Tarjous, josta ei voi kieltäytyä (Nigerian 419 Scam)

Sain tänään sähköpostia eräältä Ahmed Duke -nimiseltä mieheltä Sierra Leonesta.
Hän kertoi, että hän haluaisi siirtää 45 miljoonaa Yhdysvaltain Dollaria tililleni. Rahat ovat alunperin International Monetary Fund (IMF):n laina Sierra Leonen hallitukselle, mutta traagisten käänteiden johdosta rahat ovat nyt virallisesti "kadoksissa". Todellisuudessa Ahmed ja hänen kumppaninsa tietysti siirsivät rahat Johannesburgissa sijaitsevalle salaiselle tilille. Hän tarjoaa minulle 25% potista jos lähden mukaan leikkiin...

Asiaa hetken arvioituani ihmettelin suuresti miten kukaan voi oikeasti edelleen uskoa tätä todeksi, tämähän on jo vanha heikko xiit.
Ja netistä luin.. (Detroit Free Press)
Law enforcement studies estimate that 1 percent of the millions of people hustled each year in a 419 con -- also known as advance-fee fraud -- end up getting taken to some extent. In the United States alone, that adds up to annual losses of more than $100 million, according to the Secret Service. Globally, experts put the suspected annual take at $1.5 billion.

Muutama FAQ sitaatti Scam o Rama sivuilta:

Q: But isn't it possible that someone in a refugee camp in Togo (which is somehow equipped with internet service) managed to carry $20 million in two 'trunk boxes' through stormy seas and has somehow chosen me, out of the more than 100 million people with e-mail, to receive great wealth, through a divinely inspired plan?
A: No.

Q: They want me to meet them somewhere. Should I?
A: No!!

Q: But they're not asking me to go to Nigeria - only the country next door -
A: No, no!!

Q: But they want to meet me right here in the good old (name your good old nation). Isn't it safe to meet them here?
A: No, no, no!! Even worse. If they're in your neck of the woods and they're bothering you, call the police.

Q: The letter I got today is a little different from the one I got last week, could it be legitimate?
A: If you've received more than one, what does that tell you?

Q: We think this is a threat to national security. What do you think?
A: Well, maybe, but probably most of the Lads are just regular old crooks. Real terrorists probably have easier ways of making money. We read somewhere that 300,000 Americans die every year of lung cancer. Now that's a threat to national security.

Ja loppuun vielä pakollinen terroristi-salaliittoteoria:

"It was reported that US government sources think terrorists have used "419" scam letters as templates for transmitting terrorist plans - as in, "I am the son of a dead politician" means "Go ahead with the attack". The idea being that so many of these letters are in circulation that it would be hard to pick out the one which is code for a plot."

Maailma on kyllä ihmeellinen paikka.