E-mail Scam Exploits Identity of Croc Hunter’s Widow
EmailThe wife of deceased Crocodile Hunter Steve Irwin is the latest high profile person to be exploited by a "Nigerian e-mail scam." The new e-mail is in the name of Irwin’s widow Terri and promises respondents a portion of the couple’s private fortune of "11 million pounds Sterling." In the e-mail, "Terri Irwin" says she needs help keeping the fund in safe hands because "the bank is planning to use the money for nuclear weapons." THE BLOTTER RECOMMENDS Phony Lottery Scams Hit Hundreds of Thousands in U.S. E-mail Scam ‘Out of Iraq’ Click Here for More of the Brian Ross Page In a cruel twist, the e-mailer purporting to be Mrs. Irwin says the matter is urgent because she is "suffering from cancer illness," and "my condition is really deteriorating." The message says 60 percent of the fund will be used for the "development of the Church and Mosque in Africa, America, Asia and Europe"; the remaining 40 percent will go to the person offering assistance. Experts say people who respond to these messages are typically asked to pay "processing fees" of thousands of dollars in order to claim their money. The victims then discover the promised huge payout was a fraud. Most of these e-mails originate from scam artists in Nigeria, and authorities say they reap billions of dollars from unsuspecting people worldwide every year. Experts say the scammers are quick to capitalize on high-profile events to keep their e-mails current.
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Seriously – anyone who buys in to this sort of thing I feel sorry for. Didn’t anyone ever teach them that anything worth having is worth getting the old fashioned way – hardwork and determination. PLease – nothing comes for free – not even our freedom.
Posted by: Shelby | September 26, 2006, 7:38 pm 7:38 pm
It’s incredible what they’re doing to the Croc Hunter’s family. These sort of e-mails, games that have you “get revenge on the stingrays”. Some people may think these things are a sort of “tribute” to the croc hunter, but dont fall for that. Why can’t we leave these people in peace?
Posted by: ATTW | September 26, 2006, 9:43 pm 9:43 pm
In regards to the NASTY Terri Irwin mail scam…Why can’t people leave her alone. Let her greave in peace? I ordered something a year ago from Amazon.com/Germany. Was something in German language not available here. Also bought something from E-Bay. To make a long story short…I started getting e-mails from Africa, Holland, & some exotic place I don’t remember. These people ask for your bank acct. #’s so they can “safely” transfer the so called inheritance “funds” to your bank acct., after keeping a transaction/legal fee of the supposed deceased’smillions. Well anyone who is stupid to fall for this is just waiting to be TAKEN TO THE CLEANERS!!!!!!!!!!!! I didn’t fall for this scam. They make the e-mails very convincing though. I ended up having to change my e-mail address in the end because I was getting some 200+ scam mails daily. And always remember OLD SAYINGS have a lot of truth to them as this easy one to remember…. IF IT SEEMS TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE IT MOST PROBABLY ISN’T.
Posted by: marci | September 26, 2006, 10:39 pm 10:39 pm
Scams like this happen to those who are celebrities or well known and grieving! Terri Irwin isn’t any acception. Her husband was in the public eye and unfortunately these people are going after her and her family! It’s too bad, because she has enough to content with! Terri is a strong woman, whether she wants to believe it or not..every woman who has lost a spouse, has inner strength..I should know..I lost my husband at 44, 8 years ago. Terri must realize that Steve is in a much better place and she will be rejoined with him at a later time.
But he isn’t really lost, he is at home in Heaven, we are the aliens of this world and Steve has citizenship in Heaven. Steve will always be in Terri, Bindi, Bob, Bob Sr.’s heart as well as the rest of the Australia Zoo.
Steve Irwin’s work hasn’t gone without being noticed..he has done a great deal for humanity making us aware of wildlife and what we can learn and do for them.
He would want Terri to go on with his work with wildlife, preserving them and Bindi to follow in his footsteps!
Posted by: Patricia A McCabe | September 27, 2006, 12:30 am 12:30 am
Anyone who is stupid enough to actually believe that Mrs. Irwin would write to THEM and ask for THEIR help…. should be sent to a ward of sorts. Get real, if you don’t ENTER the UK lottery (another email scam), you CAN’T WIN IT. And if you don’t KNOW Mrs. Irwin, she WOULDN’T write to you. Got Brains..?!?! I get 10 email scams a day…I send them all viruses in return. :)
Posted by: Laurie | September 27, 2006, 8:06 am 8:06 am
I’m sitting here, totally amazed that anyone could fall for such a scam. With everything that’s available about these scams, are people in this world just plain stupid? I would really be curious to know how many people respond to an email like the one mentioned here. And for those that do, I can’t help but think they respond out of greed. That being the case, they do not deserve anyone’s sympathy.
