Scam letter of the day

I see about one or two of these a week. Buzzard was posting a couple of them for a while, but I don't think there was a thread. But, just for fun, I think there should be, so here goes.

The text of the one I got today:

PLOT 1075 DIPLOMATIC DRIVE

CENTRAL DISTRICT AREA, ABUJA

AFRICA DEVELOPMENT BANK

UNITED BANK OF AFRICA



WEBSITE : http://unitedbank-for-africa.skyrock.com





NOTIFICATION OF PAYMENT VIA ATM CARD





This is to officially inform you that we have verified your contract file presently on my desk, and I found out that you have not received your payment valued $5,000,000.00 (Five Million United States Dollars) due to your lack of co-operation and not fulfilling the obligations giving to you in respect to your contract payment.Secondly,you are hereby advised to stop dealing with some non-officials in the bank as this is an illegal act and will have to stop if you so wish to receive your payment immediately.





After the Board of director's meeting held in Abuja,we have resolved in finding a solution to your problem.We have arranged your payment through our ATM CARD PAYMENT CENTRE in Europe, America,Africa and Asia Pacific.This is part of an instruction/mandate passed by the Senate in respect to overseas contract payment and debt re-scheduling.





We will send you an ATM CARD which you will use to withdraw your money via ATM MACHINE in any part of the world,and the maximum daily limit is Five Thousand United State Dollars.





If you desire to receive your fund this way,Kindly re-confirm your





(1) Your Full Name





(2) Full residential address





(3) Phone And Fax Number





(4) Your occupation





(5) Scanned copy of your passport





You will find below my personal assistant who will facilitate it to you.





Name:Mr Williams Afred





Email: mrwilliams.afred@aol.com





We shall be expecting to receive your information as you have to stop any further communication with anybody or office.

Thanks for your co-operation.





Best Regards,

Mr Tom Clark

Africa Development Bank

United Bank Of Africa



WEBSITE : http://unitedbank-for-africa.skyrock.com

The thing I found so amusing is that they claim I'VE been trying to get in touch with THEM. er...no. And such a professional email address: so-and-so at aol.com. Yeah, they're going to hear from me. Again. As in, never.

Without a doubt, the BEST website of people who have messed with the scammers. Some of them are well worth the read when you have the time. Basically they get the scammers to do crazy stuff under the belief they are going to send them money.


http://www.419eater.com/html/letters.htm

http://www.419eater.com/html/williams_smith.htm

This is one of my favorites where he actually gets the scammer to spend money on making a carving and shipping it to him at their expense. Long read but funny as hell.

Great site.

I've been there for years.

Not as a scamming "lad," though.

I got one from Tim Geithner once referring me to a banker in Nigeria. Totally legit.

I use the scam/span letters as a reference point, to rate the casino offers I get..... ;)

$40 Free room/steak house/etc.......*read the fine print......

I would like to know if anyone has ever fallen for a scam.

Quote: AxelWolf

I would like to know if anyone has ever fallen for a scam.

lots.
would you think they would keep doing this if no one ever send any money?

deleted

Quote: andysif

lots.
would you think they would keep doing this if no one ever send any money?

I'm referring to someone around here.

I wish the scammers would learn proper spelling and grammar! Might increase their take.

Old people are especially vulnerable to this type of scam.

One lady I know fell for and gave a big chunk of change to a scammer who said he was with the IRS and owed a lot of taxes.

Quote: Boz

Without a doubt, the BEST website of people who have messed with the scammers. Some of them are well worth the read when you have the time. Basically they get the scammers to do crazy stuff under the belief they are going to send them money.


http://www.419eater.com/html/letters.htm

This is some real funny stuff.

Well, this should probably be in the DT site, but it just might be more profitable than my asking for spare change all day long.

As for falling for stuff like this, one biomedical researcher fell for it. Merchants don't send items to Nigeria because the credit card numbers always turn out to be stolen. So the CC thieves get forwarding addresses here in the USA and have people forward the packages. Biomedical researcher or not, the cops told her she was responsible for the full amount of the damages and would likely be doing jail time as well.

When these things started off as fax frauds from Nigeria about mining shares or something, the defrauded victims often traveled to Nigeria. Some disappeared there. Fraud at the time was the third highest industry.

