Fighting the Nigerian Money Scam 316
An anonymous reader writes "One of the most notorious spams, the Nigerian Money Scam, or 419, has reared its head again with the recent arrest of a California woman who embezzled $2.1 million from her law firm. However, anti-spammer Brad Christensen has apparently been having some success scamming the scammers. This exhibit contains some of his more successful exchanges. It seems he even managed to get some of the Nigerians to fly around the world to meet him. All in all, Bravo!"
Wha! (Score:4, Funny)
I gave him my account number!
Another 419 example (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:Another 419 example (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Another 419 example (Score:2)
Here's what I don't understand... (Score:5, Interesting)
In this case, the address mikeaba@mail.com is at, of course, mail.com. Surely mail.com must have gotten dozens, if not hundreds, of spam reports altering them that a mail.com address was being used for a scam.
What I don't understand is how on earth that address didn't get taken offline by mail.com within a very short time of the original scam/spam being sent. My experience has been that yahoo.com and hotmail.com do a pretty decent job of deleting accounts of addresses that are being used a spam dropboxes. But not mail.com?
Can someone explain what I'm missing here?
-S
Re:Here's what I don't understand... (Score:2)
> mail.com. Surely mail.com must have gotten dozens, if not
> hundreds, of spam reports altering them that a mail.com
> address was being used for a scam.
Yes, probably, but...
> What I don't understand is how on earth that address didn't
> get taken offline by mail.com [...] Can someone explain what
> I'm missing here?
In terms of taking a stand against spam, mail.com is infamous
for being very... I'll give them the benefit of the doubt
and say they're merely lethargic in the matter. But they are
sufficiently lethargic about it that some people have speculated
that they may be an actual factual spamhaus.
Re:Another 419 example (Score:2)
$18 million? (Score:5, Funny)
Re:DEAR FRIEND (Score:2)
ORDER REPORT FROM: # 1 FROM:
[snip]
Orange Park, FL 32073
A copy of this post is being sent to the postmaster in Orange Park. Have a nice day.
Yeah It's Dupe (Score:1, Troll)
Fool of a took (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:Fool of a took (Score:2)
Woman in California? (Score:4, Informative)
Michigan clues (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Michigan clues (Score:2, Funny)
It's closer to the truth than you may think. (Score:2)
Re:Woman in California? (Score:3, Informative)
My God! They're everywhere!!!! (Score:3, Insightful)
Stupid people are everywhere. You would think (and that's your problem) that a perosn in a law firm would be smart enough to figure this out, or atleast get a lawyer to check it out before hand.
SHEESH
Re:My God! They're everywhere!!!! (Score:4, Insightful)
She was only a secretary at the law firm, so I don't imagine that she would have had any legal training herself. Not that it's an excuse -- she's still more stupid than stupid itself for falling for such an old scam.
Steve
Google cache of site (Score:1, Informative)
Re:Google cache of site (Score:2)
Karma Whore.
why scam the scammers when you can fool with them? (Score:3, Funny)
sure, there's no money in it, but everyone could use a hobby!
oh please (Score:5, Funny)
Re:oh please (Score:2)
Nigerian scammers (Score:2, Funny)
Re:Nigerian scammers - Troll laa laa la lolly! (Score:2)
Damn yankee scammers. ;-))
Re:Nigerian scammers (Score:2)
"This I HOPE will give you and your loved ones SAFE PASSAGE! Maybe later we can also arrange to bring to Manila the remains of your SHOT-DEAD SISTER to honor her with a PROPER SIX-FOOT HOLE BURIAL in the ground!!!"
Its payback time (Score:1, Funny)
Its obviously the stupid people who fall for these kind of scams - unfortunately, as is the case here, they even screw over others in the process.
I got an "anti-419" today (Score:5, Interesting)
I really don't think it's genuinely from the Nigerian gov, although it was posted from an IP address (195.166.233.102) RIPE says is allocated to a Nigerian ISP, rather than being routed through some open relay in Asia. However, I'm finding it hard to work out what the scam is. Spam quality control to see which addresses apply is the most likely reason I guess.
Re:I got an "anti-419" today (Score:3, Insightful)
Think about it logically... These 419 folks have stolen thousands of bucks illegally from people all over the world. They can't very well report that incometo thier own governemnt without having to pay away most of it in taxes and kickbacks, so if they happen to be *robbed* of the money, who will they call for help? I'll bet you the next wave of thieves will be those who prey on the fat scammers and suck them dry. It's a lot easier to sneak into your neighbor's house and loot thier safe than to spend months stringing along foreigners with no guarantee of reward.
