My Shot At Nigerian Millions (via Chuck Kuffner)
We've all seen them: the endless emails from long-lost Nigerian friends and relatives, asking for help in getting their hands on untold millions of dollars that are rightfully theirs but inaccessible in their current cirucumstances.
Perhaps none is better known than "advance-fee" frauds. Also known as "4-1-9" scams after the section of the Nigerian penal code that addresses them, these ploys usually involve a person pretending to have access to a vast sum of money that he or she needs help to get out of the country. In return for access to their bank accounts or other services, the soon-to-be victims are promised huge cuts of the "proceeds." Often, the victim is asked to fork out hundreds of dollars up front -- and then thousands -- to cover the bribes, administrative costs, and other fees that are said to be required before the money can be moved out of the country. And the money never materializes.
The Raving Atheist has struck up a dialogue the scammers who have been peppering his email box. He even asked me for a thelogical question that he could pose to his correspondent. My question ("Is masturbation a mortal sin?") hasn't been asked yet, but I'll be very interested to find out what sort of response it gets.
Sometimes, it really CAN be fun to play these twerps at their own game.
