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Just when I thought they were starting to get a handle on the various types of spam advertisement drek, one comes along that just blows my mind. Logging into my GMail account, I find that I have a GCalendar invite to a ‘meeting’. The details are attached and range somewhere between threatening and laughable. Not to mention a new spin on the revered 419 Nigerian Scam.

{removed e-mail}, you are invited to

ATTN:

Sat Mar 29 7am – 8am
(Timezone: Hawaii Time)
Calendar:

ATTN:
THIS IS TO INFORM YOU THAT THE PRESIDENCY IS VERY AWARE OF ALL YOUR ACTIVITIES WITH SOME OF OUR CORRUPT OFFICIALS IN THE PAST COUPLE OF MONTHS, WE ALREADY HAVE SOME SECURITY REPORT ABOUT THAT AND IN VIEW OF THAT, WE REQUEST THAT YOU HENCEFORT, STOP ANY CORRESPONDENCE WITH THEM IN YOUR OWN INTEREST.
PLEASE NOTE THAT THE NEW ADMINISTRATION OF HIS EXELLENCY, ALHAJI MUSA YA’RADUA DOES NOT WANT ANY BODY THAT WILL TARNISH THE GOOD IMAGE OF THE NIGERIA, HENCE HIS RESOLVE TO THE ADHERANCE OF THE RULE OF LAW AND DUE PROCESS.THE PRESIDENCY IS ON A VERY CLOSE WATCH OF THOSE IMPOSTORS WHOM HAVE COLLECTED LARGE SUMS OF MONEY FROM YOU IN THE PAST. WE ARE SERIOUSLY MONITORING, WE SHALL SOON ARREST AND PROCSECUTE THEM ACCORDINGLY, PLS. DONT EVER LET THEM BE PRIVY OF THIS VERY PREVILEGE IMFORMATION.
HAVE YOU CARED TO ASK YOUR SELF ONE VERY IMPORTANT QUESTION SINCE THE COMMENCMENT OF YOUR SO CALLED TRANSACTION WITH THOSE FRAUDULENT OFFICIALS AND THE QUESTION YOU SHOULD ASK YOUR SELF IS, [WHY HAVE YOU NOT RECEIVED YOUR FUNDS EVER SINCE, DESPITE ALL THE MONIES YOU HAVE PAID].
THIS NEW ADMINISTRATION DOES NOT TOLLERATE ANY FORM OF CURRUPTION AND AS SUCH HAS REVOKED YOUR FUNDS WITH IMMEDIATE EFFECT AND YOU ARE HEREBY WARNED NOT TO FURTHER COMMUNICATE WITH ANY OF THOSE IMPOSTORS WHO ARE TARNISHING THE IMAGE OF OUR DEAR COUNTRY, NIGERIA.
THE PRESIDENCY HAS DIRECTED ONE OF OUR CORRESPONDENT BANKS TO EFFECT THE IMMEDIATE RELEASE OF YOUR FUNDS WITH OUT FUTHER EMCUMBURANCE AND ONCE I RECEIVE YOUR MAIL IN THAT LIGHT, I WILL INSTRUCT THE CORRESPONDENT ANK TO REACH YOU IMMEDIATELY AND ADVICE YOU ON WHAT TO DO SO AS TO RECEIVE YOUR FUNDS ASAP.FINALLY, WE ARE
SINCERLY SORRY FOR ALL THE UPSETS AND INCONVENIENCES YOU WENT THROUGH WHILE DEALING WITH THOSE IMPOSTORS.
NOTE THAT ALL REQIURED ORIGNAL TRANSFER DOCUMENTS WERE KEPT ON HOLD BECAUSE YOU WERE DEALING WITH IMPOSTERS.
WE SHALL FURNISH YOU IMMEDIATLEY WITH ALL THE DOCUMENTS FOR YOUR ENDORSMENT AND APROVAL OF TRANSFER
OF YOUR FUNDS.
THANKS AS I EXPECT TO HEAR FROM YOU SOON.
ALHAJI BABAGANA GINGIBE,
SECRETARY TO THE GOVERNMENT OF NIGERIA

I’m wondering whether the kind Mr. Gingibe, who has my best interest at heart, realizes that I already know about the scam, so haven’t participated in it. Maybe he’ll send me all the money anyway, in preparation for the next scam?!??

How DARE those (previous) impostors impersonate officials from the great country of Nigeria. It’s a good thing that the authorities in Nigeria can automatically track where some 10 million e-mails a day go, co-ordinate who responds to the e-mails, and then send out messages to those people asking for help busting the perps. I wish OUR government agencies had this level of organization and technical expertise.

There’s One Born Every Minute

There’s so many different types of scams, confidence tricks, hustles, and other illegitimate schemes to separate you from your money, that it’s a vital necessity to VERIFY, VERIFY, VERIFY they’re legitimate. Sites like Snopes.com go a long way from dispelling a lot of these rumors and e-mails.

Even the ones that sound relatively benign can have repercussions that no one thinks about.

An Example - There are a number of e-mail chain letters going out recently that were warning about the FCC releasing cellphone numbers to telemarkerts on April 1st, (note the date :)), and that they needed to get on the national do-not-call list or face lots of calls.

The reality, telemarketers are already highly restricted from calling cellphones as-is. The national do-not-call index does exist (and is a good idea to get on), but the FCC releasing phone numbers was completely false.

Since the e-mail was a chain-letter, the obvious first effect is the exponential explosion of similar e-mails by those unsuspecting but helpful souls sending it to everyone in their address book, who then turn around and do the same thing, etc, etc, lather, rinse, repeat.

This bogs down e-mail systems with (useless) e-mails, costing Internet infrastructure companies and local ISPs (Internet Service Providers) to eat up the bandwidth costs. As with other fees in other businesses these costs are eventually passed on to you and I to absorb, via higher prices for Internet access.

Sounds Too Good to be True? Then it Isn’t

Before you send off that next virus warning, or respond to ANY spam (which is a bad idea anyway) that it’s probably best to get some second opinions on whether it’s real or a scam. You could inadvertently be helping the scammers by being a nice person.

Have you ever been the victim of a scam? Share your tale, and a warning to others by leaving a comment.

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