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Did an email from someone calling herself "Mariam Ture" land in your inbox, offering you a share of a $7.5 million inheritance locked in a bank in the Ivory Coast? It's a scam — and a textbook example of an advance-fee fraud, one of the oldest tricks on the internet.
The "Mariam Ture" Scam Email, Explained
The message comes from a free Gmail address printed as mariamture (at) gmail.com — already a red flag, since no bank or law firm conducts business from a free email account. The email is written as an introductory message and follows a classic script. Here is the scammer's message, quoted verbatim so you can recognize it:
From Ms. Mariam Ture,
Please Reply me through my private email address for my security reason
( mariamture (at) gmail.com )
It is my pleasure to write you i decided to contact you to help me out of my problem, however is not mandatory nor will i in any manner compel you to honour against your will,but first Iet me introduce myself to you.
My name is Ms. Mariam Ture, Am 21 years of age, I am a student of high school before I lost my parents in a car accident last year, so I have been out from school and been looking for a sincere person that I will trust.
I am the only child of my late parents and that has made me to run away from our family house because my uncles are after my life to take away my inheritance which my late father left for me in a Bank here in Cote D'ivoire. My entire dream is to find somebody that I can trust with my future life and inheritance and also who will be able to invest it wisely in any lucrative business.
Nobody knows about the inheritance which worth $7.5 million dollars in Cash deposited in a Bank here with my name as the next of kin. And I want you to also keep it very confidential till we can be able to transfer this money from the Bank here to your country and I will fly to join you immediately for future plans of continue my education once a join you in your country.
I have to trust somebody to save my future and that is why I am trusting you now I want you to understand my critical situation and give me the assistance that I need so that I will have a better life and also enjoy my inheritance with you. I will tell you more about myself as soon as I hear back from you, your interest to assist me and also build more trust to be able to have a better understanding. Please Reply me through my private email address for my security reason ( mariamture (at) gmail.com )
I look forward for your urgent response, thank you and God bless you.
Best regard
Ms. Mariam Ture
Why This Is an Advance-Fee Scam: The Red Flags
- It arrives out of nowhere from a total stranger. Real banks and estates do not email random people about inheritances.
- The sob story: orphaned student, scheming uncles, a fortune she can't touch alone. Scammers manufacture emotional emergencies to short-circuit your judgment.
- The secrecy demand: she insists you keep the inheritance "very confidential." Secrecy keeps victims from asking someone sensible for advice.
- The free Gmail address and the plea to reply through her "private email" keep everything off the record.
- The spelling and grammar errors are hallmarks of this genre — advance-fee (419) scams have used this same rough script for decades.
- The "next of kin" hook is the setup: to "receive" the money you will eventually be asked for your bank account information — or for upfront fees. Whatever you do, do not hand over either.
- The urgent tone and "God bless you" closing are trust bait. A little manufactured warmth makes the lie feel personal.
One correction worth noting: the Ivory Coast (Côte d'Ivoire) is in West Africa — not South Africa, as an earlier version of this warning stated.
What Happens If You Reply
If you respond to this first email, the scammer sends a follow-up message (that follow-up is covered in Part 2). The pattern is always the same: more story, more urgency, and eventually a request — pay a "transfer fee," cover "legal costs," or share your bank account information so the money can be sent. There is no $7.5 million. Anyone who pays or shares account details is the only one who loses money.
How to Protect Yourself
- Don't reply. Any response tells the scammer your address is active.
- Delete the message and mark it as spam or phishing in your email client.
- Never send money, gift cards, or bank account information to someone who emailed you out of the blue.
- Report email fraud to the appropriate authority in your country, such as the FTC's ReportFraud.ftc.gov in the United States.
- Warn friends and family: this scam works because victims feel like the one person trusted with a secret.
If the "Mariam Ture" inheritance email found its way to you, now you know exactly what it is. Delete it and move on — and if you're reading this after replying, stop all contact immediately.
