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southlatropical
07-04-2008, 12:18 PM
Happy 4th of July everyone. My wife had to work and I'm home with my 3yr old son who is sick. I'm bored out of my mind and was goofing off online. I checked my e-mail and there was another one of those solicitations offering to pay me a sum of money. These e-mails are always something like.........

"You've won the lottery in Zimbabwea. Just pay the taxes and claim your prize of one million dollars."

Or...........

"Help! I'm in a foreign country and need someone to claim my inheritance. I'll pay you for your troubles. Just pay this fee and I'll share the inheritance with you."

Here is a copy of the one I got today.........

> From Miss Sarah Jones
> Abidjan Cote d'Ivoire.
>
>
>
> (CONFIDENTIAL MESSAGE)
>
> Dear
>
> Good thing to write you. I have a proposal for you.This however is not
> mandatory nor will I in any manner compel you to honour against your
> will.
>
> I am Miss Sarah Jones, the only daughter of my late parents Mr.and Mrs
> Samuel Jones , My father was a highly reputable busnness magnet-(a
> Cocoa Merchant, Diamond and Gold Dealer)who operated in the capital of
> Ivory coast during his days. It is sad to say that he passed away
> mysteriously in
> France during one of his business trips abroad on 2nd March 2007.Though
> his sudden death was linked or rather suspected to have been masterminded
> by an uncle of his who travelled with him at that time. But God knows the
> truth! My mother died when I was just 4 years old,and since then my
> father
> took me so special.
>
> Before his death on 2nd March 2007 he called the secretary who
> accompanied him to the hospital and told him that he has the sum of
> Fifteen Million,Five Hundred Thousand United State
> Dollars.(USD$15.500,000) deposited in Suspence Account in the Bank here
> in Abidjan Cote d'Ivoire .
>
> He further told him that he deposited the money in the Bank in my name
> as the next of kin and my late father instruct his lawyer to handover
> the Official Documents that covered the Money in the Bank to me in my
> year of 19years old.
>
> I am a university undergraduate and really don't know what to do.
> Now I want a foreign partner who assist me to receive the money into
> his/her Bank Account for onward investment of the money.
>
> This is because I have suffered a lot of set backs as a result of
> incessant political crisis here in Ivory coast.The death of my father
> actually brought sorrow to my life.I am in a sincere desire of your
> humble assistance in this regards.
>
> Your suggestions and ideas will be highly regarded.
> Now permit me to ask these few questions:-
> 1.Can you kindly tell me what the type of a profitable venture this fund
> will uesd to invest avoid waste of it.
> 2). Can you honestly help me as your daughter?
> 3). Can I completely trust you?
> 4). What percentage of the total amount in question will be good for you
> ?
>
> Thank you so much.
>
> Yours Sincerely,
> Miss Sarah Jones.

I was about to delete it and block the sender. Then I decided to entertain myself and respond to the e-mail. This is how I replied............

Dear Sarah Jones,

I am Mr. Fartface McGullicuty. I am the Secratary Treasurer for the small island country of Toecheesia. You have an unclaimed estate here from a distant relative with a value of one hundred gazillion dollars. All that is required is that you pay the taxes in the amount of $5,000.00. Please contact me as soon as possible or your estate will be forfieted according to law to the general fund of the Toecheesian government.



Thnak you
F. McGullicuty
Secretary of the Treasury
Royal Republic of Toecheesia

mskitty38583
07-04-2008, 12:27 PM
sorry to hear your son is sick. i like your reply. LOL!!!:islandsharkbanana:

Richard
07-04-2008, 12:59 PM
If the sender has a valid email address, I send them this:

Sir,

This is your lucky day! Yours is exactly the 1,000,000th (1 millionth) email I have received since the inception of the internet, which I helped create decades ago.

To celebrate this wonderous event, I have elected to award you up to $1,000,000 or more U.S. dollars to spend as you wish. For more information, please contact me at this address.

Thank you and congratulations!

Richard Frost

southlatropical
07-04-2008, 01:07 PM
:ha::ha::ha::ha::ha::ha:
Good one.

mskitty thanks for the kind words.

CookieCows
07-04-2008, 02:28 PM
That's hilarious!

