Forum Übersicht - 2.4. Next of Kin » Ein Anwalt macht sich zum Horst

Da hier im Forum leider zur Zeit kaum Live-Baits laufen, stelle ich hiermit noch einen zweiten Trainings-Bait von mir ein, der sich ebenfalls recht vielversprechend entwickelt hat. Die Original-Mail kam ziemlich kurz daher:

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You were named in a Will, contact alwoodgate@yahoo.com.hk

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Hier noch der Header:

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Dear Mr. Wells,

this comes very surprisingly, who named me in his will? I'm quite sure that nobody I knew had recently died. Can you please tell me more?

Regards,
Horst Neuenberger

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Zwei Tage später bekommt er auch eine Antwort. Allerdings von einem ganz anderen Herren:

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ALLEN & FRASER,
78 Dean Street,
London, W1D 3BE,
United Kingdom.
Tel: +44-793-738-8001
Fax: +44 844 500 6988


Top of the day to you,

We want to acknowledge the receipt of your email in this chamber and also want you to know that you have absolute right to reject this WILL as much as you have the right to accept it. If you wish to turn it down then let me know so I can send you a WILL rejection form to fill and revert back to this office. I am not going to impose it on you but just doing my job here.

Late Engr. Robert Adler was born in Vienna, Austria in 1913 where he was educated. During the war, he immigrated to the US, where he got a job working in the Research division of Zenith Electronics Corporation working on television technology. Late Engr. Robert Adler was a dedicated Christian who loved to give out. His great philanthropy gesture earned him numerous awards during his life time. Late Engr. Robert Adler was born in Vienna - Austria on December 4, 1913 and died on February 15, 2007 at the ripe age of 93, and his WILL is now ready for execution. He left the sum of Twenty Million, five hundred Thousand Dollars (US$20, 500,000.00) to you in the Codicil and last testament to his WILL. According to him this money is to support your humanitarian service and to help the poor and the needy in our society. Robert Adler must have known that you will put the money to good use for the less privileged of which he was aware that you can achieve, that is why he selected you. Also, understand that I don't know you neither have I met you before, but my contacting you is based on the recommendation by my late client - Engr. Robert Adler. He was a world traveller for both business and pleasure, he was fluent in German, English and French and survived by his only wife Ingrid Adler, age 90.

Be further informed that these funds will not be released to you without some proper identification. I have never met you before like I said and to be able to carry out our duties effectively as sole executors of the WILL of Engr. Robert Adler, We must be convinced that you are who the testament says you are. And please re-confirm to us through the above stated fax or via email your full contact details to include;

Your Full Names:
Your Full Address:
Telephone and Fax Numbers(if any):
Age:

Any difference or discrepancies in the information provided by you will mean that I am contacting the wrong person and I will stop all communication with you out rightly.

Your information would be taken to the Probate Division of the International Court of Justice for verification. After the confirmation, the Probate Division would now release your letter of administration for claims to these bequest/funds. This document as well as the Certificate of Deposit issued by the Deposit Bank to Engr. Robert Adler when the funds were deposited by him will then be released to you, this will give you the legal backing to receiving these inheritance funds.

We sincerely hope that the above requirement be sent to us sooner than later for us to proceed with the documentation. And note that we cannot send any document to you until we are fully convinced that we have the true beneficiary. Also, note that we have a period of Ten (10) court sitting days to conclude this so I can move on to the next beneficiary on the WILL of my late client - Engr. Robert Adler.

A Telephone call would be well appreciated: Tel: +44-793-738-8001.

Yours in Service,
William P. Gisler, ESQ.

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Ja, wo ist denn nun der nette (wenn auch etwas wortkarge) Mr. Wells geblieben? Egal, am 16.10. antwortet Horst pflichtbewusst:

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Dear Mr. Gisler,

thank you for your reply. I'm very surprised to hear about my relative. In fact, although I live in Germany now, my family originally comes from Austria, so I guess, there is a good chance, that you're on the right track.

Here's my data:
Full Name: Horst Alfons Neuenberger
Full Address: Hinter der Teke 13, 91704 Biazellt, Deutschland/Germany
Age: 62

Hoping to hear more from you soon.

Regards,
H. Neuenberger

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Ja, so ein Zufall aber auch! Die Welt ist eben doch ein Dorf.
Der Lad möchte nun ganz schnell mit Horst telefonieren:

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Please Horst provide your Telephone Number for easy communication.

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Da gibt es aber leider ein kleines Problem:

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Dear Mr. Gisler,

sorry, I should have mentioned that in my last mail, but I don't have a telephone. The reason is, that because to a severe infection with measles at the age of 4, I am almost completely deaf and cannot use a telephone at all.

I hope very much, that this is no problem for you?

Regards,
H. Neuenberger

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Ich weiss, die Ausrede ist eigentlich total blöd, aber der Lad frisst sie dennoch und schreibt am 17.10.:

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TTN: Horst Alfons Neuenberger,

How are you today?

I am in receipt of your E-mail,This is to confirm the receipt of your complete information needed to aid in the verification procedures. Thank you for providing us with the required information to proceed with the execution of the WILL and LAST TESTAMENT of Late Mr. Robert Adler. It will interest you to know that we have cross checked the information sent and they actually tallied with what we have on our record. Once again, you are the beneficiary of this WILL.

I assure you that you will have nothing to worry about in this transaction. All I require from you is your total commitment. If you follow my instructions strictly, we shall have a smooth conclusion of this transaction in the shortest possible time. Having concluded the preliminary legalities, without any further delay, I would want us to proceed to the next positive step.

I shall send you the documents that the transferring bank will be require from you if only you agree with the terms of agreement. But you must agree to this last terms so that our efforts would not be in futility and also not to create a negative image as the beneficiary from the banking end.

First of all, due to the fact your inheritance funds has been lodged for a long period of time, the transfer transaction would attract some charges which is (Account opening fees which also will be added to your inheritance funds when the account has be opened). You are to bear the charges for the reason being that the bank would legitimately believe that you are the beneficiary of the funds which is an added advantage to your side. The fees will be coming out of your pocket because the account is dormant with he bank and as such no amount can be deducted from the account.

