The "Rev. John Clark" Charitable Donation Scam

Online users are asked to be aware of "Rev. John Clark" charitable donation scams. The name of the reverend is being used by scammers in an attempt to trick potential victims into sending money and personal information. The scammers claim their potential victims were randomly selected to receive donations. But, Rev. John Clark is not randomly donating money to people around the world.

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The Rev. John Clark Charitable Donation Scam

The "Rev. John Clark" Charitable Donation Scam

From: Martin Bouette M.Bouette@brighton.ac.uk

Date: September 15, 2018 at 5:24:06 PM MDT

Subject: PRIVATE DONATION

Reply-To: "revjohnclark19@gmail.com" revjohnclark19@gmail.com

Good Day,

I write to you this message in good faith and i hope you won't betray my trust. I'm Rev John Clark and i have decided to DONATE USD $2,142,728.00 to you for the good work of God to promote charity works in your country. I have just been informed by my doctor that I only have few months to live due to cancer illness. So I have decided to nominate you my beneficiary to accomplish this project with me in good faith. Kindly reply for more details.

Yours Faithfully

Rev John Clark

Remember, once they (scammers) have received their potential victims' personal information, they will use the information to trick the potential victims into sending money, which they will claim is for some advance fees, which will cover banking and transfer costs, insurance payments or tax that the potential victims need to pay before they can receive the so-called donated money. But, if the victims send their money, the scammers will steal it and may continue to trick the victims into sending more money, with the promise of receiving the donated money the scammers claim they would receive.

Recipients of the "Rev. John Clark" donation scam emails are asked not to respond to or follow the instructions in them. They should just delete the email messages instead. For those who have responded, they should be careful going forward because they will be contacted by scammers who will attempt to scam them.

Check the comment section below for additional information, share what you know, or ask a question about this article by leaving a comment below. And, to quickly find answers to your questions, use our search Search engine.

Note: Some of the information in samples on this website may have been impersonated or spoofed.

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Comments, Questions, Answers, or Reviews

Comments (Total: 12)

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February 25, 2019 at 1:56 AM by
The "Rev. John Clark" Charitable Donation Scam
an anonymous user from: Beijing, China

Received this scam:

"Good Day,

I am sending you this mail in good faith. I'm Rev John Clark, an British citizen currently undergoing medical treatment for cancer.

I am a dying man who have decided to donate the sum of £8 Million Pounds to you for the good work of humanity, I have an account with a financial institution in Europe where I deposited my assets worth (£8,000,000.00) for a fixed period, I have just been informed by my doctor that I only have few months to live due to the cancer illness.

Having known my condition that will not allow me claim the funds personally; I have decided to nominate you as my beneficiary since the financial institution have now written me that the length of time agreed upon to hold my funds is now expired.

My desire and purpose is for you to promote humanitarian works. I.e. assisting the less privileged. Please contact me for detailed information on this noble project of mine.

Regards,

Your brother in Christ,

Rev John Clark."

Delete

January 11, 2019 at 4:07 PM by
The "Rev. John Clark" Charitable Donation Scam
an anonymous user from: Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Here another one, and the amount has more than tripled in dollars:

"Good Day,

I write to you in good faith . I'm Rev John Clark; From Iceland. I’m currently undergoing medical treatment and I have just been informed by my doctor that I only have few months to live due to cancer. I have decided WILL/DONATE £8,000,000.00 to you for the good work of God to promote humanitarian works. I.e. assisting the less privileged in your country. I will give you more details if you are interested. God Bless.

Respectfully,

Rev Dr. John Clark

Address. Solvholsgata 4 150 Reykjavik. Iceland"

Delete

January 12, 2019 at 1:42 PM by
The "Rev. John Clark" Charitable Donation Scam
an anonymous user from: Berlin, Germany

Got the same one today.

