Spam fashions

[bof]

I just had to look at my spam box because a mail that matters seems to have gone missing and found it was full of "Nigerian 419" mails rather than the usual viagra, porn, rolexes and penny share tips (often in German?!) that I get.

Is this because the scammers are hoping I have made a New Year resolution to be especially nice to former African finance ministers. Or because their emails have enough of a human touch or else are sent out on a small enough scale that the antispam software on ISP servers doesnt pick them up.

I find the 419s can be quite good fun in small doses, so I for one applaud the trend that allows a cottage industry to win over the big boys (big bots?).

 

[XmisterIS]

Once, several years ago, I responded to one of those scam emails for fun - I played along with it and they got suckered in by me! I arranged to meet them and everything, I made my story more and more wild and outrageous with every email I sent. Then they twigged that I was scamming them ... and they got really nasty - they told me they could track my I.P. address and they knew where I lived and that they were going to come and kill me (complete nonsense!)

So their humour seems a little one-sided - it's OK for them to scam you ... but not ok for you to scam them ....

 

[661-Pete]

Is this because the scammers are hoping I have made a New Year resolution to be especially nice to former African finance ministers.

I think you've got that the wrong way round, bof. All those nice Nigerian former Finance ministers are going out of their way to be nice to you - look at all the tens of millions of US$ they're so keen to offload into your account! Go for it!

Actually, there was a news story about most of the world's spam coming from a single botnet, and it shut down over Xmas because all the tw*ts looking after it went off on their hols. It's picked up again now.

 

[Globalti]

Scam baiting is a whole hobby, there are websites devoted to it.

 

[Glow worm]

If you fancy a good chuckle on scam baiting, have a listen to this which was on the radio just before Christmas. Here, our scammer baiting hero leads a beautiful Russian girl seeking love cash up the garden path....

Bob Servant Emails

He did one on a Nigerian email scam too (called Lions, Gold and Confusion) which was just brilliant. I couldn't find this one on You Tube or Listen again bit I gather these are being repeated later this month.

Bob Servant Website

 

[ASC1951]

I just had to look at my spam box because a mail that matters seems to have gone missing and found it was full of "Nigerian 419" mails rather than the usual viagra, porn, rolexes and penny share tips (often in German?!) that I get.

Do you? I use Plusnet and I get virtually no spam. At most it is one email a month that eludes their free filters. I don't have to take any steps myself.

 

[HLaB]

Does anybody reckon this is a SCAM

From: Mr. Victor Mpela.
Department of Mineral Resources,
Republic of South Africa.


Hello!


It is my great pleasure to write you this letter on behalf of my colleagues. Your information was given to me by a member of the South African Export Promotion Council (SAEPC) who was with the Government delegation on a trip to overseas country for bilateral conference talks to encourage foreign investors. I have decided to seek a confidential cooperation with you in the execution of the deal hereunder for the benefit of all parties and hope you will keep it confidential because of the nature of this business.

Within the Department of Minerals & Energy where I work as a Director of Audit and Project Implementation and with the cooperation of three other top officials, we have in our possession an overdue payment in US Dollar funds. The said funds represent certain percentage of the total contract value executed on behalf of my Department by a foreign contracting firm, which we the officials over invoiced to the amount of US$28.500,000.00 (Twenty Eight Million Five Hundred Thousand US Dollars). Though the actual contract cost has been paid to the original contractor, leaving the excess balance unclaimed.

Since the present Government is determined to pay all foreign contractor's debts owed in order to maintain good relationship with foreign governments and nongovernmental agencies. We intend to include our bills for approvals with the Department of Finance and the Contracts Award and Payments Committee. So we are seeking your assistance to front as beneficiary of the unclaimed funds, since we are not allowed to operate foreign accounts. Details and change of beneficiary information upon application for claim to reflect payment and approvals will be secured on behalf of you / your company.