If you agree to this term, I shall send you the necessary documents that will be required by the bank to proceed transfer of your inheritance  funds to your home bank account. A scan copy of my identity card A copy of the WILL document bearing your name as the beneficiary of the WILL should be sent to you only if you agree to the terms and condition stated above.

And note that we have a period of (10) working days to conclude this so I can move on to the next beneficiary on the WILL of my late client.

Do have a nice day ahead of you.

Yours in Service,
William P. Gisler, ESQ.

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Er kommt ja recht schnell zur Sache, dass Horst demnächst erstmal eine Menge Geld bezahlen soll. Aber zum Glück war jetzt erstmal Wochenende. Am 20.10. anwortet Horst schliesslich wieder:

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Dear Mr. Gisler!

Please excuse that I haven't written you back earlier, but I've been visiting an old friend in Mannheim during the weekend. We were together on a school for handicapped children from 1958 to 1967 and visit each other at least twice every year. There are not many people around me to communicate in sign language these days, so I really enjoy our casual meetings, having long "talks" in our way of comunication.
And today I had a huge amount of work to do, so it took me until the evening to answer you.

But to come back to your last mail: generally I agree to the terms you mentioned, but I don't quite understand, why the fees cannot be paid from the funds in the bank. Could you please kindly explain this to me?

Regards,
H. Neuenberger

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Fragen wird doch wohl noch erlaubt sein...

Die Antwort kam prompt und noch am selben Abend:

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ATTN: Horst Alfons Neuenberger,

I have attached the Last Testament and Will of my late client to this Email for your perusal.

As your legal representative in the proceed of this bequest, and to be explicit in all our dealings so as for you to get your inheritance sum within the shortest of time, I shall send you the documents that the transferring bank will be requesting from you. Please find attached the copy of the WILL which certify that you are the true and actual beneficiary. Upon receipt of the WILL of your late benefactor - Mr. Robert Adler, I will immediately submit your information to THE PROBATE REGISTRY DEPARTMENT - LONDON for the immediate processing/endorsement of your Probate Order Document which thus mandate/authorize the deposit bank of The Alliance and Leicester Bank Plc to immediately make release of the funds bequeathed to you. I assure you once again that you will have nothing to worry about in this transaction. All I require from you is your total commitment. If you follow my instructions diligently, we shall have a smooth conclusion of this transaction in the shortest possible time. Having concluded the preliminary legalities, without any further delay, I would want us to proceed to the next positive step.

Send me your reply immediately via email to confirm that you received the last Will and Testament of your late benefactor - Mr. Robert Adler and have agreed to the terms and condition applied bearing in mind that you will be required by the transfer bank to activate the dormant account of your late benefactor - Mr. Robert Adler for easy transfer of your inheritance sum to your designated bank account. As I have stated in my previous letter that the due process of the inheritance law must be duly follow hence you are advise to yield strictly to my instructions so as to have a successful funds transfer of your inheritance sum.

Lastly, I want to use this opportunity also to remind you of the reason why your late benefactor – Mr. Robert Adler left these bequest/funds in your care and that is to carry out humanitarian services to assist the poor and the needy in your society. You may wish to set up a charity foundation/organization in the name of your late benefactor to help the less privileged. I sincerely believe you will do just that.

Do have a nice day ahead of you.

Yours in Service,
William P. Gisler, ESQ.

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(Kopie des Testaments anbei)

Nun muss ich mit dem Autor dieses Scripts doch mal ernsthaft schimpfen. Normalerweise ist es bei solchen Betrugsmaschen, bei denen das Opfer Geld bekommen soll, welches es für wohltätige Zwecke einsetzen muss, üblich, dass das Opfer einen gewissen Anteil des Geldes (üblicherweise 10-30%) für sich behalten darf. Wo ist denn sonst der Anreiz, auf so eine Masche einzugehen? Da wird doch nur ein hundertprozentiger Philantroph mitmachen. Wobei ich jedoch bezweifle, dass so jemand auf eine solche eMail tatsächlich hereinfällt. Ach nee, da gibt es ja noch den Horst:

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Dear Mr. Gisler!

Thank you for sending me a copy of the last will of my relative. I feels good to have such an accurate an trustworthy man like you on my side in this situation. I must admit, that I don't have any experience with such things. But I am sure, that you will do your very best to help me on that matter.

I already have a very good idea, what to do with the money. As I already told you, I have been almost deaf for nearly my whole life. And for many years, I have been engaged in several projects to help deaf children. With the money from my relative, we could build a school for deaf children, where they could receive help and best education. I think, that this project would have pleased Mr. Adler very much.

May I kindly remind you, that you still have not answered my question from my previous mail? An answer to that would be very much appreciated.

Regards,
H. Neuenberger

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Eben, so viel Zeit muss sein. Der Lad lässt sich auch nicht lange bitten:

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ALLEN & FRASER,
78 Dean Street,
London, W1D 3BE,
United Kingdom.
Tel: +44-793-738-8001
Fax: +44 844 500 6988

ATTN: Horst Alfons Neuenberger,

How are you today?

Haven gone through the content of your correspondence which was carefully noted, it is clear that you have agreed to the terms which is to re-activate the dormant account of your late benefactor - Mr. Robert Adler and on the other hand it is also clear that you want the re-activation deposit to be taken out of the inheritance proceed which to me is not possible why because your late benefactor account as will speak is presently in an in-active state and not until it is completely activated, that account cannot be transacted upon. It is a banking procedures here in the UK for an account which have been left non-operative for such a  long period of time to be re-activated in which case, your late benefactor account have stayed longer than the mandatory period being allow and as such it is in line with the mandatory banking rule for such an account to be fully re-activated.