Re:I got an "anti-419" today (Score:4, Funny)
So basically your recieved a piece of *spam* saying that the previous spam that you recieved and ignored was a fraud, and now you should reply to this spam to report the perpetrators? What, are you going to give them your bank account details so that when they recover the money they can return it?!?
Hang on, let me go back one more step..
You actually read your "spam"?
Re:I got an "anti-419" today (Score:2)
Re:I got an "anti-419" today (Score:2)
Gosh! What a brilliant idea, yes of course I'll do that. Funnily enough, this one didn't ask for any of *my* details, just those of the other 419 spammers. I dare say if I was stupid enough to reply to it, I'd get a follow-up saying that they'd recovered my stolen money and all they need is my bank a/c details to repay it.
You actually read your "spam"?
Occasionally yes, for amusement purposes. The 419s can be quite funny with the idiosyncratic African English they're written in.
Re:I got an "anti-419" today (Score:2)
Re:I got an "anti-419" today (Score:3, Funny)
I still chuckle when I think about it.
Enjoy,
Steven
Re:419 Web Of Deceit (Score:2, Funny)
Make Nigeria Open Source! (Score:5, Funny)
By making Nigeria Open Source can we unleash the vast potential that this oil-producing country has. The enormous experience of the hardenened Open Source developers would go a long way to introduce the necessary stability in this west-African continent.
Re:Make Nigeria Open Source! (Score:2)
Re:Make Nigeria Open Source! (Score:2, Funny)
From: Robert M. Stallman <rms@gnu.ng>
Subject: Request for Urgent Business Assistance
Your contact was availed to me by the the Lagos Linux User's Group.
I am Robert M. Stallman, the younger brother of Richard M. Stallman. I have the privilege of being mandated by my brother's colleagues to seek your immediate and urgent co-operation to receive into your bank account the sum of US $25m.
This money was obtained through sales of Emacs manuals in Nigeria, and as the treasurer of the Nigerian branch of the Free Software Foundation, I decided that this money wanted to be free...
How can I... (Score:2)
Scamming the Scammers (Score:5, Funny)
He plays along with the scammer, and when asked for a scan of his passport, he photoshops together a passport belonging to James Tiberius Kirk, complete with a picture of William Shatner in a Starfleet uniform. I can imagine someone trying to use that to get across the border....
Re:Scamming the Scammers (Score:2)
Well give your ID card to the border guard
Now your alias says you're Captain Jean-Luc Picard
Of the United Federation of Planets
'Cause he won't speak English anyway
The best 419 scam gone awry.... (Score:3, Informative)
I wrote back to one of them - here is my letter (Score:5, Funny)
Well first off, let me just say that you had me at hello so to speak.
I am a total sucker for those that write in all caps, and then you really sold
me with the fact that this is a once in a lifetime opportunity. After all, how
many times do those come along? I'd say maybe only 5 or 6 times a year.
You are incredibly generous to only need twnety one million five hundred thousand
dollars. But, unfortunately I don't have that much money. I do have seventeen
dollars and fifty-six cents. I really want you to have all of that. I hope you
can overlook the fact that I'm several million short of your goal, but the key
is that I try hard and I'm an excellent wind surfer.
My company doesn't have an address as of yet, but we are really trying. If you
would be willing to send me $500, then I can register the company name and also
get a PO BOX for a year. That way I can have an address and then we can get this
ball of wax rolling. In a similar vein, I don't have a bank account. I don't trust
them. Quite frankly, between you and me, there are a lot of scammers out there
that will just try to take your money - and I don't think either of us want
that - we need it so that we can get RICH! Right?
Lastly, I notice that you are a doctor. Can I ask you a question. I know that
this started as a financial discussion, but I have a really painful burning
rash "down there" if you know what I mean. Do you have any experience with
this? Can you recommend anything I can do to make it go away?
Please keep in mind that I only have just over seventeen dollars, and I want
to give all of that to you so that I can be really really rich as soon as
possible. So the cure for my intense burning pain needs to be free. And easy,
I'm kind of lazy - hey, at least I'm honest right?
So anyway, why don't you talk to your people, and I'll... Well, I'll just
talk to myself and maybe do a little rubbing "down there" and I look forward
to anything you can offer me - you know, on the $500 deal. I really hope you
can come through with it - if not, I'm not sure what else to do - I guess I
might have to get a job. Could you give me a job? Not like anything sexual -
just one where you pay me a lot to do very little... And maybe some golf. I
like golf - do you like golf? Maybe someday you and I can play golf together.
We could start out doing miniature golf - your treat, and then maybe once I'm
really really rich with your help, I can pay for my own regular golf fees.
