A variation on the Nigerian scam, or something else?

Whistle
1

A few days ago I received the following email from someone who I’ve never heard of.

Goodevening to you.am called faridah
mukalugabira aged 13 ugandan by nationality residing
in kayunga 45 kms from kampala.i am in primary seven
vacation.am waiting for my results.i need to study
secondary school.i have no one to assist me.aids
killed my mother first and later father.i have no one
to help me yet i need to study so that i can have good
future.help me.be my guardian.God bless you.
Yours truly
faridah mukalugabira

Now, my first inclination was to treat this as a new form of the Nigerian scam. On second thoughts, the story is quite believable—a lot of children in Uganda are in precisely the situation described. On third thoughts, those children who are in this position are unlikely to have access to a computer, an email account and a way of targeting suitable overseas mentors. Or are they? Anybody else received something like this or have an opinion?

2

I had several similar posts from Russia and eastern Europe. I think it’s just another scam, so I just deleted those messages without replying.

3

On 2002-12-17 02:52, claudine wrote:
I had several similar posts from Russia and eastern Europe. I think it’s just another scam, so I just deleted those messages without replying.

Thanks claudine. Whilst I’m as sure as one can be in cases like this that the person who sent that email is not an aids-orphan, the big difference between this and the Nigerian scam is that lots of African children really are in this situation. That would, of course, make it a suitable replacement scam now people are better informed about the Nigerian one. Mystifying, though, how anyone ever fell for the Nigerian number. There’s no overestimating the power of greed to bring out stupidity … don’t leave the room Mr. Barnum, we still need your advice.

4

On 2002-12-17 02:20, Wombat wrote:
Now, my first inclination was to treat this as a new form of the Nigerian scam. On second thoughts, the story is quite believable—a lot of children in Uganda are in precisely the situation described.

Do children in this situation have computers and email?

Steve

5

Of corse us pour igorant unejucated peples need your mony.
VISA and Master card accepted!

6

My thoughts exactly… and don’t forget to include your bank account number with passcode, daytime phone and FAX so we can always be in touch!

7

Tony! You forgot “Mother’s maiden name”!!
TSK!
serpent

8

Oh… forgive me.
Here’s a snippet of one I received this weekend:

"I am Mr. Paul Wilson Bank Manager China Trust Commercial Bank,Taipei,Taiwan.
I have urgent and very confidential business proposition for you.
On December 6, 1999, a Foreign consultant/contractor with the Taiwan printon and minting, Mr.Brian Claude made a numbered time(Fixed) Deposit for twelve calendar months, valued at US$30,000,000.00,(Thirty Million, us Dollars) in my branch.

Upon maturity, I sent a routine notification to his forwarding address but got no reply. After a month,we sent a reminder and finally we discovered from his contract employers, the Taiwan printon and minting that Mr.Brian Claude died from an automobile accident.
On further investigation, I found out that he died without making a WILL, and all attempts to trace his next of kin was fruitless.

I therefore made further investigation and discovered that Mr.Brian Claude did not declare any next of kin or relations in all his official documents, including his Bank Deposit paperwork in my Bank.
This sum of US$30,000,000.00 has carefully been moved out of my bank to a security company for safekeeping.

No one will ever come forward to claim it. According to Taipei Law, at the expiration of 5 (five) years, the money will revert to the ownership of the Taiwan Government if nobody applies to claim the fund.

Consequently, my proposal is that I will like you as an Foreigner to stand in as the owner of the money I deposited it in a security company in a trunk box though the security company does not know the contents of the box as I tagged them to be photographic materials for export."

Yeah, right… a bank manager with a Yahoo e-mail account! oh… OK, it’s confidential.

9

Wow! This Mr. Wilson who writes such excellent English, is also soooo smart! I wonder how he spirited a trunk out of the bank, containing money, accountability for which has obviously never crossed his mind!?

The truly sad thing is, somebody will bite.

:roll:
serpent

10

Human greed can only be exceeded by human stupidity.

11

On 2002-12-17 05:08, SteveK wrote:

On 2002-12-17 02:20, Wombat wrote:
Now, my first inclination was to treat this as a new form of the Nigerian scam. On second thoughts, the story is quite believable—a lot of children in Uganda are in precisely the situation described.

Do children in this situation have computers and email?

Steve

Oh come on Steve, that’s exactly what I went on to say. It’s just a matter of reading all the way to the end of the paragraph.

