Please send me all your money...

Ah yes, the never-ending stream of junk sent via the internet. One could
infer that my blog also qualifies. Nevertheless, this new e-mail reflects
yet another attempt to capture what cash you have on hand. The message is
honest in regards to "random" selection of your e-mail address. Not unlike
the perpetual random requests for lists, collages and other trivia from
Facebookers; this message seems to be randomly compiled from real
information on the internet.

If anyone actually believes that a random firm, government or person would
be willing to fork over cash in exchange for a nominal fee, I will be happy
to conduct a deprogramming seminar for only half of whatever amount you are
being asked to surrender.

-----Original Message-----
From: Cnooc Corporation Company [mailto:cnooc1982@cnooc.com.cn]
Sent: Monday, March 02, 2009 3:00 PM
To: undisclosed-recipients:
Subject: Good Day

Human Resources Service Co.
Cnooc Oil Base Group Ltd.
Address:6 Dongzhimenwai Xiaojie,
Dongcheng District, Beijing, China 100027 Telephone:010-8452101, 010-8453198
Fax:010-6460250 EMail:cnooccorporations1982@yahoo.cn
Website:www.cnooc.com.cn

DESK OF: Mr. Wu Mengfei (Chief Financial Officer)

Good Day,

This is a letter from CNOOC Oil Base Group Ltd, visit our corporate website
for more info: www.cnooc.com.cn

We know that you may be surprise on how we got your email address,your email
was picked at random by our Gmek System use to randomly select the right
candidate for this position.We want to make you our payment agent there in
your location and your reward is 5% please contact us for more
information.We hereby assure you that you will not regret working with us.

Our company (CNOOC) was established in 1982. We are interested in employing
your services, to work with us as our payment agent our north America
customers will make payment to you on our behalf for goods and raw
materials we supplied to our customers in North America.

We deal on Oilexploitation, technical service, chemicals, fertilizar
production, refining,natural gas, power generation, financial services,
logistic services and new energies development.

Most payment ranges from $20,000.00 to $3.3 Million US Dollars please if you
are interested forward the following info to us:

1. Your Full Name:
2. Payment should be made to: Company?s Name:
3. Your Full Contact Address(Postal Address):
4. Phone/Fax Number:
5. Occupation:

Thanks for your understanding, we are expecting your reply as soon as
possible.

Yours Sincerely,
Mr. Wu Mengfei
Chief Financial Officer.

Protect your Visa card online...

My father will be 80 years old this year.  He was born in 1929, prior to the stock market crash.  He has lived through an extraordinary life and continues to do so.  I can truly say that he is someone whom I admire deeply and would list as my top hero.  It is, perhaps, with age that we appreciate the contribution of our parents to who we are.  One thing I admire about my father is his ability to connect with people.  He carries with him some surprising biases, but he maintains a courtesy and civility to everyone which (I think) truly reflects his feelings.  This courtesy, alas, also extends to the internet. 

 

A couple of years ago we set him up with a computer.  He is interested in genealogy and we though this may be a good way to get him moving on his projects.  Like me, my dad has a variety of interests and often starts projects with good intentions, only to see them idle on a shelf.  Family history has remained a constant, if inconsistent, pursuit.  In his introduction to the internet, he has met every Nigerian bank officer, deposed dictator, European heiress and other e-mail persona hucksters and con artists care to offer.  I am not sure he has a skeptical bone in his body.  Worse, these e-mails are becoming more sophisticated.  Social engineering techniques and phishing sites are creating more compelling messages designed to part us from our identity, cash or both!  

 

The message below arrived in my inbox today and I though of dad.  Aside from the horrible English, the message appears legitimate - save that any contact from your Visa card would have at least two or three personal identifiers.  My dad is not alone, there are a host of individuals on the net who - with complete innocence - respond to suspicious e-mails and enter far too much information on websites.  Who we are is one of the last elements that remains protected.  Even the Lifelock CEO, who promotes his program by using his social security number, has found himself the victim of fraud and deceit.

 

---

From: VerifiedbyVisa [mailto:protect@protectvisa.com]
Sent: Wednesday, December 10, 2008 2:33 AM
To: undisclosed-recipients
Subject: Protect your Visa card online with a personal password
Importance: High

Protect your Visa card online with a personal password

Solution

Create an additional password to protect your existing card for online purchases

We are proud to announce that Visa Europe in association with all European and U.S. banks launch a new campaign against online fraud and reward all participants with a 50,00 Euro bonus just for enroll and secure your card. Your personal bonus code is VISA-884AM-4423-2008 ( after you use the code please delete the email or keep it private, conform our privacy  and policy you cannot use your code twice, for more info please visit our Privacy and Policy )

Please enroll now by clinking the Global Visa Site select your country and follow the easy steps for a better security on your card.

 Global Visa Sites (CHANGED FROM SCAM SITE IN ITALY)

Do not be the next victim and fight with us against credit card fraud. 