Delete

December 13, 2018 at 10:42 PM by
The "Rev. John Clark" Charitable Donation Scam
an anonymous user from: Springfield, Missouri, United States

I knew this was a scam right off the back, but my boyfriend and I recently watched a TED talk about replying to scammers for your own amusement and decided to play along and this was the response I received, p.s. the email is really long but the good stuff is starts around the third paragraph:

“Dearest Beloved

Thank you so much for your mail and may the good lord grant your heart's desire. In my first mail to you I introduced myself and gave you a summary of the present predicament I found myself and how I lived my life (financial-wise) My failing health has necessitated my present over view of life and the meaning of life itself as it relates to day-to-day living. Although we know each other for the first time but I believe our father has directed me to you as I have prayed and searched for assistance before I saw your profile on a list of registered email addresses provided to me by Microsoft list from which I picked you. Find attached evidences of my present health status under Intensive care unit in my hospital bed.

Be assured you stand no risk as this is my money and I have the sole power to donate the funds to whoever I want. My relatives are not christian and they have used my wealth and property left behind for worldly things. As I am here in the hospital they are around and what they wait to hear is that I am dead so they can lay their hands on my hard earned money for worldly things. Is this same reason I have decided to nominate you my beneficiary and I am also making communication with the finance firm who understands my predicament and all I requires from you is your total honest cooperation to carries out my very last wish/WILL indeed.

I want you to know that this benevolence is in fulfillment of my desire and decision which I am persuaded to actualize. This fund is designated for (Humanitarian and Charity services) with special emphasis and this must be disbursed with every appropriation accountability and prudence to the glory of God (Philippians 3:13-14). I want this $ 2.1 Million dollars to be used in the below percentage portion which I have prayed for and God has approved it divinely.

(1) 80 % Of the Total funds should be used to support any Charity Foundation to cater for the Less Fortunate Person on earth.

(2) 20 % Of the Total Funds should go into Any Investment Of your Choice And Profession which is going to Manage by you as a form Of Compensation for your impact in this Project.

I'm making this proposal in accordance to God' s direction while you must remember to keep every of this arrangement restrict from third party for security reasons till the money get to you.

Please provide your details below to be sure I am transacting with the correct person then I instruct my barrister to draft a letter of authority in your name from the Supreme Court that will officially and legally approve you as the next of kin to this funds claim. I will send the relevant document immediately after the letter of authority is ready, to retrieve the deposit on my behalf and disburse the funds.

1.Name In Full:

2.Address:

3.Nationality:

4.Age/S*x

5.Direct Phone No

6. Attach any copy of your Identification

Please always remember me in your daily prayers and may the good Lord give you more wisdom to handle this project to his own Glory (Philippians 3:13-14) Ensure you reply this letter with the needed information's. I await further communication.

Sincerely,”

*Along with attached google images of a man in a hospital bed talking to a spiritual counselor with an identification tag from a exams hospital... keeping in mind the original email was identical to the one posted in the article, where he specifically says he’s in Iceland. *

Overall the experience was a 6/10 on the amusement factor we still got a kick out of it.

Delete

December 6, 2018 at 8:42 PM by
The "Rev. John Clark" Charitable Donation Scam
an anonymous user from: Chicago, Illinois, United States

Jason Bolton (J.Bolton2@bsms.ac.uk)

This is the person who sent to me, please feel free to contact him with anything you may want to sell, buy, donate or anything else

Have fun

Delete

November 28, 2018 at 8:49 AM by
The "Rev. John Clark" Charitable Donation Scam
info

The scammers are using this email address: Rev John Clark <revjohnclark44@gmail.com

Delete

November 26, 2018 at 8:56 AM by
The "Rev. John Clark" Charitable Donation Scam
info

Here is another scam:

"On Saturday, November 24, 2018, 2:06 PM, Jason Bolton <J.Bolton2@bsms.ac.uk> wrote:

Good Day,

It is understandable that you might be a little bit apprehensive because you do not know me. I'm Rev John Clark; from Iceland. I have decided to DONATE the sum of $ 2,142,728.00 USD to you for the good work of God to promote charity works in your country.

