And it's come to this

Steph's deathbed wish

Spam message, subject line is “HELLO”, the visible body text states “May the peace of God be with you and your family.I know it will be a great surprise reading from me today but consider this a divine interv…”While cleaning out my junk mail folder, this one popped in. My first thought was what's the betting that's she's a childless widow dying of cancer?

Subject: *** SPAM *** [Spam] HELLO
To: Recipients <apn33@rediffmail.com>
From: "Mrs. Stephanie Smith" <apn33@rediffmail.com>
Date: Wed, 17 Aug 2022 11:33:54 -0700
Reply-To: officew919@gmail.com
May the peace of God be with you and your family.I know it will be a great surprise reading from me today but consider this a divine intervention as a pastor explained to my understanding. My name is Mrs. Stephanie Smith, a widow from Oklahoma USA and am writing you from my sick bed because i have been fighting cancer and the doctors says i have only few weeks left. I want to entrust my money ($8.5 million USD) to your care for charity purposes to help the less privileged as my late husbands relatives want me dead so that they will claim all my late husband and i worked for. I will tell you more about myself and what you need to do with the money once your receive it.Please write me soon as my health is pretty bad and my doctors says i will be moved to the intensive care unit anytime soon.Have a blessed day and please do pray for me.God bless you. Yours Mrs. Stephanie Smith Email: (officew919@gmail.com)
Dear Mrs Smith I am so sorry to learn of your situation. But I thank God that He has brought us together like this, to do His work. This generous bequest can be put to very good use, to help those less fortunate than others. Of course, I understand your desire not to lose your hard work to your husband’s relatives. I must ask, however, a very delicate question. Did you and your husband have any children who might also lay claim to your estate? I would not want to be the cause of filial strife or suffering. Yours sincerely, in the Lord,

Childless? (tick)

And she wants to gift me, a complete stranger, a cool $2½M for my service in the name of our Lord and Saviour. Except to the widowers in our society, they can go screw themselves, apparently.

Thank you for response and concern about my health. Since you have accepted to use the money for the less privilege, I will proceed to let you know what to do without any hesitation. From all indication, my health condition has deteriorated so badly that its quite obvious i may not live for the next couple of weeks as my doctor said that is why i want you to handle the funds to reach the less privileged, orphanages, single moms and widows in our society. I was married to my late husband Engineer Michael Smith for twenty two years until his death a few years ago. Tragically he died on February 10th 2013 in an Auto accident along side our only Son ( Barnett ) while they where traveling to meet me on my Son birthday. I will never forget that day as i felt the world has come to an end but my Christian Faith with the Help of my Pastor i was able to live again. When my ailment became terminal and sadly my late husbands brother wanted me dead to claim all that Mike & i labored for all these years, I sold off all our choice properties and other inherited belongings and deposited the proceeds amounting to $8.5 Million with a Security Company. I crave your indulgence as a God fearing individual and as someone who cares for a better world as much as i do, to take it upon yourself and use this fund for these mentioned purposes, It is my wish that you use 30% of the total funds for yourself and family making sure that you use the balance for charity as promised. I took this painstaking decision in other to help humanity in my little capacity before i rest in peace in the bosom of the almighty. I know that my ordeal will sadden your heart but the best you can do for me now is to keep this conversation highly confidential between us because it matters most in my life at this moment and i will never want the wrong people knowing about this inheritance or my late husband's brother. What matters is life after death. I will let you have more information as soon as i have your word and promise not to betray my trust in you. I have attached a copy of my picture to this message for your perusal so tell me more about yourself, family and please assure me that you will not treat this offer with levity but will rather give my bequest continued existence. Remain Blessed, Mrs. Stephanie Smith

Whoever it is pretending to be Mrs Stephanie Smith, soon to be with her maker, included a photograph of a cheery-looking woman in a hospital bed. It's added solely to give a false air of authenticity, so as to draw the victim in. In reality it could be anyone, so I'm not going to replicate it here.