I get this e-mail the other day—
Congratulations!!!
We hereby inform you that your email has appeared on the Facebook Help Promotion List and we are giving you the total sum of $1,000,000 (One Million United States dollars) which is the sum you have won. Your Email was selected randomly in a draw that was made among all webmail users. The draw was made yesterday and we need your quick response so that our payment department can process your funds.
Your name was chosen by the Facebook C.E.O Mr Mark Zuckerberg (founder and Chief Executive Officer).These funds were made to make all webmail users gain from the benefits the company has achieved and also to help maintain a standard living.
The transfer option we use in getting money to our winner is by our deliveryman and that will be the way you will get your winner money because the deliveryman will come to your house as soon as the necessary steps has been taken.All winner are expected to make payment of Insurance charges that will be used to insure your winner money to your house and the fund is going to be send via western union.
Due to rules and regulations guiding the promotion, we are not allow to deduct any charges from the won prize as the money has been packaged in a suitcase and the suitcase is locked with a password that you will be the only one to open the suitcase with the code which will be sent to you as soon as time goes on.
You shall be making a fee of $1000 to insure your winnings to your house for the save delivery of your winner money.So kindly get back to us if you are ready to send the fee so that we can provide you the western union information that you will proceed to send the fee to for effective delivery of your winner money to your house as soon as you have send the fee.
Also, be informed that your delivery will be done within 12 hours as soon as the Insurance fee is made so you are advised to get back to us for claim with the details below for effective and immediate delivery of your winnings as soon as you are ready to make the Insurance Charges.
Full Name:
Home address:
City:
State:
Zipcode:
We will be expecting to hear from you as soon as possible in order to avoid double claims from someone else claiming your winnings and failure to respond to this claims before the next 72 hours might result to winnings being returned.
Congratulations once again.
Thanks.
Facebook Lottery Department
With United States GOVERNMENT
So I figure what the hell—I have a few days before summer school starts, and I’ve always wanted to do a 419eater sting. So I responded with a fake name and the address of my neighbors down the street who are crystal meth fiends. Today I get the following—
We got your mail and below is the western union information you are to proceed to send the fee to for effective processing of your winnings to you:
Amount: $1000
Receivers name: Rosemary Ducharme
City: Lexington
State: MA
Zip code: 02421
Get back to us with the western union MTCN as soon as you have send the fee so the deliveryman can go book the next available flight immediately the fee is cashed for effective delivery of your winnings to you.
Please note that all our deliverymen travels in a first class plane and your delivery will be done within the period of 12 hours.
Awaiting your response soon.
Once again congratulations.
So I Googled the name, and it turns out that there actually is a Rosemary Ducharme in Lexington, Massachusetts, and she has a respectable, albeit not unusual professional resume. So what gives? Is she in on the scam? Or did they steal her identity for this scam? Should I contact her and tell her to call the cops? If I go ahead with the 419eater frivolities, anybody have any good ideas for a second-contact message? I’m drawing a blank. Since they’re domestic, I probably can’t do the usual “send me a pic of yourself holding a sign that says ‘I fondle little boys in the park.’” Since they have a rudimentary grasp of English, I don’t think that will work. How should I proceed?