Weird Email
 |
Rachel writes, 17 Oct 2002
Has anybody ever received this kinda e-mail? For the past few
months, I've been receiving ones like it once a week. It really bugs me. And I
don't know how to unsubscribe from it. Any idea? |
The weird mail is as follows:
Dear Sir,
I am pleased to inform you that you should not be
worried or suprised recieving this mail.
I am assuring you that if you take instruction and
do the right thing everything will be okay.
I am Barrister Peter Briggs an attorney to engineer
Bill Sean who is a staff of mobile oil producing blast in the Niger delta here
in Nigeria, see (blaza http/www.fire.org.uk/news/bbc13700b.htm)
It was on Thursday July 13 2000, 16:07 GMT oil fire
erupts killing engineer Bill Sean. Until his death he had close to US$37.2M
(Thirty Seven Million Two Hundred United State Dollars)in security company in
Holland. The security company now expects next of kin as beneficiary. But I
have the power of attorney to administer his estate.
He had along side, landed properties and other
valuebles I can not disclose now, kept as treasure with the security company.
But the above fund is what I now want your permision to have stand as next of
kin to the late client.
All documents and proves to enable you get this
fund are with me and if you show interest I shall forward the certificate of
ownership to you. Then you shall subsequently contact the Holland security
company where Mr. Steve Martins will be willing to talk with you on phone as
soon as possible.
Therefore I want you to call me on my private
telephone number : 234-80-23469540 to enable me discuss in details and also
send to me your private telephone and fax numbers as you where introduced to me
through the Nigeria chamber of commerce foreign trade division,but I did not
disclose the nature of this business to them.
please note that this is deal and should be kept
secret.
Best Regards
Barrister. Peter Briggs. Tel:
234-80-23469540.
|
|
17 Oct 2002 From: Vance
On this topic, I remembered reading an article on arrests made of
perpetrators of the letters that Rachel has received, and so I did a Google
search on 'nigeria scam arrest'. |
This gave me several leads, among them this CNN article
http://www.cnn.com/2002/TECH/internet/08/11/nigeria.scam/
I am further concerned that spammers such as these might be using our
community building websites as resources for email addresses. Therefore, I am
in the process of suppressing email addresses on such lists at my sites,
starting with the Webheads students list at http://www.homestead.com/prosites-vstevens/files/efi/students.htm
When we started our community 4 years ago we felt safe being open about
who we are. Now it seems we must take care not to present spammers with
opportunities to exploit our openness. I don't think it hurts to have your
email address sitting on a web page somewhere, but LISTS of email addresses
appear to be potential targets, so I am taking the steps just mentioned.
If anyone has any concerns about whatever we've placed on the Internet,
just write me about it and I'll address your concerns.
Meanwhile, please be careful of spam email. I delete mine without
opening it. It does seem a fact of life though.
All the best,
Vance
|
|
John writes, 17 Oct 2002
In fact, responding to it just lets the sender know your email
address is active - Then he will simply send more and more junk mail. |
The first time I received a similar message, I forwarded it to the FBI
(U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation) just in case it was something they could
handle. I don't know how much this helped, but these days I just delete
anything like it.
John (Dr. Cat)
 |
17 Oct 2002 From: Michael
Maggi and I were talking about this the other day. She and I have
both written to these scammers and received very polite letters in reply saying
they are honest and authentic. |
The person who wrote back to me actually accused me, in very polite
English, of being very rude to doubt his word!
- Michael C.
Best wishes
James
 |
Maggi writes, 17 Oct 2002
Regarding those letters from Nigeria they have been arround for
years but there have been a recent surge lately. I suspect because enough
people fall for it. Even the FBI is on it but with no luck. Best thing like
Vance said, is just delete and forget it. If you answer then they know the
address is active. |
Europe has just passed legislation for opt-in and some countries have
steep fines. Some states in the US have done this but it is still opt-out
generally. This means you will get spam saying you asked for whatever it is.
You can unsubscribe and be removed from their list.
Maggi
| from Dave Kees |
18 Oct 2002
This kind of mail has been around for a long time. If you know
that it is a scam then it is quite comical. |
At this website you can find a huge collection of these kinds of
letters along with the replies of people who play a 'game' with them.
http://www.scamorama.com
These people who play a game with them feel they are doing a public
service by keeping these scammers busy and causing them frustration in the end.
Hopefully, the scammers will eventually give up on this kind of business.