Secondly, it should be noted also that the amount to which the account will be re-activated will be added alongside your inheritance sum once the dormant is made active hence it is a deposit made into your late benefactor account in other for you as the beneficiary to have access to the account. What this simply mean is that, whatever you are being ask to come up with for the account re-activation deposit by the deposit bank will be added alongside your inheritance sum once the dormant account of your late benefactor is being re-activated. If you must know, let me give you a well detailed explanation of what the terms account re-activation simply entails:

IMPORTANT NOTE:  Account re-activation is a banking procedure whereby a dormant account is made active by depositing a specified amount into that account as stipulated by the UK Banking regulations also applicable in every other country of the world. A period within which an account becomes dormant ranges from bank to bank as well as from country to country. Here in the United Kingdom, dormancy is effected on an account that has not been operated in at least 12 calendar months hence you will agree with me that since your late benefactor account has been non-operative for close to six years since he passed away, it is mandatory that you being the beneficiary re-activate the account so as to enhance a smooth initiation of your inheritance sum.Once you reactivate the account, the amount of funds housed in that account becomes available to you for withdrawal/ transfer to your nominated account, along with the amount you have paid into that account hence it is referred to as a Refundable Re-activation Deposit with the exception of service charge of a little over £1,500 GBP.

To this end and upon your readiness to activate the dormant account of your late benefactor - Mr. Robert Adler, I shall immediately inform you of the amount so as to instruct you on how to go about the account re-activation deposit fee and subsequent funds transfer to your designated bank account.

I will wait to hear from you so as for me to know my next line of action.

I do hope I have communicated, as I await your prompt response.

Thanks for your profound understanding.

Yours in Service,
William P. Gisler, ESQ.

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Hmmm, so viele Worte, so wenig Logik. Nur weil ein Script in verhältnismässig gutem Englisch gehalten ist, bedeutet das noch lange nicht, dass es auch inhaltlich gut ist. Aber egal, Horst ist erst einmal überzeugt. Er hat da nur noch eine klitzekleine weitere Frage:

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Dear Mr. Gisler!

Thank you very much for your explanation. All this is completely new to me, so please forgive me, if I ask such questions. It gives me a good feeling, that you are such a capable man and know exactly, what to do.

But I have one more question: as the money, my relative has left to me, is designated to be used for charity means, will I be allowed to deduct my personal expenses (e.g. the service charge) from the total sum?

Regards,
H. Neuenberger

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Das dürfte doch wohl verständlich sein, oder? Das sieht auch der Lad ein und antwortet (mittlerweile schreiben wir den 24.10.14):

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ATTN: Horst Alfons Neuenberger,

Yes of course Horst. Whatever you spend and all expense that you incur in the process will have to be deducted from it by you.

Yours in Service,
William P. Gisler, ESQ.

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Na, da sind wir aber alle mal beruhigt.

Der Anwalt kommt endlich zur Sache. Dass es ihm ernst ist, zeigen die vielen GROSSBUCHSTABEN in seiner eMail:

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ATTN: Horst Alfons Neuenberger,

The re-activation fees as advised by the bank is £1,375 GBP which is $2,216.43 USD or Є1,742.37 EUR to be paid by you.

PLEASE CONFIRM YOUR READINESS TO MAKE PAYMENT, SO THE INSTRUCTIONS FOR PAYMENT AS ADVISED BY THE BANK CAN BE FORWARDED TO YOU FOR IMMEDIATE PAYMENT CONFIRMATION FROM YOU.

Yours in Service,
William P. Gisler, ESQ.

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Nachdem ihn der Anwalt in der vorletzten eMail mit Vornamen angesprochen hat, wird nun auch Horst ein wenig lockerer:

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Hello William,

yes, I am ready to make the payment. Please send me the details.

Greetings,
Horst.

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Und da sind sie auch schon:

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ATTN: Horst Alfons Neuenberger,

Please find below the instructions for payment via Western Union Money Transfer as advised by the bank for the payment of the re-activation fees;

Receiver's Name: Kelvin Roland
Receiver's Address: 10 Upper Bank Street, London, E14 5JJ, United Kingdom
Method of Payment: Western Union Money Transfer
Amount to be Paid: Є1,742.37 EUR.

As soon as payment is made, you are advised to send us a scan copy of the payment slip and the information's as stated below;

Sender's Name
Sender's Address
Money Transfer Control Number.

I await immediate payment confirmation you as advised.

Yours in Service,
William P. Gisler, ESQ.

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Okay, wir sind also wieder "per Sie". Meinethalben. Aber Horst hat schon wieder ein Problem:

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Dear Mr. Gisler!

Thank you for the information. I will send the money as soon as possible. But didn't you miss to send me the account number and name of the bank, where I shall send the money to? And what is a „Money Transfer Control Number“?

Regards,
H. Neuenberger

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Tja, als fast-tauber 62jähriger kennt man sich mit den Gewohnheiten der Hochfinanz eben nicht so wirklich aus. Der Anwalt ist aber sehr hilfreich:

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ATTN: Horst Alfons Neuenberger,

The payment of the fees is to be paid via Western Union Money Transfer. The bank said the account is not active, the fees cannot be transferred to the account, hence the payment be via Western Union Money Transfer. The Money Transfer Control Number you asked of is given to you when the payment is made.

You confirmed that payment is to be made immediately and I have already informed the court, so the Probate Order can be processed and issued. Please I need a definite date for payment.

Yours in Service,
William P. Gisler, ESQ.

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Nun mal nicht so schnell mit den jungen Pferden - Horst tut doch schon alles, was er kann:

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Dear Mr. Gisler!

Of course I will make the payment as soon as possible. I have already sent a mail to my bank, ordering them to sell some of the federal saving bonds from my old age provisions, in order to be able to make the payment (I have had to pay some bills lately, so currently I don't have enough cash available on my giro account). The money should be available within this week.

But you could very much help me by explaining, what this "Western Union Money Transfer" is. I have never heard of that before. Is "Western Union" a bank? Where can I find it?

As I already told you, all this is completely new to me. And I am not very familiar with the ways, professionals like you do such transactions today. So if you could please help me with that, I will do whatever it takes to complete the payment as soon as possible. Thank you!

Regards,
H. Neuenberger

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Sowas will ein Lad doch hören - Horst wird alles dafür tun, die Zahlung so schnell wie möglich über die Bühne zu bringen.
Dementsprechend bleibt der Lad sehr servil:

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ATTN: Horst Alfons Neuenberger,
Please provide your complete address (Street Name, Post Code, City), so I can advise you further.

