419ers still at it
You would think with these scams having been around for so long people would have caught on, but no, 419ers are still going strong. No longer content with the relative safety of the unsolicited email these people seem to be stepping things up by moving to instant messaging. This could either lead one to believe they’re still finding success with these scams and are branching out to increase revenues or, as is more likely the case, people are getting wise and their emails are getting blocked by spam filters causing them to resort to new mediums to find their victims.
For people who don’t know 419 is the Nigerian penal code for fraud. These people operate in teams in various countries sending out emails, and now instant messages, promising millions in unclaimed funds to the lucky soul who will only put up a few of their hard earned dollars to grease up the otherwise tight ass of some banker. These people fleece retirees out of their savings and decent, honest, albeit naive, people out of everything they have. These scams have seen plenty of coverage over the years with my person favorite being 419er in space. These guys just don’t know when to give up. This particular asshat was no different. He came complete with the whole package. Recently deceased rich asshole, an obscene amount of money, an official sounding bank with a website circa 1996 and the will to say anything to get some money.
Read on for the blow-by-blow of my run-in with a 419er…