Slashdot Mirror
Nigeria Detains 500 419 Fraudsters
Traicovn writes "Nigeria's agency against economic and financial crime said on Monday that it had detained more than 500 suspects and seized property worth more than $500-million from suspected fraudsters. 'Presently we have over 500 suspects in custody, seized assets and recovered properties worth over $500-million with over 100 cases at various stages of prosecution,' agency chairman Nuhu Ribadu told a seminar. For the rest of the article, visit IAfrica. Personally, I like this 419 spoof."
Silly me, I had always assumed that at least most of the 419 scams just *said* that they were from Nigeria. More than a Half-A-Billion dollar cottage industry in a poor country like Nigeria and that was just what the fraudsters had left for the government to take, WOW, A whole economy based on stupid, greedy people.
The grass is only greener, if you don't take care of your own lawn.
They just need a way to get the $500 million out of the country. They heard from a mutual friend that you are a trustworthy person...
Of course we're hoping that these suspects are suspected by way of a fair investigation, and given due process and representation. As opposed to officials picking up a person at a cybercafe who used the same computer as a scammer had used 15 minutes prior. I have a friend in Africa who makes it his business to hunt down 419'ers and he says a lot of them are average joes, some employed and some unemployed, waltzing through cybercafes to send 419 emails.
I don't know much about Africa. It's a big continent, and I do know that a lot of areas are fairly lawless or corrupt way more than in corporate America. After RTFA, I don't see whether we can take justice for granted.
didn't bring in the guy who needed my help to wire transfer funds, I am anxious and still waiting to get my money!
and they had $500 million, that's 1 million per person in a country where the average per capita income is $290 a year, the scammers should have stopped while they were a head.
Short-circuit explanation: Read the spoof linked from the article. Does it sound familiar? No? I am truly jealous.
The name "419" refers to the Nigerian criminal code section that this spam violates. No idea how many victims it has claimed, but it has been a cottage industry there for about three years now. These arrests should put a dent in the operation.
We are the Nigerian authorities in charge of arresting Internet fraudsters.
We have recently arrested 500 of these and seized $500 million in assets. As we found your email address in their files, we assume you were one of their victims. Please send us your bank account information, so that we can refund you
one million dollars.
(insert pinky in mouth)
With due respect I would like to disclose a transaction to you.I am Dr Zakk Zakkama, headof Nigerian World Bank Fraud and Antitrrust difision. Today we have closed thousand accounts valued at up to 50,000,000,000,000,00 under 419 investigation, however the money in those accounts will otherwise go unclaimed aunmless you can help me get them out of my war-torn country. Please send
bank informations for transaction to begin.
Plrease reply to my confidential e-mail address with favourable responce : zakk-zakkama@timedoctor.org.
Kind wishes and regards,
Dr. Zakk Zakkama
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>I hope this wasn't 419 rich people were detained while their government took $500 million of their money and other assets.Reading the article, it sounded all above board that the Nigerian government was doing this for the public good. I just felt terrified that I might be reading proganda. Is there any one that knows anything about the government of Nigera and their policies?
1. Issue press release claiming detention of 500 419 scammers and $500M of defrauded funds.
2. Make Slashdot posting to speculate that instead of it being 500 419 scammers, it's 500 innocent people been shaken down for $1M apiece.
We know that 4. must == "Profit!!!", and therefore we solve for 3. to obtain:
3. 500,000,419 emails, all reading:
"I call upon all nations to do everything they can to stop these financial terrorists. Thank you. Now watch me rope this calf!"
- M'kell M'oorubo, Fahrenheit 4/19
Some people have hobbies where they pretend to be falling for the scam, just to see what kind of wierd nonsense they can get the scammer to do. This site has some funny pictures...
http://tbp.berkeley.edu/forum/viewtopic.php?t=303
More scammer-baiting can be found at http://www.419eater.com. And if you want more, just click on their links page - their are lots.