Yours in Service,
William P. Gisler, ESQ.

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An dieser Stelle wurde mir bewusst, wie dämlich es eigentlich ist, Phantasie-Adressen und -Ortsnamen zu verwenden. Auch wenn sie für uns noch so lustig klingen mögen.
Nachdem ich die WU-Homepage konsultiert hatte, stellte sich nämlich heraus, dass diese mit der von mir ursprünglich angegebenen Postleitzahl so gar nichts anfangen konnte. Also musste ich einen Kunstgriff bemühen um die Situation zu retten:

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Dear Mr. Gisler!

As I already have told you, my adress is:
Hinter der Teke 13, 91704 Biazellt, Deutschland.
Biazellt is a small hamlet, belonging to the village of Unterschwaningen (I think the post code is 91743).

Does this help you?
Regards,
H. Neuenberger

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Glücklicherweise hat es der Lad gefressen. Und faul, wie er nun einmal ist, kommt am 29.10. eine wirklich profane Antwort:

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ATTN: Horst Alfons Neuenberger,

You can go any Post Bank to make the payment via Western Union Money Transfer. Hope there's a Post Bank close to you?

Yours in Service,
William P. Gisler, ESQ.

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Damit kann nun auch Horst endlich etwas anfangen:

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Dear Mr. Gisler!

Well, there's a post office in Wassertrüdingen, where I always go to, when I have to send a lettr or a parcel. Actually it's a so called "Postshop", which means, that it's integrated into a small supermarket. I'm not sure, if they also offer Post Bank services, but I know the woman, who runs this "Posthop", very well. Her name is Rosi. I have just sent her a mail to ask, if I can make the payment there, hope to get an answer tomorrow.

Good news: I also got a mail from my bank today, that the money is ready to be collected there. Unfortunately, my bank branch is located in Arberg, in the exact opposite direction of Wassertrüdingen. As the buses go there only three times a day, early in the morning, at noon and in the evening, I cannot pick up the money and make the payment on the same day. So I will close my workshop tomorrow already at noon and collect the money from the bank. And on saturday morning, I will go to the "Postshop" and make the payment (given that Rosi has confirmed me the possibility of making the payment there until then).
Is this planning okay for you?

Regards,
H. Neuenberger

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Ach ja, dieses völlig unnötige Sterben der kleinen Postfilialen auf dem Lande. Das Personal der anstelle dieser in den letzten 10 Jahren immer mehr hochgezogenen "Postshops" ist doch mit diffizileren Aufgaben meist völlig überfordert. Nicht, dass mir mir dieser Umstand jetzt nicht sehr gelegen käme...

Der Lad hat in der Zwischenzeit anscheinend doch ein wenig recherchiert:

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ATTN: Horst Alfons Neuenberger,

There are DEUTSCHE POSTBANK AG in both Locations, so you can just pay it after you collect the money from your bank. Just ask them were is the closest DEUTSCHE POSTBANK AG.

Yours in Service,
William P. Gisler, ESQ.

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Ist nicht einmal falsch, nur leider beherbergt nicht jede Poststelle in Deutschland auch automatisch eine WU-Zahlstelle:

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Dear Mr. Gisler!

I just came back from picking up the money from the bank. I feel a little uncomfortable having so much money in cash in my house. Fortunately it's just until tomorrow. I hope, I won't get burglared tonight.

I had your idea of making the payment at the post office in Arberg too. As it's located almost opposite to my bank, I went there. But I found out, that they don't offer this "Western Union Money Transfer". So I will stick to my original plan and make the payment at the "Postshop" in Wassertrüdingen tomorrow. Rosi has already answered my mail and confirmed, that I can make the payment there.

I will contact you again tomorrow afternoon to confirm the completion of the payment.

Regards,
H. Neuenberger

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Blöderweise schreiben wir zu diesem Zeitpunkt bereits den 31.10.14. Das heisst, morgen ist der 1. November. Was in bestimmten Regionen Deutschlands zu gewissen Problemen führt. Aber erstmal antwortet noch der Anwalt:

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ATTN: Horst Alfons Neuenberger,

Okay I will be waiting for payment confirmation and also a scan copy of the payment slip.

Yours in Service,
William P. Gisler, ESQ.

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Na denn, bis morgen!

Samstag, 1. November 2014: in den überwiegend von Katholiken bewohnten Regionen Deutschlands machen sich die Gläubigen auf zum Allerheiligen-Gottesdienst.
Und ein fast-tauber Senior in Franken fährt mit jeder Menge Geld in der Tasche mit dem Bus in den Nachbarort:

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Dear Mr. Gisler!

Sorry, but I have made a silly mistake. I completely overlooked, that today is "Allerheiligen" (in english, it is called "All Saints", I think), which is, as I live in a mostly catholic region of Germany, a public holiday here and all shops are closed. I'm not a very religous man, so I overlooked that. Sorry!
(I should have had the idea, that something was wrong, already when the bus, which is normally on time, came half an hour later than usual, but it took me to make the complete bus ride, to finally find out.)

I will go to Wassertrüdingen again on Tuesday and report back then.

Regards,
H. Neuenberger

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Dumm gelaufen!

Am folgenden Sonntag fragt der Anwalt mal vorsichtig nach:

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ATTN: Horst Alfons Neuenberger,

Can't you make the payment tomorrow (Monday 3rd November 2014).

Yours in Service,
William P. Gisler, ESQ.

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Können: ja. Wollen: nein!

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Dear Mr. Gisler!

Sorry, but due to professional commitments, I couldn't go to Wassertrüdingen today. I still have a job to do here and always must see, when I can take (half) a day off. This was not possible today, so as announced, I'll make the payment tomorrow.

Regards,
H. Neuenberger

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Der Anwalt gibt sich (gezwungenermassen) geduldig:

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ATTN: Horst Alfons Neuenberger,

Okay. I await payment confirmation tomorrow.

Yours in Service,
William P. Gisler, ESQ.

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Bleibt ihm ja auch kaum etwas Anderes übrig. Und so darf er sich gleich mit dem nächsten Problem auseinandersetzen:

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Dear Mr. Gisler!

