(Mis)Uses of Technology

(Mis)Uses of Technology

by Mike Masnick




The Amazing Morphing 419 Scam

from the cries-for-help dept

I've always wondered why the 419 scams always seem to use Nigeria as the country the money is supposed to be coming out of. Admittedly, many of the 419s actually do start in Nigeria, but you would think if they're going to lie anyway, why not pick somewhere else? So, now, just a day after a bunch of 419 scammers were arrested, I guess it's not that big of a surprise to find out the scam is starting to morph. The latest version is supposedly from a US soldier in Afghanistan trying to smuggle drug money out of the country. It still amazes me that anyone actually falls for these scams, but you have to give the scammers credit for their persistence.

1 Comments | Leave a Comment..

 
 

Reader Comments

(Flattened / Threaded)

  • May 23rd, 2002 @ 5:48am

    I love this scam

    by D Henkel-Wallace

    Only because the people who get taken in are themselves greedy (the pitch is "help me rip someone off and I'll cut you in on the take"). Even my 4 year old knows this is wrong!

    (reply to this comment) (link to this comment)

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