Now they send out a lot of money orders: you know, cash the money order, buy a small item for the orphanage and keep the rest for yourself. Ofcourse once that money order is endorsed, the victim is responsible for the full amount.

Quote: mickeycrimm

This is some real funny stuff.

Nice to be able to put something up you enjoy since you produce some of the best reading on this forum. Here is one where he gets $718 from the scammer.

http://www.419eater.com/html/martins_jide.htm

Quote: ncfatcat

I wish the scammers would learn proper spelling and grammar! Might increase their take.

You would think so, but it helps them so only the slow, feeble minded and senile reply. The errors help them.

Axle wanted to know if anyone here was scammed and I think normal sane and sound people will fall for romance scams because they're lonely and desperate, but not senile.

Quote: AxelWolf

I would like to know if anyone has ever fallen for a scam.

When the scams were relatively new, a former acquantaince pestered me for days to please, please, please let him access my account in the US. 1) I had no acccount in the US (and still don't), 2)even if I had, I wouldn't allow it to be used for a scam. 3) That's why he's a former acquaintance.

There's a phone-based scam in Mexico at present. There's been so much talk about it, warnings issued, discussions in media, exposees and such, that it's hard to believe people still fall for it. But someone I know fell for it last year.

Quote: AxelWolf

I would like to know if anyone has ever fallen for a scam.

Maybe five years ago, when I was not so vigilant on the security of my computer, someone hacked into my yahoo account, stole my entire contacts list, and changed my password so it took me an act of congress to get my yahoo account back. When I got it back I found that the hacker had sent emails begging for money to all my contacts. I was supposed to be stranded in London, England, and had all my cash and credit cards stolen. Of course, no one fell for the scam except....Frank Kneeland. He really thought I was in a desperate situation and there was even a thread on vpFREE about it. He was going to try and raise the money.

I was embarrassed that anyone thought I would go begging for money on the internet. I thanked Frank for the sentiment but explained to him that I was safely ensconsed in Montana and had never been to England. I beefed up my security after that.

If I were to miraculously go broke today, the only one I would call would be Al. And he wouldn't have to loan me much money to put me back in action.

Many people fall for these.

It's a numbers game. It costs nothing to send out millions of emails, and the scammers are unemployed. All they need is one person out of a million. And if a victim is hooked the return is huge.

Deleted

Quote: mickeycrimm

Maybe five years ago, when I was not so vigilant on the security of my computer, someone hacked into my yahoo account, stole my entire contacts list, and changed my password so it took me an act of congress to get my yahoo account back. When I got it back I found that the hacker had sent emails begging for money to all my contacts. I was supposed to be stranded in London, England, and had all my cash and credit cards stolen. Of course, no one fell for the scam except....Frank Kneeland. He really thought I was in a desperate situation and there was even a thread on vpFREE about it. He was going to try and raise the money.

I was embarrassed that anyone thought I would go begging for money on the internet. I thanked Frank for the sentiment but explained to him that I was safely ensconsed in Montana and had never been to England. I beefed up my security after that.

If I were to miraculously go broke today, the only one I would call would be Al. And he wouldn't have to loan me much money to put me back in action.

You and I got hacked exactly the same way at the same time. Yahoo. Password changed. All my contacts told I was in a car accident and stranded without funds. 2009. Huge hassle to get it fixed with Yahoo. Friends upset and calling. Amazing.

Quote: beachbumbabs

You and I got hacked exactly the same way at the same time. Yahoo. Password changed. All my contacts told I was in a car accident and stranded without funds. 2009. Huge hassle to get it fixed with Yahoo. Friends upset and calling. Amazing.

The thing I remember about it, Babs, is that when I got my Yahoo account back, my entire contacts list was erased. So I couldn't immediately send emails to everyone involved. Who in the hell remembers email addresses? To me it was a brilliant though diabolical scam.

Here is an email I got from someone's hacked yahoo account dated 3/2/12 with a subject: Awful Trip !!!

Quote:

I'm writing this with tears in my eyes, I came down to London, United Kingdom for a short vacation. Unfortunately,I was mugged at the park of the hotel where i stayed,all cash and credit card were stolen off me but luckily for me i still have my passport with me.

I've been to the the Police here but they're not helping issues at all and my return flight leaves in few hours from now but I'm having problems settling the hotel bills and the hotel manager won't let me leave until I settle the bills. Well I really need your financial assistance..