I just returned from the "Postshop" in Wassertrüdingen, where I went to make the payment. Rosi was very supportive and helped me filling out the form, when she suddenly asked me for a "test question". I was confused, first I thought I've been reading wrong from her lips. But she wrote it down for me: I should ask the receiver of the money a test question, of which the secret answer only the recipient would know. This would make the money transfer much safer. As I have not been instructed by you about this test question, I returned home without having made the payment.

Why didn't you tell me about this test question? I have now made the tour to Wassertrüdingen twice and what for? Nothing! If you want me to make the payment, you will have to give me exact and complete instructions. I cannot shut down my workshop twice a week to go on unnecessary bus tours round the area.

So would you please contact Mr. Roland on this behalf? As he is the receiver of the money, he will have to know the secret answer, so he should also tell me the test question. By the way: why can't I just send the money to you? I don't know this Mr. Roland, but I know I can trust you. So why not make it easier - I send the money to you, and you go to the bank and pay the fee.

Regards,
H. Neuenberger

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Der Anwalt wird nervös - wie sonst ist zu erklären, dass die folgende eMail schon 37 Minuten später bei Horst eintrudelte:

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ATTN: Horst Alfons Neuenberger,

Apologies for not adding the Test Question and Answer as not all countries uses that option. The Test Question and Answer as advised by Mr. Roland is;

Test Question: From
Test Answer: Horst Neuenberger
 
Mr. Roland works with the bank and such it advised that the payment be sent to him, so they can immediately activate the account and acknowledge the payment.

One again I am sorry for the inconvenience closing your shop may cause you tomorrow.

Yours in Service,
William P. Gisler, ESQ.

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Wow, das nenne ich doch mal Service: die eMail von Horst wurde am 4.11.14 um 19:28 Uhr (MEZ) abgeschickt, die Antwort kam um 20:15 Uhr. Dass der liebe Mr. Roland von der Londoner Bank zu dieser Zeit noch arbeitet, obwohl er schon seit über einer halben Stunde Feierabend hat. Wirklich starker Einsatz!

Aber der Lad muss noch ein "wenig" länger auf sein Geld warten. Horst muss erst einmal ganz dringend etwas klarstellen:

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Dear Mr. Gisler!

I think you got something wrong, I don't have a shop, but a workshop. I am a carpenter, specialized in rural furniture. That was also the reason, why I couldn't go to make the payment on Monday, because I had a very special customer picking up some furniture from me. But nevertheless I have to keep my business running, for I have delivery dates to observe.

This is also the reason, why I won't be able to make the payment before Friday. On that day, I already have an appointment with my doctor, whose practice is in Wassertrüdingen too. It's nothing serious, just a slight diabetes, which must be checked every 3 months. So when I'm already in Wassertrüdingen that day, I can make the payment after seeing my doctor.

Sorry for the delay. I'm also not feeling good havin all that money with me for almost a week now. When I got back home yesterday, I even had the feeling, a young man was following me from the bus to my house. But then it turned out, that it was just the new boyfriend of my neighbours daughter. I'm getting really paranoid from this whole thing. I'll be glad to get rid of the money soon. Makes me headaches.

Regards,
H. Neuenberger

---

War wohl nix mit dem schnellen Geld. Aber ich hatte dadurch nicht nur Gelegenheit, ein wenig mehr von Horsts Biographie ins Spiel zu bringen, sondern auch einen neuen Twist anzukündigen. Okay, der Lad wird es wahrscheinlich nicht ernst genommen haben. Aber so wie Horst derzeit ständig mit grösseren Bargeldbeträgen durch die Gegend rennt, ist es doch nur eine Frage der Zeit, bis er schliesslich Opfer eines Raubüberfalls wird.

5.11.14 - nächste eMail vom Lad:

Zitat

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ATTN: Horst Alfons Neuenberger,

I understand you but also you must understand that this wasn't my fault neither the bank because some countries does not have the Test Question and Answer option. I am suppose to go to the court of Friday to get the Probate and without payment there's no way the court can issue the Probate Order for the Bank.

Any way I will have to inform them of your conditions and also it's like you only read your Emails once a day and also in the Evening.

Yours in Service,
William P. Gisler, ESQ.

---

Wie? Was?? Das mit der Testfrage war nicht sein Fehler???
So nun nicht!

Zitat

---

Dear Mr. Gisler!

Yes, that's right, I usually check my mails only once a day in the evening. It's kind of a habit of me.

But luckily, my appointment with the doctor tomorrow is already in the morning and after that I will make the payment and return home at noon. So I will be able to send you the payment details then and you can go to court in the afternoon and get the probate. This also suits my plans for tomorrow evening much better, because I have a dinner invitation and maybe not enough time to send you a mail in the evening.

I hope you can arrange to go to court in the afternoon tomorrow? Please let me know, how everything went.

Regards,
H. Neuenberger

---

Horst ist ja hilfsbereit, da gibt er am Freitag 7.11. sogar seine Mittagspause dran. Damit aber auch ja nichts schiefgeht, "motiviert" ihn der Anwalt am Freitagvormittag nochmal:

Zitat

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ATTN: Horst Alfons Neuenberger,

Okay I will be waiting the payment confirmation at noon today, so I can proceed to the court immediately to get the Probate.

Yours in Service,
William P. Gisler, ESQ.

---

Und hurra! Die Zahlung ist endlich gemacht:

Zitat

---

Dear Mr. Gisler!

Okay, finally I made it – the payment is on its way. I'm so relieved now, that it is over. When I was going to Wasssertrüdingen this morning, I had that feeling again that someone was following me. I'm really going mad about this whole thing. (But besides that, my doctor attested me once again a very good health.)

Rosi was really helpful making the payment. She's a good woman, very supportive.

So now, here's the payment data:

Receiver's Name: Kelvin Roland
Receiver's Address: 10 Upper Bank Street, London, E14 5JJ, United Kingdom
Amount paid: € 1,742.37 EUR.
Sender's Name: Horst Alfons Neuenberger
Sender's Address: Hinter der Teke 13, 91704 Biazellt, Germany
Test Question: From?
Test Answer: Horst Neuenberger
MCTN: 45770905630

And what will happen now? Will I have to contact the bank to collect the money? Or will they contact me? Please give me further instructions.

