College Wolf -vs- Nigerian "419" Scammers

I am sure most all of you have gotten those junk emails from Nigerian "419" scammers at some point in your lives. Most of the time you just deleted them, maybe you've even read through their emails. That's not what I do. I respond. And fuck with them. It's great entertainment...

If you don't know what I'm talking about, simply go to Google and search "Nigerian 419 scammer" and you'll find all the information you need. Bascially, the gist of it is that you will receive a broken english email from someone which details how they have acquired a massive fortune (I've seen anywhere from 5 to 500 million dollar fortunes.) but they can't get the money out of the country (a random African nation, usually Nigeria) for a littany of obviously phony problems. They email you back and forth and people end up sending them money for bribes, fake documents, and other such expenses in an attempt to get the money out of the country, which they then say they will share with you. They string people along and milk them for all they are worth. Most people end up financially ruined, and others have gone to jail for committing illegal crimes in attempts to help the Nigerian contacts. These scammers are complete idiots, and it's amazingly hilarious to fuck with them. "419" comes from the Nigerian code of law that outlaws these very scams. However, I don't think I've ever heard of any of the Nigerians to date that have actually been apprehended...

Anyways, back to the Google search. You'll find websites warning people about these dickbags, as well as horror stories about people losing everything they own because they are deceived by the scammers and send them their money. Some people will even physically travel to Africa to meet these "friends" and end up getting kidnapped or worse. You can also read a plethora of websites where people detail their fake correspondences with these scumbags. Some are funny, but some are incredibly hilarious. The best thing is trying to come up with the most absurd situations and concoct lies to the scammers and see how they respond. They usually always fall for it as long as they still think you are going along with them and will send money. I've read some email correspondences between people and the scammers that absolutely bring me to tears. Some pretty damn creative and funny people out there.

My email correspondences may not get any of them arrested, but it's hilarious and it wastes their time. If they go through all these efforts with me, I like to sometimes think I am preventing other innocent people from perhaps getting ensnared in their webs of lies and deceit. This is where the point of this entire post comes in. I am currently in discussion with a "Mathew Abram." Click the link below to enjoy the hilarious conversations. It's still early yet in our correspondence, but I am going to keep updating my blog with new emails as they come (or I send them.)

• MATHEW ABRAM

  [NEW UPDATE: JUNE 24, 2007]
  

  
  

• FRANCISCO ELSON

  [NEW UPDATE: JULY 12, 2007]
  

Labels: Internet Fun