"Franz Heymann" wrote in message ...
"anita" wrote in message
s.com...
Hi everyone

Sorry for this OT question, but i don't know what to do.
I have been sent an email from someone in africa asking for help and
bank details, i know this is a con, but are we to report this to
someone , i remember seeing something on tv and reports in news, and i
can not remember if i should just delete it or report it.

I have a strong feeling that nothing will happen if you report it, so you
might as well just reply to them that you have reported them, even if you
don't do anything.

Franz Heymann


Duh!

NEVER EVER REPLY TO SPAM. It gets you more spam. Never ever tell
people WHO ARE KNOWN TO BE VIOLENT that you have reported them to the
authorities.



--
Neil Jones- http://www.butterflyguy.com/
"At some point I had to stand up and be counted. Who speaks for the
butterflies?" Andrew Lees - The quotation on his memorial at Crymlyn
Bog National Nature Reserve.

"Franz Heymann" wrote in message ...
"anita" wrote in message
s.com...
Hi everyone

Sorry for this OT question, but i don't know what to do.
I have been sent an email from someone in africa asking for help and
bank details, i know this is a con, but are we to report this to
someone , i remember seeing something on tv and reports in news, and i
can not remember if i should just delete it or report it.

I have a strong feeling that nothing will happen if you report it, so you
might as well just reply to them that you have reported them, even if you
don't do anything.

Franz Heymann


Duh!

NEVER EVER REPLY TO SPAM. It gets you more spam. Never ever tell
people WHO ARE KNOWN TO BE VIOLENT that you have reported them to the
authorities.



--
Neil Jones- http://www.butterflyguy.com/
"At some point I had to stand up and be counted. Who speaks for the
butterflies?" Andrew Lees - The quotation on his memorial at Crymlyn
Bog National Nature Reserve.

In article ,
(martin) wrote:

MOST SPAM HAS FORGED HEADINGS.

Yes but an African fraud letter doesn't because it would fail totally if
it did (unless there's an alternative address in the body)

Bouncing mail back or even writing something rude wastes their time and
may take their mailbox over quota.

Steve Harris - Cheltenham - Real address steve AT netservs DOT com

The message
from (Steve Harris) contains these words:
In article ,
(martin) wrote:

MOST SPAM HAS FORGED HEADINGS.

Yes but an African fraud letter doesn't because it would fail totally if
it did (unless there's an alternative address in the body)

Bouncing mail back or even writing something rude wastes their time and
may take their mailbox over quota.

And if you're posting it back through your ISP they can do a 'whois?'
and you may well find an armed yardie on your doorstep.

DON'T MESS WITH THEM.

--
Rusty Hinge http://www.users.zetnet.co.uk/hi-fi/tqt.htm

Dark thoughts about the Wumpus concerto played with piano,
iron bar and two sledge hammers. (Wumpus, 15/11/03)

In article ,
(Jaques d'Alltrades) wrote:

And if you're posting it back through your ISP they can do a 'whois?'
and you may well find an armed yardie on your doorstep.

A whois on most people's ISP will show that they are (say) a BT customer
which hardly gets them to your doorstep. Violence perpetrated by African
scam/spammers is confined to those who actually travel to meet them and
even then it is very rare.

Mind how you cross the road on the way to the Garden Centre :-)

Steve Harris - Cheltenham - Real address steve AT netservs DOT com

The message
from (Steve Harris) contains these words:
In article ,
(Jaques d'Alltrades) wrote:

And if you're posting it back through your ISP they can do a 'whois?'
and you may well find an armed yardie on your doorstep.

A whois on most people's ISP will show that they are (say) a BT customer
which hardly gets them to your doorstep.

And done with a bit of knowhow, can turn up name, address etc.

Violence perpetrated by African
scam/spammers is confined to those who actually travel to meet them and
even then it is very rare.

Many who are enticed to meet their contacts (esp. in Nigeria) are kidnapped.

Mind how you cross the road on the way to the Garden Centre :-)

Too true. It's a four mile walk.

--
Rusty Hinge http://www.users.zetnet.co.uk/hi-fi/tqt.htm

Dark thoughts about the Wumpus concerto played with piano,
iron bar and two sledge hammers. (Wumpus, 15/11/03)

In article ,
(Jaques d'Alltrades) wrote:

Many who are enticed to meet their contacts (esp. in Nigeria) are
kidnapped.

Very few go to Nigeria now because of it's reputation. It's much more
usual to get the fool to go to Amsterdam or other "safe" places. Most of
the fools who make the journey pay up without trouble. It is far too
much effort to kidnap and hold someone in Europe if they won't pay,

The stories about kidnaps and violence are circulated in an
understandable desire to frighten people off doing something silly.

Your modern Nigerian conman is extremely professional.

Steve Harris - Cheltenham - Real address steve AT netservs DOT com

On Sat, 20 Dec 2003 11:56 +0000 (GMT), (Steve
Harris) wrote:

In article ,
(Jaques d'Alltrades) wrote:

Many who are enticed to meet their contacts (esp. in Nigeria) are
kidnapped.