I can't want to hear back from you - please act fast!
Your's,
Johannes Kepler
> -----Original Message-----
> From: DR
> Sent: Monday, August 12, 2002 10:31 PM
> To: *
> Subject:
>
>
> FROM: DR. JAMES BOLA
> TEL:234-1-4700390
> FAX:234-9-2721548
> LAGOS - NIGERIA.
>
>
> ATTN: PRESIDENT / CEO.
>
> STRICTLY CONFIDENTIAL BUSINESS PROPOSAL RE: TRANSFER OF
> US$21.5 MILLION(TWENTY ONE MILLION, FIVE HUNDRED THOUSAND US
> DOLLARS ONLY).
>
> I KNOW THIS EMAIL WILL REACH YOU AS A SURPRISE, BUT NEED NOT
> TO WORRY AS WE ARE USING THE ONLY SECURED AND CONFIDENTIAL
> MEDIUM AVAILABLE TO SEEK FOR FOREIGN ASSISTANCE/PARTNERSHIP
> IN A BUSINESS TRANSACTION WHICH IS OF MUTUAL BENEFIT.
>
> I AM A MEMBER OF THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT OF NIGERIA CONTRACT
> AWARD AND MONITORING COMMITTEE IN THE NIGERIA NATIONAL
> PETROLEUM CORPORATION (NNPC) SOMETIME AGO; MY COMMITTEE
> AWARDED A CONTRACT TO A FOREIGN FIRM IN NNPC.THIS CONTRACT
> WAS OVER INVOICED TO THE TUNE OF US$21.5M. U.S.DOLLARS. THIS
> WAS DONE DELIBERATELY THE OVER- INVOICING WAS A DEAL BY MY
> COMMITTEE TO BENEFIT FROM THE PROJECT. WE NOW WANT TO
> TRANSFER THIS MONEY, WHICH IS IN A SUSPENSE ACCOUNT WITH NNPC
> INTO ANY OVERSEAS ACCOUNT,WHICH WE EXPECT YOU TO PROVIDE FOR US.
> SHARE:
> FOR PROVIDING THE ACCOUNT WHERE WE SHALL REMIT THE MONEY
> INTO, YOU WILL BE ENTITLED TO 30% OF THE MONEY.60% WILL BE
> FOR ME AND MY PARTNERS WHILE 10% HAS BEEN MAPPED OUT FROM THE
> TOTAL SUM TO COVER ANY EXPENSES THAT MAY BE INCURRED BY US
> DURING THE COURSE OF THIS TRANSFER, BOTH LOCALLY AND
> INTERNATIONAL EXPENSES.IT MAY INTEREST YOU TO KNOW THAT A
> SIMILAR TRANSACTION WAS CARRIED OUT WITH ONE MR.PATRICE
> MILLER,PRESIDENT OF CRANE INTERNATIONAL TRADING CORP,OF 153
> EAST 57 ST.,28 FLOOR,NY10022,TEL:(212)-308-7788 AND
> TELEX:6731689.THE DEAL WAS CONCLUDED AND ALL COVERING
> DOCUMENT WERE FORWARDED TO MR.MILLER TO AUTHETICATE THE
> CLAIM.ONCE THE FUNDS WERE TRANSFERRED,MR. MILLER PRESENTED
> HIS BANK WITH ALL THE LEGAL DOCUMENTS AND REMITTED THE WHOLE
> FUNDS TO ANOTHER BANK ACCOUNT AND DISAPPEARED COMPLETELY. MY
> COLLEAGUES WERE SHATTERED,AS SUCH OPPORTUNITIES DO NOT COME
> ALL THE TIME.TO COMMERCE THIS DEAL THEREFORE, I WOULD REQUIRE
> THE FOLLOWING:
>
> 1. YOUR COMPANY'S NAME, ADDRESS, TEL & FAX NUMBERS.
>
> 2. YOUR BANK ACCOUNT NUMBER AND ADDRESS WHERE THE MONEY WILL
> BE REMITTED.
>
> THE ABOVE INFORMATION WOULD BE USED TO MAKE FORMAL
> APPLICATIONS AS A MATTER OF PROCEDURE FOR THE RELEASE OF THE
> MONEY AND ONWARD TRANSFER TO YOUR ACCOUNT. IT DOES NOT MATTER
> WHETHER OR NOT YOUR COMPANY DOES CONTRACT PROJECTS OF THIS
> NATURE DESCRIBED HERE. THE ASSUMPTION IS THAT YOUR COMPANY
> WON THE MAJOR CONTRACT AND SUBCONTRACTED IT OUT TO OTHER
> COMPANIES. MORE OFTEN THAN NOT, BIG TRADING COMPANIES OR
> FIRMS OF UNRELATED FIELDS WIN MAJOR CONTRACTS AND
> SUBCONTRACTS TO MORE SPECIALIZED FIRMS FOR EXECUTION OF SUCH
> CONTRACTS.
