Has anyone in history ever fell for this and, if so, how come people are still doing it and who is it responsible?

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From: Mr.Daniel Osondu Fax: Number +23417597019 Dear Sir, I am writing this proposal hoping that you would be of assistance in this business of mutual benefit. My name is Daniel Osondu an auditor at one of the Banks in lagos-Nigeria. During our last audit exercise,some amount of money totalling $18.5Million was discovered and traced to be owned by one late Engineer Manfred Becker, a foreigner who died in a crash. The source of this fund was further traced to be a contract payment made to him but has remained unclaimed till now.Since his death, nobody has shown up to claim this fund and this attracted our curiosity. I therefore made a research and found out that he did not leave any next of kin in his confidential document with the Ministry that he executed the contract for and also with our Bank. A panel setup by the Federal Government on recovery of funds expects that this fund should be unquestionably claimed by any of his available foreign next of kin or alternatively the fund should be donated for arms and ammunition at a military war college here in Nigeria. Fervent valuable efforts were made by the Panel to get in touch with any of the family or relatives but all have proved to no avail. It is because of the perceived possibility of not going to be able to locate any next of kin ( he had no wife and children) that the panel under the influence of our chairman, Rtd Major General Thomas Danababa , that arrangement is being made for the fund to be declared UNCLAIMABLED and then be donated to the Trust Fund for arms and ammunition which will further enhance the perpetration of war in Africa and the third world in general. To forestall this move, my colleagues and I have taken it upon ourselves to source for a foreign partner who could assist in claimimg this fund for further transfer abroad. I have been given the sole mandate to source for a partner as soon as possible to that effect.All documents and proof to enable you get this fund have been carefully worked out and I am assuring you a 100% risk free involvement. Your share would be 30% of the total amount if you agree to assist while 10% would be set aside to offset all expenses in course of the transfer and the rest would be for us for investment purposes in your country. If this proposal is OK by you, and you do wish to take the advantage of the trust we hope to bestow on you and your company, then kindly reach me immediately via my confidential fax number +23417597019 (ONLY FOR SECURITY REASONS) +23417597019 furnishing me with your most confidential telephone and fax numbers and exclusive email so that I can forward to you the relevant details of the transaction. I expect your urgent response. Regards, Mr. Daniel Osondu confidential e-mail

― Spoonered (Spoonered), Friday, 25 July 2003 12:27 (twenty-two years ago)

it really works

― stevem (blueski), Friday, 25 July 2003 12:28 (twenty-two years ago)

UH... RIGHT.

― Spoonered (Spoonered), Friday, 25 July 2003 12:30 (twenty-two years ago)

i thought this thread was about the closure of ILX

― stevem (blueski), Friday, 25 July 2003 12:30 (twenty-two years ago)

That's what Don Johnson was doing when he got arrested with all that cash, actually.

― Ally (mlescaut), Friday, 25 July 2003 12:30 (twenty-two years ago)

Ally ist genius.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Friday, 25 July 2003 12:31 (twenty-two years ago)

i was thinking abtthat story earlier - so what happened to Don? any updates?

― H (Heruy), Friday, 25 July 2003 12:32 (twenty-two years ago)

Business man duped by Nigerian scam (and kidnapped). Estimated that this scam could be costing the Uk over £150 million a year.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/1438082.stm

― Bob Six (bobbysix), Friday, 25 July 2003 14:06 (twenty-two years ago)

people in Saskatchewan keep falling for it.
I was wondering what sort of wacky letters people in Nigeria get?

― Horace Mann (Horace Mann), Friday, 25 July 2003 14:27 (twenty-two years ago)

A friend of mine is in mid-correspondence with one now. Said South African gentleman, Dr Murray, denies being my friend's long-lost father, but sounds none too keen on him bringing his boyfriend when they meet in Switzerland to establish their offshore bank account.

― Matt DC (Matt DC), Friday, 25 July 2003 14:32 (twenty-two years ago)

There was something about this sort of thing on the telly recently; a Scotland Yard detective said that about 75 people report being hit by these scams in the UK every year. Their average loss is about £100,000 each.