I am currently undergoing a medical treatment and i have just been informed by my doctor that I only have few months to live due to cancer. I have decided to nominate you my beneficiary before I leave this sinful world. Kindly reply for more details.

Yours Faithfully,

Rev John Clark."

Delete

November 26, 2018 at 2:11 AM by
The "Rev. John Clark" Charitable Donation Scam
an anonymous user from: Coventry, England, United Kingdom

Received this scam:

"Jason Bolton <J.Bolton2@bsms.ac.uk>

Reply to :revjohnclark19@gmail.com <revjohnclark19@gmail.com>

Good Day,

It is understandable that you might be a little bit apprehensive because you do not know me. I'm Rev John Clark; from Iceland. I have decided to DONATE the sum of $ 2,142,728.00 USD to you for the good work of God to promote charity works in your country. I am currently undergoing a medical treatment and I have just been informed by my doctor that I only have few months to live due to cancer. I have decided to nominate you my beneficiary before I leave this sinful world. Kindly reply for more details.

Yours Faithfully,

Rev John Clark."

Delete

November 14, 2018 at 7:57 AM by
The "Rev. John Clark" Charitable Donation Scam
an anonymous user from: Navi Mumbai, Maharashtra, India

Guys John Clark is a fraudster, cheat, rascal, scoundrel son of a b**ch.

He must be taken into 3rd degree remand and wacked till he becomes immobile and then thrown on the streets to beg.

DO NOT RESPOND TO HIM...

Delete

October 12, 2018 at 4:48 PM by
The "Rev. John Clark" Charitable Donation Scam
an anonymous user from: Bend, Oregon, United States

Different name, same scam.

"Fabrizio Lallo (F.Lallo@brighton.ac.uk)

Good Day,

I write you this message in good faith and I hope you won't betray my trust. I'm Rev John Clark from Iceland. I have decided to DONATE £8,000,000 GBP to you for the good work of God to promote charity works in your country.

I have just been informed by my doctor that I only have few months to live due to cancer illness. So I have decided to nominate you my beneficiary to accomplish this project with me in good faith. Kindly reply for more details.

Yours Faithfully

Rev John Clark."

Delete

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Guard your personal information

In any transaction you conduct, make sure to check with your state or local consumer protection agency and the Better Business Bureau (BBB) to see if the seller, charity, company, or organization is credible. Be especially wary if the entity is unfamiliar to you. Always call the number found on a website’s contact information to make sure the number legitimately belongs to the entity you are dealing with.

Be careful of the information you share

Never give out your codes, passwords or personal information, unless you are sure of who you're dealing with

Know who you’re dealing with

Crooks pretending to be from companies you do business with may call or send an email, claiming they need to verify your personal information. Don’t provide your credit card or bank account number unless you are actually paying for something and know who you are sending payment to. Your social security number should not be necessary unless you are applying for credit. Be especially suspicious if someone claiming to be from a company with whom you have an account asks for information that the business already has.

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Regularly check your account transactions and report any suspicious or unauthorised transactions.

Don’t believe promises of easy money

If someone claims that you can earn money with little or no work, get a loan or credit card even if you have bad credit, or make money on an investment with little or no risk, it’s probably a scam. Oftentimes, offers that seem too good to be true, actually are too good to be true.

Do not open email from people you don’t know

If you are unsure whether an email you received is legitimate, try contacting the sender directly via other means. Do not click on any links in an email unless you are sure it is safe.

Think before you click

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Verify urgent requests or unsolicited emails, messages or phone calls before you respond

If you receive a message or a phone call asking for immediate action and don't know the sender, it could be a phishing message.

Be careful with links and new website addresses

Malicious website addresses may appear almost identical to legitimate sites. Scammers often use a slight variation in spelling or logo to lure you. Malicious links can also come from friends whose email has unknowingly been compromised, so be careful.

Secure your personal information

Before providing any personal information, such as your date of birth, Social Security number, account numbers, and passwords, be sure the website is secure.

