I am constantly amazed at the people who fall for Internet scams. It is quite easy to spot a scam and I am sure Joeusers are aware of all the silly things scammers get up to. I read in the Daily Mail recently that the Nigerian 419 still continues to draw in unsuspecting people who are naive about money matters and equally naive about internet invitations to divulge details. They are drawn in by incredibly clever conmen who want to rob them of big bucks. The elderly are special targets.
The clever Nigerians (and others who have taken their ideas and tried to refine them), are obviously finding success in their scams as the Nigerian 419 continues to prosper, over 10 years after the slimy fellows went on the web.
The basic scam works like this (although others have modernised it to suit): You get an e-mail from a person who offers you money. He or she asks for details of your address and phone numbers. Some are brazen and ask for bank account details right away. Then a) a meeting is set up by well-dressed "professionals" giving financial advice OR your account is emptied if you were stupid enough to give details.
I do laugh at some of the methods employed but, in all seriousness, be careful. Here are some of the ways these guys try to trick you:
- I received a mail from Matthews. He said he worked for a major bank. His e-mail address failed to add the bank name after the ampersand --he added it before.
-I receive mails regularly from people who are "important". However they use a Hotmail or Yahoo address.
-I receive mails from family members of Mobutu, Kabila, Nkrumah, Gen Obote and Idi Amin. They are certain I shall honour them with my details. They too use Hotmail or Yahoo addresses.
-I receive mails in a typewriter font seldom used in computing nowadays
- A few mails have a lottery type letterhead, obviously pasted, and the sender is either a Sir or a Lord. How gracious. Fancy Union Jack, rampant lions and eagles and a Hotmail address. I am a big time lottery winner!
Most of us dump these pseudo high flying letters in the trash. I pick out the odd one (when I have time), and send the following message: "This mail has been forwarded to Interpol/Scotland Yard/FBI. You may find yourself subject to investigation for fraud." I hope the subjects dump in a different way when they receive it. Some of my repliesare returned. Com si, com sa.
Be careful out there.