want from your mind through western union or money gram

Recievers Name.......George Brown
Country ...................... Lome Togo
Question................ Colour
Answer....................Blue
MTCN

So once you send the money, please scan the payment slip for me ok?

thanks
Regards,
george
+228 92865729 


Thanks for the explanation.  Now to work on that pounds of dollars.  And I'll be happy to forward you a Western Union receipt. 

...since I have a number of them in my scambaiting files  ;-)  Meantime, George shows his anticipation:

Today at 3:12 AM

Ok i will be waiting for the scan copy of the receipt of the money
once you send me. Thanks 

 

 

And here's the scan copy, in the size I sent it to him:

 

Which of course enlarged looks like digitized gibberish.  And George is quick to point this out:

 

 

I cant read copy you send.  Can you resend please?

 

 

Sure, I can resend.  Why can't you read it?

 

 

you send it too small for me. 

 

Funny...it left here the size of a standard Western Union receipt.  Must be the filters you're using there.  I'll send it again. 

 

And of course it's the same size:

 

I still cant read it.  just tell me the information on it please.

 

It's a Western Union receipt for $499 dollars sent to you from me. 

 

I need the mtcn numbers on it. 

 

Yes, they're on it. 

 

what are the numbers please?  I cant read them. 

 

They're the standard numbers consisting of 0-9.  You can't read those? 

 

the numbers on the paper you send me I cant read.  Please what are they? 

 

They're the numbers 0-9 on the receipt, just as you told me to send you.  Would you prefer Roman numerals?

 

I dont know what you mean...please send me the numbers. 

 

 

Well, Roman numerals are like this:  I, II, III, IV, V, VI, VII, VIII, IX, X...do those help you?

 

no no dont send me the letters you send send me the numbers. 

 

 

Oh, okay...0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9. 

 

 

is those the numbers of the mtcn? 

 

 

I don't know about that, but the numbers on the receipt look like the ones I sent you.

 

A day later, I get this:

 

 

please this is no joke matter.  I go to western union they say there is not money on those numbers.  what is numbers please?  

 

 

It's the numbers I send you.  There are lots of combinations that can be made with the numbers -- an infinite number, to be exact -- but there are only ten of them in the mtcn.  You have them all.  

 

PLEASE TELL ME WHICH NUMBERS ARE THE MTCN???  (the old 'capital letters means he's pissed' ploy).

 

No need to shout.  The mtcn has all the numbers I gave you.  Well, it uses ten numbers individually, and any number of combinations from the numbers I sent you can make it up.  Are you familiar with the Rubix Cube? 

 

 

what is this you say?  I need the numbers please.  just the numbers on the mtcn.  

 

 

Well, since you ask...a Rubix Cube is a square with individual squares of a number of different colors.  By manually moving the blocks around the axis of the cube, you make all the same colors on the same side of each side.  When you do that, you have solved the Rubix Cube.  The mtcn can be imagined in a similar way:  you use the ten numbers I sent you, and you keep trying them in all sorts of order, until you find the matching one for the mtcn.  I thought that you should have to work for your money, which is what I suggested before.  Now you can.  I'm sure Western Union will be patient with you.

 

 

A couple days go by, and finally I get this from George:

 

 

god will not bless joke.  I curse you and the cube you make joke with.   

 

 

Have it your way, George, but you contacted me, remember?  I was just trying to help in my own peculiar way.  Let me know when you've solved the puzzle and collected the money.  Consider it like hunting Easter eggs, with an infinite field that they're hid in. 

 

 

I don't expect to be hearing that George Brown Kokou solved the puzzle anytime in the next century or so.  But it's a momentary amusement to think that he might be sitting in the WU office there, trying  ;-)