The JackB

"When you're in jail, a good friend will be trying to bail you out. A best friend will be in the cell next to you saying, 'Damn, that was fun'." Groucho Marx

Scambaiters

Scamming the Scammer Again

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English: The Seal of the United States Federal...
English: The Seal of the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation. For more information, see here. Español: El escudo del Buró Federal de Investigaciones (FBI). Para obtener más información, vease aquí (Inglés). (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

If you are among the 17 long time readers you know that periodically I will engage with the knuckleheads that send me emails promising me untold riches for helping them try to defraud others. Today I received another one of those emails and decided to see what would happen if I responded to his inquiry.  Here is a copy of his email and my response:

GOOD DAY,

Please kindly accept my apology for sending you this email without your consent. I believe you are a highly respected personality, considering the fact that I sourced your email from the peoples search database on the web during my discrete search for a foreign partner whom can assist me in taking this business to it success.

Though, I do not know to what extent you are familiar with events. I have a proposal for you.This however is not mandatory nor will I in any manner compel you to honor against your will,but I hope you will read on and consider the value I offer. My name is Mr.Richard Tang Yat Sun, I work with the Hang Seng Bank Hong Kong.I have a business proposal in the tune of US$24.5m to be transferred to an offshore account with your assistance if willing.

After the successful transfer, we shall share in ratio of 50% for you and 50% for me. Should you be interested, please respond to my letter immediately,so we can commence all arrangements and I will give you more information on the project and how we would handle it. You can contact me on my private email:( tang_richards@yahoo.com.hk) and send me the following information for documentation purpose:

(1)Full name:

(2)private phone number:

(3)current residential address:

(4)Occupation:

(5)Age and Sex:
I look forward to hearing from you.

Kind Regards,

Mr. Richard Tang.

My reply:

Dear Mr. Tang,

I am ever so glad to hear from you. I was recently speaking with my associate the ever graceful Sunny Delight about the need to not only ingest more Vitamin C but to find a business partner. Not just any partner but someone of quality, security, and integrity like yourself.

Sunny D. told me that she agreed that such a person would be like an astronaut from outer space yet clearly from inner space such as that occupied by the small room we are typing this from.

Per your request I am prepared to send you information of both needs and necessity

(1)Full name: James Tiberius Kirk Jack Edgar Hoover III

(2)private phone number: (202) 324-3000

(3)current residential address: 935 Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest Washington D.C., DC 20535-0001

(4)Occupation: Director of Outreach

(5)Age and Sex: I’m 41 and have sex as frequently as possible

Prior to engaging in carnival endeavors with you I need to tell you that in my culture it is customary to begin business by an exchange of pictures. What I need from you is a picture of you holding a fish over your head.

We believe that life comes from water and since fish live in the water this will provide us luck, fortune and dinner. As soon as I receive that from you I will know that we can proceed.

Thank you,

James Tiberius Kirk Jack Edgar Hoover III

I’ll keep you posted as to whether he responds to my note. Sometimes they do and sometimes they don’t. Incidentally the telephone number and address above belong to the FBI.

Nigerian Scam Artist

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I used to really wonder if anyone ever fell for any of the Nigerian email scams. On more than one occasion I have had moments of fun by playing with them. Long time readers may recall reading about some of them. Perhaps when the Shmata Queen returns from her vacation I’ll ask her to share her favorite one.

In the interim if you haven’t gotten a chance to review any of my antics here are a few links to review:

I am Rich Again- How Much Luck Do I Deserve
More About My Good Fortune
Give Me Time and I will Be Rich, Rich, Rich

That leads into a story I just read about a boy who was taken in by these scammers. Let’s look at two excerpts:

“A Leamington man has fallen prey to international scam artists who strung him along for more than a year with the promise of millions in cash, but ultimately bilked him and his family of $150,000.

John Rempel said he quit his truck driving job, lost friends, borrowed money and rossed the globe in pursuit of a non-existent inheritance, after he was contacted by e-mail in what is known as a Nigerian 419 scam.

Rempel said he borrowed $55,000 from an uncle in Mexico and his parents gave him $60,000 on credit to cover fees for transferring $12.8 million into his name.”

and

“The man then told him he had to pay $2,500 to transfer the money into his name. Then there were several more documents. Some cost $5,000.

He was told to open an account at a bank in London. That required a $5,000 minimum deposit. The crooks later sent him an e-mail with a link to what he was told were details of his new account. Some money had been transferred there for “safe
keeping.”

“Everything was good,” said Rempel.

Then he got an e-mail from a government department — he’s not sure which country — saying he owed $250,000 on tax on his inheritance. Rempel spoke to his contact, who told him they negotiated the fee down to $25,000.

Rempel went to Mexico where his uncle owns a farm. His uncle gave him $10,000 cash and money for a plane ticket. He was going to London to make sure it was legitimate.

“I had $10,000 in cash in my pocket and my uncle sent another $25,000 when I was over there.”

In London, Rempel met some people and handed over the $10,000.

They met Rempel the next day with a suitcase. They said it had $10.6 million in shrink-wrapped U.S. bills. Rempel wanted more proof. His new friends pulled out one bill and “cleansed” it with a liquid “formula,” which washed off some kind of stamp.
Rempel was told that process made the money “legal tender.”

I sort of feel bad for the guy, but I have to wonder about the rest of the family as well. Sounds like an entire family fell hook, line and sinker for this. Sometimes you have to use common sense.