Check out this email I just got.

this is the first you've got this type of scam? I get it in a few varieties daily

I'm really getting fed up with spam!!!

 

I got one, and was tempted to respond to help the poor chap out. Had no idea of the exports of the country, the geography, and the local government or lack thereof.

He ended it with something about "Trust in God" or something like that, and I'm rather sure Christianity isn't all that hip over there, if at all.

I would have too, but the last thing we need are more informed scamsters...

 

I must have gotten 10 or 12 emails nearly identical to this one at work this past academic year. It's spam at best, an internet scam at worst. If a person really needed financial help that badly, they wouldn't send out a mass email -- they'd contact you personally or contact the government. The best thing to do is delete the email as soon as it shows up in your inbox. If you reply to spam -- in some cases, even if you just open spam -- your IP address, email address, and other information might get sent to the offending party and your spam reception will go up exponentially from there. And of course some people might even send the guy money!

My rule of thumb is that if I get an email that is not clearly identifiable to me from the address or the subject line alone, I delete it automatically. People need to know that it's only good personal communications practice to (1) say who you are and (2) summarize the content of your email when sending an email. If a person is known to me, then they don't need to put the subject line in; otherwise the sender should state his/her business before I read the email.


It sounds a little draconian and mean-spirited, but the amount of spam and scam email I get on my secondary email account makes the thought of getting that much per day on my work account very scary indeed.

If I were really strict about this, I would delete any incoming email that didn't have a digital signature attached to it... but I'm not at that level of paranoia (yet) .

 

haha...whata scam,yeah rigth is he gonna ask a complete stranger to hold 28 mill...

dun worry,someone will reply to it,and you'll seem 'em on the news....dead


People these days do things like that,cause some people these days will believe it.

IMO

 

I seriously hope all these legislations and stuff they are trying to pass to stop spam go through, and actually do something.

Personally, I use a software mail program(built into OS X called "mail") that has a terrific spam filter, there are many software based mail programs,that if you uses HTTP mail(hotmail,yahoo...etc.) you can get plugins for, seriously, when I use "mail" I don't get any spam.( and I use hotmail! )

 

This is a well known scam known as the
'Nigerian' Scam. Search Yahoo under Internet Hoax
and you will see it all over. It has been going on for 10 years, and people are still falling for it. It is predicated upon the fact that people are so greedy and gullible that they will do anything to make money.

Ultimately, the scammer asks you to send him some good faith money to cover 'Bank Expenses' or 'Cost of opening a Letter of Credit'. Then, poof, he's gone and so is your cash.
Bob Gollihur also wrote on TB DB on this
recently.

Best defense is your delete button and a firm grip on what Robert A, Heinlein called
'TANSTAAFL '

There Ain't No Thing Such As A Free Lunch

Thor

 

Across the street from me in Berkley Mi. An employee of a Legal firm fell for this, embezzeled big bucks and cost the firm about 350K. She's in some hot water. I've gotten this particular E-Mail and deeted it.

I got a similar E-Mail again. The second time I responded: "I would really like to help!" "What do I do?" Just to see what would happen...nothing.

 

Yes, i think this is referred to as something like Section 7 e-mail. Section 7 in Nigerian penal code covers with internet fraud.

On a related topic, ebay scams are a recurring topic on another board I visit. It was determined one particular seller was auctioning bikes (expensive triathlon bikes), and then not shipping.

He repeatedly used the same photos. In several cases, the photos were taken from peoples' personal web sites. ("hey, that looks like my bike, ..., in my house, ...")

In retaliation, forum member have begun bidding on the auctions using fake names, bidding the bikes wayy to high.

 

I do have to compliment the authors of these types of emails. The plotlines are getting more and more complex. In this particular piece I can almost hear a soft spanish guitar...

The scene is a beautiful 43 room palace set overlooking a 6-mile strech of private, rocky beach twenty miles outside of San Pedro, Cote d'Ivoire. The surf is crashing on the rocks and the sun is setting in an otherwise clear and beautiful sky.