>
> WE HAVE STRONG RELIABLE CONNECTIONS AND CONTACTS AT THE
> CENTRAL BANK OF NIGERIA, AS WELL AS THE FEDERAL MINISTRY OF
> FINANCE AND WE HAVE NO DOUBT THAT ALL THE MONEY WILL BE
> RELEASED AND TRANSFERRED IF WE GET THE NECESSARY FOREIGN
> PARTNER TO ASSIST US IN THIS DEAL. THEREFORE, WHEN THE
> BUSINESS IS SUCCESSFULLY CONCLUDED WE SHALL THROUGH OUR SAME
> CONNECTIONS WITHDRAW ALL DOCUMENTS USED FROM ALL THE
> CONCERNED GOVERNMENT MINISTRIES FOR 100% SECURITY.
>
> WE ARE ORDINARY CIVIL SERVANTS AND WE WILL NOT WANT TO MISS
> THIS ONCE IN A LIFETIME OPPORTUNITY TO GET RICH. WE WANT THIS
> MONEY TO BE TRANSFERRED TO THE OVERSEAS ACCOUNTS FOR US,
> BEFORE THE PRESENT DEMOCRATIC GOVERNMENT STARTS AUDITING ALL
> FEDERAL GOVERNMENT OWNED MINISTRIES. PLEASE CONTACT
> IMMEDIATELY THROUGH MY TEL / FAX NUMBER WHETHER OR NOT YOU
> ARE INTERESTED IN THIS DEAL. IF YOU ARE NOT, IT WILL ENABLE
> ME SCOUT FOR ANOTHER FOREIGN PARTNER TO CARRY OUT THIS DEAL.
> BUT WHERE YOU ARE INTERESTED, SEND THE REQUIRED DOCUMENTS
> AFOREMENTIONED HEREIN THROUGH MY ABOVE FAX NUMBER AS TIME IS
> OF THE ESSENCE IN THIS BUSINESS. I WAIT IN ANTICIPATION OF
> YOUR FULLEST CO-OPERATION. YOURS FAITHFULLY, DR.JAMES BOLA
Another reply... (Score:5, Informative)
The greedy deserve being ripped off (Score:2)
You think when some salesman tells someone about some scheme promising a 30% return every month, that the normal response would be 'well the scheme obviously doesn't work, otherwise why do you need to go arround selling the scheme to others. If it worked you'd be living it up & taking it easy while keep the scheme secret amongst yourselves.' Afterall why would one go arround trying to make money selling schemes if a scheme is so good? wouldn't they be in the scheme instead?
Consequently if someone's so greedy that they let their greed get ahead of their commonsense, & they then buy into a get rich quick scheme, then they deserve being ripped off.
It's simply karma's way of punishing the greedy. So IMAO there should be a clause in consumer protection laws, where if commonsense says a scheme is too good to be true, then there's no consumer protection for the gullible conned by them.
Buddy Weiserman! (Score:3, Funny)
Re:Buddy Weiserman! (Score:2)
WRONG STATE! (Score:3, Informative)
Re-read the article, it's a Rochester Hills Michigan woman, working for a law firm in Berkley Michigan as posted at www.freep.com. Also known as, the Detroit Free Press.
The link to the site is slashdotted... (Score:4, Funny)
Coincidence? I think not.
Re:The link to the site is slashdotted... (Score:2, Informative)
Picked that up through google cache
Scams as old as the hills (Score:5, Interesting)
Everyone gets suckered... (Score:4, Insightful)
Anyhoo, I guess it isn't just daftness that bring people into this kind of scam. Some get so focused on the prize, they never connect with their reason... In the linked story, a German buisnessman also attended meetings with the nigerian scammers, but realzied what was going on and left the meeting. The Norwegians weren't actually fooled for a lot of money, but rather used in a check fraud. This guy acutally had some 10 million dollars, because he cashed the false chack from the nigerians. Unfortunlately, he transfered most of the money to an account abroad and the he and the nigerians were caught.
So, don't let the greed rule ya!
2.1 Million.. (Score:2)
From the sounds of it, that could put the bank at fault.
I ALWAYS WONDER... (Score:2)
These are pretty much the only messages I get written in all-caps.
