# A new one to Pit. **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [June 28, 2004, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-new-one-to-pit/252599 "2004-06-28T20:07:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![P\_T](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a587f6/32.png) [@P\_T](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/P_T)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2004, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-new-one-to-pit/252599/1 "2004-06-28T20:07:36Z")
> [@](#): > > FROM: THE DESK OF THE PROMOTIONS MANAGER, INTERNATIONAL PROMOTIONS/PRIZE > AWARD DEPARTMENT, > > REFRENCE: LP/26510460037/04 BATCH: 24/00319/IPD > RE: AWARD NOTIFICATION FINAL NOTICE. > > We are pleased to inform you of the announcement, of winners of the > LOTTERY PRIMITIVA SWEEPSTAKES/INTERNATIONAL PROGRAMS held on 6 October,2003. > Your name is attached to ticket number 004-05117963-198, > with serial number 99375 drew the lucky numbers 05-07-11-12-13-27, and > consequently won the lottery in the 3rd category. You have therefore been > approved for a lump sum pay out of (?1,500.000.00) One million Five Hundred > Thousand in cash credited to file No:LP/26510460037/04.This is from total > prize money of EUROS 80,400,000.00 shared among the twenty international > winners in this category. All participants were selected through a computer > ballot system drawn from 25,000 names from Australia,New Zealand, > America,Europe, North America and Asia as part of International Promotions > Program, which is conducted annually. > CONGRATULATIONS!!! Your fund is now insured to your name. Due to the mix up > of some numbers and names, we ask that you keep this award strictly from > public notice until your claim has been processed and your money remitted to > your account. > This is part of our security protocol to avoid double claiming or > unscrupulous acts by participants of this program. We hope with a part of > your prize, you will participate in our end of year high stakes Euros 1.1 > billion International Lottery. To begin your claim, please contact ANDALUCIA > SEGURO S.A.,MADRID SPAIN ,PHONE NUMBER(+34637933524), > MR JUAN SANZ RAMON FOREIGN OPERATION MANAGERS, > Email;([lotto2004b@excite.com](mailto:lotto2004b@excite.com)). For due processing and payment of your winning > prize to you. Remember, all prize money must be claimed not later than 10th > July, 2004. After this date, all funds will be returned as unclaimed. NOTE: > In order to avoid unnecessary delays and complications, please remember to > quote your REFRENCE and BATCH numbers in every one of your correspondences > with the security company. Furthermore, should there be any change of your > address, do inform your claims agent as soon as possible. Congratulations > again from all our staff and thank you for being part of our promotions > program. > > Sincerely, > > THOMAS FERERRA LOPEZ. Seriously, does anyone really fall for this shit? ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2004, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-new-one-to-pit/252599/2 "2004-06-28T20:19:32Z")
Well, of course they do. Hope springs eternal. That’s why there are idiots who believe the promises of either Bush or Kerry. ---
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2004, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-new-one-to-pit/252599/3 "2004-06-28T20:22:36Z")
Fall for \*what \* shit? I’ll have you know that answering spam has greatly enhanced my manho…er, life. My penis is now 18 inches long, I pay practically nothing for pot and I anticipate daily the deposit into several bank accounts many millions of dollars from my friends in Nigeria. And once my lottery winnings come in I’ll be SET-FOR-LIFE. just you wait! ---
**Author:** ![P\_T](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a587f6/32.png) [@P\_T](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/P_T)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2004, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-new-one-to-pit/252599/4 "2004-06-28T20:27:20Z")
> [@Inigo Montoya](#): > > Fall for \*what \* shit? > > I’ll have you know that answering spam has greatly enhanced my manho…er, life. My penis is now 18 inches long, I pay practically nothing for pot and I anticipate daily the deposit into several bank accounts many millions of dollars from my friends in Nigeria. And once my lottery winnings come in I’ll be SET-FOR-LIFE. just you wait! You know, I just recalled. I think I have a couple thousand for you too. So, if you’ll just send me your credit card number, expiration date, and the little 4 digit code off the back I’ll credit the money to your account expeditiously. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2004, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-new-one-to-pit/252599/5 "2004-06-28T20:41:32Z")
> [@Liberal](#): > > Well, of course they do. Hope springs eternal. That’s why there are idiots who believe the promises of either Bush or Kerry. I don’t believe Kerry’s promises, I just want to get rid of bush. I couldn’t care less who replaces him. Kerry’s promises and positions make very little difference to me. I’d vote for Pee Wee Herman if I knew he could beat GWB. ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2004, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-new-one-to-pit/252599/6 "2004-06-28T20:48:42Z")
Yes, but you are hardly an idiot. ---
**Author:** ![5que](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/5/3bc359/32.png) [@5que](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/5que)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2004, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-new-one-to-pit/252599/7 "2004-06-28T20:54:57Z")
> [@Diogenes the Cynic](#): > > I’d vote for Pee Wee Herman if I knew he could beat GWB. Well, we know he can beat _something_… Thank you, I’m here all week. Enjoy the veal! ---
**Author:** ![Giraffe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giraffe/32/129_2.png) [@Giraffe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giraffe)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2004, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-new-one-to-pit/252599/8 "2004-06-28T21:01:10Z")
> [@P\_T\_](#): > > Seriously, does anyone really fall for this shit? Fall for what shit? Didn’t you get your money? You probably forgot to quote your REFRENCE and BATCH numbers in every one of your correspondences. ---
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2004, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-new-one-to-pit/252599/9 "2004-06-28T21:17:14Z")