Posted by: gus | September 27, 2006, 8:34 am 8:34 am
If you pay attention to these emails there are often words that are misspelled, and some sentences that do not use the correct word. For instance the email I saw used the word dead instead died.
There are websites out there that tell you how to pick out scams.
Posted by: Coni V | September 27, 2006, 9:12 am 9:12 am
Sometimes the perps of these scams are smarter than we give them credit for. I was duped once as well. Be wary of the people you start chatting with for years via yahoo or msn messenger, as they probably are priming you as well for a scam. The scams do not always request money upfront. These perps indear themselves to you for quite some time before they ask you to cash a check for them as they are having problems while out of the country on a buying trip.
Just sign me.
Taken once, but smart because of it
Posted by: Robin | September 27, 2006, 9:13 am 9:13 am
I get these things all the time. One last week from Nigeria wanted me to wire $550 USD to them so they would have the money to FedEx the check to me. Right!!!!!!!
Posted by: Connie | September 27, 2006, 9:17 am 9:17 am
y cant thay leave her and that fanly in peace
i get tham things dayly and have not fallen for any yet
butt i hate to see her draged in the mud liker that
Posted by: safe malee | September 27, 2006, 9:22 am 9:22 am
It isn’t right to ask for the money it’s no pain no gain in this world you got to feel pain if you want to gain something. It’s unfair. Mrs. Irwin is having a very hard time dealing with other things. Sometimes they say this family lived with cameras but I think all people have something they want to be left alone about.
Posted by: Nikki | September 27, 2006, 9:41 am 9:41 am
I admire Steve Irwin and his work protecting animals. Please let Terri greave in peace. Her family has been though enough.
Posted by: Peggy Johns | September 27, 2006, 9:43 am 9:43 am
i can’t believe people these days. i know how Terri feels cause i lost my dad when i was 10 years old.
Posted by: Erica | September 27, 2006, 11:22 am 11:22 am
Why can people be so cruel hearted. The Irwin family has been so much and hasn’t the world also suffered their loss? Let them be so they can continue something good in a world like ours there’s got to be something that gives people some meaning to life. Please stop the scams on this family. Do yourself a favor and become a passionate human being and see what this world would have been without Steve Irwin and his family.
Posted by: kathy | September 27, 2006, 1:09 pm 1:09 pm
Terri is grieving, let her and her children grieve in peace. I get these scams all the time. I even got one saying some man with my last name just died and i’m the only person with the same last name they can fine, therefore they supposedly named me next of kin to inherit millions of dollars. I wasn’t stupid enough to fall for that and i’m a pretty gullible person. Anyone stupid enough to fall for a scam like that deserves what they get. Get some brains people.
Posted by: Alicia | September 27, 2006, 3:13 pm 3:13 pm
I agree with comments from some of the posters above – How can anyone fall for this? I get an email a week, at least, from some poor reched sole who needs me to send them $200 -$2000 to get their dead great aunts billions out of probate or something of that nature and that I would be rewarded with a percentage, enough $ that would make me a millionaire. These scams have been going on for YEARS. I have a friend who was taken for $2000 by some guy claiming this kind of melarchy at a gas station. When I was told the story I asked him if he had been born the day before the crime. Greed, it not only makes people cruel and dishonest, it can also make you stupid!!!!
Posted by: Di | September 27, 2006, 5:23 pm 5:23 pm
i agree w/ “nicki” terri has been through enough as it is and she doesnt need to make it any worse than it already is its a tragidie and we all know it .steve irwin was a role model and a loving father, and husband…R.I.P. steve irwin
Posted by: Emily | September 27, 2006, 6:51 pm 6:51 pm
Cruel-hearted people such as these should be ashamed. My uncle recently died at the age of 44 and I still grieve. Leave the Irwins alone they are allowed (however famous they may be) to grieve as we do. If you have any sense you’ll understand this. I know Steve is in Heaven with God. That helps me cope with these accidents we all dread.
Posted by: m | September 27, 2006, 11:44 pm 11:44 pm
Seriously, how can anyone fall for things like this?!! So some huge amounts of money just fall into your lap. Get real.
Its just disgusting how people would exploit Terri Irwin at this trageic time.
Posted by: Hana | September 28, 2006, 12:28 am 12:28 am
First off, The scam is just sick.
She has enough to worry about and to take care of. She has to take the role of mommy and daddy. Then to pick-up where steve left off.
I pray God gives her the strength to go through each day.
My prayers are with the family.
