The Barrister John McHenry Smile Time Variety Hour

First, thanks to the fine folks over at the Snopes forums. Their Nigerian Scavenger Hunt forum is quite useful and provided the original email.

From: Mr.Phil. Okolie [mailto: xxxxxxxxxxxx]
Subject: Dear Friend,


Dear Friend,

I need your services in a confidential matter regarding money out of a family beneficiary deposit for investment in your country as such i decided to establish contact with you for assistance.

This requires a private arrangement,as you will receive these funds under legal claims; all legal documents will be carefully worked out to ensure a risky free claim.

I am willing to pay a generous management fee as well as appreciation as soon as this transaction is completed.I have all the details,all correspondences will be via email, for now. The funds in question are quite large.

I will expect a straight answer from you. Yes or No.If yes, Kindly furnish me with your personal information which must include your full information:

1) Your Full Name.
2) Phone, Fax and Mobile #.
3) Home/Company Address.

Please Send me an e-mail as soon as you receive this letter for further discussion and more clarification.

Thanks and God Bless You.


Well, he wanted a straight answer. Yes or No. I was only too happy to oblige:

Subject: Re: Dear friend,


Dear Friend,

I am interested in assisting you. Please reply back with what I must do.

Yours in Christ,
A. Tiberius Discordia

Nice and simple. It took a few days for him to get back to me. I thought at first he just didn't reply; that happens sometimes. Turns out, Gmail's spam catcher got it! Anyway, I marked it "Not Spam" and was greeted with the following:


Subject: Dear Mr.A. Tiberius Discordia,Your Information Requested Will Do Us Lots Good Asap. (Yes, that was the subject -ed)

Dear Mr.A. Tiberius Discordia,

How are you doing today with your family?

Please Sir your personal information is still awaited which shall enable an reputable Attorney proceed to the British High Court and secure every release due legal documents in your name for our fund release and transfer to you.

Be also informed that once your vital informatuon is sent it wil be forwarded to the Attorney chambers to enable him proceed to the British High Court on the secure of all release relevant documents in your name and favour.

Information Required:

Your Full Name
Your Telephone Number
Your Home Address

I hope you also remember that this fund of ours once released and transferedto you is to be used for immedaite investment in your country into any profitable venture of your choice,where we both shall work as partner when i come over to meet with you at your country.

Your Urgent Information Sent,Will Do Us Lots Good To Proceed.

Wiith My Best Regards,

Mr.Phil Okolie.

Well, this is interesting. Not in the sense that there's anything really new he's doing at this point; it's followed the same structure as all of these so far. What I really liked is the bad spelling and broken English.

My Reply:
Dear Mr. Phil Okolie,

I and my family are quite well and I hope this message finds you just as well. I apologize for the delay in this reply; it was most regrettably unavoidable.

Full Name: Adam James Tiberius Discordia
Address: 742 Evergreen Terrace Corona California 92878

I hope these datas will be sufficient for the purposes of our Enterprise. Please reply back soonest

Yours in Christ,
Mr. A Tiberius Discordia

I didn't copy it here, but according to Gmail, his name changed to "Phil Okoli."

With the next email. his name changed back to "Okolie." You may have been wondering why this entry us titled "The Barrister John McHenry Smile Time Variety Hour" when the scammer's name is "Mr. Phil Okolie." Here's why:

Dear Mr.Adam James Tiberius Discordia,

I must start by thanking you so very much towards your quick response to see that this mutaul transcation is been smoothly completed by your assistance of fronting you as the Bonafide Beneficary of my Consignment at the security company.

On on your coopeartion over your forwarded full information,i have forwarded all your full data's to a Noble Reputable Attorney whom will be of great help to you in terms of securing every due legal documents in your name and favor at the Federal High Court of Justice,to ensure that our consignment is been claimed from the Security Company and invested in our country immedaitly.

So my advice is that you adhere strictly to the directives of the Noble Attorney,to see that our consignment due legal documents is been perfectly secured in your name at the Federal High Court of Justice as the Sole Bonafide Beneficary in favor of our Consignment claim as soon as possible.

Here is the Noble Attorney contact info:

Office Name: John Mchenry & Associates.
Name: Barrister John Mchenry.
Tel: 234xxxxxxxxxx
Email: xxxxxxx@hotmail.com

Once you have reached the Noble Attorney,i will greatly appracite your update informing me that you have opened communication with the Attorney where great legal assistance and other vital directives towards our great goal been acheived will be coming from him okay.

I look foward for your immedaite update and co-opeartion Asap.

Best Regards,

Mr.Phil Okolie.

I looked up the Country Code "234" and made a startling discovery: This guy's an Honest-to-God Nigerian! Furthermore, with Vonage, it only costs 11 cents a minute to call Nigeria! I'll definitely be calling him, but that had to wait because before I could reply to Mr. Phil Okoli, the Barrister John McHenry (SAN) sent me something:

Subject: Legal Advice Mr.Adam Tiberius /Attend Urgently......Barrister John Mchenry (SAN)

From: Barrister John Mchenry (SAN)
John Mchenry & Associates
Senior Advocate of Nigeria.
Legal Practitioners and Solicitors
Road 24, House 40Festac Town,
Lagos -Nigeria.
Tel: xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Mailling Add: xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx@hotmail.com

Att: Ms.Adam James Tiberius Discordia,

This is to get you informed that I have acknowledged all vital information of yours, which is been sent to my chambers for due proclaiming of the vital documentation on your behalf at the Federal High Court of Justice Abuja Nigeria by your partner Mr.Phil Okolie.

