4-1-9 Scammer Gets Owned!

Ever gotten a scam e-mail from a stranger, usually from Nigeria?

You know, those e-mails asking you to send thousands of dollars or your bank account info to help "release" millions of US dollars in funds "trapped" in Nigeria or something? And if you ever send money or bank account info, they don't send even a penny back, pretending that something "went wrong", or your bank account isn't eligible or something? If you do, whether you just know or you were a victim, then just skip directly below.

For example (perpetrator's contact info deleted to protect the stupid):

Alhaji Sule Lamido
Minister, Foreign Affairs Ministry.
Road,
Abuja Nigeria.
Tel:+XXX-XXX XXXXXXX
Email:XXXX@yahoo.co.uk
Attn:SIR/MADAM
Re:TO YOUR KIND ATTENTION....

I am Alhaji Sule Lamido, Minister Foreign Affairs Ministry; my office monitorsand controls the affairs of all banks and financial institutions in Nigeria concerned with foreign contract payments. I am the final signatory to anytransfer or remittance of huge funds moving within banks both on the localand international levels in line to foreign contracts settlement.

I have before me list of funds, which could not be transferred to some nominatedaccounts as these accounts have been identified either as ghost accounts,unclaimeddeposits and over-invoiced sum etc. Your name was not among the people expectingthe funds to be transferred into their accounts, on this note; I wish tohave a deal with you as regards to one of the ghost account files here. Ihave a file before me and hope with your coporation i can facilitate thepayment of this money into your account as the real beneficiary of the fund,sincei will change the name to your name and other documents relating to thisto your name.

As it is my duty to recommend the transfer of these surplus funds to theFederal Government Treasury and Reserve Accounts as unclaimed deposits, Ihave the opportunity to write you based on the instructions I received 4days ago from the Senate Committee on Contract Payments / Foreign Debts tosubmit the List of payment reports / expenditures and audited reports ofrevenues. Among several others, I have decided to remit the contract sumfollowing my idea that we have a deal/agreement and I am going to do thislegally.

MY CONDITIONS

1. The sum of USD$15M only from the totalsum of usd$22m will be paid intoan account I will provide you after you have confirmed the transfer of yoursum into your account by telegraphic Transfer (T/T), confirmable in 3 workingdays.

2. This deal must be kept secret forever, and all correspondence will bestrictly by email / telephone, for security purposes.

3. There should be no third parties as most problem associated withyour fund release are caused by your agents or representative. If you AGREE with my conditions, l will advise you on what to doimmediately and the transfer will commence without delay as I will proceedto fix your name on the Payment schedule instantly to meet the three daysmandate.I hope you don't reject this offer and have the funds transferred into your account as will be provided by you in due course.

Waiting for your reply soon.

Alhaji Sule Lamido
FOREIGN AFFAIRS MINISTER.

The information in this message and in any attachments, contains confidential information and is intended solely for the attention and use of thenamedaddressee(s)(XXXX@yahoo.co.uk)
Alhaji Sule Lamido.
(Hotline)Tel:+XXX-XXX XXXXXXX

Yeah, right. I hope none of you are stupid enough to fall for that. I had to add a lot of spacing to even make it legible to you all. Don't worry about the name, they are almost always fake. Sadly, in a country where everyone wants to get rich quick, a lot of people do fall for it, and worse, are too embarrassed to report it. Those are called 4-1-9 scams, after the section of the Nigerian Code that it violates.

However, a lot of people see through the 4-1-9 scams, and get even with the scammers by engaging in a hobby called "scam baiting". How it works is that you pretend to fall for the scam, and make the scammer do all sorts of funny ridiculous things to get his money, usually under the pretense of identification. For example, you would say to the scammer, "To ensure that you are the party to whom I am sending my funds to, please send me a photo of you balancing a fish on your head." Then, after feeling satisfied that you've made the scammer a sufficient ass of him or herself, you screw him/her over by coming up with an excuse why the money couldn't be sent.

Some people do worse than just make the scammer send photos of him doing silly things. Some pretend that they are going to meet the scammer in person to hand over the money, usually at a place that requires an expensive plane ticket (but the scammer thinks that the money he'll get is worth it), then make him wait there all day. Some even go as far as to make professional-looking remittance receipts, from banks with silly names. You can find all sorts of funny scam baiting stories on 419eater.com.

The reason why I'm bringing this up is because I've found perhaps one of the worst things you can get a scammer to do on that site (bad for the scammer, that is, but the bastard probably deserves it). You can read about it here. Or if you're too damn lazy to savour the story in its entirety, the baiter basically gets the scammer to tattoo something embarrassing on his arm! I couldn't stop laughing!

Now send me some money!