Posted by: Andrea | September 28, 2006, 9:01 am 9:01 am
There continues to be evil in the world, unfortunately. I hate to say it, but anyone who falls for these scams, deserves what they get. In this day and age of constant warnings about these types of scams, I’m in disbelief that people really fall for them. The person I feel very sorry for is Terri Irwin. These scum of the earth scammers use her grief to try to bilk people out of their money. Can you get anymore evil than that?
Posted by: Debbie | September 28, 2006, 10:33 am 10:33 am
These e-mail scams are so out of control. It is bad enough we have to deal with them at all, but to take someone as sweet, kind and who has just lost the one she loves and use her as a target, this is totally out rageous! I wish these people could be captured and given their rightful punishment!
I hope everyone out there reading these posts realizes that those scams, if you respond, will take over your bank account, and leave you with nothing but heartache and pennyless!
Teri, I am so sorry this had to happen to you. You and your family deserves only the very best of everytning.
Posted by: MistletoeLady | September 28, 2006, 10:55 am 10:55 am
The empathy expressed here is commendable, but the spelling is atrocious.
Posted by: rick | September 28, 2006, 12:03 pm 12:03 pm
What is sad that no one can go after these people for everything they have now and in the future! The damn politician’s go after the home owner’s with more zest than they do to people that steal even from the idiot’s in this world. Let police arrest them and then put them (after trial of course you liberal bleeders) into a chain gang and pay back every penny to there suckers (victims). And to every attorney out there wanting to plead there case – shut up! No one cares what garbage you can spin for why they are thieves.
Posted by: Kelley | September 28, 2006, 2:22 pm 2:22 pm
I have read all of these postings from everyone and think that this is awesome on how supportive everyone is of Terri. Terri, my thoughts and prayers are with you and your family. Steve was an awesome role model.
Posted by: shari | September 28, 2006, 3:35 pm 3:35 pm
Why would anyone want to lash out at this family in sich a way that it woudl bring shame to you and them. I agree that we should just leave the Irwin Family alone, they deserve better than this. All they did was help unincriminate the animals that we incriminated. And as for those stingray games, what would Irwin have done? The only real dinger to you, is yourself. Only you can ut yourself in wildlife danger like that. Heck, it is you that really puts you in danger. The whole thing was an accident. I am a singer, and i have been writing a song in Irwin’s death. I will get it recorded, and i will sell it, i hope you guys hear it. It is a tribute to the Irwin family. A for those who are sending stupid anusing e-mails, go home and pick your nose or something if you have nothing else better to do. I am sorry for sounding shrewd, but it is the truth.
Posted by: Emanuel J. Montoya | September 28, 2006, 3:56 pm 3:56 pm
To those Nigerians who are trying to pull a scam against a beautiful family such as the Irwins ought to be locked up.
signed,
A croc fan
Posted by: debra | September 29, 2006, 3:48 pm 3:48 pm
“Laurie,” who said she sends viruses to scammers, is not as smart as she thinks. Scammers often use a website to deal with their victims; the return email address is spoofed — that is, it’s not really that of the sender — so Ol’ Laurie ends up hurting people with no connection to the scammer.
Laurie, can you say, “D’oh!” like Homer Simpson?
Posted by: John | September 29, 2006, 4:18 pm 4:18 pm
If everyone on this list would just shutup about the crodile hunters death we would no longer be adding to this list of stories and comments. I am writing this to put in a comment to stop writing about it and it will be no more….at least at this website. But you have to start somewhere, if you want to leave them alone QUIT writing things for them to read. Damn yall upset me, I must not go drink an energy drink. PEACE
Posted by: Jonathan | September 30, 2006, 12:34 pm 12:34 pm
Unfortunately, many elderly people, especially some with beginning Alzheimer’s are easy prey for this kind of e-mail from Nigeria and elsewhere. My mother first logged onto the computer at 80 and when she got off at age 85 I was glad, because her beginning Alzheimer’s would have made her a perfect target.
Posted by: Dean Barrett | October 1, 2006, 8:33 pm 8:33 pm
Soon there will be a book coming out on people who scammed these scammers, and made fools of them. These criminals will believe anything if they think their target has taken the bait. But it is the scammers who are hooked in these cases. Clever stuff… watch for it!
Posted by: arnold fannerman | October 1, 2006, 8:53 pm 8:53 pm
its unfortunate that these scammers have no respect for the berieaved lady. this people are a disgrace to humanity and do not represent the true character of nigerians.
