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Nigerian email scam causes Americans to loiter in London hotel lobbies
.theinquirer ^ | Mike Magee: Wednesday 11 December 2002, 15:21 | Mike Magee: Wednesday 11 December 2002, 15:21

Posted on 12/12/2002 9:15:37 PM PST by dennisw

Nigerian email scam causes Americans to loiter in London hotel lobbies

Second biggest Nigerian business?

By Mike Magee: Wednesday 11 December 2002, 15:21

MESSAGE LABS said its software intercepted over 10 million viruses during 2002, while Spam is increasing to such an extent that it's outnumbering legit messages. And the firm said, quoting the UK National Criminal Intelligence Service, that up to five Americans per day have been seen waiting in London hotels to meet people about liberating funds.

This one is new to us. How can you tell an American in a hotel lobby has fallen victim to the Nigerian 419 scam? Does he or she have a big sign saying: "Are you the son of the finance minister of Nigeria?"

Or, as the latest one we've received says: "I am hon Dr John cabora. A diplomant from the republic gabon, also the owner of trans Atlantic crossing company".

Message Labs claims that these operations are going to gross over two billion dollars in 2003, making it the second biggest Nigerian industry.

The firm said: "Recently, Americans in particular seem to be falling victim to the scam. A recent report by the U.K.'s National Criminal Intelligence Service stated that up to five Americans per day have been witnessed waiting in London hotel lobbies to meet people connected with the scam. If this trend continues, MessageLabs predicts that Nigerian scam operations will gross over two billion dollars in 2003, becoming the second largest industry in the country."

If this trend continues, and if Message Labs is right, we think that London hotel lobbies will be packed full of people and you won't be able to get to the concierge to ask: "Where is the Porcupine pub?" (Answer: The home of roadmaps is on the Charing Cross Road.)


TOPICS: Extended News; Free Republic; Front Page News
KEYWORDS: email; nigerian; scam
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To: GaryMontana
I've got at least 5 of these-just got one yesterday in fact.A quick delete sends them on their way.
41 posted on 12/14/2002 5:48:51 PM PST by Drippy
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To: justshutupandtakeit
I used to get these letters at the business I owned. Whenever there was a fax number in the body of the letter, I would send them a nasty fax and sign it Bill Clinton.
42 posted on 12/15/2002 3:26:48 AM PST by tom paine 2
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To: spetznaz
'ex-presidents' with state coffers for transfer

I have this mental image of a certain ex-president looking for a sucker to help him launder the loot stolen from the White House and Air Force One.

43 posted on 12/15/2002 9:20:32 PM PST by steve-b
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To: dennisw
Apparently the English are even stupider as they're the ones flying the Lagos and getting kidnapped.
44 posted on 12/15/2002 9:23:23 PM PST by Rightwing Conspiratr1
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To: tom paine 2
Whenever there was a fax number in the body of the letter, I would send them a nasty fax and sign it Bill Clinton.

LOL! The ironic thing is, if Bill hadn't met Hillary he'd probably be back in Arkansas (unless he moved to another state one step ahead of the bunko squad) running scams like this.

45 posted on 12/15/2002 9:26:45 PM PST by steve-b
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To: Howlin; Ed_NYC; MonroeDNA; widgysoft; Springman; FreedomPoster; Timesink; AntiGuv; ...
Has anyone seen the Star Wars variation?
"Hold muh beer 'n watch this!" PING....

If you want on or off this list, please let me know!

46 posted on 12/15/2002 9:29:00 PM PST by mhking
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To: TinkersDam
I don't know if there are any legitmate Nigerian businessmen, but if there are, they sure must have a hard time doing business with anyone.

Isn't that the truth. The Nigerian nonsense has been going on longer than Methuselah. You would have thought everyone would have heard of that scam by now.

47 posted on 12/15/2002 9:34:27 PM PST by xJones
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To: analog
Nigerian scammer baiting - the new Internet bloodsport!

Thanks for tuning me in to this! I found a half dozen or so really hilarious sites-- I have been laughing all weekend. I particularly liked the ones where they get the scammers to go to Amsterdam for a meet and stand them up-- while watching them on a webcam and doing screen-grabs (to be attached to e-mail when the counter-scammer drops the bomb).

(signed)
Dr. Mugu Schadenfreude, Phd, BS, SOB.