"mon Cher père, I brought you some cocoa. How do you feel??"

The father is an older man, who is laying in bed next to a large bay window. The shutters are open and a breeze blows the curtains so that you can just catch a glimpse of the shrimp trawlers heading back to San Pedro before sunset.

"I think my colon has ruptured again, fils. get your père a hot, wet serviette de bain to clean this mess."

"père, I'm concerned. With the matters of Sierra Leone and their bloody civil war, and now Cote d'Ivoire is in shambles after is coup! mon Dieu!"

"cher fils, do not worry, because your father has thought of this already. You must contact an american."

"An American!!??!!.......?"

"Yes, for only Americans have the power of the internet. With this power, they are capable of transferring millions of dollars tax-free and under the radar of local government into an american bank account in which it will sit unnoticed and unaudited until we can defect to america to retrieve our cash."

"But père, how can we trust an american with our money??"

"The only way we can be sure that the money will be safe will be to contact people with common e-mail addresses. Perhaps even those who have submitted their email addresses to newsgroups or listserves, or even dipped into a chat room once. Only then can we know that we can trust them. Then the final confirmation of competence will come when he responds to the email."

"Ahh I see.."

"But son, we must act fast, for I am fading. *cough My liver hurts and my left ear... Son, my left ear... MY LEFT EAR..... AGHHHHH"

Dramatic strings swell

"FATHER NOOOOOOOO!!!!!! Père, I will do as you ask, I will find an AMERICAN!!!!!"

The end...

RT

 

LOL...... but you forgot something. where's the bit where the father explains to his son that all foreigners would like to be notified by email that they can make their penis larger

 

yes, same.

 

Here is the one I got today.




AUDIT AND ACCOUNTS UNIT,
FOREIGN REMITTANCE DEPT,
INTERATIONAL MERCHANT BANK OF AFRICA,
FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF NIGERIA WEST AFRICA.

DEAR SIR/MADAM,
REQUEST FOR URGENT BUSINESS TRANSACTION.

WITH DUE HONOUR AND RESPECT,IAM DR.AMUSA BELLO,
THE DIRECTOR IN CHARGE OF AUDIT AND ACCOUTS UNIT,
FOREIGN REMITTACE DEPT. OF THE INTERNATIONAL MERCHANT
BANK OF AFRICA, NIGERIA WEST AFRICA.

I GOT YOUR E-MAIL ADDRESS RECOMMENDED BY THE
INTERNATIONAL CHRISTIAN MINISTRY AND I DECIDED TO
CONTACT YOU FOR BENEFICIAL AND A 100% RISK FREE
BUSINESS TRANSACTION.

DURING OUR AUDITING AND INVESTIGATIONS IN THIS BANK MY
DEPARTMENT CAME ACCROSS THE SUM OF EIGHTEEN MILLION
UNITED STATES DOLLARS ONLY (US$18,000,000.00)
BELONGING TO A MORROCCAN INTERNATIONAL BUSINESSMAN WHO
DIED ALONG WITH HIS NEXT OF KIN IN 5TH NOVEMBER 1997
AEROPLANE CRASH IN ABIDJAN. BEFORE OUR DISCOVERY TO
THIS DEVELOPMENT, THE! RE WAS NO TRACE OF CLAIM FROM ANY
PERSON AS THE FUND REMAINS DORMANT IN HIS ACCOUNT WITH
THIS BANK.

ALTHOUGH I KEPT THIS INFORMATION SECRET WITHIN MY
JURISDICTION TO ENABLE US PUT CLAIM AND TRANSFER THE
SAID AMOUNT THROUGH A TRUSTWORTHY FRIEND OVERSEAS WHOM
WE SHALL PRESENT TO THE BANK AS THE BONAFIDE
NEXT-OF-KIN TO THE DECEASED FOR A PROFITABLE AND
SUCCESSFUL DEAL. MEANWHILE ALL THE ARRANGEMENT TO PUT
CLAIMS AS THE BONAFIDE NEXT-OF-KIN TO THE DECEASED, TO
GET THE REQUIRED APPROVAL AND TRANSFER OF THIS MONEY
TO A FOREIGN ACCOUNT HAS BEEN PUT IN PLACE.