Oh, by the way: I include a picture of one of my latest works to this mail, so you know, what kind of furniture I make. It's a very traditional kind of artwork. I do not only make the furniture, I also paint it with traditional rural art motives. This makes every piece of my work very unique. Unfortunately this kind of art is about to die out, because none of the young people of today are interested to learn it.

If you like it, I will be glad to make a cupboard or a cabinet with a design of your request, after your work on this will thing is over. This is going to be my way to say „Thank you!“ for your great help. Please let me know, if you are interested.

Regards,
H. Neuenberger

---

Und wenn der Lad nun gehofft hatte, die der eMail angehängte jpg.Datei sei ein Scan des WU-payment-slips, wird er leider wieder einmal enttäuscht (siehe Anlage).

Der Anwalt ist wirklich einer von der schnellen Truppe. Nur 15 Minuten (!) nach Horsts letzter Mail schickt er bereits eine Antwort:

Zitat

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ATTN: Horst Alfons Neuenberger,

Please is there no way I can get a Phone Number to reach you anytime? I already to the court that payment will be coming in today but the MTCN you provided is not correct and now the clerk of the court has been calling our office. Please try and see if you can get a Telephone Number for me to talk to you and also send a copy of the payment slip.

I just hope you get this Email today and send the correct MTCN and payment slip as advised.

Yours in Service,
William P. Gisler, ESQ.

---

Horst geniesst derweil ein nettes Abendessen bei Freunden. Und unterhält sich bestens - auf welche Weise auch immer.
Am gestrigen Samstagabend hat er endlich wieder Zeit, dem Anwalt zu antworten:

Zitat

---

Dear Mr. Gisler!

How do you think this should work? Even if I had a telephone, how should I communicate with you through it? It's really not nice that you make such jokes about my handicap.

Besides: I'm pretty sure, that the number I gave you is correct.

Regards,
H. Neuenberger

---

Eben. Das war nun wirklich nicht nett. Und es gab mir die Möglichkeit, die ständigen Nachfragen des Lads nach dem "payment slip" ein weiteres Mal zu "überhören". Der Lad ist sich jedoch keiner Schuld bewusst:

Zitat

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ATTN: Horst Alfons Neuenberger,

First and foremost I never made any jokes about your disabilities and secondly, the number is not correct. Why would I say the Number is incorrect if it's correct? All MTCN are 10-digits number and not 11.

Since payment was made it shouldn't be a problem sending a copy of the payment receipt that was issued to you with the MTCN.

Yours in Service,
William P. Gisler, ESQ.

---

Und das ist der Stand im Moment. Hoffe, es hat Euch bis hierhin gefallen, und Ihr bleibt weiterhin dabei. Ich habe derzeit noch eine Menge Komplikationen für den Lad parat, mein eigenes Script steht bereits für die nächsten 3-4 Wochen. Und da wird noch eine Menge passieren...

(Dieser Bait ist m.E. ein schöner Beweis dafür, dass die oft so sehr verschmähte Technik des "straight baiting" gar nicht so langweilig ist, wie manchmal gesagt wird. Weniger ist eben doch oft mehr.
An dieser Stelle schon einmal ganz grossen Dank an "TheLoneHaranguer" und "Otterfan" vom "419eater"-Forum, die mich so toll inspiriert haben!)

Die MTCN war natürlich verschlüsselt in dem Bild des Bauernschrankes versteckt. 3 Säulen , 4 Bilder, 2 Türen, 2 Schubladen,1 Schrank, der Rest ist in den Bildern. Alerdings die Reihenfolge ist das kleine Problem.

Der Lad will also die Nummer. Oder doch den "payment slip"? Oder was denn nun? Horst hat wieder einmal Klärungsbedarf:

Zitat

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Dear Mr. Gisler!

What is this "payment receipt" or "payment slip" you always talk about?

Regards,
H. Heuenberger

---

Wieso, weshalb warum? Wer nicht fragt, bleibt dumm. Haben wir alle schon in der "Sesamstrasse" gelernt. (Und jetzt bitte mal ein typisches Ernie-Kichern dazudenken.)

Der Anwalt wird griffiger:

Zitat

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ATTN: Horst Alfons Neuenberger,

It's just as it's stated "PAYMENT RECEIPT". I really don't understand why it's difficult to understand. You said a payment was made on Friday 7th November 2014, then I request the receipt of the payment that was issued to you. Do you understand now? I am still finding it difficult to understand why you can't respond to the questions I ask you in my Email but in your response saying something else.

Please I will have to forward all your correspondence to the court maybe they can make sense of all what you are saying and then take a decision. I am afraid if I do not receive the correct MTCN today, I will be forced to inform Mr. John Adler as advised in my late client's Last Testament and Will.

Yours in Service,
William P. Gisler, ESQ.

---

Soll er doch Horsts eMails ans Gericht weiterleiten (was soll das überhaupt für eine Drohung sein?!?). Der gibt sich jedenfalls weiterhin jede Mühe, die Anweisungen des Anwalts zu befolgen. Selbst, wenn er gesundheitlich etwas angeschlagen ist:

Zitat

---

Dear Mr. Gisler!

Because of a really bad cold, that I've cought yesterday, I'll go to bed early today. But in order to not keeping you waiting, I took some time to send you this answer.

When I went to the "Postshop" last Friday, I filled in the form with the data you had given me, gave it to Rosi and she typed it into her computer. Then I paid the money (by the way: the fee is really high!) and she dictated me this "Money Control Transfer Number" from the screen, which I wrote down. Rosi told me, that I had to give this number to you, so the receiver could collector the money.

That's all. I didn't get any kind of receipt. Do you want me to write a mail to Rosi and ask for it?

Regards,
H. Neuenberger

P.S.:
The tone of your last mails has been very harsh. Shows a lack of respect. Honestly, I wouldn't have expected that from a lawyer.

---

Eben. Auch ein virtueller, fast-tauber Bauernmöbel-Schreiner muss sich nicht alles gefallen lassen.

