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SCO Nigerian Spam
An anonymous reader writes "This Nigerian/SCO spam email (courtesy of Ars Technica) has been doing the rounds recently." With all the SCO news lately, it's nice to see something with a bit of humor in it.
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Don't laugh. Some people fall for it and pay. My aunt was caught up in a nigerian scam (running out of the netherlands in reality) and lost her initial $5k 'investment'
People don't use their brains when they're on the net. If it comes in email they believe it.
I should have asked her for $5k myself. I probably would have worked it out of her in days, and it could bay for the damned free tech support she expects from me.
Verity Stob's column in the September 2003 issue of Dr. Dobb's Journal was a Nigerian spam spoof, also dealing with SCO. IMO, the Dr. Dobb's version is better, though I don't know which version came first.
I teach nights at a local college. On no fewer then 3 occasions in the last year I have had students check their e-mail during lab, call me over, show me the Nigerian scam, and then ask me "Is this legit? Do you think I should do it?"
Each time I've responded with "You're kidding right?"
And each time I've been given back a look that tells me that no they're not kidding.
I am then forced to weep for the future.
...that should they actually need money to continue the lawsuit, some venture capitalist somewhere will gladly give them the money to do so, in exchange for 30%.
Vip
The whole point of a Nigerian scam is that the victim thinks that they're getting on the inside of some crooked scheme.
As I noted in a message at the top of this story, my aunt lost $5000 to scammers. She STILL thinks that if the police hadn't intervened she'd have her money back, with her profits. Her trust was earned, and they still have it unfortunately.
Damn near caused an uproar too
To make laws that man cannot, and will not obey, serves to bring all law into contempt.
--E.C. Stanton
I am a little shocked by people falling over Nigerian scams, even when it was unpopular. My grandfather received the first one I ever saw, several years ago, and being over 80 years old. He laughed his ass off, and called us over to see it. He is quite intelligent, though. I've seen the gleam in some people's eyes when getting a Nigerian scam; it's the same as when they're buying a lottery ticket. Hoping it may be true...
No