How Many More Warnings Do People Need Not To Be Fooled By Scams?
from the greedy-bastards dept
We've joked in the past that it's somewhat stunning in this day and age that it's stunning that anyone doesn't yet know how advance fee 419 "Nigerian" scams work. However, as the saying (not said by P.T. Barnum) goes, "there's a sucker born every minute." You might even be able to make a convincing argument that internet time has sped up the sucker creation process. Still, most of these scams work by focusing on the victim's own greed -- which sometimes makes it pretty difficult to feel sorry for them. It also makes you wonder just how much of an effort should people be making to prevent these types of frauds? Over in China they're getting a lot of attention as the advance fee scammers have gone beyond email to actually calling people up to tell them they've won a ton of money that they'll never see. Even more interesting is this tidbit, submitted by Jo Faughnan, that Western Union is trying to catch and stop scam related money transfers in order to protect scam victims (this following some sort of legal settlement that isn't clearly explained). It's obviously a good thing to try to stop these scams, and we've seen (tragically) just how convinced some people are by these scammers (to the point of never believing they were scammed). However, at some point, don't the people who jumped into these scams excitedly trying to get their hands on some stolen money need to take responsibility for their own actions?
Thank you for reading this Techdirt post. With so many things competing for everyone’s attention these days, we really appreciate you giving us your time. We work hard every day to put quality content out there for our community.
Techdirt is one of the few remaining truly independent media outlets. We do not have a giant corporation behind us, and we rely heavily on our community to support us, in an age when advertisers are increasingly uninterested in sponsoring small, independent sites — especially a site like ours that is unwilling to pull punches in its reporting and analysis.
While other websites have resorted to paywalls, registration requirements, and increasingly annoying/intrusive advertising, we have always kept Techdirt open and available to anyone. But in order to continue doing so, we need your support. We offer a variety of ways for our readers to support us, from direct donations to special subscriptions and cool merchandise — and every little bit helps. Thank you.
–The Techdirt Team
Reader Comments
Subscribe: RSS
View by: Time | Thread
No Subject Given
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: No Subject Given
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: No Subject Given
A simple misconception :)
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Why protect people from scams?
I have been approached with very reasonable proposals by several parties in sales that proposed up front payment to get later payment that had reasonable circumstances involved. Only my demand that such deals be all cash up front, making any party to any deal I do be the one who finances the deal, or I pass, do I avoid any possiblity of this happening.
There are ways that are very subtle that allow these con artists to work their ways without the obvious 419 LETTER IN CAPS.
A better question would be why does anyone commit large amounts of their net worth to anyone whether it comes thru a 419 letter, the mailbox, the idiots on the higher channels on TV selling real estate scams, or whatever without demanding a better way of doing the deal?
Why would anyone pay $10,000 to find out how to buy real estate without any money down? why is that allowed?
The internet is a smokescreen and if Western Union is slowing down transfers of money, then the scams will stand a better chance of collapsing before any one gets hurt (in any particular instance)
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Why protect people from scams?
"Oh, I'm just helping someone in a bad situation." Right. A total stranger that the victim has never met.
A recurring theme in many a con involves the promise of allowing the victim to obtain some personal gain in the guise of performing some admirable, generous, or altruistic act. Thus the victim cons himself.
Self-delusion is the vector these scams use to do their damage.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
TANSTAAFL
My sympathy wanes.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
No Subject Given
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
No Subject Given
http://www.amersol.edu.pe/Class06/_06vsanti/sca m/peter_azu.html
The first site is like the index, but for some reason, I saved it wrong, so that will hopefully change tomorrow or the day after, the second site is a conversation I am having with this Nigerian scammer, he actually called me by phone.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: No Subject Given
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Scamming the 419 Scammers
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: No Subject Given
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
money order scams
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Scams
[ link to this | view in chronology ]