Und schon wird der Lad wieder ganz handzahm:

Zitat

---

ATTN: Horst Alfons Neuenberger,

First and foremost apologies if my tone in my Emails sounded unpleasant as it was never meant to be. Secondly, sorry for cold and do hope that you take medication and get well soon.

I will advise that you contact Rosi immediately for that as maybe you made a mistake when writing the number and normally she was supposed to give you a receipt of payment as that confirms that you have made payment via Western Union Money Transfer just in the case of any eventuality.

Once again I truly apologize for any worries that my previous Emails must have made you feel as I never intended to any it to be.

Yours in Service,
William P. Gisler, ESQ.

---

So isses brav! Und zur Belohnung bleibt Horst jetzt erst einmal eine Weile im Bett, bevor er sich wieder meldet.

Horst hat's voll erwischt:

Zitat

---

Dear Mr. Gisler!

Sorry that I didn't answer you already yesterday, but I have been lying in bed all day with really high fever. My cleaning woman had to call my doctor and he came to visit in the afternoon. He told me, that I have cought a flu and that it will take some days to fully recover. That's really a problem for me, because I am already overdue with one of my orders.

But I just managed to send a mail to Rosi, as promised. I will tell you, when she answers.

Got to go to bed again, I'm freezing heavily, sitting in front of the computer.

Regards,
H. Neuenberger

---

Hätte Horst doch nur die Grippe-Impfung gemacht, wie es ihm sein Arzt seit Jahren immer wieder anrät. Aber wer nicht hören will, muss eben fühlen.

Der Anwalt gibt sich fürsorglich, macht jedoch wieder Druck:

Zitat

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ATTN: Horst Alfons Neuenberger,

Get well soon. Please remember we had 10 days to execute this Will which has passed and now we are on grace period by the court. If no positive confirmation is given within the next 72hrs, the court will have to close our file and proceed with the next beneficiary.

Yours in Service,
William P. Gisler, ESQ.

---

Dabei geht es Horst gerade so richtig dreckig:

Zitat

---

der mr gisla


fever dreems feel i coud die



cant gett no sleeepp p


no anwsa frm rosi
tellyu when she dos

pray foor me!! plase tel cout i com back




hor st

---

Wo ist der Notarzt, wenn man ihn mal braucht?!? Ach nee - Horst lebt ja in der Provinz, da gibt es in Deutschland ja kaum noch Hausärzte. Und wenn, machen die natürlich keine Hausbesuche mehr...

Aber doch nur Kassenpatienten.
Wer es sich leisten kann bekommt einen Arzt.
Manche können sich sogar ein Gefolge leisten, da ist der Hausarzt in Rufweite.

Gute Besserung

Horst hat die Nacht überlebt. Und eine Eingebung gehabt:

Zitat

---

Dear Mr. Gisler!

Sorry if I have disturbed you with my last mail, I've had a hell of a night. And in the middle of the fever, I suddenly had the urge to look, if Rosi has already answered. I was really standing beside myself. This was weird.

But after lots of sleep, I am feeling much better now. And I got an answer from Rosi. Unfortunately she doesn't have the receipt either. So isn't sure, if she gave it to me, but definitely doesn't have it any more.

But guess what: in the meantime, I found out, what went wrong. When I sent you the "Money Control Transfer Number", I accidentally inserted an extra "5" where there shouldn't be one. So now, Mr. Roland should be able to collect the money without any problems.

Regards,
H. Neuenberger

---

Ich weiss, ich habe dasselbe Gambit auch schon nebenan bei Voldaer verwendet. Bin mal gespannt, was dieser Lad daraus macht.

Der Lad hat wirklich keinen Respekt vor kranken Opfern Menschen:

Zitat

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ATTN: Horst Alfons Neuenberger,

There's still no MTCN of such without a 5. I am beginning to feel there was no payment because why did you say 5? Also Rosi according to you cannot say she did not find the receipt. Well all I have to say is that if there's a payment made you are to get it sorted out on or before the end of the week other wise I will have to STOP further correspondence and inform the court about this which they already know and further legal actions be taken.

Hope you get well soon.

Yours in Service,
William P. Gisler, ESQ.

---

Das hat er bereits gestern Abend geschrieben. Horst ist allmählich doch etwas enttäuscht, deshalb antwortet er heute (ungewohnt ausführlich):

Zitat

---

Dear Mr. Gisler!

As I felt much better this morning, I have returned to my work today. I had some trouble with my customer, who came to my workshop this afternoon to pick up his order, which I couldn't finish due to my illness during the last days. But how should I have informed him in time? I finally promised him to finish his board until Sunday. Even if this means, I will have to work through the whole weekend.
I really can't understand, why you are so impatient. My relative is dead, isn't he? So why this hastiness about fulfilling his last will? If you have any problems with the court, I could send a mail to my niece Petra. She is the daughter of my older brother Ernst. Her husband's brother Frank is a lawyer in Stuttgart, and I'm sure he will be willing to help you and call the court to get everything settled. Do you want me to contact her?

You write: "I am beginning to feel there was no payment because why did you say 5?" I wrote this, because after finding the note again, which I have been taking when making the payment, showed me, that the number I gave you contained a "5", where there shouldn't be one. Why else should I tell you this? And why do you feel, that there was no payment made? Don't you trust me any more? I fully trust you (although there have been some points in our communication, that made me doubt, that you were trustworthy) and I am doing everything to get alls this over as soon as possible. Remember, that it was you who asked me to use this "Western Union Money Transfer", of which I know nothing. If you had just given me me your bank account data - which I asked you to do - you could have received the banking fee already 2 weeks ago. But you insisted, that I use this payment method. That's okay for me, but don't blame me for the problems, that result from your request.

Then you write: "Also Rosi according to you cannot say she did not find the receipt." Where did I write that? All I wrote was, that she doesn't have the receipt any more. She is not sure, if she gave it to me. But it is a fact, that she doesn't have it. I might not be a native english speaker, but I think, I've made this point quite clear.

So please tell me, what I could do now. I will do everything it takes, to get all this over!

