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The Nigerian scammers have gotten more sophisticated. A week ago, I received this message purportedly from a well-known woman in the community: “I’m sending you this e-mail in a hurry because I only have 30 minutes, I traveled to United Kingdom to see my ill Cousin, I got a call to come over that her illness was getting worse, so I had no time to inform anyone of my trip. Unfortunately, I was mugged in a Taxi and they made away with all my money and other valuable things. I’m facing a hard time here, I need to help her and also get back home.” The e-mail went on to say that the woman needed a loan of “2700 USD or whatever you can afford” and ended with a promise to repay as soon as she returned home. I smelled a rat right away. That was confirmed when I received this follow-up note from the woman in question: “My email directory was hacked into and there is a SCAM using my email contacts. If you received a message from me asking you to send money to help me while I am stuck in England, please delete it. I am fine and living in Hauser.” Be careful out there.
Question: When did you last receive a so-called Nigerian scam e-mail? Are some other online scam trying to bilk you of money?
D.F. Oliveria is a columnist and blogger for The Spokesman-Review. Huckleberries Online was judged the best 2008 Idaho newspaper blog by the Idaho Press Club. And the best 2007 news blog in the Pacific Northwest by the Society for Professional Journalist. Print Huckleberries is a past winner of the Herb Caen Memorial Column contest by the National Association of Newspaper Columnists. The Readership Institute of Northwestern University cited this blog as a good example of online community journalism.
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Lizard_People on December 21 at 2:47 p.m.
Have you ever read about the 419 scambaiters? These are people who deliberately waste the time of nigerian scammers so that they have less time to waste on other folks.
http://www.419eater.com/index.php
read the hall of fame!!
Lizard_People on December 21 at 2:52 p.m.
Err, make that the letters.. that’s the accounts of people writing back to the scammers wasting their time.. pretty funny stuff.
factchecker on December 21 at 3:01 p.m.
The last few weeks the spam to my e-mail has been outrageous. About 40-50 per day. A lot of them are these types of scams. Why does anyone open these? Haven’t we all been warned about these over and over?
Cabbage Boy on December 21 at 3:30 p.m.
Attentun: I have falling on hard times and need a lone of $1200 US Dollars. Please contact DFO and have him rought donations through the corporate account.