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"Nigerian" Spammer Arrested
Roger_Wilco writes "According to The Globe and Mail, a "Nigerian" spammer has been
charged with with first-degree attempted larceny. Hopefully we'll get a few less of that spam now."
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TheSpamLetters.com. The guy who runs the site spends time writing back people who send him spam and has some great ones related to Nigerian Spam. He keeps a running documentation of the give and take. It's a really good read if you need a laugh.
Really funny is this one where the alleged Nigerian is requesting contact info and the guy sends him the phone numbers for the Secret Service division that handles the Nigerian Scam. Priceless. He never heard back from the alleged Nigerian after that.
Only 1,000,000 more to go!
Shame, really. I was looking forward to a long, hard talk about things with him...
Carousel is a lie!
That guy owes me $US45,000,000!
aw, sheesh... now how am I gonna pay my SCO licence?
I am a leaf on the wind
Check out EbolaMonkeyMan for a glimpse into the mind of scammers and the level of intelligence required to believe and reply to them.
Cure cancer.. and stuff! www.team45.info
150 Opening BINARY mode data connection for slashdot.sig (129323052 bytes).
-T
this 'nigerian spam' idea has appeared in other forms as well.
i'm trying to sell my car and posted it on a few free car sales websites. so far, i've received 4 of emails exactly like this:
"We have a client who is interested in purchasing
your ( 2000 vw gti vr6 glx ) for the price of $( 14,500 ).Please forward me your final asking price "
of course, i then reply with the price confirmation, but then i get this:
"Hello,
Thanks a lot for your mail and the information, also for all your efforts towards making this transaction a success, i really love it and wish to buy as soon as possible. Anyway, this is how we are going to seal this transaction there is an associate of mine in the US who is owing me $19,800 i am going to instruct him to send you a cashier's check for that amount,and when it clears your bank you can now send my balance by Westernunion. Although i know that the value of the check is more than the price of the 2000 VW GTI VR6 GLX, but i am willing to trust you with my balance So if this offer is acceptable to you,let me have your contact information so that i can instruct my associate to send you a check,that is your name,address and phone number Please get back to me as soon as soon as you get this mail so that i can know your decision regards this transaction. I am banking on my balance so that i will be able to settle my shippers here in there local office because it is cheaper and faster.My regards to the family
Banks"
so this scam basically falls upon the same principle. obviously we all know where this is going, but i decide to play along anyway and sent him a bogus PO box to send the check to.
the next email was this:
"Thanks so much for the mail and the rightful information. Anyway, i just want you to know that what is required is your physical address and phone number, so as to deliver the payment to you in person. So, do well to let me have your Full name, physical address and phone number, in order to get the payment to you as soon as possible. And what do you mean by "terrifc deal"?. Waiting to hear back from you soon. Thank you and God bless.
Regards
Banks"
my question: why does he need my physical address and phone number? it's obvious at this point he will let me know about some snag and that i need to send him some money for whatever reason.
on a side note, i am selling my Volkswagen GTI VR6 GLX if anyone is interested.
so, people selling their autos online, be wary of this scam.
You'd think the spammers would be more suspicious of someone that seemed so eager to give them her money. With the rate of reply to these things so low, the spammers might figure that the people who do actually bite are actually trying to shut them down. Ah well...we can dream, can't we?
"By and large, language is a tool for concealing the truth." - George Carlin
This is cool. Bethel is a small town (~17K) located in Western CT. Our last big bust (5 yrs ago), was when they shut down the local "health club" after it was noticed that the business hours seemed to peak after 10PM, and all of the exercise equip. was dusty. We don't make the paper often, which is why I like it here.
The more you tighten your grip, Tarkin, the more spammers will slip through your fingers.
This was the guy who was going to give me millions. I should have known he wasn't a genuine Nigerian when I read his email:
HON. RAYMOND ETIEBET(DR).
ATTN: Bobdotorg,
DEAR SIR
REQUEST FOR URGENT BUSINESS RELATIONSHIP EH
FIRST, I MUST SOLICIT YOUR CONFIDENCE IN THIS TRANSACTION. THIS IS VIRTURE OF IT'S NATURE AS BEING UTTERLY CONFIDENTIAL AND TOP SECRET EH.