The overwhelming amount of deception and trickery on the web is not simply confined to attempts to steal your identity.  A host of individuals who promote their own agenda or worldview make their home in the ether, complete with seemingly authentic endorsements, credentials and "facts".  Most recently, Deepak Chopra quoted Wikipedia for a count of civilians killed in the Iraq war.  Never mind that this figure is hotly debated by expert agencies, to quote Wikipedia is akin to saying;

 

"I heard it from my cousin's, brother-in-law's step sister."   

 

There is a lot of good research and information on Wikipedia, but all of it must be validated and no one will take a Wikipedia reference as a valid source.  No matter your cause, you can find support on the web.  Denizens of Lemuria among us, Chemtrails, Illuminati control of the banking system, suppression of real news (Ken McCarthy's BrasscheckTV is a purveyor of such bunk), anti-Vaccination / Autism adherents (Jenny McCarthy is a dedicated mom and a passable actress - but she is no scientist), and the list goes on forever.  In fact, take this challenge.  Make something up.  Google it.  I would be willing to bet that your neophyte idea is on the web - even if only in satirical form. 

 

Trouble is, like these compelling e-mails, it takes time, energy and a skeptical approach to sort the truth from the lies.  Most people either don't care, don't have the time or skills to dig a little deeper.  Do you read all the terms on that credit card application you just filled out?  Do you realize the introductory rate is null and void if you are more than 15 days late on a payment?  Do you know the new rate will be the maximum allowed by law, sometimes as high as 31% APR? 

 

Read the fine print.

 

Check the sources.

 

Dig a little deeper.

 

Know the bias.

 

Doubt.

One born every minute...

PT Barnum was right. You can fool all of the people some of the time.

Ah, the never-ending stream of scam e-mails.

This one particularly struck me as inventive. Apparently some nameless
person has deposited some money in an account for me! Hooray! I only
have to send a copy of my ID and personal information to claim this
tremendous benefit! I suspect that if one were to add up all the funds
offered via these internet scams, it would exceed the total amount of
cash in circulation. And yet, people continue to fall for these types
of frauds.

-----Original Message-----
From: Ruiu Monica [mailto:ruiu.monica@orange.nl]
Sent: Thursday, February 14, 2008 2:17 PM
To: undisclosed-recipients:
Subject: Congratulation Your Payment Is Successful

Good day,

I have been waiting for you since to come down here and pick
your bank draft but did not hear from you since that time then i went
and deposited the 1.200,000.00 Euros draft/cheque in the bank.

We have arranged your payment through swift card payment center
Asia pacific, this card center will send you an Atm Card which you will
use to withdraw your money in any Atm machine in any part of the world,
but the maximum is One Thousand, Five Hundred Euros per day.

Kindly contact the below person who is in position to release
your ATM Payment Card. Send your information which they will use to send
the card to you.

1::Your full name::
2::Your home address were you want them to send the atmcard::
3::Current occupation::
4::Age::
5::Your current home telephone number/mobile phone number:: ::
6::A Copy of your identification::

However, kindly contact the below person who is in position to
release your Atm Card.

DR HENRY IWUEKE DIRECTOR,

ATM Payment Department Apex Bank

Email Address: atmapex@myway.com <mailto:atmapex@myway.com>

I have paid for the processing charges.the only money that your
are going to pay to them is only 100 Euros which they will use to obtain
the affidavit of onwership from the federal high court of Benin
Republic.

Try to contact them as soon as possible to quicken the
processing of your card before your draft gets expired .

Let me know as soon as you receive your card. Wait for your
respond.

Thanks You For Your Good Co-operation in this matter.

RUIU MONICA

I have left the included e-mail addresses intact in the hopes that some
mail trolling spider program will add them to their own spam lists and
thus provide some counter to this nonsense.

By no means are internet cash offers alone being swallowed hook line and
sinker by gullible people. Individuals are investing a lot of money in
unproven (and dangerous) cancer cures, diet pills, suspicious
"enhancement" drugs and a host of other "too good to be true" items and
programs. If you, for example, are depressed, the Church of Scientology
would like to talk to you, because, after all, psychiatry kills.

Our complicit media is equally to blame for this continued lack of
critical thinking among the populace. Recently, the governor of New
York - Elliot Spitzer - published an article in the Washington Post
claiming that a little known federal department was the root cause of
the sub prime crisis - preventing the noble states from enacting their
predatory lending laws.

Balderdash.

Governor Spitzer has used his bully pulpit as the AG for New York, and
now governor, to pursue his version of social activism. And yet his
actions as AG and governor have been far from pristine in terms of
ethics.

The issue at hand is with the nature of humanity to deal with problems
quickly and simply. When we roamed the African plains, we simply ran
from danger. This has morphed into a virtual fleeing from
accountability and reason. We want a solution and are unwilling to
stick around to understand the situation.

Understandable, but the tendency towards wishful thinking has eclipsed
many a rational thought.

Now if you'll excuse me, I need to e-mail Ms. Monica...