Even the Korean spam I get uses a better writing style.
And all of the responses that the folks linked here got are written that way.
Are Africans for some reason obliged to write in all-caps?
P.S.: Slashdot's lameness filter stopped from writing this post in all-caps. So much for attempted humour.
Re:I ALWAYS WONDER... (Score:2)
Next time, try inserting lots of junk lowercase html tags.
Re:I ALWAYS WONDER... (Score:2)
Because they're typing away on an old Apple ][?
Don't Try This At Home (Score:5, Insightful)
As great as it might sound to make a bunch of spammers fly around the world, a reminder is in order.
These are crooks. They break laws. They're not nice people. They might be desperate. If they get mad, they might kill you.
OK, maybe you think you can conceal your identity. Maybe you think your black belt or that Beretta you carry under your suit jacket will pull you through in a pinch. Are you willing to bet your life on it?
If this gives you even the least ammount of doubt, just leave it up to the pros--FBI, etc.
Re:Don't Try This At Home (Score:2)
You believe that these people tath scam money online, and are wanted criminal in the US will track down your real identity. An interesting feat in many cases since your ISP isn't going to give that out to someone from Nigeria. Then they'd have to either come to the US themselves, get a gun, and compe after you, OR put a hit out on you (costing thousands of dollars). Either way they have now suddenly put themselves at far greater risk since murder is something we go after a lot harder.
Not bloody likely. These guys are out to defraud, not to kill. Most crooks that do scams like this are not the gung-ho type, hence why the hide behind scams.
Re:Don't Try This At Home (Score:2)
Of course your ISP isn't going to give out your identity. OTOH, how secure are your ISP's servers? How do you know that the "Nigerian" isn't a psychotic Russian mobster, or some guy just down the block with 25 bodies burried in his basement? How do you know how a criminal is going to react when you cost him money instead of the other way around? Has your ISP applied the latest patch to avoid whatever script-kiddie hack du jour is floating around? Are you willing to bet your life on it? I have to reiterate: NEVER TRY TO SCAM A SCAMMER. I think this is part of most government FAQs on the subject. By scamming the scammer, you are putting yourself in the criminal's world. They are comfortable there. Are you?
These guys are out to defraud, not to kill
So let me get this straight... you divine the motive and character of some criminal you've never met, and conclude he's harmless? That's poor security practice at best; a fatal mistake at worst.
Re:Don't Try This At Home (Score:2, Interesting)
I have to agree with your sentiments about not trying to scam a scammer but I don't think you should be showing them that you're afraid of them. Who knows. They could be watching us right now?
Scammers are rational business people, they act out of their economic self-interests. They wouldn't hurt me or you unless there was a logical economic benefit. On a side note, I was almost attacked once in Budapest for trying to explain to the crowd that they were being scammed. When I started explaining things, most people in the crowd started turning on me. It turns out most of them were part of the scam too.
They have killed (Score:2)
While you're probably safe in front of you computer, you should probably not play games with them.
But don't bother forwarding the spam to the police. They've got tons of it, and they're not interested.
Re:Don't Try This At Home (Score:2, Insightful)
That's the successful point of those types of scam. It doesn't really make us feel sorry for the victims*.
Note.* Usually, the victim ends up losing their own money or their own lives, so that last law firm example seems pretty atypical.
'This guy I knew' received something like this (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:'This guy I knew' received something like this (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:'This guy I knew' received something like this (Score:3, Interesting)
I had a friend actually get a check with his name spelled wrong (on the check) but spelled correctly on the envelope. The address was incorrect, and the ZIP code was off in the second digit (ie, 28xxx, not 27xxx). The company did everything in it's power not to pay the rebate without breaking any fraud laws... It's a wonder he got the thing at all.
Eric
Re:'This guy I knew' received something like this (Score:2, Insightful)
What do the scammers get out of this?? (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:What do the scammers get out of this?? (Score:2)
-- iCEBaLM
Bravo? (Score:2, Flamebait)
So, let's see: The Nigerians have scammed at least one person to the tune of $2.1 million dollars. However, they had to make a few useless flights around the world.
Gee, as scams go, they seem to be ahead, so I imagine the Nigerians are saying "Bravo!"
The CONGOLESE money scam (Score:3, Interesting)
FROM: MR TEMI JOHNSON
DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO.
EMAIL:temijohnson@rediffmail.com
TEL:44 7775770781(SATELLITE PHONE)
Dear Sir,
SEEKING YOUR IMMEDIATE ASSISTANCE.