WE ARE TOP OFFICIALS OF THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT OF NIGERIA CONTRACT REVIEW PANEL WHO ARE INTERESTED IN IMPORTATION OF GOODS INTO OUR COUNTRY AND INVESTING IN EUROPE WITH FUNDS WHICH ARE PRESENTLY TRAPPED IN NIGERIA EH.
IN ORDER TO COMMENCE THIS BUSINESS WE SOLICIT YOUR ASSISTANTANCE, KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERTISE TO ENABLE US RECIEVE THE SAID TRAPPED FUNDS ABROAD, FOR THE SUBSEQUENT PURCHASE AND INVENTORY OF THE GOODS TO BE IMPORTED AND THE INVESTMENT IN EUROPE EH.
THE SOURCE OF THIS FUND IS AS FOLLOWS: DURING THE PREVIOUS MILITARY REGIMES IN OUR COUNTRY, GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS SET UP COMPANIES AND AWARDED THEMSELVES CONTRACTS WHICH WERE GROSSLY OVER-INVOICED IN VARIOUS MINISTRIES. THE NEW CIVILIAN GOVERNMENT NOW SETUP A CONTRACT REVIEW PANEL WHICH I AND MY COLLEAGUES ARE MEMBERS AND WE HAVE IDENTIFIED A LOT OF INFLATED SUM, DUE TO OUR POSITION AS CIVIL SERVANTS AND MEMBERS OF THIS PANEL, WE CANNOT AQUIRE THIS MONEY IN OUR NAMES EH. I HAVE THEREFORE, BEEN DELEGATED AS A MATTER OF TRUST BY MY COLLEAGUES OF THE PANEL TO LOOK FOR AN OVERSEA PATNER INTO WHOSE ACCOUNT THE SUM OF US$31,000 000,00 (THIRTY-ONE MILLION UNITED STATES DOLLARS) WILL BE PAID BY TELEGRAPHIC TRANSFER. HENCE WE ARE WRITTING YOU THIS LETER EH.
WE HAVE AGREED TO SHARE THE MONEY THUS:
1. 70% FOR US (THE OFFICIALS) EH
2. 20% FOR THE FOREIGN PATNER(YOU) EH
3. 10% TO BE USED IN SETTLING TAXATION AND LOCAL AND FOREIGN EXPENSES EH.
IT IS THIS 70% THAT WE WISH TO COMMENCE THE IMPORTATION BUSINESS AND THE INVESTMENT IN EUROPE. PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS TRANSACTION IS 100% SAFE AND WE HOPE THAT THE FUNDS CAN ARRIVE YOUR ACCOUNT IN LATEST TEN(10) BANKING DAYS FROM THE DATE OF RECIEPT OF THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION EH. A SUITABLE COMPANY NAME AND BANK ACCOUNT(COMPANY OR PERSONEL) INTO WHICH THE FUNDS CAN BE PAID EH.
THE ABOVE INFORMATION WILL ENABLE US WRITE LETTERS OF CLAIM AND JOB DESCRIPTION RESPECTIVELY EH. THIS WAY WE WILL USE YOUR COMPANY'S NAME TO APPLY FOR PAYMENTS AND RE-AWARD THE CONTRACT TO YOUR COMPANY NAME EH.
WE ARE LOOKING FOWARD TO DOING BUSINESS WITH YOU AND SOLICIT YOUR CONFIDENTIALITY IN THIS TRANSACTION EH.
PLEASE ACKNOWLEDGE RECIEPT OF THIS LETTER USING THIS E-MAIL ADDRESS EH. I WILL BRING YOU INTO THE COMPLETE PICTURE OF THIS PENDING PROJECT WHEN I HAVE HEARD FROM YOU EH.
YOURS FATHFULLY EH,
HON. RAYMOND ETIEBET(DR).
FAX:234-1-7596980 TEL:234-1-4701056 EH
__ Someday, but not this morning, I'll finally learn to use the preview button.
That he is not even Nigerian -- he is a Canadian. The last guy they arrested was Australian I think. Not that there are no Nigerians sending these emails -- it's just that they are not being caught because of the poor state of law enforcement in the country at the moment. But the fact is that this is becoming more than just a "Nigerian" scam, it has become a very international scam.
(Full disclosure: I am a Nigerian, and it brings me grief to no end that the first thing people think of when my country is mentioned is 419 scams).
