Just got this email that somehow evaded my spam folder:
In a brief introduction, my name is George Michael. My intention of contacting you is to have a discussion with you regarding an investment that I want to build in your country. Urgently confirm the receipt of this message with your direct telephone number to enable me call you immediately and furnish you with details.
I will be waiting for your reply as you finish reading this message.
My question: does anyone respond to these things? I know the answer must be “yes” or people wouldn’t bother to generate them and send them, but it’s still hard to believe, since the ploy is so transparent.
[ADDENNDUM: Due to busyness, part II of the Cronkite piece will appear somewhat later than usual today.]
Previously a lifelong Democrat, born in New York and living in New England, surrounded by liberals on all sides, I've found myself slowly but surely
December 31st, 1969 at 5:00 pm
you have to do the math. if someone can send out say 10,000 emails a day for 100 days that is 1,000,000 emails. what if 1/10th of 1% respond and send money to upper slobovia? that is 1000 respondents. now say 1% of those send say $100. then that is $1,000 for the effort. in nigeria that is a princely sum. enough to ake sure your daughter gets a couple years more school or is able to see a doctor. i think you know where this is heading. some are duped, but the dupers need the boost, badly.
the hobo
December 19th, 2006 at 6:53 pm
Come on, Neo. If people can believe in Noam Chomsky, Cronkite, and Carter’s bs, why not some stranger in an email?
December 19th, 2006 at 7:37 pm
Yeah, Dumbass Democrat Congressman Ed Mezvinsky–Chelsea Clinton’s future father-in-law.
For millions of his and his clients’ money….
http://blogs.abcnews.com/theblotter/2006/12/father_of_chels.html
What do I win?
December 19th, 2006 at 9:44 pm
I actually got a letter yesterday informing I won some euro-lottery. Transparent scam, but I was amused, I did not know they bothered with snail mail anymore, it being so much more expensive and difficult than e-mail. Of course that tells me just how lucrative these are.
December 19th, 2006 at 9:49 pm
Yes people do respond to these things. I was talking to a US postal inspector once and he had a case where a woman had given a large amount of money after an anonymous solicitation. He tried to explain to her that she had been defrauded, but she refused to believe it.
Yes, it does happen.
December 19th, 2006 at 9:59 pm
Yes. This is the major means of fund raising for liberals.
December 19th, 2006 at 10:56 pm
And here I thought George was on tour.
December 19th, 2006 at 11:07 pm
I heard that troutsky, Steve, UB, Spanky, pete and neoneoconned did really well with their George Michael investments…
December 20th, 2006 at 12:08 am
Now, now. Don’t attribute worse sense to liberals than they demonstrate. There’s enough of that.
December 20th, 2006 at 2:46 am
Let’s just call it Assisting Lefty Villagers, and leave it at that.
December 20th, 2006 at 9:50 am
It is called “greed” - it is amazing what the human mind can rationalize if it really really wants too.
There are satire webpages that post e-mails from believers - the website it self has “satire” in name, “satire” in header, and satire in the footer and *still* get questions if the Nigerian billionaire philanthropist is real (they heard there was a scam but are not sure - this sounds real) and if so how to get a hold of him.
Of course, some of them are fake, but then others are not. If they didn’t work they wouldn’t be sent.
December 20th, 2006 at 2:24 pm
I get several of the con emails per week and they go to the spam folder where they are easily deleted. I’ll make a little wager, millions of Americans fall for the email scams and 99 44/100% of them vote democrat. Any more questions about why they keep sending them out.
Over 45% of the American people need some type of mental health care (UC study), and 48% of Americans normally vote democrat. I see a connection.
December 20th, 2006 at 3:15 pm
Check out the “scam baiting” topic on Wikipedia at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scam_baiting
“Scam baiting” is pretending to fall for a scam in order to yank the spammer’s chain, so to speak. I wouldn’t try it myself - don’t know if it might be dangerous, but there are some very funny examples on the web of correspondence between clever scam-baiters and scammers.
December 20th, 2006 at 3:22 pm
I don’t know. I have this e-mail from Naser Al Belooshi (don’t know if he’s related to Jim Belushi or not) in Bahrain who will give me part of his $4 million fortune for distributing 80% to the poor. I’ll get $800,000 as soon as I give him my bank account information.
He knows I am a kind and generous person who will do his wishes, unlike his evil and greedy family who will only use it for themselves. Though it does seem strange this Bahraini would use an Italian e-mail address. I guess he is rich enough to afford the long distance connection charges.
Well, off to see if my account can hold that much money.
December 20th, 2006 at 4:20 pm
A few years ago, the Securities & Exchange Commission put up a scam website advertising some kind of quite unbelievable investment–something like “gold-backed senior debentures with minimum yield of 70% annually.” The idea was that when someone clicked the “invest here” button, they would get a message from the SEC warning them that “if this had been a real investment website, you would have lost money.”
Apparently, some of the would-be victims tried to contact the “website owner” and inform them that their site had been hacked by the SEC. They still wanted to invest!
When I read about this, I immediately thought of those who continue to be true believers in the UN…..
December 20th, 2006 at 4:55 pm
If you ever see the sites where someone scams the spammers, they are hilarious. They go right through the whole process with them, right up to arrest.
December 21st, 2006 at 7:08 pm
Over 45% of the American people need some type of mental health care (UC study), and 48% of Americans normally vote democrat. I see a connection.
Scrapiron | 12.20.06 - 9:29 am | #
The land of therapy is ever lasting, Neo. You chose a good career path as a member of the Left!
December 27th, 2006 at 9:47 am
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Improvements also continue to be made in the automated processes used to
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electronically. In the future it is likely that methods of capturing and
printing digital images may rival the quality of chemical prints
December 27th, 2006 at 9:48 am
http://www.mentalhealth.net.in
developments include an increased understanding of the brain’s function
through the study of neuroscience, the development of effective new
medications and therapies, and the standardization of diagnostic codes
for mental illnesses
December 27th, 2006 at 10:25 am
http://www.tutorials.net.in
December 27th, 2006 at 10:39 am
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http://www.onlinecasino.org.in
December 27th, 2006 at 1:59 pm
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http://www.moobel.org/moobel.php