419 Emails From A Cultural Perspective

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419 Emails From A Cultural Perspective

Posted by ryuzaki0 on Friday October 21, 2005 @04:07AM from the still-don't-like-them dept.

dasboy writes "The LA Times has an article entitled I Will Eat Your Dollars about Nigerian 419 scammers that presents some of the cultural basis for the crime. They follow some young men in Lagos who toil over computers all-day and long into the night to snag a new victim. They even have a fight song entitled 'I Go Chop Your Dollars.'" From the article: "Scammers, he said, 'have the belief that white men are stupid and greedy. They say the American guy has a good life. There's this belief that for every dollar they lose, the American government will pay them back in some way.' What makes the scams so tempting for the targets is that they promise a tantalizing escape from the mundane disappointments of life. The scams offer fabulous riches or the love of your life, but first the magha has to send a series of escalating fees and payments. In a dating scam, for instance, the fraudsters send pictures taken from modeling websites."

15 of 463 comments (clear)

Really? by lucabrasi999 · 2005-10-21 04:09 · Score: 4, Funny

They say the American guy has a good life.
Walk a mile in my shoes, buddy. You'll find out it ain't all peachs 'n cream.
1. Re:Really? by Hogwash+McFly · 2005-10-21 04:13 · Score: 4, Funny
  
  And your shoes find out what it's like to walk a mile...
  
  --
  Mother, do you think they'll like this sig?
2. Re:Really? by cyber0ne · 2005-10-21 04:15 · Score: 5, Funny
  
  Walk a mile in my shoes, buddy. You'll find out it ain't all peachs 'n cream.
  
  A friend of mine from another country once said he felt sorry for me because I have Bush as a president. I responded, "Me? Hell, I feel sorry for you. At least I'm not subject to his foreign policy."
  
  --
  http://publicvoidlife.blogspot.com
3. Re:Really? by jcr · 2005-10-21 04:30 · Score: 5, Funny
  
  You've got it bad, here in America (I assume) with "the run-down, teeming streets, the grimy buildings, the broken refrigerators stacked outside, the strings of wet washing.
  
  Have you ever been to West Virginia?
  
  -jcr
  
  --
  The only title of honor that a tyrant can grant is "Enemy of the State."
4. Re:Really? by drooling-dog · 2005-10-21 04:37 · Score: 5, Funny
  
  You'll find out it ain't all peachs 'n cream.
  Not at all. Wednesday is Spaghetti Day!
5. Re:Really? by Anonymous+Meoward · 2005-10-21 05:19 · Score: 4, Funny
  
  Have you ever been to West Virginia?
  You mean the state with the motto "Thank God for Mississippi" ?
  
  --
  --- The American Way of Life is not a birthright. Hell, it's not even sustainable.
gasp! by hometoast · 2005-10-21 04:11 · Score: 5, Funny

I demand that King Neferspamstu cease and desist using my modeling photos for financial gain. I do not waive my rights under the DMCA.
Re:If It Sounds Too Good To Be True by antonyb · 2005-10-21 04:11 · Score: 4, Funny

More likely is that you will find someone who has your same interests and general income level, whom you will start a relationship with and then waver in and out of interest with.
Nothing like aiming high, huh?
Re:Were YOU suckered? by Bastard+of+Subhumani · 2005-10-21 04:14 · Score: 4, Funny

I'll buy a beer for anyone who admits to being taken in by these chumps.
So will I, but I'll require advance payment of the shipping & administrative costs. So just send your bank details to ...

--
Only three things are certain; death, taxes, and apocryphal quotations - Ben Franklin.
This is all true. by labratuk · 2005-10-21 04:25 · Score: 3, Funny

But they do make great penpals. Like the guy in my sig, for instance.

--
Malike Bamiyi wanted my assistance.
Re:Delusions by Dante+Shamest · 2005-10-21 04:27 · Score: 3, Funny

Many crooks try to justify what they are doing by making it seem that they are not hurting anyone, at least not as much as they are.
WMD! Freedom! =)

Seriously though, nobody thinks they're the bad guy. I remember reading a Terry Pratchett book, where this ruler said "I believe you find life such a problem because you think there are the good people and the bad people. You're wrong, of course. There are, always and only, the bad people, but some of them are on opposite sides."
Re:Were YOU suckered? by RobertB-DC · 2005-10-21 04:27 · Score: 4, Funny

I'll buy a beer for anyone who admits to being taken in by these chumps.

Amateur. It goes like this:

HELLO I AM PRINCE FALFURALL SON OF KING FELLOVERDED WHO TRAGICLEY DIED IN A BRWERY ACCIDENT. THE CORUPT LOCAL OFFICALS HAVE IMPOUNDED ALL THE BEER BUT THE MINISTER OF TRADE CAN ARRANGE A TANKER TRUCK TO EXPORT 1,736,000.50 LITERS TO SENEGAL BUT ONLY FOR A UNITD STATES NATIONAL. IF YOU WILL HELP ME TRANSPORT THE BEER I WILL GIVE YOU TEN (10) PERCENT OR 173600 GALLONS PLEASE CONTACT ME ASAP GOD BLESS YOU!!~~!

--
Stressed? Me? Of course not. Stress is what a rubber band feels before it breaks, silly.
Re:If It Sounds Too Good To Be True by hoggoth · 2005-10-21 04:41 · Score: 4, Funny

> and then suddenly would be eyeballing another woman in the computer lab

I think I've found the problem...

--
- For the complete works of Shakespeare: cat /dev/random (may take some time)
Re:If It Sounds Too Good To Be True by Leto-II · 2005-10-21 05:07 · Score: 4, Funny

The same is true for my geek friends. They had girl friends who were not stunning, but attractive and smart. They would have been a great companion for anyone. The geek friend would also be infatuated for a few months and then suddenly would be eyeballing another woman in the computer lab.

You mean the other woman in the computer lab?

--
Do not anger the worm.
I tried a dating website by WormholeFiend · 2005-10-21 05:11 · Score: 4, Funny

And a person from Africa contacted me... I looked at the photo in the person's profile, and imagine my surprise to find out that Tyra Banks wanted to date me!

Apparently the fact that there was a slight distance and ocean between us didn't seem to matter.

When I pointed out that, "hey Tyra, the copyright notice is still on the photo" (from a well known magazine), the person sadly stopped sending me messages...