Very few go to Nigeria now because of it's reputation. It's much more
usual to get the fool to go to Amsterdam or other "safe" places. Most of
the fools who make the journey pay up without trouble. It is far too
much effort to kidnap and hold someone in Europe if they won't pay,

The stories about kidnaps and violence are circulated in an
understandable desire to frighten people off doing something silly.

Your modern Nigerian conman is extremely professional.

Earlier this year the BBC reported that the police had stated that the
average UK sucker had got caught for UKP17,500 .

Re_Amsterdam one letter I had actually gave a Dutch mobile phone
number.
--
Martin

In article ,
(martin) wrote:

Re_Amsterdam one letter I had actually gave a Dutch mobile phone
number.

Extremely common (or garden :-)

Steve Harris - Cheltenham - Real address steve AT netservs DOT com

On Sun, 21 Dec 2003 01:39 +0000 (GMT), (Steve
Harris) wrote:

In article ,
(martin) wrote:

Re_Amsterdam one letter I had actually gave a Dutch mobile phone
number.

Extremely common (or garden :-)

but I called it and got an Idi Amin sounding voice
--
Martin

On Sun, 21 Dec 2003 09:42:07 +0100, martin wrote:

On Sun, 21 Dec 2003 01:39 +0000 (GMT), (Steve
Harris) wrote:

In article ,
(martin) wrote:

Re_Amsterdam one letter I had actually gave a Dutch mobile phone
number.

Extremely common (or garden :-)

but I called it and got an Idi Amin sounding voice
--
Martin

The message
from martin contains these words:

--
Martin




Heloooooooo!

Anyone theeeeeeeeere?


Harry?


Speak to me!

--
Rusty Hinge http://www.users.zetnet.co.uk/hi-fi/tqt.htm

Dark thoughts about the Wumpus concerto played with piano,
iron bar and two sledge hammers. (Wumpus, 15/11/03)

On Sun, 21 Dec 2003 10:45:44 GMT, Jaques d'Alltrades
wrote:


Heloooooooo!

Anyone theeeeeeeeere?


Harry?


Speak to me!

very near
him: 'allo dare
me: 'allo dare
him: 'allo dare
....
me: 'allo dare
him: 'allo dare

puts phone down wonders if he can trace the call to my office.

http://www.sigsy.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/calendar/
--
Martin

In article ,
(martin) wrote:

Re_Amsterdam one letter I had actually gave a Dutch mobile phone
number.

Extremely common (or garden :-)

but I called it and got an Idi Amin sounding voice

Yes, an african in Holland. It's allowed.

Recently, 103 (one hundred and three) Nigerians were arrested in Madrid
in connection with similar scams. Amsterdam is a MUCH bigger centre for
this sort of thing.

If you follow this up, you will be invited to Amsterdam where a
"protocol officer" will meet you at the airport and drive you to rented
offices. There they would convince you that the money existed (EG:
Showing you a box with some real dollar bills on the top few layers)

If at that point, you pay the requested fees, they will issue a receipt
and ask for the Anti-Terrorist/Drug Enforcement Certificates relating to
the cash. If, perchance you don't have this paperwork, they refer you to
someone who can fix it - for a further fee...

And if at any point, you turn up without a required fee, they will
remind you of the ever increasing storage charges or a risk that the
fund will be recalled to the Central Bank unless you act very soon ....

Violence is not required and would get the fraudster thrown out of
Europe possible via a jail.

There are many varieties - even variegated ones :-)

Steve Harris - Cheltenham - Real address steve AT netservs DOT com

On Sun, 21 Dec 2003 14:01 +0000 (GMT), (Steve
Harris) wrote:

In article ,
(martin) wrote:

Re_Amsterdam one letter I had actually gave a Dutch mobile phone
number.

Extremely common (or garden :-)

but I called it and got an Idi Amin sounding voice

Yes, an african in Holland. It's allowed.

Recently, 103 (one hundred and three) Nigerians were arrested in Madrid
in connection with similar scams. Amsterdam is a MUCH bigger centre for
this sort of thing.

If you follow this up, you will be invited to Amsterdam where a
"protocol officer" will meet you at the airport and drive you to rented
offices. There they would convince you that the money existed (EG:
Showing you a box with some real dollar bills on the top few layers)

If at that point, you pay the requested fees, they will issue a receipt
and ask for the Anti-Terrorist/Drug Enforcement Certificates relating to
the cash. If, perchance you don't have this paperwork, they refer you to
someone who can fix it - for a further fee...

And if at any point, you turn up without a required fee, they will
remind you of the ever increasing storage charges or a risk that the
fund will be recalled to the Central Bank unless you act very soon ....

Violence is not required and would get the fraudster thrown out of
Europe possible via a jail.

There are many varieties - even variegated ones :-)

Steve Harris - Cheltenham - Real address steve AT netservs DOT com

I prefer the Nigerian approach to vice in Rome. About 10 years ago the
Nigerians flooded the city and the surrounding area with prostitutes,
the girls all looked identical, like a successful experiment in
cloning. I used to drive along a country road south of Rome to work,
that at 8 a.m. had a prostitute about every 100 yards. One sat on a
battered arm chair placed on top of a compost or midden at the side of
a corn field. On the way home one evening, I saw that the farmer had
set alight to the stubble, she was still sitting in her armchair
wreathed in smoke. She looked like a black Jean d'Arc.

--
Martin