Comments on: After-Midnight Blogger: High Up People Write Poetically To Strangers Edition

By: archangel

archangel — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 07:16:56 +0000

well Geez, Greendreams, that is really quite an article. Thank you for giving the link. Essentially, for readers; this scam has been going on for several decades and is based on a letter writing by hand set of scams before that. It does appear that a good many did originate offshore and via Africa, one supposition being that actually a group of students at an African U. began the ongoing scam. There also is a far darker side to persons drawn into the scams being kidnapped and murdered. There have been prosecutions and convictions, but also the move from handwritten or typed solicitation letters to electonic ones has made some tracing more difficult. The aggregate amounts of money scammed by persons who apparently initially believe this is a once in a life time chance to cash in one something slightly shady to begin with, is apparently huge. From what I read in GreenDreams link, the people are not scammed so much, as they are drawn by thinking they might participate in a shady deal with profit and no down side. Boy.

and Ghost... that's what I call you, Ghost... smile, I think they use robot software that takes email addresses from all unprotected websites and servers. Thou aint alone.

And River, Mr. Madoff. You know, I wouldnt be surprised. I spoke to a friend in ny who is famliar with the law there, and my one question was What's Madoff up to that he caved so completely, what's in it for him? His reply, in part, was in order protect a pile of people who are accessories to the fact of the crime. Honor among theives is a strange thing...

dr.e

By: Ghostdreams

Ghostdreams — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 03:38:04 +0000

Thank YOU for posting this Doc!
I thought I was being singled out for some sin I commited in a previous life or something.
It's good to know I'm not alone… Sad to hear that it's such a big racket (someone HAS to be replying to these idiots or they wouldn't bother to continue to send them, eh?).

da Ghosty

By: GreenDreams

GreenDreams — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 00:33:49 +0000

Here's more than you really wanted to know about this, compliments of Wikipedia. The State Department collects copies of these letters.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Advance_fee_fraud

By: river

river — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 17:08:48 +0000

NPR did a segement once about people here in the U.S. that had taken the bait. . .

Who knows it might be a subsidiary of Bernie Madoff. . .