Please Permit me to make your acquaintance in so
informal a manner. This is necessitated by my urgent need to reach a
dependable and trust wordy foreign
partner. This request may seem strange and
unsolicited but I will crave your indulgence and pray that you view it
seriously. My name is MR TEMI JOHNSON of the
Democratic Republic of Congo and One of the close aides to the former
President of the Democratic Republic of Congo
LAURENT KABILA of blessed
memory, may his soul rest in peace.
Due to the military campaign of LAURENT KABILA to
force out the rebels in my country, I and some of my
colleagues were instructed by Late President Kabila
to go abroad to purchase arms and ammunition worth of
Twenty Million, Five Hundred Thousand United States Dollars only
(US$20,500,000.00) to fight the rebel group. But when
President Kabila was killed in a bloody shoot-out by one of his aide a day
before we were schedule to travel out of Congo,
We immediately decided to divert the fund into a private security company
here in Congo for safe keeping. The security of
the said amount is presently being threatened here following the arrest
and seizure of properties of Col. Rasheidi Karesava
(One of the aides to Laurent Kabila) a tribesman, and some other Military
Personnel from our same tribe, by the new
President of the Democratic Republic of Congo, the son of late President
Laurent Kabila, Joseph Kabila.
In view of this, we need a reliable and trustworthy foreign partner who
can assist us to move this money out of my country
as the beneficiary.
WE have sufficient ''CONTACTS'' to move the fund under Diplomatic Cover to
a security company in the europe in your
name. This is to ensure that the Diplomatic Baggage is marked
''CONFIDENTIAL'' and it will not pass through normal
custom/airport screening and clearance.
Our inability to move this money out of Congo all
This while lies on our lack of trust on our supposed good friends (western
countries) who suddenly became hostile to those
of us who worked with the late President Kabila, immediately after his son
took office. Though we have neither seen nor
met each other, the information We gathered from an associate
who has worked in your country has encouraged and convinced us that with
your sincere assistance, this transaction will
be properly handled with modesty
and honesty to a huge success within two weeks. The said money is a state
fund and therefore requires a total
confidentiality.
Thus, if you are willing to assist us move this fund out of Congo, you can
contact me through my email address above with
your telephone, fax number and personal information to enable us discuss
the modalities and what will be your share
(percentage) for assisting us.
I must use this opportunity and medium to implore You to exercise the
utmost indulgence to keep this Matter extraordinarily
confidential, Whatever your Decision, while I await your prompt response.
Thank you and GodBless.
Best Regards
MR TEMI JOHNSON
This sounded to me like such a good deal that I immediately sent the following reply:
Mr. Johnson:
No need to negotiate on the terms. We both recognize that your intentions are less than honorable, and we likewise both recognize that both of us are motivated by greed. My terms are these: 37.5% of the total, a new Mercedes S-Class V-12 (fully equipped) discretely purchased from a local dealer that I will specify, and a two-week all-expense-paid trip to Norway and Switzerland (there to establish a new bank account). Take it or leave it.
My daytime phone number is (218) 246-2776. Do not call me at home in the evening. I do not keep my wife advised on private matters of this nature, if you get my drift.
EW
The phone number I sent is actually that of the local District Attorney's office. So far, I have not received a reply
Here is my Nepal version (Score:2)
Dear Sir,
Pardon me for starting this great proposal this way as it might surprise you. My name is Yuvraj
Kailash a native of Nepal and attorney to the late king of Nepal who died as a result of loss in
temper caused by an argument between him and his family, as they were against him marrying his
fiancée
reliability to assist us. We seek the assistance of someone who is genuinely interested in
entering into a business relationship with long term focus, and willingness of a kind heart to
help.
If you are conversant with events in Nepal in May/June last year 2001, (June 1 2001), the media
was filled with reports that Crown Prince Dipendra of Nepal had shot and killed several members of
the Nepalese Royal Family, among whom were his parents King Birenda and Queen Aiswarya, before
trying to kill himself.
Prior to the late kings death (Prince Dipendra), he kept aside a secret amount of money, for his
fiancée (Miss Divyani Rana) worth over US$30,000,000.00(Thirty million United States Dollars).
This was made in the heat of misunderstanding between him and members of his family. The money was
kept away in such a way to prevent any member of his family from having any access or trace to the
funds, which was just a part of his wealth, this was like a gift to his fiancée and a further
affirmation to her that he was surly going to marry her, even though, his family was against their
marriage. We have kept this a secret for sometime now and feel this is the right time to execute
this transaction.
