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What do all these emails have in common? All are unsolicted, or, in common Internet terms "spam emails." They are being sent to an old Yahoo! account I had to abandon because of all the spam email I was getting. So, I turned a negative into a positive and forwarded all of the emails here, for you to read and enjoy on the Spam Email Graveyard.
Many--but not all--of the messages listed on this site are known by a simple name: the Nigerian 419 scam. What is a Nigerian 419 (aka Advance Fee Fraud) Scam? Basically it is a con game which the target (or mark--YOU!) is persuaded to advance a small sum of money in the hope of getting a larger amount later. Almost all give the impression that the person who receives them will receive a large amount of money (usually millions of dollars) in exchange for helping, uh, "liberate" that cash from either an evil bank, evil government, or evil rich guy.
The 419 scam originated in the African country of Nigeria in the 1980's as a means of manipulating business visitors interested in shady deals in the Nigerian oil industry, then moved on to the generla population. Scammers in the early-to-mid 1990s targeted companies, sending scam messages via letter, fax, or Telex. These scams really exploded once email arrived and email-harvesting software made the cost of sending scam letters through the Internet inexpensive. The number "419" refers to the article of the Nigerian Criminal Code (part of Chapter 38: "Obtaining Property by false pretences; Cheating") dealing with fraud.
Again, not all of the emails listed here are Nigerian 419 scams or scams of any kind, but they are unsolicted, and as such, once I receive them they belong to me. A few others might be known as "phishing" scams that try to make you think they are coming from your bank, credit union, credit card company or PayPal. (You'll have to read up about phishing scams on your own.)
If, however, you find an email listed here that you sent out and don't think it should be sent to the Spam Email Graveyard, please leave a comment to that affect and I'll get back with you ASAP.
What do all these emails have in common? All are unsolicted, or, in common Internet terms "spam emails." They are being sent to an old Yahoo! account I had to abandon because of all the spam email I was getting. So, I turned a negative into a positive and forwarded all of the emails here, for you to read and enjoy on the Spam Email Graveyard.
Many--but not all--of the messages listed on this site are known by a simple name: the Nigerian 419 scam. What is a Nigerian 419 (aka Advance Fee Fraud) Scam? Basically it is a con game which the target (or mark--YOU!) is persuaded to advance a small sum of money in the hope of getting a larger amount later. Almost all give the impression that the person who receives them will receive a large amount of money (usually millions of dollars) in exchange for helping, uh, "liberate" that cash from either an evil bank, evil government, or evil rich guy.
The 419 scam originated in the African country of Nigeria in the 1980's as a means of manipulating business visitors interested in shady deals in the Nigerian oil industry, then moved on to the generla population. Scammers in the early-to-mid 1990s targeted companies, sending scam messages via letter, fax, or Telex. These scams really exploded once email arrived and email-harvesting software made the cost of sending scam letters through the Internet inexpensive. The number "419" refers to the article of the Nigerian Criminal Code (part of Chapter 38: "Obtaining Property by false pretences; Cheating") dealing with fraud.
Again, not all of the emails listed here are Nigerian 419 scams or scams of any kind, but they are unsolicted, and as such, once I receive them they belong to me. A few others might be known as "phishing" scams that try to make you think they are coming from your bank, credit union, credit card company or PayPal. (You'll have to read up about phishing scams on your own.)
If, however, you find an email listed here that you sent out and don't think it should be sent to the Spam Email Graveyard, please leave a comment to that affect and I'll get back with you ASAP.
Monday, December 01, 2008
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