New Angle, Old Scam

I know all my readers know better than to respond to an email saying you won the lottery (domestic or international), right? And no one from England or any country in Africa really wants you to help in the transfer of clandestine monies. Right?

But I'm still surprised when a small tweak in this absurd formula nets these scammers a heap of new suckers. And so I present something that came to my inbox last week. Behold, the "You've been scammed" Scam Spam letter:

Greetings to you

SCAMMED VICTIM/ $500,000 BENEFICIARIES.
REF/PAYMENTS CODE: ECB/06654 $500,000 USD.

On behalf of the Obama's Foundation and UNITED NATIONS, we wish to notify
you as a beneficiary of $500,000 USD in compensation of scam
victims.This is to bring to your notice that we are delegated from the
Obama's Foundation and UNITED NATIONS in Central Bank to pay 150 victims
of scam $500,000 USD (Five Hundred Thousand Dollars) each. You are listed
and approved for this payment as one of the scammed victims to be paid
this amount.

According to the number of applicants at hand, 114 Beneficiaries has
been paid, over a half of the victims are from the United States, we
still have a pending of 36 compensations left to be paid. Your
particulars was mentioned by one of the Syndicates who was arrested as
one of their victims of the operations, you are hereby warned not to
communicate or duplicate this message to him for any reason what so
ever as the U.S. secret service is already on trace of the other
criminals. So keep it secret till they are all apprehended.Other
victims who have not been contacted can submit their application as
well for scrutiny and possible consideration

Do contact HSBC INTERNATIONAL BANK, United Kingdom Branch for
verification and release of your $500,000 USD that we have deposited
with the HSBC BANK,UK.
The account log on will be presented to you by the bank in order to
access the funds before releasing into your nominated bank account.
You will transfer the funds into your nominated account on-line as the
HSBC BANK,UK will provide the necessary information to you. Please if you
are willing to accept the funds, do contact the Managing Director of the
HSBC BANK,UK with the following details:

You are to fill the appropriate form and submit to the bank.
[1] Full Names:.............................
[2] Contact address:....................
[3] Direct Telephone:....................
|4| Occupation:.............................

Managing Director of the HSBC BANK,UK
Name: Barr Mark Johnson.
Private Email: barr.markj39@hotmail.com

Yours Faithfully,
Dr.Majlis Daerah Marang
Coordinator.
OBAMA'S FOUNDATION AND UNITED NATIONS© 2010

Terrible English? Check!
Dubious personal email from the director of a financial institution? Check!
Unnecessary CAPS? CHECK!
Strange premise? Check!
Alternative red flag (2010? And an unnecessary copyright?)? Check!

C'mon folks. Bottom line: If someone you don't know sends you an email and wants to give you money, they are lying.

And because you already know this, you need to tell someone who might not know. Only through education of the non-savvy will we stop the predatory actions of a few thousand vultures. And it is our mission to spread that protection.