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Durandal7
Jul 19, 2002, 02:36 AM
This is one of the most blatant e-mail scams I've ever seen. It's so blatant it's funny:



It is my humble pleasure to write this letter irrespective of the fact
that
you do not know me. However, I came to know of you in my private search
for
a reliable and trustworthy person that can handle a confidential
transaction of this nature in respect to our investment plans in real

estate. Though I know that a transaction of this magnitude will make
any
one apprehensive and worried, but I am assuring you that all will be
well
at the end of the day.

Let me start by first, introducing myself properly to you. I am MR. MUHAMMED
USMAN
a Branch Manager at one of the Zenith Commercial Bank Nigeria Plc, Lagos.

A foreigner, Late Nicholas Owen, a Civil Engineer/Contractor with the

federal Government of Nigeria, until his death three years ago in a ghastly

air crash, banked with us here at the Zenith Commercial Bank PLC, Lagos.
He
had a closing balance of USD$25.5M (Twenty five Million, Five Hundred

Thousand United States Dollars) which the bank now unquestionably expects

to be claimed by any of his available foreign next of kin. Or,
alternatively be donated to a discredited trust fund for arms and
ammunition at a military war college here in Nigeria.

Fervent valuable efforts made by the Zenith Bank to get in touch with
any
of late Nicholas Owen’s next of kin (he had no known wife and children)
has
been unsuccessful. The management under the influence of our chairman
and
board of directors, are making arrangement for the fund to be declared

"UNCLAIMABLE " and then be subsequently donated to the trust fund for
Arms
and Ammunition which will further enhance the course of war in Africa
and
the world in general.

In order to avert this negative development. Myself and some of my trusted

colleagues in the bank, now seek for your permission to have you stand
as
late Nicholas Owen’s next of kin. So that the fund (USD$25.5M), would
be
subsequently transferred and paid into your bank account as the beneficiary

next of kin through our overseas corresponding bank. All documents and

proves to enable you get this fund have been carefully worked out and
we
are assuring you a 100% risk free involvement. Your share would be 50%
of
the total amount. While the rest would be for me and my colleagues for

purchase of properties in your country through you/your Company.

If this proposal is OK by you, then kindly get to me immediately via
my
e-mail (usman4@usman2000.net) furnishing me with your most confidential
telephone, fax and e-mail,
so I can forward to you the relevant details of this transaction.

Thank you in advance for your anticipated cooperation.

Best Regards.

Mr.Muhammed Usman
Branch Manager,
Zenith Comm. Bank Plc



eyelikeart
Jul 19, 2002, 02:43 AM
interesting...I hate email scams...

I've been getting the "hi...this is a new game...I hope that u would like it" b.s... :rolleyes:

anyone else get this one??

Durandal7
Jul 19, 2002, 02:45 AM
Originally posted by eyelikeart
interesting...I hate email scams...

I've been getting the "hi...this is a new game...I hope that u would like it" b.s... :rolleyes:

anyone else get this one??
Let me guess, the game involves farm animals and naive country girls. :rolleyes:

AlphaTech
Jul 19, 2002, 03:12 AM
Originally posted by asurace

Let me guess, the game involves farm animals and naive country girls. :rolleyes:

:eek: :eek: :eek: :eek:

How does she take the horse up there???;)

I have close to 100 auto-delete rules at this point. I also have started using Mail's bounce feature for recent spam. I also have an auto-delete rule for anything coming from the mailer-deamons (or whatever they are called). :D

eyelikeart
Jul 19, 2002, 03:21 AM
hmm...I'm not touching this one with a 10 foot pole... :rolleyes:

AlphaTech
Jul 19, 2002, 03:23 AM
Originally posted by eyelikeart
hmm...I'm not touching this one with a 10 foot pole... :rolleyes:

How about with a stunt-c*ck??? :D

Durandal7
Jul 19, 2002, 03:30 AM
I suppose any thread about spam would inevitably turn into talk of farm animals and stunt-c*cks. ;)

mac15
Jul 19, 2002, 03:39 AM
my hotmail useed to get spam now

I get nothing now :D

AlphaTech
Jul 19, 2002, 03:39 AM
Originally posted by asurace
I suppose any thread about spam would inevitably turn into talk of farm animals and stunt-c*cks. ;)

Of course, this IS America after all... :D

Gelfin
Jul 19, 2002, 06:30 AM
The Nigerian confidence scam is also one of the oldest net scams out there. In fact, it's so old that people used to get it on paper IIRC. It's started making the rounds again lately for some reason. I got one last week and I couldn't remember the last time I had been personally begged to help prop up the economy of Nigeria.

ejb190
Jul 19, 2002, 02:04 PM
I have a reputation for being the person who replies to all with a note about sending spam and including about 10 links of various urban legands sites. (I have most of the sites bookmarked...)

Does anyone else take the time to do this?

