Hello. Happy New Year!
You may recall our old friend Esther Summerson of "Bleak Lad" fame. Evidently someone's got hold of her name and assumed that she must be an easy mark. I have received several solicitations by "solicitors" of late, and this is one which I thought I might pursue.
Cast (in order of appearance):
Clement Okoro - Barrister Lad (okorosolicitors1@yahoo.com)
[Scam-o-dislaimer: scammers often pretend to be other people, real and imaginary. There may be a Clement Okoro out there, blissfully unaware of the use of his name.]
Esther Summerson - a lady. Esther last appeared in BLEAK LAD, a tale of Dickensian scope.
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Clement Okoro
12/31/2008
OKORO ASSOCIATES ATTORNEY'S & SOLICITORS 7 MAITAMA CRESCENT, SHEHU SHAGARI WAY,GARKI ABUJA Telefax: 234-09-2728871 Mobile:234 -705 7682372 EMAIL: okorosolicitors1@yahoo.com Subject: WE MAKE THE DIFFERENCE To: Mrs. Esther Summerson Dear Madam, We are an Independent Legal Firm attached to the Office of the Presidency and Central Bank of Nigeria.Our services are in need in matters concerning contract / inherited payments. Your name appeared in one of the weekly payment schedule Newsletters from the Presidency and that is how we got to know about your outstanding payment and all the things you have gone through. It is true that there has been a lot of Litigation FOR and AGAINST your outstanding Payment. Some Top Government Officials want to frustrate your efforts by imposing unnecessary fees and charges,their plan is for you to leave your Contract funds so that they will come back and claim the funds. In Telegraphic Transfer what the APEX BANK does is to deduct all charges and remit the balance. You are not going to pay any fees or charges/No upfront payment. All we need from you is a POWER OF ATTORNEY to empower us to help you collect your Contractual Payment.We are prepared to be your representative here in Nigeria and are ready to step on toes just to make sure that you receive your funds. Our retaining/Professional fees is cheap and Negotiable and can be paid after you must have received your Payment.Our word is our bond. Contact us immediately through the above tele/fax or email if you want to engage our services. Yours Faithfully, Clement Okoro (Esq) Principal Attorney Esther Summerson
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
I never do business with people who do not know how to use the apostrophe correctly Clement Okoro
1/1/2009
Dear Mrs. Esther, I did not understand what you meant by using the apostrophy correctly. Please explain and note that my intention is to help you receive your long outstanding funds. Regards, Barrister Clement Okoro Esther Summerson
January 1, 2009
The apostrophe is used to indicate either a contraction, as in "I don't believe a word you say," or a possessive, as in "The court's decision is to sentence you to a long prison term." You have used the apostrophe in a plural, "Attorney's" which suggests to me that you are not well acquainted with the English language, and yet to claim to be attorneys and solicitors. In my experience, the careful use of language is of vital importance in the legal profession. Your carelessness suggests imposture. As to my "long outstanding funds," there is no evidence in my records that anyone in Nigeria owes me any money. You clearly have me confused with someone else. Finally, it is not "Mrs" Summerson, but Ms Summerson. Thank you, Esther Summerson 72 Earls Court Road Kensington, London, UK Clement Okoro
1/1/2009
Dear Ms Esther, Thanks for your mail and explanation and let it be that no one owes you money. As for my use of the apostrophe,I did not pluralise the word attorney as you claimed.You can crosscheck my initial mail before coming to a conclusion. Anyway,get back to me if actually you are owed here. Regards, Barrister Clement Okoro Esther Summerson
Sent: 1/1/2009
Dear Mr. Okoro: May I refer you to your heading, which reads as below: OKORO ASSOCIATES ATTORNEY'S & SOLICITORS Did you intend that the word "attorney's" be construed as a possessive? I have, if you will examine our correspondence, requested documentation from you explaining the source of the funds to which you claim I am entitled. It has long been my habit to examine such things with great care before entering into any business with people with whom I am not acquainted. I would appreciate, then, a detailed account of how you discovered this fund, how it is connected to me, where you got my name and any pertinent documents. Thank you, Ms Esther Summerson (By the way, it is customary to address people by their patronyms, rather than their Christian names, in business correspondence. One would think a barrister would know that.) Clement Okoro
1/2/2009