I have the authority of my partners involved to propose that should you be willing to assist us in this transaction your share as compensation will be so negotiated and agreed upon by both you and we on this side, before further details will change hands to enhance our primary objective.
The mode of sharing after a successful transfer of the money into your account, shall be 70% to my colleagues and I, for the role you will be expected to play in this deal, we have agreed to give you 25% of the total sum and 5% for the expenses we are going to encounter by the two parties at the course of this transaction.

The business is completely safe and secure, provided you treat it with utmost confidentiality. It does not matter whether you/your company does contract projects as a transfer of powers will be secured in favor of you/your company to settle any legality. Also, your area of specialization is not a hindrance to the successful execution of this transaction. I have reposed my confidence in you and hope that you will not disappoint us.

I expect your urgent response to enable us conclude this transaction urgently without any hitch.
Kindly notify me via my email for further details upon your acceptance of this proposal.
Thanks for your co-operation.

Regards,

Mr. Victor Mpela

 

[Stephenite]

It appears to me, sir, that the email in question is perfectly worded and , therefore, without hesitation you should contact the esteemed gentleman for your transmutual satisfaction forthwith.

Possibly.

 

[Globalti]

The thing about Nigerians is that they are all educated in the same standard manner that originates from the Irish missionaries (who also brought Guinness to Nigeria so it wasn't all bad) and they all have the same handwriting and use the same expressions and syntax. They can't help showing numbers in words and numerals (Fifty Million US Dollars (US$50,000,000.00)) so it's a bit of a giveaway.

However when you visit Nigeria and you see how desperate people are (just back from a trip yesterday) you can understand why a small minority turns to crime. The problem with doing business with Nigerians is that despite the best intentions, things always go wrong. So you may trust a Nigerian implicitly and he may have every intention of paying you but somehow something will happen and that cash will get spent on something more urgent. To avoid embarrassment nowadays we insist on cash in advance from Nigerians if they haven't got the resources to open a letter of credit.

 

[pepecat]

What gets me though, is, do they really think I'm going to fall for a random email mentioning places I've never been, people i've never met and involving business areas I'm not remotely interested in?
DO people fall for this, and if so, what on earth do they think they're getting into?

 

[Vapin' Joe]

What gets me though, is, do they really think I'm going to fall for a random email mentioning places I've never been, people i've never met and involving business areas I'm not remotely interested in?
DO people fall for this, and if so, what on earth do they think they're getting into?

People do fall for it, that's why they keep doing it.

It costs nothing to send out a million emails and you only need to find one mug.

 

[Angelfishsolo]

What gets me though, is, do they really think I'm going to fall for a random email mentioning places I've never been, people i've never met and involving business areas I'm not remotely interested in?
DO people fall for this, and if so, what on earth do they think they're getting into?

6 billion people on the planet Say 60% have internet access so 36000000 people If 1% respond per year that is 360000 people suckered.

 

[longers]

I don't get sent the Nigerian ones but get a few of the other types. Had one recently offering sirloin steak, one purporting to be from the police and another claiming that I was due a tax rebate.

 

[HLaB]

I check my junk mail box sometimes before emptying it and came across this one today, some thief is trying to steal my $5mil so i better act fast to stop it and claim it my self; I think that is what it says but the English is pretty bad

Attn;


This is to bring to your Notice for the last time,after several mails sent to you, you are here by advice to Re-confirm to this office if truely you have authorize Mr Walter Edward to claim your Funds Worth of $5,000,000.00 under the custody via IMF International Monetary Fund & Europian Union Foundation to be released to you.

I really feel bad that you have taking such action in your hands and you can not even call me on phone to inform me before you proceed with your decision.you Are advice to kindly contact the Director/Contract Award Dr Usman Shamsudeen on this email address if you have authorize him to claim your Funds so that we can proceed to release your Funds to him and if no you are to contact Him on atmcard_dept@yahoo.cn for more details [or to be scammed].

Regards,

Mrs.Sekinat Ribadu (Hon.)
Secretary to the Presidency.

 

[Night Train]

I get ones asking me to sign petitions against just about everything the Government is due to debate.