Stay informed on the latest cyber threats

Keep yourself up to date on current scams by visiting this website daily.

Use Strong Passwords

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Keep your software up to date and maintain preventative software programs

Keep all of your software applications up to date on your computers and mobile devices. Install software that provides antivirus, firewall, and email filter services.

Update the operating systems on your electronic devices

Make sure your operating systems (OSs) and applications are up to date on all of your electronic devices. Older and unpatched versions of OSs and software are the target of many hacks. Read the CISA security tip on Understanding Patches and Software Updates for more information.

What if You Got Scammed?

Stop Contact With The Scammer

Hang up the phone. Do not reply to emails, messages, or letters that the scammer sends. Do not make any more payments to the scammer. Beware of additional scammers who may contact you claiming they can help you get your lost money back.

Secure Your Finances

  • Report potentially compromised bank account, credit or debit card information to your financial institution(s) immediately. They may be able to cancel or reverse fraudulent transactions.
  • Notify the three major credit bureaus. They can add a fraud alert to warn potential credit grantors that you may be a victim of identity theft. You may also want to consider placing a free security freeze on your credit report. Doing so prevents lenders and others from accessing your credit report entirely, which will prevent them from extending credit:

Check Your Computer

If your computer was accessed or otherwise affected by a scam, check to make sure that your anti-virus is up-to-date and running and that your system is free of malware and keylogging software. You may also need to seek the help of a computer repair company. Consider utilizing the Better Business Bureau’s website to find a reputable company.

Change Your Account Passwords

Update your bank, credit card, social media, and email account passwords to try to limit further unauthorized access. Make sure to choose strong passwords when changing account passwords.

Report The Scam

Reporting helps protect others. While agencies can’t always track down perpetrators of crimes against scammers, they can utilize the information gathered to record patterns of abuse which may lead to action being taken against a company or industry.

Report your issue to the following agencies based on the nature of the scam:

  • Local Law Enforcement: Consumers are encouraged to report scams to their local police department or sheriff’s office, especially if you lost money or property or had your identity compromised.
  • Federal Trade Commission: Contact the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) at 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357) or use the Online Complaint Assistant to report various types of fraud, including counterfeit checks, lottery or sweepstakes scams, and more.
  • Identitytheft.gov: If someone is using your personal information, like your Social Security, credit card, or bank account number, to open new accounts, make purchases, or get a tax refund, report it at www.identitytheft.gov. This federal government site will also help you create your Identity Theft Report and a personal recovery plan based on your situation. Questions can be directed to 877-ID THEFT.

How To Recognize a Phishing Scam

Scammers use email or text messages to try to steal your passwords, account numbers, or Social Security numbers. If they get that information, they could get access to your email, bank, or other accounts. Or they could sell your information to other scammers. Scammers launch thousands of phishing attacks like these every day — and they’re often successful.

Scammers often update their tactics to keep up with the latest news or trends, but here are some common tactics used in phishing emails or text messages:

Phishing emails and text messages often tell a story to trick you into clicking on a link or opening an attachment. You might get an unexpected email or text message that looks like it’s from a company you know or trust, like a bank or a credit card or utility company. Or maybe it’s from an online payment website or app. The message could be from a scammer, who might

  • say they’ve noticed some suspicious activity or log-in attempts — they haven’t
  • claim there’s a problem with your account or your payment information — there isn’t
  • say you need to confirm some personal or financial information — you don’t
  • include an invoice you don’t recognize — it’s fake
  • want you to click on a link to make a payment — but the link has malware
  • say you’re eligible to register for a government refund — it’s a scam
  • offer a coupon for free stuff — it’s not real

About Online Threat Alerts (OTA)

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By alerting the public, we have prevented a lot of online users from getting scammed or becoming victims of cybercrimes.

With the ever-increasing number of people going online, it important to have a community like OTA that continuously alerts or protects those same people from cyber-criminals, scammers and hackers, who are every day finding new ways of carrying out their malicious activities.

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The "Rev. John Clark" Charitable Donation Scam