> [@P\_T\_](#): > > You know, I just recalled. I think I have a couple thousand for you too. So, if you’ll just send me your credit card number, expiration date, and the little 4 digit code off the back I’ll credit the money to your account expeditiously. COOL! I’ll email it to you (I wouldn’t want to post that stuff on a message board, that’d be dumb!). Did you want the citibank visa account #2567 7767 8894 6734 or the Chase Manhattan 6446 7707 0343 0627? ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2004, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-new-one-to-pit/252599/10 "2004-06-28T21:22:11Z")
> [@Inigo Montoya](#): > > Did you want the citibank visa account #2567 7767 8894 6734 or the Chase Manhattan 6446 7707 0343 0627? Hey, those aren’t real CC numbers! Stop making me look bad at [www.hotbooty.com](http://www.hotbooty.com)! ---
**Author:** ![Shade](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2bfe46/32.png) [@Shade](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shade)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2004, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-new-one-to-pit/252599/11 "2004-06-28T21:34:40Z")
Well, there’s a tendancy for spam to be getting more professional looking. And a great tendancy for official correspondance to be punctuated, spelt[1], and formatted badly, and it glaring HTML. They’ll meet in the middle soon enough ☹ [1]Brit spelling. Not irony. ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2004, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-new-one-to-pit/252599/12 "2004-06-28T22:34:05Z")
> [@Shade](#): > > Well, there’s a tendancy for spam to be getting more professional looking. When administrators of eighty-million-euro lottery funds really _do_ start relying on free web-based e-mail services for correspondence, all will be lost. ---
**Author:** ![Yeticus\_Rex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/a698b9/32.png) [@Yeticus\_Rex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yeticus_Rex)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2004, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-new-one-to-pit/252599/13 "2004-06-28T23:32:08Z")
> [@Inigo Montoya](#): > > Fall for \*what \* shit? > > I’ll have you know that answering spam has greatly enhanced my manho…er, life. My penis is now 18 inches long, I pay practically nothing for pot and I anticipate daily the deposit into several bank accounts many millions of dollars from my friends in Nigeria. And once my lottery winnings come in I’ll be SET-FOR-LIFE. just you wait! HA! I still got an extra 6 inches on you! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2004, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-new-one-to-pit/252599/14 "2004-06-29T01:41:01Z")
Here’s a blast from the past for you: Last week, I got the scam described in the OP via _physical mail._ Xerox, envelope, stamp. Arrived in the mailbox. The whole works. I swear, I stared and stared at it as though it were an invitation to explore the brand-new Louisiana Purchase. Weird. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2004, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-new-one-to-pit/252599/15 "2004-06-29T01:49:38Z")
> [@Liberal](#): > > Well, of course they do. Hope springs eternal. That’s why there are idiots who believe the promises of either Bush or Kerry. Aren’t there enough Bush/Kerry discussions in the SDMB without you being a dickhead and hijacking this thread? Anyway, the lottery scam has been around for a while in various incarnations. It may even predate the standard Nigerian scam. Haj ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2004, 10:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-new-one-to-pit/252599/16 "2004-06-29T10:23:35Z")
Yeah, let’s hijack it to discuss Nigeria. Dickhead. ---
**Author:** ![One\_And\_Only\_Wanderers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/838e76/32.png) [@One\_And\_Only\_Wanderers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/One_And_Only_Wanderers)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2004, 10:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-new-one-to-pit/252599/17 "2004-06-29T10:32:05Z")
The last 5 times I have answered the telephone (on 5 different days) It has been the ‘claims department’ of various companies. Unfortunately I have a brain, so in none of the 5 cases did I ever find out what it was that I had ‘won’. It’s the same on my mobile. The last few text messages I have received have been from ‘Lust’ apparently someone is lusting after me (probably because I have won so many prizes. I must be the luckiest person on Earth). All I have to do is ring some number (probably at £2 per minute or something) to find out who it is. Who falls for this shit? ---
**Author:** ![P\_T](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a587f6/32.png) [@P\_T](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/P_T)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2004, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-new-one-to-pit/252599/18 "2004-06-29T13:30:56Z")
I have received the Nigeria letter about 50 times or so, but this is the first time I’ve seen the International Lottery. I just thought it was a nice new twist. I realize that the majority of people that fall for this kind of thing are usually the elderly, but damn, is it really that hard to figure out that it’s a scam? Of course this is the person that had to tell his mother not to delete files cause she got an email that told her to. :smack: ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2004, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-new-one-to-pit/252599/19 "2004-06-29T14:28:10Z")
> [@Liberal](#): > > Yeah, let’s hijack it to discuss Nigeria. Dickhead. Nice try, you loathsome piece of shit. This is a thread about email scams, not your lame, trite, unoriginal political “observations.” Anyway, all of these scams prey on greed. In this case, it’s people who know that they really didn’t win the lottery but are trying to take advantage of a “mistake” in their favor. I’ve heard it said that you can’t con an honest man which is how some of these theives justify their behavior. Others are simply sociopaths. [Here](http://www.fraudwatchinternational.com/internetfraud/lottery_operatives.htm) is a good site describing the lottery fraud. There are hundreds of varients listed and yours isn’t even one of them. Haj ---
**Author:** ![PetW](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/d2c977/32.png) [@PetW](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PetW)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2004, 5:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-new-one-to-pit/252599/20 "2004-06-30T05:06:29Z")
> [@hajario](#): > > Nice try, you loathsome piece of shit. This is a thread about email scams, not your lame, trite, unoriginal political “observations.” relax, at least he took a neutral stance and made fun of kerry and bush. I didn’t really see it turning into a complete hijack or anything. Dickhead