48 posted on 12/15/2002 9:50:51 PM PST by Riley
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To: steve-b
LOL ...nice one.
49 posted on 12/15/2002 10:24:56 PM PST by spetznaz
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To: Pablo64
I don't ever recall getting one of those letters. Maybe I threw them out without opening them (I do that). Will you post the next one you recieve?
50 posted on 12/15/2002 10:46:19 PM PST by Ditter
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To: Ditter
Sure, I'll post the next one I get. Then we can all really make fun of it. Maybe we can even come up with some really unique ways to hassle these people back.
51 posted on 12/16/2002 5:38:18 AM PST by Pablo64
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To: analog; weikel; swarthyguy; PsyOp; VaBthang4; Gunrunner2; wardaddy; DBtoo
Goodness gracious!

I have never laughed as hard as i did when i read some of the amazingly clever (and effectively brutal) ways in which the counter-spammers tricked those foolish Nigerian scammers! It was just so darn funny i almost threw up my breakfast (gross, but true)! LOL

Gosh ....i especially liked the one where the guy supposedly works tracking 'Arctic Crocodiles migrating to the North Pole' ....however the one that grabs the prize is the crazy one where the dude actually convinces the kooky Nigerian (or Ghanian) to send an actual Gold sample!!!!!

Ay yi yi caramba!

And then there are the ones who actually convince the Nigerians to fly all the way to Amsterdam (where they wait in vain).

The website www.scamorama.com is just so darn hilarious!

I guess it is about time those Nigerian scallywags for a taste of their own medicine! However i am still shocked they still manage to find enough oafs to fool (they must bet fleecing folks since they make 2 billion dollars a year)! Still it is nice to know at least some are getting a taste of their own medicine.

LOL

52 posted on 12/16/2002 7:06:36 AM PST by spetznaz
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To: dennisw
I used to get three or four of those letters a day before I switched ISPs. I'm on AT&T Broadband now, and I don't think I've gotten a single piece of spam since I switched.
53 posted on 12/16/2002 12:07:21 PM PST by Bob Quixote
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To: analog
Thanks for that link. That is some of the funniest stuff I had read in a long time.
54 posted on 12/16/2002 7:41:20 PM PST by SC Swamp Fox
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To: Pablo64
Make sure you ping me.
55 posted on 12/16/2002 9:49:05 PM PST by Ditter
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To: Ditter
Well, after getting a rash of them when this topic was fresh, I hadn't gotten any till just recently. As promised, here is the entire text of this ridiculous scam email. I just can't believe that anyone would fall for this.

