About damn time.

May 24, 2002 2:43 AM

About damn time. If I ever get another email asking me to go to Nigeria on behalf of Mr.Ngkoskusomethingoranother for some large sum of cash I could just...
posted by lostbyanecho (12 comments total)

And all this time I thought I was special, that Mr. Ngkoskusomethingoranother had picked me because of my stellar social responsibility. I'm so disappointed.
posted by Poagao at 2:55 AM on May 24, 2002

This is the best news I've heard in a long time. These guys have been going for ages. I used to get their offers through the post/mail back in the 80s. I also know someone who fell for it - for a while at least. Will we ever find out how much they took?
posted by zimbobzim at 4:04 AM on May 24, 2002

i received yet another one of these this morning... if they've been busted why are they still spamming me...? i guess there's probably more than one of these operations, but it was from a mr. unpronouncable of nigeria...

what i really don't understand is how anyone falls prey to this sort of scam.
posted by t r a c y at 4:19 AM on May 24, 2002

Once, whilst drunk, I forwarded one of these Nigeria e-mails to both the US Secret Service (wire fraud?) and the UK Serious Fraud Office. Strangely no reply from either...
posted by prentiz at 4:42 AM on May 24, 2002

A new version is now making the rounds, involving an American soldier trying to get terrorist drug money out of Afghanistan.
posted by nickmark at 6:46 AM on May 24, 2002

zimbobzim, don't celebrate so quickly. This is just one node of the scam, which is but a single well-known scam operated by Nigerians. Unfortunately, there's a lot of accumulated experience in how to run them. I doubt that this single arrest will eliminate the scam, just as arresting one three-card monte team doesn't wipe the scourge off the streets or subways.
posted by dhartung at 8:15 AM on May 24, 2002

I not know what talk you about! I invest small noodles with Nigerian Friendlys and make 35 MILLION US DOLLARS. Opportunity you have up passed unforgivable.

Dendrites!
posted by Kafkaesque at 8:52 AM on May 24, 2002

Sounds pretty much like the government run lotteries...just another way to fleece ignorant dreamers.
posted by HTuttle at 10:13 AM on May 24, 2002

the eWeek "gossip columnist" mentions the scam from time to time, and a few weeks ago said he'd read it "reportedly is the third- to fifth-largest industry there" (full column) so probably no cause for celebration yet.

(myself, I've never gotten a copy of this particular bit of spam. not that I want it, either....)
posted by epersonae at 11:33 AM on May 24, 2002

The BBC has reported a list of the top ten e-mail scams for last year, and the Nigerian scheme is on there. People are dumb.
posted by Ufez Jones at 12:06 PM on May 24, 2002

I got a nice friendly one from a Mr Tutu of South Africa this morning. He was very keen on giving me a million pound, due to my excellent credentials.

Any man who suspects I have excellent credentials or indeed any money to be scammed out of needs their head examined.
posted by none at 12:30 PM on May 24, 2002

Appearing next in your inbox: appeals for $$$ to fund some sort of legal defense fund for these hoaxsters, after which you will be generously reimbursed following the release of their now-frozen assets.
posted by davidmsc at 12:02 AM on May 25, 2002