Please note that you are to forward the following information’s to this chambers without any further delay to enable us reconfirm what we have on my desk and ascertain the authenticity of the information’s given.

1) Your Full Name.
2) Your Occupation.
3) Your Residential /Company Address.
4) Your Marital Status.
5) Your Age.
6) Your Personal Telephone /Fax Number.
7) Scanned Driver’s license/International passport
copy.

Do forwards all this, so I proceed urgently on your legal documents proclaiming in your name at the Fedearl High Court.As your partner has also informed of your ability of assistance and trustworthy in you with this great mutual transaction.

Thanks for your anticipation.

Yours in Service,

Barrister John Mchenry (SAN)
Note: Correspondence with Barrister John Mchenry (SAN) will be in bold italics in order to separate it from Mr. Phil Okolie. Why does John Mchenry (SAN) get bold? Because he's a Barrister and a (SAN.) Mr. Phil Okolie is nothing.

Anyway, I sent Barrister John Mchenry (SAN) my reply:

Dear Barrister John McHenry,

I will be most happily to transmit all the datas you request. Furthermore, I wish to thank you first for your assistance in this Enterprise; it is most appreciated.

Full Name: Adam James Tiberius Discordia
Occupation: Independent Plumbing Technician
Age: 32

My scanner is currently broken; I will send the driving license at another day.

Once again, many thanks for your utmost assistance.

Yours in Christ,
A. Tiberius Discordia

I could have sent him the phony driver's license I used last time, but he gave me his phone number; I wanted to string him along for as long as possible.

In the mean time, Mr. Phil Okolie wanted to make sure everything was OK:

Subject: I Await Your Update On Your Contact With Attorney Asap.Mr.A. Tiberius Discordia,

Dear Adam James Tiberius Discordia ,

How are you doing today with your family?

I would want to know if you have contacted the Attorney as regards the secure of every due legal release documents as regards our consignment legal documents in your name to enable the Security Company have our consignment quickly released to you as soon as possible.

Please I need your update to enable me know you and the Attorney has open communication and by Monday or so our consignment release documents in your name get perfect secured and issued in your name to enable our consignment claimed and released to you successfully.

I Await Your Update On Your Contact With Attorney Asap.

With My Best Regards,

Mr.Phil.

From me:

Dear Mr. Phil Okolie,

My family and I are most blessed and we are all doing quite well. I thank you for your kind interest in this matter and many others. I hope you and your family are doing as well as mine.

I have contacted the Honourable Barrister John McHenry. as regards the secure of every due legal release as regards our consignment in my name to enable the Security Company have our consignment quickly released to me as soon as possible. It is very kind of you to show such concern.

Once again, I am in constant communications with the Barister. I am certain we will have the Enterprise concluded by the Monday deadline.

Yours in Christ,
A. Tiberius Discordia

Barrister John Mchenry (SAN) got back to me fairly quickly:

Subject: Await Your Urgent Response On This Progress.........Barrister John Mchenry (SAN)

From: Barrister John Mchenry (SAN)
John Mchenry Associates
Senior Advocate of Nigeria.
Legal Practitioners and Solicitors
Road 24, House 40Festac Town,
Lagos -Nigeria.
Tel: xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Mailling Add: xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx@hotmail.com

Att: Mr.Adam James Tiberius Discordia,

I wish to inform you that your personal data's was well acknowledged at my chambers which your partner Mr.Phil Okolie forwarded and i have forged ahead to the Federal High Court of Justice to secure every due legal documents in your name for you to be made the Sole Bonafide Beneficary towards your consignment claimed from the Security Company Europe and have this fund invested into any profitable venture of your choice that will be of great mautaul benefit to you and your partner.

I now wish to let you know that by tomorrow this documents in your name shall be perfectly issued in your name and once issued in your name at the Federal High Court of Justice,i shall have the Security Company contact information passed to you for you to quickly open communication with the Security Company to let you know how your consignment will be released to you as the Legal Owner and Sole Bonafide Beneficary.

Be also informed that i have sent to the Security Company Application Letter for the Approval of your consignment and once every due legal documents has been secured and submitted to the Security Company your consignment claim by you shall be Approved by the Security Company and immedaite claim of your consignment shall take place by you without any atom of delay.

I advice now that you quickly let me know your preparation to to work accordingly with this development and see that once all due legal documents is perfect ready in your name you shall carry out all my directives and guidelines on having your consignment claimed without atom of delay.

Await Your Urgent Response On This Progress.

Yours in service,

Barrister John Mchenry (SAN)

I didn't bother to reply to this one via email. Instead, I called him!

Download (MP3, 10:51 32kbps, 2.5MB)

If there's a part 2, I'll have an update.

UPDATE 3/12/2006 Here's the version of the call I used in the YouTube video. It's over a minute shorter and better overall, IMO.