fROM: THE DESK OF DR EMEKA FRANK NIGERIAN GAS COMPANY PLC. LAGOS TEL: 234-1-775-0857 FAX: 234-1-759-7912.
DEAR SIR,
FIRST AND FOREMOST, I MUST SOLICIT FOR YOUR CONFIDENCE IN THIS TRANSACTION BY VIRTUE OF ITS NATURE BEING UTTERLY CONFIDENTIAL.
I AM DR EMEKA FRANK THE DIRECTOR OF FINANCE FOR THE NIGERIAN GAS COMPANY PLC. I CAME TO KNOW OF YOU IN MY SEARCH FOR A RELIABLE AND REPUTABLE PARTNER TO HANDLE THIS CONFIDENTIAL TRANSACTION WHICH INVOLVES A HUGE SUM OF MONEY TO BE ENTRUSTED IN THE HAND OF A FOREIGNER.
THE TRUTH OF THE MATTER IS THAT, A FOREIGNER BY NAME , LATE ENGINEER JOHN ANDERSON AN AUSTRALIAN CITIZEN, WHO WAS AN OIL MERCHANT WITH THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT OF NIGERIA, BEFORE HIS DEATH TEN YEARS AGO IN A GHASTLY AIR CRASH, DEPOSITED THE TOTAL SUM OF $10,200,000 (TEN MILLION, TWO HUNDRED THOUSAND UNITED STATES OF AMERICAN DOLLARS ) WITH US HERE IN NIGERIA AT THE NIGERIAN GAS COMPANY PLC. LAGOS, BEING PAYMENT FOR LIFTING OF GAS PRODUCTS FOR RE-SELL IN THE AUSTRALIAN MARKET. UPON HIS DEATH THIS SAID SUM OF MONEY HAS BEEN LYING IN THE CREDIT OF HIS ACCOUNT WITH US AND IS EXPECTED TO BE CLAIMED BY MR JOHN ANDERSON`S NEXT OF KIN.
SINCE HIS DEATH, FERVENT VALUABLE EFFORTS, HAVE BEEN MADE BY THE NIGERIAN GAS COMPANY PLC, TO GET IN TOUCH WITH ANY OF LATE ANDERSON'S FAMILY BUT TO NO AVAIL. IT IS BECAUSE OF OUR INABILITY TO LOCATE MR ANDERSON`S NEXT OF KIN, THAT THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF THE COMPANY ARE CONTEMPLATING THAT THE FUNDS WOULD BE CONVERTED TO THE COMPANY'S FUND IF CLAIM IS NOT MADE BY ENGR. ANDERSON`S NEXT OF KIN BEFORE OUR ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING COMING UP THIS FIRST QUATER OF THE YEAR.
ALL THAT IS REQUIRED FROM YOU NOW, IS TO ACT AS THE NEXT OF KIN, TO THE LATE ENGR. JOHN ANDERSON, AS THE MODALITIES SHALL BE WORKED OUT, TO FACILITATE THE RELEASE OF $10.2 M TO ANY BODY THAT WILL STAND FIRMLY AS THE NEXT OF KIN TO THE LATE ENGINEER WITHIN THE STIPULATED TIME. THE FUNDS WILL BE SUCCESSFULLY RELEASED TO YOU, AND IT WILL BE JUSTIFIABLY PRESENTED AS HAVING BEEN PAID TO THE NEXT OF KIN WHICH WE ASSUME TO BE YOU. YOUR INTEREST WILL BE PROTECTED AS NECESSARY DOCUMENTATION WILL BE PROVIDED CERTIFYING YOU, AS THE RIGHTFUL BENEFICIARY AND ADEQUATE PERCENTAGES (%) SCHEDULED FOR MUTUAL BENEFITS ARE INDICATED BELOW:
( 1 ) NEXT OF KIN WHICH IS YOU, -- 30% ( 2 ) MYSELF, THE ORIGINATOR -- 60% ( 3 ) 10% INCIDENTAL EXPENSES THAT MIGHT BE INCURRED IN THE COURSE OF THIS TRANSACTION.
NOTE THAT ALL MODALITIES NECESSARY FOR THE RELEASE OF THE FUNDS HAVE BEEN PERFECTED AND THE TRANSACTION IS 100% RISK FREE, AS NO TRACE WILL BE FOUND AFTER THE SUCCESSFUL COMPLETION OF THE TRANSACTION.
I AM WAITING FOR YOUR PROMPT RESPONSE.
BEST REGARDS
DR EMEKA FRANK
PLEASE SEND DOWN YOUR PHONE NUMBER , IT WILL BE NEEDED TO START THIS TRANSACTION.

As I said, I don't know how anyone could fall for this but, sadly, I bet some have.

56 posted on 01/08/2003 4:03:30 PM PST by Pablo64
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To: Pablo64
Thanks for posting. Unbelievable that someone would act on any e-mail offering to give them money.
57 posted on 01/08/2003 8:08:38 PM PST by Ditter
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To: Pablo64
I sent a reply to one.... Told him to eat rocks and swim where the wildebeests cross the river with the crocodiles. The A$$ replied.... said that he was going to put the voodoo man on me. Told him that I would feed the voodoo man some 230gr Hydra-Shoks... End of conversation.
58 posted on 01/08/2003 8:34:26 PM PST by Capt_Hank
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To: strela
Maybe the Nigerian scams are just nature's way of taking valuable capital out of the hands of idiots.

That's why we have Kublow and Cramer and Wall Street. We don't need any of those foreign scams. Heck, it's gotten so bad we're even importing scams now.

Richard W.

59 posted on 01/08/2003 8:41:43 PM PST by arete (Greenspan is an enemy of the people)
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To: Capt_Hank
I'm amazed you got a response. I called them every kind of low-crawling animal on the earth or under the earth and expounded on their dubious ancestry as well. Never heard back from them. It was a good way to have a little fun on my part.

Watch out for that voodoo man! LOL!!
60 posted on 01/09/2003 5:35:56 AM PST by Pablo64
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