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419er Lost in Space
rjp writes "The Register has what is probably the best 419 scam attempt ever! 419er's in space, if only! As always, check out 419 eater for more 419 goodness."
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A fool and his money are never together for long... or sth. like that...
... y Dios vio que Linux era bueno... Genesis 99.666
What the hell is "on the spoke"?
Thanks.
I'm surprised that Nigeria actually has a space program - http://www.nasrda.gov.ng. Granted they don't have astronauts yet, but wow, impressive! I guess this is the first time I have actually learned something from 419 spam--or any spam for that matter!
Good job!
I wasn't trolling. I thought this referred to the US penal code and we were assumed to know what 419 meant. As it is, it referrs to the Nigerian penal code, and we're just supposed to know what 419 stands for. At least where I'm from (not the US nor Nigeria) we call it the "Nigerian letter scam" or "Nigerian scam", or sometimes just annother annoying spam.
Sorry to burst your bubble, but that is a very real email. I myself have gotten it once or twice. There's another, more elaborate, follow-up email that explains that the guy is from the future and is trying to get back. The scary part is, he was almost convincing!
Ah, here we are: http://www.museumofhoaxes.com/timetravelspam.html
Javascript + Nintendo DSi = DSiCade
As hard as it is to believe, the 419 coalition takes a serious stance on those Nigerian scams. They claim that it is the third to fifth largest industry in Nigeria and suggests the government is actually involved. It seems to have been around since the early eighties.
Now if those scams were sent specifically to some rich blokes with the official Nigerian government's letterhead printed on top, I might understand their concern, but as it stands, it is so obviously a fraud that I can't help but think that those who swallow it, deserved it.
Alternatively, you could see it as one of the more original ways for a third-world country to reclaim some of the riches we stole from them.
IANANASASOD (I Am Not A NASA Scientist Or Doctor), but all the sci-fi and sci-non-fi I've read have mentioned muscle atrophy and bone density degeneration, even with the best diet and exercise programs we currently have for "zero-gravity" living. That's why these guys who set endurance records for being in space often meet the press in a wheelchair.
Of course, picking apart these letters for accuracy is sort of silly in its own right.
Start a happiness pandemic
For those of you not familiar, there are a number of web sites now that feature accounts of fed-up e-mail users messing with the 419 scammers. Here is one such result. Check out 419eater.
Wh47 d1d j00 541, 31337 15n't t3h r0xor5 ne m0r3???
This came across the Hydrogen list awhile back. Enjoy! ;)
No, there wasn't a secret link that I could see.
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