Nigerian 419 Advance Fee Scammers Move To... LinkedIn?
from the suckers,-suckers-everywhere dept
It still seems difficult to believe that anyone falls for those "Nigerian" advance fee 419 scams, but time and time again we read about smart people who should know better who fall for them. And reports come in about just how much money these scams make. And, the really amazing thing, is that many of the victims are so convinced by the scam that even after it's all revealed, and they've lost all their money, they still believe the scammer's story. However, times are getting harder to convince people about these scams over unsolicited email, so apparently they're starting to move onto social networks, including business social networks like LinkedIn. Perhaps I just use LinkedIn in a very different manner than most people, but I find it hard to believe that if some random unknown person suddenly "connected" to you on LinkedIn and offered you a cut of a multi-million dollar stash, you wouldn't be suspicious.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
Filed Under: 419, advance fee, nigeria, scams, social networks
Companies: linkedin
Reader Comments
Subscribe: RSS
View by: Time | Thread
For your amusement, check out the story about the "P-p-p-powerbook"
http://www.encyclopediadramatica.com/P-p-p-powerbook
[ link to this | view in thread ]
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Re:
Duh!
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Greed
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Someone wants to join your linked in message
Legitimate Businessman would like to join your network. He has sent you a short message.
Mike, good news. I am forming a startup based on an internet 2.0 technology that is sure to succeed! I estimate minimum returns of more than 10x within two years. All I need to do is secure some Angel funding. I decided that you seemed like the type of person willing to contribute to this. I estimate this technology needs $100,000 to begin a virtuous cycle and I am hoping 20 lucky investors will make the smartest investment they've ever made with $5000. If you are interested, please let me know within 48 hours as I have lots of offers already coming in and can only promise a spot for that long. - Legitimate Businessman.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Evolution?
Oh, don't get me wrong - I hope the scammers get caught and punished. But I don't have sympathy for the victims, caught by their own greed and naivety. Remember, the reason why you get so many spam emails is because people like this are answering them.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
NIGCOMSAT-1
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NigComSat-1
[ link to this | view in thread ]
[ link to this | view in thread ]
smart conman
[ link to this | view in thread ]
[ link to this | view in thread ]
I know that one day, I'm going to get caught by a con and these words will come back to haunt me.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
"A fool and his money are soon elected"
(Will Rogers)
[ link to this | view in thread ]
[ link to this | view in thread ]
all my deacesed relatives in Nigeria
1. I'm white and have no ties to Nigeria,
2. My family is in the U.S.
3. If this is real, it would be easier to mail to my real address than my E-mail.
4. Oh wait that would be a crime using the postal service which can be investigated and prosecuted .
5. What are the chances of ten + millionaires living in Nigeria let alone all being related to me?
6. The names they use to scam are not what you'd expect a Nigerian name to be, such as Mr. Steven Williams.
These people know that greed is good for them.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Re: Someone wants to join your linked in message
[ link to this | view in thread ]
I feel bad for people that get it in their mind that these things are real. I mean, these scams are SO obviously fake. But, they feed into peoples greed and/or need and they catch themselves a sucker every now and then. To hear that they are infiltrating social networking sites is scary, because this is a whole new level of deception. Befriend people and then tell them about the money, and I bet they get more takers than with just emails.
Ultimately, if it seems to good to be true, it probably isn't true.
http://www.custompcmax.com
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Once of the greatest sites on the net
[ link to this | view in thread ]
count me in...
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Re: Once of the greatest sites on the net
[ link to this | view in thread ]
not only social sites
[ link to this | view in thread ]
[ link to this | view in thread ]
-Gina Salesconx
[ link to this | view in thread ]