A variation on the Nigerian scam, or something else?

Wombat · Post by **Wombat** » Tue Dec 17, 2002 1:20 am

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?

claudine · Post by **claudine** » Tue Dec 17, 2002 1:52 am

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.

Wombat · Post by **Wombat** » Tue Dec 17, 2002 2:28 am

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.

SteveK · Post by **SteveK** » Tue Dec 17, 2002 4:08 am

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

popeye · Post by **popeye** » Tue Dec 17, 2002 6:19 am

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

Tony · Post by **Tony** » Tue Dec 17, 2002 6:30 am

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!

serpent · Post by **serpent** » Tue Dec 17, 2002 7:38 am

Tony! You forgot "Mother's maiden name"!!
TSK!
serpent

Tony · Post by **Tony** » Tue Dec 17, 2002 8:16 am

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.

serpent · Post by **serpent** » Tue Dec 17, 2002 9:27 am

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

Chuck_Clark · Post by **Chuck_Clark** » Tue Dec 17, 2002 9:42 am

Human greed can only be exceeded by human stupidity.

Wombat · Post by **Wombat** » Tue Dec 17, 2002 9:50 am

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.

SteveK · Post by **SteveK** » Tue Dec 17, 2002 9:58 am

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

Steve

Wombat · Post by **Wombat** » Tue Dec 17, 2002 10:03 am

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.

goesto11 · Post by **goesto11** » Tue Dec 17, 2002 10:44 am

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

WyoBadger · Post by **WyoBadger** » Tue Dec 17, 2002 1:16 pm

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

Tom Wilson