Regards,
H. Neuenberger

---

Die Drohungen laufen erstmal ins Leere. Ich bezweifle allerdings auch, dass der Lad jetzt so einfach abspringt. Dafür hat er in der Zwischenzeit schon zu viel Zeit und Energie in Horst investiert. Und das Geld ist ja weiterhin zum Greifen nahe.

Oha! Der Lad wird allmählich misstrauisch. Allerdings wird sein Englisch auch wieder schlechter:

Zitat

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ATTN: Horst Alfons Neuenberger,

Quite frankly, I am not buying to what you are saying. You said you added a 5 and there are two 5's and when confirmed from Western Union they said there was no such transaction. The bank works with Western Union also, so if payment was made they will inform the bank and they advised on the contrary. At this stage I do not know what to tell you because I can't imagine someone making such an amount of payment and at the end doesn't bother if the payment was received or not. The bank finds that strange and does not accept that in any circumstance.

There a payment histories and if payment was made as you said then Rosi will be able to get that or you. You don't have a phone but you communicate with people that's also strange and no number to reach you on. Provide Rosi's phone number or Email, so we can send it to Western Union and also send the address of the Post shop.

Hope you get well soon.

Yours in Service,
William P. Gisler, ESQ.

---

Hmmm, die Bank hat also ein Problem mit Horst? Da wird er morgen doch noch einmal nachlegen müssen...

Horst fühlt sich nach Strich und Faden vera....t:

Zitat

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Dear Mr. Gisler!

Now you start writing nonsense. Why would one think, that I don't bother if the payment was received or not? I am doing everything I can to get this whole thing over. I try to follow every instruction you give me. But I also have to take care of my business, because if I don't, the damage would be much more than 1.700 Euro. Any bank in the world would understand and accept that.

And about my means of communication: when I meet people in person, I can read their lips and understand this way what they are saying. And I answer them by writing down, what I have to say. I can even speak a handfull of words, but not very clearly. So how should a telephone be of any use there?
And I write mails to people I know. Because of this, the internet has been one of the most important inventions in my lifetime. My grand nephew Jens also installed me a program called "Skype" last year, where you can make video calls on the computer. Unfortunately, the quality was very poor and I couldn't read any word from peoples lips, so I asked Jens, to remove it from my computer again.

But "speaking" (haha) about reading from lips, I had an idea, what has gone wrong, when I wrote down the number. But as it seems, that you don't trust me any more, you surely wouldn't want to "hear" (haha) that. I guess I better contact Petra, that she should ask Frank to take over the whole case and get things with bank and court settled. You know: I also start to doubt, if I can really trust you.

Regards,
H. Neuenberger

---

Nun, wenn der Anwalt Horst nicht mehr traut, warum soll Horst dann noch dem Anwalt trauen?

Okay, die letzte Mail war vielleicht nicht ganz unriskant, aber ich wollte, bevor ich mit den lustigen Zahlenspielchen weitermache, erst einmal wissen, wie fest ich den Lad denn nun am Haken habe. Ergebnis: ziemlich fest! Gut, er mosert immer noch herum und setzt schon wieder eine Frist (die natürlich wieder ungenutzt verstreichen wird, gefolgt von einer weiteren Frist... und noch einer... und noch einer...), aber loslassen will er Horst nun auch nicht mehr:

Zitat

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ATTN: Horst Alfons Neuenberger,

Mr. Horst we as "HUMAN BEINGS" are free to do or think whatever we feel we like as advised. You made a payment and such payment was not received. Now you say that you guess you know where the problem lies saying it was a 5 when there are two 5's there and taking out either of the 5 does not work. The bank operates Western Union Money Transfer hope you know that? They have confirmed that NO PAYMENT was made by either Rosi or you, so please get the whole thing sorted out.

In the meantime I will be waiting for anybody to contact me with regards to this but please be informed that as stated in my late client's Last Testament and Will "In the event that you cannot claim the funds for whatever reason, it should be forwarded to his nephew Mr. John Adler" which I will be doing within the next 5 business days except this whole transfer is sorted out.

Hope you get well soon.

Yours in Service,
William P. Gisler, ESQ.

---

Wo bitteschön steht das im Testament? Horst hat mal nachgeschaut - da steht lediglich unter Ziffer 8 (ii):

Zitat

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In the event that Horst Alfons Neuenberger, (Germany) predeceased me or rejects it, the bequest or property sould be given to my nephew, Mr. John Adler.

---

Ein Anwalt, der nicht einmal den letzten Willen seines Klienten korrekt zitieren kann? Ja, wo sind wir denn hier?!?

Horst muss das erstmal klarstellen:

Zitat

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Dear Mr. Gisler!

Now this is strange: I've been reading the testament, you have sent me, again and again and wasn't able to find a passage "In the event that you cannot claim the funds for whatever reason, it should be forwarded to his nephew Mr. John Adler". I only found this one:
"8. (ii) In the event that Horst Alfons Neuenberger, (Germany) predeceased me or rejects it, the bequest or property sould be given to my nephew, Mr. John Adler."

So no timeline at all. And I remember, that you have already given me a time limit before, which passed, and what had happened: nothing! I begin to ask myself, why you are hurrying things so much. Do you want to kick me out of the testament, because then my part of the money goes to Mr. John Adler? Are you maybe cooperating with him? Will he give you part of the money in return?

And how can "Western Union Money Transfer" tell, that no payment has been made, if the MCTN is incorrect (as you say)? Obviously they can't. Which means, that you are lying to me on this detail too.

Mr. Gisler: if you still want me to solve the problem with the payment, you will have to be 100% honest from now on. Stop playing games and everything will be alright. Please confirm your willingness to do so by replying to this mail with "I accept your conditions." In return, I will do whatever it takes to get this transaction finished.

Should you decide not to agree, I will contact my relative Frank (the lawyer) to take over the case and register a complaint about you at the London Chamber of Lawyers.

Do we have a deal?

Regards,
H. Neuenberger

---

Ja, mein Lieber! Ich möchte von Dir einen Blankoscheck, noch ein paar Monate weiter mit Dir spielen zu dürfen. Und weisst Du was: Du wirst ihn mir ausstellen. Weil Du schon so geil auf die Kohle bist.