12

OOps, sorry Wombat. I’ll read the whole thing next time.

Steve

13

No worries Steve. I hope nobody seriously thought I’d fall for that one. Actually, if I were a poker player, I’d hope someone did seriously think that. My point was only that children actually are in the situation described whereas the standard Nigerian scam is obviously a tall story from beginning to end.

14

Here are links to a few good sites that give information about hoaxes and urban legends:

http://www.snopes.com/index.html
http://urbanlegends.about.com/

John Mac

15

Sounds legit to me. In fact, that guy might be a relative! Should I contact him? Lassie, is cousin Paul in trouble?
:laughing:
Tom Wilson

16

We hear about these idiots all the time on the National Cartoonists Society board. Same at the ukuelele board. Don’t they have anything else to do in Nigeria?
The sad part is, someone will take the bait and end up as the lead story on some television news magazine…

17

On 2002-12-17 15:17, mtdtunes wrote:
We hear about these idiots all the time on the National Cartoonists Society board. Same at the ukuelele board. Don’t they have anything else to do in Nigeria?
The sad part is, someone will take the bait and end up as the lead story on some television news magazine…

This wasn’t meant to be a ‘mock the idiots’ thread although there’s no harm in doing that. This just strikes me as a troubling new development. Let me explain why.

In Australia, a Christian organisation (which I think is American) advertises in a big way for people to sponser children in 3rd world countries just like the one this ‘supposed’ child purports to be. Now, I think there is always a very fine line—much finer than is usually realised—between scams and genuine charities. I know some people who object to the child sponsership scheme on the grounds that the only beneficiaries are children who will be given a Chrisian upbringing—something not mentioned in the ads. What bothers me is that people who would never fall for the Nigerian scam might think that this is just another charitable initiative—yeah, I know they should be able to see through it but that’s not relly my point. This sort of thing will damage genuine charitable organisations—the Nigerian scam never will have that effect.

18

On 2002-12-18 01:05, Wombat wrote:

On 2002-12-17 15:17, mtdtunes wrote:
We hear about these idiots all the time on the National Cartoonists Society board. Same at the ukuelele board. Don’t they have anything else to do in Nigeria?
The sad part is, someone will take the bait and end up as the lead story on some television news magazine…

This wasn’t meant to be a ‘mock the idiots’ thread although there’s no harm in doing that. This just strikes me as a troubling new development. Let me explain why.

In Australia, a Christian organisation (which I think is American) advertises in a big way for people to sponser children in 3rd world countries just like the one this ‘supposed’ child purports to be. Now, I think there is always a very fine line—much finer than is usually realised—between scams and genuine charities. I know some people who object to the child sponsership scheme on the grounds that the only beneficiaries are children who will be given a Christian upbringing—something not mentioned in the ads. What bothers me is that people who would never fall for the Nigerian scam might think that this is just another charitable initiative—yeah, I know they should be able to see through it but that’s not really my point. This sort of thing will damage genuine charitable organisations—the Nigerian scam never will have that effect.

19

If you are interested in donating to a child who really does need help, you might consider contacting Christian Children’s Fund. http://www.christianchildrensfund.org/

The percentage of your donation that actually goes to the child is higher than with many other charities.

Although we are not currently sponsoring a child, my wife and I did so for several years. We received letters from our sponsored children, and when we sent extra money for a birthday gift, etc., they even told us what they bought with it.

Joy to the world!

Palsdad

20

latest junk-mail:

Hello. Excuse that I to you address and forgive to me my bad English language.
Your help is necessary for me. I the student.
I study in city of Tomsk. In army of me do not take because of illness.
The matter is that my girl was lost because of capture of hostages in Moscow the
Chechen terrorists.
We have met her of 6 years back and have grown fond each other.
And more her month with me is not present. I have no need to live more.
I more than once thought of suicide yet have not understood that I should make.
In my soul there was one fury to terrorists. The friend has advised me to
address for the help in the Internet.
I am going to go to the Chechen Republic but at me the grant of 600 roubles (20
dollars) and consequently I address to you.
Help please to me to find even money to the ticket up to Vladikavkaz and I am
farther I shall understand.
Money you can transfer on the account 674797 in payment system E-Gold
(http://webmoney.ee/en/16/ “bank transffer S.W.I.F.T.” or visit
http://webmoney.ee/en/exchange.php “another metod of transfer”).
Best regards Sergey Vorob’yov.