Comments

Just Me • March 18, 2006 6:17 PM

A workshop on “Grammatical errors: What’s the optimal number?”

Got me rolling in the aisle

Ted Demopoulos • March 18, 2006 8:08 PM

You security dudes are all sooooo paranoid – it’s for real! I mean YOU SECURITY DUDES ARE ALL SOOOOO PARANOID – IT’S FOR REAL!

I”M GOING NEXT YEAR.

another_bruce • March 18, 2006 10:57 PM

there was a story in the portland oregonian. three unnamed city council members from an unnamed southern oregon city got the idea to balance the municipal budget from a nigerian email one of them had received. they visited a travel agent to book a flight to nigeria.
the travel agent called them idiots to their faces, then called the state attorney general’s office and put it on speakerphone. an ag rep persuaded the council members not to fly to nigeria.
p.t. barnum was right.

kashmarek • March 19, 2006 10:01 AM

From this item alone:

“Send your bank’s name, account number, your name, address, telephone number, and fax numbers.”

You should recognize that this announcement itself is a another nigerian scam.

J.D. Abolins • March 19, 2006 12:13 PM

Nice!

Maybe the 2006 conference will be particularly special because the “Internet entrepreneurs of Nigeria” have won the 2005 IgNobel Prize in Literature for “creating and then using e-mail to distribute a bold series of short stories, thus introducing millions of readers to a cast of rich characters — General Sani Abacha, Mrs. Mariam Sanni Abacha, Barrister Jon A Mbeki Esq., and others — each of whom requires just a small amount of expense money so as to obtain access to the great wealth to which they are entitled and which they would like to share with the kind person who assists them.”

Alas, none of these winners showed up 6 Oct 2005 at Harvard’s Sanders Theatre to collect their prize.

Ref: http://www.ignobel.com/ig/ig-pastwinners.html

zappahey • March 19, 2006 12:37 PM

@kashmarek:

I hope you’re sitting down, I have some bad news for you. It’s a spoof.

JB • March 19, 2006 11:35 PM

Hey, the hotel has hot AND cold running water!

Very amusing, but the satire might prove to be too subtle for the truly naive (such as those who would respond to those emails in the first place).

Ed T. • March 20, 2006 6:36 AM

Yeah, I re-read it, and fortunately I had remembered issuing a Category 5 ‘C&C’ alert for this one the first time I found it.

~EdT.

Longwalker • March 20, 2006 11:15 AM

Nigerian fraud cons people out of billions USD anually. It’s one of Nigeria’s top five industries in revenue terms.

There are a lot of stupid and gulible people out there. Plan your security models accordingly–and configure you spam catchers and fraud prevention systems to drop every email and customer order that contains the word ‘nigeria’ while you’re at it.

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