Dear Ms Esther, Thanks for your mail and the contents duly noted. I addressed you as above because it was how it appeared in the dailies among those owed by the Federal Government of Nigeria. From the dailies,it was published that one Mr.Edward Summerson (Deceased) who was a contractor to the federal government willed these funds to you to the tone of US$5.2M and presently this said amount is still with the bank of which I'm asking you for a power of attorney to help you receive these funds while my legal/professional charges will be paid after you must have confirmed receipt of your funds. NB: Feel free to call me on my direct line on : 234-705- 7682372 or better still furnish me with your direct line for easier communication. Regards, Barrister Clement Okoro Esther Summerson
Sent: 1/2/2009
Dear Mr. Okoro: I am not, nor have I ever been, connected with anyone named Edward Summerson, deceased or otherwise. I have no relations of that name. I have never been married. I am not acquainted with anyone of the name of Edward Summerson. There is no earthly reason for me to believe that anyone named Edward Summerson would owe me any money. Further, I do not intend to enter into any business relationship with you or your firm. The only Okoro and Associates I have been able to find is an engineering firm. I have no reason to believe that an engineering firm would be equipped to deal in legal matters. I request that you send copies of the original documents to me, so that I might examine them myself. Should you not be able to do that, I can only conclude that you are engaging in a fiction, and that will be the end of it. Again, as we are not acquainted, I must insist that you address me by my patronymic and call me "Ms Summerson" and not "Ms Esther." Thank you, Esther Summerson [Should Mr. Okoro respond, I will invite him to my London office, the Kensington Police Station.] Clement Okoro
1/8/2009
Dear Ms Summerson, Thanks for your mail and the contents duly noted. I know I've told you the truth which no one would. Mr Edward passed this will to you and this is nothing but the gospel truth.I'm only asking you to give me a limited power of attorney to help receive these funds while you pay for my legal/professional charges after you must have confirmed receipt of the funds into your account and have access to them. Moreover,my legal firm's name is Okoro Associates while I, Barrister Clement Okoro C. is the principal attorney.You can visit the Nigerian Bar Association website on : www.nigerianbar.org for more details or better link to : http://www.nigerianbar.org/index.php?option=com_staticxt&staticfile=search.php&Itemid=4 if you really want to know more about me.I also attach herebywith copies of my Int'l passport and practising certificate for your perusal. Regards, Barrister Clement Okoro Esther Summerson
Sent: 1/9/2009
Dear Mr. Okoro. I have no connection with anyone named Edward Summerson. I have never had any connection with anyone of that name. If you would be kind enough to send a copy of the will to me, I will have it examined by my solicitors, Carboy and Kenge, of Temple Bar in London. Given that I am a named party to the will, as you claim, it is well within my rights, and in fact becomes a duty, to examine the document myself to my satisfaction. I will not, please understand this clearly, grant power of attorney to an unknown person on the basis of his claiming that what he says is "the gospel truth." If I may quote Shakespeare, "The devil can cite Scripture for his purposes." I might be persuaded to entertain your proposal if you were willing to come to London and present your bona fides to me at my office. Yours, Esther Summerson [I will soon introduce the law firm of Kenge and Carboy.] Clement Okoro
1/9/2009
Dear Ms Summerson, Thanks for your mail. I'll send copy of the will to you tomorrow for your perusal and note that we will meet in London once you confirm receipt of the inheritance funds into your account. Please note that my primary intention is to help you receive these funds while you pay for my legal/professional charges at the end of the day. Regards, Barrister Clement Okoro Esther Summerson
Sent: 1/9/2009
Dear Mr. Okoro: I will, upon examining the copy of the will, arrange an appointment with you and/or your representatives in London, provided that the information in the document is legitimate and pertains to me. I must insist that we meet prior to conducting any business involving my granting you power of attorney. I will not grant power of attorney to strangers on the basis of a few exchanged e-mails. That would be foolish, don't you agree? By the way, I did consult with the Nigerian Bar Association, and they inform me that your profile does not exist or is no longer available. May I suggest that you contact the Association and update your profile? Thank you, Esther Summerson The clever mind behind Esther Summerson
[ Mr. Okoro tells Esther that he will be sending a copy of the will. Won't that be interesting? To: nba@nigerianbar.org Sent: 1/9/2009 Subj: Clement Okoro A party claiming to be Clement Okoro, a member of the Nigerian Bar Association and an attorney has been writing to this address in furtherance of an advance fee scheme. He has been using the following e-mail address: okorosolicitors1@yahoo.com I thought you might like to be advise of this imposture. [More to come?] [Puzzled? Mystified? At sea? Read The Main Page. Reading "Bleak House" by Charles Dickens may also illuminate certain passages.] |