The death of my late boss, left us stranded, we have therefore been searching for a genuine and
reliable person or company of trust and with whom the Nepalese Royal Family have never had any
previous, personal or business relationship with. That person will assist in the transfer and
business re-investment of this money. We cannot do it alone due to our present social status. We
also intend to give you a reasonable share of the funds for your assistance. These funds have been
hidden away, known only to his fiancée and myself. We would want you to safeguard this fund from
being clamped down by any body or agencies.
As soon as we receive your letter of acceptance/acknowledgement, I shall give you more highlights
on this transaction.
THIS IS A RISK FREE TRANSACTION AND MUST NOT BE REVILED TO ANYONE NOT EVEN YOUR LAWYER, ATTORNEY,
FAMILY, FRIENDS ETC. If you are capable and trust worthy and can keep to our instructions to make
the above Proposal a reality.
Then CONTACT US IMMEDIATELY ONLY THROUGH OUR CONFIDENTIAL U.K FAX NUMBER: 44-870-1309342 AS
INDICATED ABOVE
DO NOT REPLY US BY EMAIL. Please indicate in your reply your PERSONAL/CONFIDENTIAL TELEPHONE
NUMBERS, CELLULAR OR MOBILE NUMBER, CONFIDENTIAL FAX NUMBER AND YOUR CONFIDENTIAL EMAIL ADDRESS
when replying.
ONCE AGAIN, PLEASE DO NOT REPLY BY EMAIL. Your Reply Should be by Fax only to 44-870-1309342
(United kingdom)
GOD BLESS YOU.
Yuvraj Kailash
more spam, not less (Score:2)
i want one of these letters! (Score:2)
im jealous... what fun to break up the day... answer and lead on some scam artists!
here's my angle. why not at some point in the transaction make the pivotal part of it that you need to fly there (but a ticket), but you need 200 bucks more to go.
SEE IF YOU CAN GET THEIR CASH!
that would be the crowning achievement. you have your mission... fufill it!
Re:i want one of these letters! (Score:2)
What you can do about it (Score:2, Informative)
If you have received a letter, but have not lost any monies to this scheme, please fax a copy of that letter to (202) 406-5031."""
-m
I'm all for supportin' the scammers... (Score:5, Funny)
I mean, for we who are so fortunate as to be blessed with the choice between lower and uppercase letters to sit back and point the finger...
For shame people, for shame.
CONFIDENTIAL MESSAGE TO MIKE ABA:
I WILL BE FORWARDING YOU MY ACCOUNT DETAILS POST HASTE. YOUR DAYS OF FORCED SERVITUDE TO THE UPPERCASE WILL SOON END MY DEAR FRIEND. HOW IS YOUR FINE FAMILY DOING? PLEASE IGNORE THE NEGATIVE VOICES OF THESE SLASHDOTTERS. THEY ARE NOT GOOD CHURCH GOING FOLK LIKE US. BLESSED BE, MIKE. NATHDOT
Re:I'm all for supportin' the scammers... (Score:2)
I know people who can type 60 words per minute, with no punctuation, in all caps, but couldn't type worth shit using punctuation or in lower case.
So before you complain, maybe you should write a perl wrapper for TDD enabled devices to punctuate and case correct for people so that eventually they learn the right way to type.
Money from these scams funneled to terrorists (Score:3, Interesting)
my nigerian guy wasn't good at math (Score:5, Funny)
I don't buy it .... (Score:3, Interesting)
You steal ~2mil $ from your company and wire it to offshore accounts. When the fraud is discovered, claim idiocy and stay 3 years in prison. But after 3 years you are with 2 milion $.
The Raven
Have Fun With It !! (Score:5, Funny)
And Slashdot already posted this entertaining saga [haxial.com] of someone who pretended to go along with it to see what would happen. Hilarious.
Anti-Anti-Scam Sites (Score:2)
This gives me an idea for a book.. (Score:2)
But since it's only tangential to this nigerian scam topic I've created a journal entry. [slashdot.org]
Gross Stupidity (Score:3, Insightful)
Apparently, there are more stupid people than even my cynical self would have believed.
The question is: why? The alarm bells should have been ringing so loudly inside the head of this stupid embezzling bitch that it was deafening.
I get stuff forwarded from well-meaning friends all of the time about Proctor & Gamble's connection to Satanism, JATO rockets and 1967 Chevy Impalas, Neiman-Marcus cookie recipes - each story obvious bullshit, but they get forwarded anyway, and repeated by the gullible, endlessly, countlessly.
Why? Not all of the unwitting spreaders of these tall tales are stupid, but they do seem to lack any critical faculties.
Is this something that should be taught at school for those who don't just innately get it? CAN it be taught?