Since you have nothing to do right now ... my avatar shows the Canna Intregue and Musa Canna rhizoms I got from you afew months back. Growing great guns! I have the Butterfly Ginger in a pot not shown but it's growing equally as well. Many thanks!!

Deb

Well after looking at the photo.. they're alot taller and thicker now!

southlatropical
07-04-2008, 02:43 PM
Deb,
That's great to hear! Glad they are doing well for you. Just wait till next year, my canna Intrigue are over 8 feet tall right now. In the first year cannas sometimes grow and bloom at a short height. Once the rhizome gets some size to it they take off for the sky.

southlatropical
07-05-2008, 08:04 AM
Now I'm being offered a mail order bride. I must be on some list of potential idiots.

Privet, gentleman

Maybe, you could fly to me tomorrow and bring me to your home, to get
married me and to call me your sweet wife. It is my bright pink dream. I
know that it can't be not tomorrow and not even the next day, because I am
nobody for you and my letter will turn out to be big surprise for you. I am
right.
But I am able to change everything right now and from pretty stranger I want
to become very special person in your life. If You would be ill and I would
be happy to take care of you; You would have interesting news into your
life, and I would be close to you to share happy moments with you. Don't you
agree that it is real happiness when you come after work and light windows
of sweet home wait for you, when you open the door and you feel sweet kisses
and hugs onto your body? I think that nothing in the world can be compared
with such simple family happiness.
I need it very much and my letter, which you hold into your arms, proves it.
You need not to look for me long, I am right here
superbiglove.net - Irina (http://www.superbiglove.net/7693/)
and wait till I can greet you warmly.

Waiting for your letter
Irishka

Chironex
07-05-2008, 09:52 AM
A lot of these scammers are actually working to fund Al-qaida terrorist activities. There are lots of romance scams and lotto scams you will find in snopes.com Many of these are based in Nigeria - a hotbed of Al-qaida scammers.
Your reply was fun to see, but I was wondering if a reply could cause an avalanche of more spam to your email box.

MediaHound
07-05-2008, 10:12 AM
If you reply, they know they have a valid email address and they put you on another list of those that are known to actually open and read the emails. Best is to not reply otherwise you end up getting yourself even more of the spam later on.
In addition, if any of those emails ever have an image in them, dont accept the image as that image can also inform them that you opened the email. They can pass your email address through a variable in the image server and log you to a database.
Be careful out there!

Dean W.
07-05-2008, 12:55 PM
I've been getting quite a few of these lately. They supposedly come from Africa, the UK, and China. They talk about untimely deaths etc and how I'm the benifeciary of millions of dollars. I just delete them.:p

Richard
07-05-2008, 03:44 PM
If you reply, they know they have a valid email address and they put you on another list of those that are known to actually open and read the emails. Best is to not reply otherwise you end up getting yourself even more of the spam later on.

Very true, except in my case if the email I send them doesn't bounce, I pass that address along to my old friends from arpa net. :banananinja:

Dean W.
07-11-2008, 07:21 PM
Here's one for you all! I got it in my spam box!




Dear Friend

I am Mr. Alexander .A. Flockhart Assistant Executive Director of the Hang
Seng Bank Ltd, Hong Kong .I have a Business Proposal of ($30,MILLION) for
you to handle with me.

one of our client made a fixed deposit of 30 million dollars in my bank
wish i want you to stand as the next of kin so that this funds can be
moved out of my bank .i have everything planned out.

Once the funds have been transferred out of my bank We shall share in the
ratio of 60% for me, 40% for you, Should you beInterested please send me
information's below,

1. Full names and Age
2. Private phone number
3. Current residential address.

And finally after that I shall provide you with more details on this
Transaction. Your earliest response to this letter will be highly
Appreciated.

Kind Regard,s

Alexander Flockhart.
:ha::ha::ha::ha::ha::ha::ha::ha::ha::ha:

As if!!!!

mskitty38583
07-11-2008, 08:05 PM
i dont understand how people believe this scam. i watched on cnn or 20/20 the other night about things like this and they said that they cant proscute overseas.

Dean W.
07-11-2008, 08:19 PM
I know it's unbeliveable!