We know you're smart enough not to fall for absurd email scams, but just in case, we thought you should know about this email from "Melania Trump" that's going around.
There are many different versions, but one of them comes from "Mrs. Melania Trump" and the email "mrs_melaniatrump13@yahoo.com." It starts:
"Good Day. I am Mrs. Melania Trump this is to officially inform you that your overdue payment from West Africa Benin Republic total sum of ($20.000.000) twenty million US dollars is currently here in my office white house Washington DC and the funds will be delivered to you as soon as you get back to this office and comply with the requirement as needed to deliver your total fund to you as well. Your home address and your cell phone numbers is highly needed to complete this delivering to you as well."
AdvertisementADVERTISEMENT
She signs off: "First Lady United State [sic] Of America."
It goes without saying that first lady Melania Trump is not going to wire you $20 million from Benin. There are so many red flags in these emails, as the Huffington Post reports — for example, one of them uses a Japan-based email address and California area code phone number. That should tip you off. It also falsely suggests she lives in Washington, D.C., when she is currently residing in the Trump Tower.
And then, of course, there is the question of why Melania Trump would be giving you millions of dollars from a tiny West African country.
The Huffington Post reports that its replies to the email and calls to the phone number have gone unanswered. This is what's called a 419 scam — it promises a generous return for an upfront fee. Please, please, don't fall for stuff like this!