Really cool scam (Score:2)
What is the problem? (Score:2, Funny)
Poke around the site, it's worth it (Score:2)
So what does Mr. Adkisson do, you ask? He is an attorney specializing in asset protection. If you are a wealthy Enron executive with creditors barking at your door, he is the man to see, although he charges $50,000 up front if you are stupid enough to contact him after you have claims against you (he's more at risk for helping you.)
From his website, he seems honest and aboveboard, ethical even. He gives out a large amount of detailed information for free, but of course, anyone needing his kind of services needs a lawyer, not a do-it-yourself manual.
His business is protecting assets from financial and legal risk. It sounds good, until you realize that this is the systemized creation of externalities, which are a downfall of free markets.
Externalities, for those of you unfamiliar with the term, are those costs of doing business like pollution, illness, or global poverty, that people other than the businiss have to pay for.
So is he helping people evade legitimate responsibilities? He is ethical enough to address the question on his own site [falc.com]
But much of his website makes me think he is helping top CEOs figure out how to protect assets from seizure by creditors before those creditors even know they need to be worried about seizing assets. If so, he is a worse scam artist than any Nigerian.
Open database of scammers and fraudsters (Score:3, Interesting)
The database needs to be open, i.e. anyone is allowed to submit information to it, but it also should allow anyone to provide detailed explanations in case of libeling, as this kind of database can certainly be misused and forged. I'd agree to even pay some nominal amount, let's say, $10 per year, to be able to do a search and find information on the guy I am planning to buy a $999 item from with eBay's help.
Your first hint? (Score:2)
What's the point (Score:2)
Of course, I know it was a scam the first time I saw it, and have seen it come and go over the last 8-10 years in different forms.
So one day I decided to start fowarding these to the FBI. Afterall, they had a return e-mail, a phone and a fax number.
I'm not going to fall for it, but my guess is people do, so the FBI should start looking into it.
But it doesn't seem as if they have. What, some lady falls for it and looses over $2 million of her companies cash, and the FBI says 'oh wow, well that's a big deal I guess'.
Um, that's just terribly disapointing. How hard would it be to set up a dummy account, work in colaberation with Interpool (or whatever international police agency would have authority), and throw these fuckers in jail? Why does it take one niave person to waste millions of her companies assets before it becomes an issue?
Man, I love my country, but gosh, I wish our law enforcement was a little more proactive.
20+ years old (Score:2)
in Canada (Score:3, Informative)
This rather unintuitive email address stands for "West African Fraud Letters". PhoneBusters.com is a joint effort between various Canadian policing organizations. And sometimes they catch people, which is nice.
Snail Mail Version (Score:2)
But that was before I ever saw it in email - so I didnt think twice aboutthrowing the thing away...
Has anyone else received the nigerian fortune letter in your meatspace inbox?
Re:dumass... (Score:1)
From the is-it-irony-or-is-it-obscure-humour dept.
I'm assuming you mean "dumb-ass".
I'm also assuming you mean "Berkeley, CA" and not "berkley, ca".
Re:*yawn* (Score:5, Interesting)
My mail runs fairly unfiltered on the server, so my mail client gets to download most everything. (Not complaining here, I realize I could change that - I am just stating a fact).
The fact is, I get more Nigerian Scam emails than I do actual spam anymore.
I would say that about 10% of my "junk" email is Klez virus, 40% is regular spam, and about 50% is Nigerian scam emails.
Look at those last two paragraphs - I get more Nigerian scam than I get actual spam anymore. I probably get between 10-12 of the Nigerian emails *a day*.
We might complain about bandwidth being used by spam, but these days Klez takes the cake on my account, followed by Nigerian crap.
That is why I care about cutting down on people using it.
And before you jump on my back about me complaining about my bandwidth, I am talking about between SMTP servers, since ultimately I pay for that one way or the other. An ISP pays per GB transferred, and anytime I get email like that, my ISP (school anything else) pays, and will eventually pass that expense on to me.
That is why I care.
Re:Up to 3 years in prison? (Score:4, Insightful)
You must have missed that whole "War on Drugs" thing that's been happening the last several decades.
Re:Up to 3 years in prison? (Score:2)
Re:Trojan? (Score:2)
Well, seeing how they were dumb enough to use the James T Kirk passport, do you think there's a chance they'd actually use the Goatse Man passport?
Re:Hm... (Score:2)
US Secret Service
Financial Crimes Division
950 H Street N.W.
Suite 5300
Washington, DC 20223
Phone: (202) 406-5850
Fax: (202) 406-5031
If you are just reporting a scam, mark your email "No Financial Loss - For Your Database".
See the 419 Coalition [rica.net] web site.