Scam emails

[happywanderer]

Well, it finally happened to me so I thought I'd raise a red flag here. Some Yahoo saying that he is the son of the ex-president of Zaire emailed me promising me riches if I only helped him out first. This scam has been going on for years now, but everyone should know about them if they haven't already. DO NOT reply to his email. DO NOT give him money. DO tell everyone you know to delete this S.O.B.'s email as soon as you get it. Unfortunately, some people are fooled into thinking that this is a chance at making some easy money. Don't be. Enough said.


TTFN

 

[Avery]

I get at least 3 of those per week, and I've received as many as 4 in one day, by E-mail, fax and snail mail. They come from Nigeria, Zaire, Gabon, Sierra Leone and South Africa.

It's always the same pitch. They're telling you they're crooks who have skimmed millions from government contracts, and they need your bank account to "park" the money for a while. In return, you get 30% of the amount. Somehow, they rip you off if you're stupid and greedy enough to fall for their pitch.

This scam is based on one of the oldest principles of human nature, namely, that the easiest person to con is another crook. They tell you up front that they're dishonest; only a dishonest person will fall for it.

The latest twist is an appeal for charitable donations to help starving African children. I got my first one (of many more, I'm sure) yesterday.

 

[KBear]

I also receive several of these letters monthly, scary stuff for the suckers/victims.

http://www.scambusters.org/NigerianFee.html

 

[drlove]

I get them too. They go straight from my inbox to the trash folder, where they belong!

 

[happywanderer]

The reply address was a hotmail address... you'd think that Microsoft would be a little more on the ball here and take away their account.


TTFN

 

[Dr. Gonzo]

If it isn't reported to Microsoft they will probably never know there is a problem account.

Frankly, I'm amazed these scams continue to work. People: use a little common sense when reading any sort of unsolicited email and remember if it sounds too good to be true, it most likely is.

I would take a copy of the email and send it to Microsoft, perhaps even report it to local police. The header information should contain the senders IP address and if you are really lucky, this may give some clues as to the scammers location, perhaps enough to track them down.

Or just post or PM the header info here and I'd be happy to do what I can with it.

 

[Paul Waters]

<chuckle>

This scam has been going on for 15 years. Back then I received the offer in a letter. It was sent to my tittle, not by name. No idea why me or how they got it.

I turned it over to the police.

I have read that they do catch a few suckers who end up putting up thousands of dollars in fees to "broker" the riches out of Nigeria.

Who was it that said, "You can never con an honest man"?