(or maybe it was £10,000. Either way, they're still a bit thick to fall for it)

― caitlin (caitlin), Friday, 25 July 2003 15:30 (twenty-two years ago)

It's like the Boomhauer method of hitting on women.

― Horace Mann (Horace Mann), Friday, 25 July 2003 15:34 (twenty-two years ago)

The Boomhauer method of hitting on women is taught in all Nigerian schools.

― N. (nickdastoor), Friday, 25 July 2003 15:42 (twenty-two years ago)

I love it when they include your name in these things. At work, I am in charge of the computer system that generates the online directory, and there is a corrections account which comes to me, among others, so I get these things saying "We have selected you after due research as a trustworthy individual, Mr directory-corrections."

― Martin Skidmore (Martin Skidmore), Friday, 25 July 2003 20:42 (twenty-two years ago)

easy money = timeless classic for duds

― lolita corpus (lolitacorpus), Friday, 25 July 2003 22:07 (twenty-two years ago)

give these nigerians all of yer money cal...er, spoonered. they're completely reputable. and if they aren't, nigerian courts and government officials are renowned for being extremely honest and diligent.

― Tad (llamasfur), Friday, 25 July 2003 22:10 (twenty-two years ago)

Double barrelled, Martin? Report to the posh thread immediately!

― Mark C (Mark C), Friday, 25 July 2003 22:12 (twenty-two years ago)

The Nigerian Advance Fee Fraud? Oh hell yes, it works. It works so well, in fact, that the State Department issued an advisory several years ago warning business professionals not to fall for the various tricks these people perpetuate. Sure, it may be easier to dismiss when it's done via e-mail, but when a business is sent an official-looking document with official seals and whatnot, it's very easy for the unsuspecting to think the offer is genuine.

Here's a link to a PDF version of the aforementioned advisory pamphlet describing Nigerian Advance Fee Fraud. Just FYI.

― Just Deanna (Dee the Lurker), Friday, 25 July 2003 23:55 (twenty-two years ago)

http://fsc.syste.ms/wasteland/sket200.jpg
http://www.global-air.com/global/graphics/nigerian%20scam.gif

― Dada, Friday, 25 July 2003 23:56 (twenty-two years ago)

At least give these credit for their optimism.
I mean, these have been around for HOW LONG and been debunked HOW MANY times, but still they circulate, and still, people fall for them.
I say, at this point, if you fall for it, you deserve to.

― Horace Mann (Horace Mann), Saturday, 26 July 2003 01:59 (twenty-two years ago)

Someone called my office to say that they had been duped by this scam -- given a false check, tried to cash it, ended up in jail even though they were the ones frauded by the scam. (Even though the story was sad, it was hard not to laugh at them for falling for such an idiotic and well-known scam. But I was able to feel sympathy; I would never make it as a sysadmin.)

― Chris P (Chris P), Saturday, 26 July 2003 04:03 (twenty-two years ago)

Whoever did the art on that last Dada post surely had seen (and admired) this:

http://www.martinbisi.com/jpg/sy_evol.jpg

― nickn (nickn), Saturday, 26 July 2003 06:21 (twenty-two years ago)

word of the day:
UNCLAIMABLED

― weatheringdaleson (weatheringdaleson), Saturday, 26 July 2003 06:27 (twenty-two years ago)

I wish I could find this story I read about some normal middle-aged dude who fell for this scam for something like 5 years, and sent around a million dollars to them, eventually embezzling and committing fraud himself to pay for it. crazy.

― Dan I. (Dan I.), Saturday, 26 July 2003 07:03 (twenty-two years ago)

Snopes says the scam has been around since the 1920s!!

― teeny (teeny), Saturday, 26 July 2003 12:03 (twenty-two years ago)

For 50 years it didn't work at all, then some computer science professors and US military staff turned on their email and the scam got rolling.

― N. (nickdastoor), Saturday, 26 July 2003 12:06 (twenty-two years ago)

those wacky nigerians

― electric sound of jim (electricsound), Saturday, 26 July 2003 12:11 (twenty-two years ago)

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