Really enjoyable scam

[janskov]

I must share this one. My mail has been tiresome for a couple of days and then this very entertaining Nigeria mail arrives.
--------------
Subject: WANT TO RENT. ( REPLY IN ENGLISH LANGUAGE)
To: janskov@komarna.com
HELLO SIR/ MA,
I AM MR LIVINGSTONE ANTHONY DOUGLAS BY NAME, 53 YRS OF AGE,
A BRITISH CITIZEN, WORK IN WEST AFRICA AS A JOURNALIST FOR A BIG FIRM WHICH THEIR HEAD QUARTERS IS AS BASED IN THE UNITED KINGDOM.
I SHALL BE COMING OVER ON AN HOLIDAY AS SOON AS POSSIBLE, SO
I WAS TOLD BY THE COMPANY TO GET A SUITABLE APPARTMENT OF MY CHOICE WIICH THE COMPANY WILL BEAR THE COST. I GLANCED THROUGH YOUR APPARTMENT AND I FELT ITS SUITABLE FOR ME. I WILL BE STAYING THERE FOR PROBABLY TWO MONTHS.
I WILL LIKE YOU TO SEND ME THE TOTAL COST OF RENTAGE FOR THE APPARTMENT
I EURO FOR SIX MONTHS.
REGARDS. MR DOUGLAS.

[Alan Knighting]

Ho! Ho! Who could doubt it?

Of course, I am convinced that all British journalists display such an immaculate command of the English language.

Or, am I?

Alan

[e-richard]

No sooner did I pick myself up from the floor laughing, than this one hit my inbox only tonight.

I still cannot work out what it all means

__________________________________________________

Subject: Home Vacatioanl For Mr Paul XXXX

Hello
Am Mr Paul XXXX Am from me and my family will like to know how yourun this rentel,well are on a vacation for this year (Nov1 2005 and checking out March 31st 2006) and we are as well willing to buy a small house around that area that your house is located,well we are referring to that will wanted to Rent your aprt that you havefor rent on a monthly rentel or weekly rentel we are planning staying i mean we wanted to buy a small house in that area butbefore then we wanted to stay for 6 months or 6 weeks rentel ionly want to stay around and check the security area before i buy the house that i intends to buy in that area ok,so i will be veryglad to have the amount for the monthly rentel and if you do notrun monthly rentel we are as well ok by weekly rentel,i will be very glad to tell you that we are much interested in renting yourhome,well will like have all info that you think real tenetwill n! eeded to know about,well we w ill be starting the rentel bysep 2005 till march 2005 and as well while we stay in the aprtwe will be making uses of things like bike and some otherassecories i hope that is Ok.i have 2 kids and one wife and me allmaking 4 in number,i will needs to know more about
the house you have for rent,any way i will be willing to hear from you sonner ok.
Thanks Alot.
Mr Paul XXXXX
Family Refrence
Paul XXXXX
Richmond Bc Canada
Business Located here in Uk.
Wife Destination Rome Wale.

_________________________________________________

Of course, this may be genuine because he only has 1 wife

[Garri]

I love stuff like this! I get some weird orders through my site's cart from Nigeria and guess what? All of them were declined!

Not sure if you're aware of it but this site is dedicated to stuff like this. I spent hours at this site and had to stop.

http://www.419eater.com/

[Alan Knighting]

e-richard,

I have had exactly the same "enquiry" three times, but each time from a different source.

I responded with a request for a postal address on the pretext of wanting to send a full printed brochure. No reply!

Alan

[e-richard]

Alan,

Was that wise ? What you have now done is confirmed that your email address is valid (and "appropriate") for further spamming.

I never "unsubscribe" to Spam and never set "out of office" messages in email for fear of simply confirming that my email address is valid.

[Alan Knighting]

Was that wise ?

In reply I will be blunt.

I have had an e-mail address since "Adam was a lad" and I have never been precious about it. I regard it as a means of communication and if other people don't know what it is they can't communicate with me. It is quoted on all my mail, it is quoted on all my e-mails, it is quoted on my rental listing sites. Certainly, I get my fair share of spam and scam (don't we all?) but I think that is the price one has to pay for being open.

In the same way, I have had a telephone number for over fifty years. It has never been ex-directory, it is quoted on all my mail, it is quoted on all my e-mails, it is not "Caller-ID" barred.

In my opinion the "problem" to which you refer is at best an invention and is completely over-hyped and over-exagerated. I think it is "trendy" but I am "fluffy". I will, of course, revise my view if the blitz happens but, after all these years, it will be a bit late in coming. In the meantime I am not getting excited about what I think are other peoples' illusions.

The unwelcome stuff which gets past my two firewalls, two anti-virus systems, two anti-spam/anti-scam systems and one anti-spy system I find incredibly easy to deal with.

Thanks for your concern.

Alan

[Chris from slowtrav]

Hello everyone! I monitor the inquiries going to our customers on slowtrav.com, so I occasionally check this message board to see if there's a new trick I should be watching for.

I remembered this thread and thought you might get a laugh out of the story sent last night to one of my customers who rents a vacation home in California:

Dear Sir,

I represent CONCEPT TRAVELS a tourist based company situated here in Ghana,
I have a client who intends to embark on a tour in califonia, with his mistress,this as i discuss with you is quite confidential,the cost you must know is not a problem but my client is quite a shrewd man so pls make the details as clear and apt as possible,reason why i deem it better to let you do this bookings and reservations,is with regards to his status here in Ghana,
he would like to take her to a few interesting places that you may see to be of interest to them as this is for her birthday gift.My client is a politician so this arrangements would be done with a different identity just a weeks holiday or there about, pls advice on the following asap.

resorts available for siting,
cost of hotel accomodation,
cost of transportation: flight as well as land,

pls comfirm this details and respond immediately, so i can forward you costing to my client.
I would also request you phone number for possible phone discuss if the need arises.

[Fraise]

I expect your client took the booking immediately!!! LOL!!!

Chuckle time

[paolo]

Hello Chris from Slowtrav and welcome to the forum!

Anyone who doesn't know it, slowtrav.com is a rather excellent site, dedicated to 'slow travel' - that is, the sort of people who stay in our rental homes. Worth checking out if you are planning a trip:
www.slowtrav.com

They also have an ad listings section.

[Alan Knighting]

Does pls as an abbreviation for the English word please come from some particular ethnic group or is it something used by the shorthand "text me" community? For me, it's one of the obvious give-aways in scam messages.

[vrooje]

I'm not sure, but I see it a lot in text messages. Sort of the "hey u wup, call me ur gr8" group.

I read somewhere, maybe in Eats, Shoots, and Leaves, that younger kids are using these odd-looking contractions in their school papers and things. Boundaries of spelling and grammar are blurring. It's madness!

Anytime I view an abbreviation like that in an e-mail, I think the person writing it must be sort of childish. I can't help it.

[Alan Knighting]

Brooke,

"R U up 4 it?"

Sadly, that's not an invitation. It is an example of this new texting language we are expected to tolerate.

Alan

[paolo]

Brooke,

"R U up 4 it?"

And they say there's no more romance in the world...

[janskov]

In Scandinavia pls is used a lot in email - sorry.

What really gives this guy from Ghana away is the fact that a politician travelling with a girl friend has to be kept confidential.
I have lived in West Africa and everybody with a bit of power and position has girl friends.
And the wives do not complain since they have their boy friends to keep them happy.