Some are just very business-like. They could be a good source of
practice for business English in negotiating, making appointments, making
arrangements, etc. Some people write the scammers pretending to be very rich
and wanting to help in this business deal. Of course, the problem is that these
guys are criminals.
Some are very funny. One who wrote the scammers called himself Ilichy
and pretends he is in Prague and that his English is very poor. When he writes
the scammer he uses a kind of crazy English:
"Please to phone me on 02 46 000 35 for all discussing, as this
business seem too fine to not be doing. Fax all good on 02 46 000 36. If not
here then ask for close frien Larjz Arsz who can take message, get detail make
for onwards."
Eventually 'Ilichy' got the scammer to spend almost three days at the
airport in Lagos waiting for his mother-in-law to come with $10,000. Of course,
there was no $10,000, no mother-in-law and there's not even an Ilichy.
In the past when I wrote them I have used a 'babble' program to
scramble English text into a sort of almost comprehendable communication to
make them spend a lot of time trying to figure it out. This is a small exerpt:
"This was a man who didn’t like to be — someone who is swayed
by the average person but instead taken from somewhere else to the outrage
along with all the things I judge are done by people just like me. So till the
birth of peace on earth That only love can bring I'll help it grow by loving
everything."
It seems like it is saying something but it just doesn't quite make
sense. Ha!
Generally the people who write the scammer try to get him frustrated
trying to meet them in an airport or at a hotel somewhere and making excuses
why he missed the meeting. The most elusive goal is to get the scammer to send
some money to them like $3-5.
I used to get these things from so many people and they didn't stop
coming. It made me feel so frustrated. But then I learned how some people made
a game out of it so I started playing. But I'll agree with Vance and say it's
probably best to just delete these things.
Play it safe!
Best wishes,
Dave Kees Guangzhou, China
 |
Subject: Re: [efiwebheads] weird mail
Date: Fri, 18 Oct 2002 11:42:13 +0200
From: Zaheer ul-haq |
<cid:part1.05060403.03080801@netscape.com> Hi h r u? i hope u
will fine there i m also fine here ok
<cid:part2.01040603.03050606@netscape.com> now tell me through mail how u
feel abt the concept <cid:part3.04000507.04000206@netscape.com> of life
& reality of life <cid:part4.04010401.03060601@netscape.com> take
care pay my regards to your family members & the people that r in your
surrouding at this time it is very enjoyable if u say my regades to them ok
take care 4 your health <cid:part5.09040407.07030605@netscape.com>
<cid:part6.05090901.07070902@netscape.com>
|
|
18 Oct 2002, from: Vance again
This URL had me in stitches (that means I laughed so hard I
needed stitches to hold my stomach in? Or maybe this refers to what our Brit
friends refer to as a 'stitch' whereas we Yanks call it a 'cramp' - what you
get in your stomach from running too hard, or laughing too hard, to get back to
the present case). |
And to Rachel, a teacher in possession of emails she does not want.
Here is a cloud with a silver lining.
It seems to me that those emails, which your students must be receiving
(everyone in the world is receiving them) can be turned into an amusing and
constructive lesson in conjunction with the tongue-in-cheek article that James
referred us to.
If you can't beat em, join em.
Let us know if you (or any of you) are able use this silver lining.
Vance
Here's more about how another class dealt with email of the type
discussed in previous emails on this topic ...
From: webteachfl@yahoogroups.com
Date: Fri, 18 Oct 2002
From:
EliLafourcade@aol.com Subject:
Re: Spam
Since you were interested in knowing how the students dealt with the
fantastic offer from the distinguished Mr Isaac, Let me tell you briefly about
it. First the students got the gist of the meaning of the very complex letter.
Then they split into 3 groups: One pretending to be Mr Benoît Candide,
asking for many details and tthrilled with the idea of getting the luck of his
life because he was a bit short of money.
The second, interested but wondering how Mr Isaac would manage to
prove he was of German descent because he was actually of Portuguese origin.
And many technical questions such as how he could make sure the transaction was
100% risk free and the like. They practised asking questions.
The last group sent a revolted mail accusing Mr Issac of abusing of
people's credulity and need for money (or greed,). They practised structures
and i must say they did enjoy themselves! After a few mail , unfortunately, or
fortunately should i say, the addres of the distinguished mr Issac vanished in
the limbo of the Internet.
Cheers.
Elisabeth
Use the
navigation at the top of this page
or your browser's BACK button to return to a previous
page
For comments, suggestions, or further information on this page, contact
Vance
Stevens, page webmaster
Last updated: October 24, 2002
