InBoxRevenge KS Forum

One of the most frantically-composed 419 emails I've seen in ages.



Wow. I have won ten.five million dollars!!11!

I love how they say something really stupidly broad like "I decided to will my money to you" and then send it to "undisclosed recipients". How do we coordinate the split? I've never met any of these people. How do I coordinate all of this?

Yet people still fall for them. Just boggles the mind.

SiL

reading that hurts my eyes, gawd.

LOL

I'm seeing a lot of these with the first line being "I have a new email address!", which usually show up after I've successfully shut down a handful of them in a row.

Today's features what would have to be considered a less-than-ideal choice for a reply address:



Really? Mohammed Attah? Are you high?

SiL

wow, Mohammed Attah? That's just stupid. Cannot find many words for that one.

I've had many of those and I got the impression it was an email template available for (new?) users from yahoo.in or yahoo.jp. The 'new' email address in the body was the same as the sending address but there was a different (often yahoo.com.hk) address in the 'reply-to' header.

That's correct. And in this example he used a different one in the tail end of the copy:

westerntransfer1@hotmail.fr

I can't confirm that the ones I reported got shut down (with the only exception being Gmail, which I know takes my reports seriously) but it seems like quite the coincidence if this isn't the case.

Never mind that this guy sends me 18 of these per day now. It used to be anywhere from 3 to 7, never more than that each day. How is it possible that anyone would fall for these?!

SiL

Yahoo used to send boiler plate responses that while they couldn't disclose what they did, they did take action 'in accordance with our Terms of Service'. They don't appear to do that anymore.

Sometimes I'd forward those responses on to the scammers address, partly to let them know if they continued to send me their 419 emails, I'd make things a little tougher for them to scam others by having their addresses cancelled, but also to see if the email would bounce (indicating that Yahoo did properly terminate the account).

One can also check the status of a Yahoo account through:
http://profiles.yahoo.com/<user_name_of_account_in_question>

Terminated accounts would get a 'profile doesn't exist' message.

Don't know of any such methods for hotmail or any other freebie email accounts.

I do not believe this has worked for several months now. It sure was nice when it did work.

Yes, Yahoo turned off its Profiles last summer, 2008, I believe. I recall several people on some message board complaining about it. I think Yahoo was pushing the 360 Social Networking tool - or something along those lines.

Both Yahoo and Hotmail / MSN / Livemail are now completely unresponsive to abuse complaints. But I notice that one of my hotmail accounts got a notice popup asking to become some kind of spam / scam alert reporter. That was two weeks ago. Never heard anything since.

Their reputation for shutting this activity down is at rock bottom, and the criminals know it.

SiL

Yahoo at least seems to be reasonably responsive, I registered a Yahoo.com forged fake mail header address for myself a month ago to see what would appear, thousands of automated bounces then a termination for being associated with spamming. Maybe all the complaints tipped it or could they be resonably on the ball?

29/01/2009.

Hello Terry,

I know this will come to you as a surprise..I have been in search of someone with this last name "TERRY ", so when I saw your name I was pushed to contact you and see how best we can assist each other. I am Lambert Kagoono, a Banker here in GHANA. I believe it is the wish of God for me to come across you on skype now. I am having an important business discussion I wish to share with you which I believe will interest you because, it is in connection with your last name and you are going to benefit from it.

One Late Shafi Terry,a citizen of your country had a fixed deposit with my bank in 2004 for 36 calendar months, valued at US$18,400,000.00 (Eighteen Million, Four Hundred Thousand US Dollars) the due date for this deposit contract was this 16th of January 2007. Shafi was among the death victims in the May 26, 2006 Earthquake disaster in Jawa, Indonesia that killed over 5,000 people. He was in Indonesia on a business trip and that was how he met his end.
My bank management is yet to know about his death, I knew about it because he was my friend and I am his account officer. Shafi did not mention any Next of Kin/ Heir when the account was opened, and he Shafi was not married and no children. Last week my Bank Management requested that I should give instructions on what to do about his funds, if to renew the contract.

I know this will happen and that is why I have been looking for a means to handle the situation, because if my Bank Directors happens to know that Shafi is dead and do not have any Heir, they will take the funds for their personal use, so I don't want such to happen. That was why when I saw your last name I was happy and I am now seeking your co-operation to present you as Next of Kin/ Heir to the account, since you have the same last name with him and my bank head quarters will release the account to you.

There is no risk involved; the transaction will be executed under a legitimate arrangement that will protect you from any breach of law. It is better that we claim the money, than allowing the Bank Directors to take it, they are rich already. I am not a greedy person, so I am suggesting we share the funds, 45% for you and /50% for me and 5% will be set aside for any expenses that you may incure, my share will assist me to start my own company which has been my dream. Let me know your mind on this and please do treat this information as TOP SECRET. We shall go over the details once I receive your urgent response strictly through my personal email address, [email protected] .

We can as well discuss this on phone; let me know when you will be available to speak with me on Skype. Have a nice day and God bless.
Anticipating your communication.

Kagoono.

really funny when they "shout" in email

They seem to talk in circles. They have allegedly "verified your file", and yet they still need to know your name? Your occupation?

It honestly boggles my mind that anyone would fall for these. Th victims apparently seem to omit 99% of the text and focus on the "$2.6M" word only.

Ridiculous!

SiL

Could be fun when they go through customs, having paid so little attention.
"What is the purpose of your visit?"
"I'm here to meet Mohammed Attah on business."