Posted by: EUGENE OKOJIE | October 2, 2006, 7:19 am 7:19 am
People who fall for any of this are the sAME PEOPLE WHO THINK TERRORISTS KNOCKED DOWN THE TWIN TOWERS AND THINK DUMBYA IS A GOOD PRESIDENT
Posted by: truth Seeker | October 2, 2006, 8:38 am 8:38 am
Let the Irvin family alone. I lost my husband when I was young and I have learned alot from people in general. Your close friends care and some of the family but the scams artists forget. I always just delete things I don’t want to hear about and especially people who can cruel to you.
Posted by: freereagan | October 2, 2006, 2:41 pm 2:41 pm
i hope that terri and the family will alway be there to take care of the animals that steve love so much. i my self will miss his smiling face and his outrages laugh. he was a wonderful man and i and my family will miss him and wish the family best wishes and hope one day to be able to come to the zoo there and meet the one true love that steve had beside his love of croc. best wishes to you and your co worker at the zoo we still love you and the family, we still watch the show when it come on but i fill like i have lost a friend. that i have never met wished i could have but he gone home to be with his mother. love you alway
pat
Posted by: pat | October 3, 2006, 1:17 am 1:17 am
I am sorry
Posted by: Pat Boutilier | October 3, 2006, 1:23 am 1:23 am
steve will always live in are heartsand he will always be 44 years old for ever young
Posted by: lisa zan | October 3, 2006, 9:44 pm 9:44 pm
steve irwin put to the test that nobody dared to go..it’s obliviously close to the end of our mother earth and you can thank that to the greed of goverments.and religion.but, if you understand what it takes to live in prosperty with what god gave you and it,s enviroment to make the spriral keep turning as it should be we would be in a better place that we are in now.steve irwin and family brought to the world a message that means the mosts to what it means to share[I mean share]the globe with it’s enviroment that kept it thriving since the beg
Posted by: amy | October 4, 2006, 1:19 am 1:19 am
Please, know there are people that greive along with Terri’s family. Lost is a painfull experience. Never feel guilt for the fun. Those are the memories that one should hold on to. To be Part of Steve world was a gift.
Posted by: Charlie J. | October 7, 2006, 1:52 pm 1:52 pm
If anyone believes that they should go get bitten by a crocodile. Leave Terri and the children alone!! I would give anything to call them, write to them, email the, or better yet, visit them. But I know they want some space. LEAVE THEM ALONE PEOPLE!! THEY HAVE FEELINGS TOO!!!
Posted by: Lindsey | October 12, 2006, 10:00 pm 10:00 pm
what nikki said
Posted by: ashley richards | October 23, 2006, 2:42 pm 2:42 pm
this sucks why wont these dumb stupid people leave her alone
people she just prince cut her some slack
Posted by: ashley richards | October 23, 2006, 2:47 pm 2:47 pm
She is dealing with the loss of her husband and has to rise two younge children alone. Get a life and leave her alone
Posted by: Charlene | December 31, 2006, 7:31 pm 7:31 pm
All you scammers out dea Plze,Plze,Pleaze leave This Irwin family grieve in peace Wat kind of pple who would do this to a lovely family,just leave them alone.and let them carry on with Steve’s Lengancy at the Aus.Zoo..Peace be with you Steve!!! one day if i win lottery That will be my first trip is go to the Auz,Zoo and take flower’s to steve graveyard as i was a big fan of his.I am so sad he’s gone 4ever leaving his family behind..My Love goes out to terri bindi and little bob GOD BLESS YOU ALL
Posted by: Mere McLean | June 29, 2007, 10:23 pm 10:23 pm
we r very sorry to here about steve but he was a great man and i miss him but my prayers r with u some day i will get to see the thing u did with the zoo i watch all crock hunter on aminal planted all time we do not but anthing to do with animal killed for sport could u tell everone at the zoo to please keep up steve dream alive we all love what u do thanks
Posted by: elvie kasper | July 27, 2007, 11:11 pm 11:11 pm
every one if u are wrong! terry irwin i awsome have u seen what she has done with the zoo she has transformed it1 it is a better zoo now . and her daughter bindi ever gives her own mony to the zoo! so u guys should respect them!
Posted by: noicole | November 10, 2007, 5:59 pm 5:59 pm
I’M DEARLY SORRY ABOUT STEVE.
MY DAD LOVED HIM ALONG WITH MY GRAND FATHER. YOU JUST REMEMBER THAT HE STILL LIVES ON IN AMERICAS HEARTS. DEFINATLY YOURS, BINDIES AND FAMILY.OH AND BY THE WAY, I THINK YOU ARE REALLY PRETTY. BINDY IS TOO. YOU SHOULD BE PROUD.
Posted by: DESTINY | October 7, 2008, 10:41 am 10:41 am