THE DIRECTIVES AND THE NEEDED INFORMATION WILL BE
RELAYED TO YOU AS SOON AS YOU INDICATE YOUR INTEREST
AND WILLINGNESS TO THIS GREAT BUINESS OPPORTUNITY.
INFACT, I COULD HAVE DONE THIS DEAL ALONE, BUT BECAUSE
CIVIL SERVANTS ARE NOT LEGALLY ALLOWED TO OPERATE
FOREIGN ACCOUNT AND IT WOULD EVENTUALLY RAISE EYEBROWS
ON OUR SIDE DURING THE TIME OF TRANSFER BECAUSE I AM A
STAFF OF THE BANK.

THESE ARE THE ACTUAL REASONS IT REQUIRES A
SECOND-FELLOW WHO WILL F! ORWARD CLAIMS BY OUR SUPPORT
AS THE BONAFIDE NEXT-OF-KIN.

WITH NIGERIAN COURT AFFIDAVIT TO THE BANK AND ALSO
PRESENT A FOREIGN BANK ACCOUNT WHERE THE MONEY ON
HIS/HER REQUEST WILL BE RE-TRANSFERED INTO.

ON CONCLUSION OF THIS TRANSACTION, YOU WILL BE
ENTITTLED TO 15% OF THE TOTAL SUM AS GRATIFICATION 5%
OF THE TOTAL SUM WILL BE USED TO REINBURSE EXPENSES
THAT MIGHT ARISE FROM TELEPHONE BILLS AND OTHER
EXPENSES DURING THE TRANSACTION WHILE 80% WILL BE FOR
ME AND MY COLLEAGUES HERE.

PLEASE YOU HAVE BEEN ADVICED TO KEEP TOP SCRET AS WE
ARE STILL IN SERVICE AND INTEND TO RETIRE FROM SERVICE
AFTER I CONCLUDE THIS DEAL WITH YOU. I WILL BE
MONITORING THE WHOLE SITUATION HERE IN THIS BANK UNTIL
YOU CONFIRM THE MONEY IN YOUR ACCOUNT, WE THEN MEET IN
YOUR COUNTRY FOR SUBSEQUENT SHARING OF THE FUND
ACCORDING TO THE PERCENTAGES PREVIOUSLY INDICATED AND
FOR INVESTMENT IN ANY COUNTRY YOU MAY ADVICE US TOO.!

ALL OTHER NECESSARY INFORMATION WILL BE SENT TO YOU
WHEN I HEAR FROM YOU. I SUGGEST YOU GET BACK TO ME AS
SOON AS POSSIBLE STATING YOUR WISH IN THIS DEAL.

YOUR?S FAITHFULLY,

DR.AMUSA BELLO.
DIRECTOR OF FOREIGN REMITTANCE UNIT.

 

I'd do it but I don't trust you Woodchuck!

 

Someone at the SomethingAwful website apparently wrote back, as a joke, but pretending to be interested. It's pretty funny. Odd though.

I'd link to it but the ads on the site aren't safe for work or kiddies, sometimes. It's in the pranks section.

Also, there's a bunch of info on www.snopes.com about this scam.

 

Geez Pete, how did you manage to get added to the small penis mailing list? Sorry to hear that brother....

 

That's the silly part. I'm enormous. I'd show ya but forum rules don't allow it and besides, I've got it tied up around the back at the moment.

 

Ahh, I find the boot tuck works best for me.

 

I got one that said "Make your penis at least 8 inches".
I emailed them back and said there was no way I was gonna have 2 inches cut off....