Please let me know if you can help me out?

name removed

Quote: miplet

Here is an email I got from someone's hacked yahoo account dated 3/2/12 with a subject: Awful Trip !!!

This is the exact same email the hacker sent to all my contacts.

I get several per day. Different variations on a common theme. I like this one that warns you not to deal with the scammers haha

Attn: My Dear,

I am Mrs. Jennifer Bradson, I am a USA citizen 48 years Old. I reside here in New Braunfels Texas My residential address is as follows 108 Crockett Court Apt 303, New
Braunfels Texas United States, am thinking of relocating since I am now rich, I am one of those that took part in the Compensation in Nigeria many years ago and they
refused to pay me, I had paid over $50,000 while in the United State trying to get my payment all to no avail.

So I decided to travel to WASHINGTON D.C with all my compensation documents, And I was directed by the ( F B I) Director to contact Agent Mr.Kelvin Williams who his a representative of the ( FB I ) and a member of the COMPENSATION AWARD COMMITTEE in Europe and I contacted him, he explained everything to me. He said whoever is contacting us through emails are fake.

He took me to the paying bank for the claim of my Compensation payment. Right now I am the most happiest woman on earth because I have received my compensation funds of $15,Million Us Dollars, Moreover, Mr Kelvin Williams showed me the full information of those that are yet to receive their payment and I saw your email address as one of the beneficiaries,that is why I decided to email you to stop dealing with those people that are contacting you they are not with your fund, they are only making money out of you i will advise you to contact Mr.Kelvin Williams.You have to contact him directly on this information below.

COMPENSATION AWARD HOUSE
Name: Mr Kelvin Williams
Email: agrb2@consultant.com

You really have to stop dealing with those people that are contacting you and telling you that your funds is with them, it is not in anyway with them they are only taking advantage of you and they will dry you up until you have nothing.The only money I paid after I met Mr.Kelvin Williams was just $400 for the paper works take note of that.

Once again stop contacting those people, I will advise you to contact Mr.Kelvin Williams so that he can help you to Deliver your fund instead of dealing with those liars that will be turning you around asking for different kind of money to complete your transaction.

Quote: ncfatcat

I wish the scammers would learn proper spelling and grammar! Might increase their take.

No it's clever and deliberate. By making their own emails really poorly done and unbelievable to anyone except a fool, they nicely filter off the fools for further attention and don't generally expect to have to deal with inteligent folk like us.

Quote: AxelWolf

I would like to know if anyone has ever fallen for a scam.

I've never even been approached, I feel left out.

Quote: EvenBob

I've never even been approached, I feel left out.

You don't know how lucky you are.

Quote: AxelWolf

I would like to know if anyone has ever fallen for a scam.

Yes to "anyone" and the scam was directed through me, but I can say I didn't do the falling. It was a cheesy transparent poorly constructed come-on for a "make lotsa money without hardly trying" type scam. It was a Russian scammer and hacked an email account to use my contacts list to send out a blast not just to me, but everyone for whom I had a record of an email addy kept in that account. By the time I knew what had happened and sent out the courtesy/apology message and set out to scrub my virtual life of the infestation, I got a thank-you from a guy in my contacts. Thanking me sincerely, for what he apparently believed was passing along a genuine idea for early retirement, which I assumed was almost hilariously transparent in its ridiculous cheesy scammy-ness. And he works in middle-management in a significantly large department of local government. The message to say "you're welcome, but..." while trying to avoid insinuating that he's an imbecile was harder to draft than the one that went to all the others. I'm sure there are some clever ones of this variety out there, but this REALLY wasn't one of them. So, if you're marketing a baccarat "system" ...I know a guy for you.

Should I be pleased or insulted that I'm now a charity? Haven't had one in some time, but this just came in, so of course I thought of you:

Quote:

$1 Million USD. Has been donated to you kindly contact the donator Mr. Harry Black via personal email
( harryblack25@rogers.com<mailto:harryblack25@rogers.com> )

Unfortunately, I have no room under the mattress for an extra $1M at the moment, so I include the full message with reply address in case anyone here has a use for it. Perhaps y'all could offer to share some baccarat systems with him. Actually, I really wouldn't mind if many people suddenly felt moved to send my new benefactor "Harry" all sorts of messages about all kinds of stuff, or pasted it on restroom walls to share the good fortune with the masses.