Am I a hipster-doofus?
the nigerian spams are my favorite! in the days of penis/breast enlarging, at least the nigerian spams had a modicum of effort put into them and an interesting story.....
I don't understand! How come these Nigerian guys live in Australia, and now Canada? The guy I sent money to was hiding out in the British Embassy in Lagos?!
i helped him out and i made a bundle! with the money, i bought a great house with a fantastic mortgage. then i married a beautiful russian bride, and i pleasure her with my surgically enlarged, viagra driven member.
IMO, this is the saddest one, because it sounds more legit, and there is practically nothing unsuspecting people can do about to thwart it.
http://home.rica.net/alphae/419coal/
My Linux Command of the Day site : LCOD
Now even Nigerians are outsourcing their functions? Will Wonders Never Cease!
Those were the only truly *funny* spams to read.
Kind of like listening to the Iraqi Information Minister
Boy do I miss him!
-- TT
TT
To see this particular nigerian money laundering scheme?
I first saw one of these via SNAIL mail back in 1991!!! Since I was fresh out of school, studing lasers, there were many jokes around the office of our small company about us designing a 'Nigerian Defense Initative', with Ground Based Lasers on the corners of the building...
You could imagine my disgust when I started getting the same damn letter via email 10 years later... I guess there are some gullible idiots out there who keep the thing alive... but wow!
This scam hurts the worst of all. This is how it usually goes down. He would really send you a cashiers check for the amount he said. You would deposit it and wait a couple days. Then you'd call the bank, and they'd tell you everything is great. You'd send him the car, and the difference. Then after a few weeks the bank would call you and tell you, 'sorry, that cashier's check was a fraud, we're debiting the amount from your accounts, please bring in X dollars.' And you, my friend, would be completely out of luck. Owing the full amount to the bank, and the scammer would have your car, and the extra money you sent him/her/it.
I've heard about this one before too when a friend of mine got a similar offer when selling a motorcycle. (Fortunately he was advised of the scam before the bike+money was sent). My question is (to anyone who might know): how can a bank state that the check has "cleared" when it actually a fake. What is the proper state of confirmation for a check such that you are guaranteed that the transaction has been completed? This seems like a problem with our banking procedures. A customer should be able to receive a proper 'transaction complete' acknowledgement from a bank to indicate that his/her liability has ended. After that, if anything goes wrong, it's not the customers problem.
What has *science* done?!? -- Dr. Weird (ATHF)
My work bud finally had enough of this Nigerian scam that he decided he would a have a little fun with the situation. His deed of daring do is a damn hilarious read!
Quod scripsi, scripsi.
Nice that they actually are getting these people. They have no morals whatsoever.
I have an IMAP folder labeled "crooks", into which all scammer correspondence go. So far I've collected about 150 of them in there.
I actually try to answer each and every one of them; I usually send them a template mail which is designed to arouse their interest. At the same time, I send a complaint to the host of the mailservice they used. Sometimes, the scammer gets back, with a new e-mail address and asks me to use the new one instead because the old one is "no longer confidential" or some similar braindead excuse. My typical response to that is to tell them that "I just sent you all the information you requested, to the E-mail address you used before. Didn't I get it right?"
Everything to irritate them, and waste their time. Why?
If enough people were doing it, they would be forced to another way of earning a living. Perhaps even looking for an honest job. One can hope.
Some scam artists insist on using FedEx, or other courier services, so that they can avoid prosecution under the postal fraud statutes.
Mea navis aericumbens anguillis abundat
I work for a financial company, but this opinion is mine.
When doing ACH transfers (ie, when you cash a check at one bank, but the funds come from another), there's a 6 month window where a transaction can be reversed (ie, similar to a credit card chargeback). Most banks will settle within 10 days, but there's really no way of knowing that an ACH will not reverse, until that window has closed. It's usually the backwoods banks run by "Nan and Boyd" that take forever to settle ACH.
S
From snopes:
The scam works because the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. (FDIC) requires banks to make money from cashier's, certified, or teller's checks available in one to five days. Consequently, funds from checks that might not be good are often released into payees' accounts long before the checks have been honored by their issuing banks. High quality forgeries can be bounced back and forth between banks for weeks before anyone catches on to their being worthless, by which time victims have long since wired the "overpayments" to the con artists who have just taken them for a ride.
"They've canceled the show but we're still here. What does that make us?" "Big Damn Junkies, Sir!" "Ain't we just"