Do we have 'stupid' stamped on our heads?
You know the infamous Nigerian "419" scam, right? The one where some former high-ranking government minister is due millions but is prevented from accessing the funds? The one where, if you will provide him with your bank account number, they will share the wealth with you? Yeah, that one....
What a sweet deal. I send him my bank account number, Dr. Abubarkar Bello sends me the money. Dr. Bello is happy because he now has my account number and I have no money, plus I have “stupid’’ stamped on my forehead.
Just another e-mail from my buddies in Nigeria.
Of course, if Dr. Bello finds out I’m writing about him, I’m in big trouble, because he swore me to absolute secrecy in his e-mail. “I solicit your utmost confidence in this transaction. It is confidential and top secret.’’....
Dr. Bello always gives me the same basic sob story — he’s trying to represent officials of the Nigerian government who are “interested in investments’’; i.e., they want to clean out stupid American people’s savings. He tells me they want to buy fishing boats or explore for crude oil. However, as luck would have it, the funds they need for their projects are “trapped’’ in Nigeria. Therefore, they’re soliciting the help of people like me and you “to enable us to transfer into your account the said trapped funds.’’
Dr. Bello goes on to explain how the money got stuck in limbo, and that now they have a bunch of people — including Dr. Bello — reviewing the whole situation. But since they are members of this review panel, “we cannot acquire this money in our names.’’ Hel-lo! This is where the idiot factor comes in. We are the potential “foreign partner into whose account we would transfer the sum of $100 million in U.S. dollars.’’ Bring it on, baby!
Wow, how do I get in on the action?? (NOT....) With as many different variations of this scheme as I've deleted from my mailbox, I can't help but wonder if anyone has actully been stupid enough to actually fall for this? Could someone actually be gullible enough to think that this is legitimate? Do I REALLY want to know the answer to that question?....