AlphaTech
Jul 19, 2002, 02:07 PM
Originally posted by ejb190
I have a reputation for being the person who replies to all with a note about sending spam and including about 10 links of various urban legands sites. (I have most of the sites bookmarked...)

Does anyone else take the time to do this?

Ummmm, **** no... I have a very simple, one line sig that I usually use for email. No links, no notes, nothing along those lines.

IF I have a url I want to send someone, I send it to them. I prefer not to send people wasted links to crap they don't care about. :p :D

ejb190
Jul 19, 2002, 03:34 PM
Well, it seems to have worked as I don't get near as many scam messages as I used to...

But I don't have as many friends as I used to either....:confused:

Durandal7
Jul 19, 2002, 04:06 PM
Originally posted by ejb190
I have a reputation for being the person who replies to all with a note about sending spam and including about 10 links of various urban legands sites. (I have most of the sites bookmarked...)

Does anyone else take the time to do this?
No, the fact that you respond probably excites the sender and causes them to forward your e-mail address to all their buddies with a note that says "this guy actually reads the message!"

filmcutter
Jul 19, 2002, 04:38 PM
The current (Aug) issue of Wired has a great story about scamming the scammers based on this "Nigerian" scam.

Quite inspiring...if only all e-mail scams could be handled with such elegance. :)

theranch
Jul 19, 2002, 05:35 PM
Originally posted by eyelikeart
interesting...I hate email scams...

I've been getting the "hi...this is a new game...I hope that u would like it" b.s... :rolleyes:

anyone else get this one??
We just got that one today to one of our .mac accounts. It has a snoopy.exe and an html doc attached to the e-mail.

G4scott
Jul 19, 2002, 06:31 PM
are there actually humans behind all of this spam and these scams, or is some screwed up computer with a corrupt AI chip that somehow hooked itself up to the internet whose sole purpose is to flood our mailboxes with crap... If it's the computer, I'll be willing to bed it has "Intel inside" and "Designed for DOS" stickers on its case...

To tell you the truth, I don't get much spam, and I haven't set up any rules regarding it either...

Durandal7
Jul 19, 2002, 08:07 PM
It's usually a person who programs the screwed up computer ;)

blogo
Jul 19, 2002, 08:12 PM
I got this letter yesterday, really funny:


FROM:Mr. Nzanga Seko Moshood Mobutu
TEL:234-80-332-75908


Dear Friend,

I am the first son of the late Mobutu Sese Seko, the
former President of the Congo Republic. I am presently
under protective custody in Nigeria as a political
refugee. I got your contact during
my search for a stranger that can cooperate with me in
this mutual transaction. I want you to note that this
business will benefit both of us. However, you must confirm your
ability to handle this because it involves a large
amount of money. The money (50 million US DOLLARS is
my share of my father's estate. I boxed and shipped the
money to a security company abroad at the peak of the
war/political crisis that rocked my country few years
ago. Now the crisis has ended and I need a
trustworthy person like you to proceed to the place of the
security company in order to clear the fund and invest
on my behalf as I dont want my name to be used for
now.
Note that I will send to you the relevant documents
that will enable you take possesion of the the fund
for onward investment for our mutual benefit. All I
need from you is as follows:
1. A letter of committment (duely signed) that you
will keep the transaction strictly confidential.
2. Your confirmation of your ability to handle this.
3. Your IDt or driving licence
number for identification to the security company.
4. Your telephone and fax numbers for communication.
5. Your full permanent address.
As soon as I get the above information from you, I
will disclose to you the name and the country of the
security company. I will forward your name and
particulars to the security company to enable them
contact you accordingly. I will also send to you a
LETTER OF AUTHORITY to enable you clear the fund on
my behalf. Note that this is a very safe transaction
as this money is my share of my father's estate.
I am waiting for your response to enable us proceed.

Regards,

Mr. Nzanga Seko Moshood Mobutu

Mr. Anderson
Jul 19, 2002, 09:35 PM
I'm surprised they didn't ask for you mother's maiden name, data of birth, etc. - sheesh - that just has identity theft written all over it.....got to feel sorry for anyone who responds.

D

Royal Pineapple
Jul 20, 2002, 12:37 AM
ever since i sined up for mac mail, i havent receved one spam message.
my father gets 5.3 a day though, we calculated:D

AlphaTech
Jul 20, 2002, 12:39 AM
How do you get .3 of an email message???

Hemingray
Jul 20, 2002, 01:06 AM
Originally posted by dukestreet
got to feel sorry for anyone who responds.

You kidding me?! Anyone that responds deserves to be sat down alone in the middle of a football stadium and laughed at! :D

Quake 3 Voice: Humiliation.

Royal Pineapple
Jul 20, 2002, 01:18 AM
Originally posted by AlphaTech
How do you get .3 of an email message???
the same way you have 2.3 kids, it's an average,
we counted all the spam he got for a month and devided it by 31.
simple math that you learn in gradeschool;) ;)