# This has to be a scam, yeah? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 2, 2021, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-has-to-be-a-scam-yeah/945471 "2021-07-02T02:52:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![purplehorseshoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/purplehorseshoe/32/2996_2.png) [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2021, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-has-to-be-a-scam-yeah/945471/41 "2021-07-02T19:47:51Z")
> [@SciFiSam](#): > > “Kindly” is a sign it’s been sent from India. Interesting. I am familiar with “do the needful” as being a phrase specific to India, but “kindly…?” Huh. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2021, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-has-to-be-a-scam-yeah/945471/42 "2021-07-02T19:51:56Z")
> [@purplehorseshoe](#): > > > [@SciFiSam](#): > > > > “Kindly” is a sign it’s been sent from India. > > Interesting. I am familiar with “do the needful” as being a phrase specific to India, but “kindly…?” Huh. - Each and everything Do one thing This right moment Explain you Confirm/verify to me ---
**Author:** ![SciFiSam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@SciFiSam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SciFiSam)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2021, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-has-to-be-a-scam-yeah/945471/43 "2021-07-02T19:55:13Z")
> [@purplehorseshoe](#): > > Interesting. I am familiar with “do the needful” as being a phrase specific to India, but “kindly…?” Huh. Yeah. Obvs it is used in the UK and US too, but it’s extremely common in (legit) Indian business communications. It’s used where other English speakers would either use please or not add an adverb at all. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2021, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-has-to-be-a-scam-yeah/945471/44 "2021-07-02T20:06:35Z")
> [@SciFiSam](#): > > “Kindly” is a sign it’s been sent from India. Sort of - it’s more of a former British Empire thing, so it does crop up elsewhere, notably, Nigeria. ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2021, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-has-to-be-a-scam-yeah/945471/45 "2021-07-02T20:14:41Z")
I think Jim Browning did it too. Those scammers are not just aholes, they are pure evil. ---
**Author:** ![SciFiSam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@SciFiSam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SciFiSam)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2021, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-has-to-be-a-scam-yeah/945471/46 "2021-07-02T23:18:57Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > Sort of - it’s more of a former British Empire thing, so it does crop up elsewhere, notably, Nigeria. Is it? I’ve definitely noticed in more in legit communications from India and just when talking to people from India, but I’ve never encountered it from people other areas. ---
**Author:** ![Tierce](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ea5d25/32.png) [@Tierce](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tierce)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2021, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-has-to-be-a-scam-yeah/945471/47 "2021-07-03T01:38:35Z")
> [@SciFiSam](#): > > Is it? I’ve definitely noticed in more in legit communications from India and just when talking to people from India, but I’ve never encountered it from people other areas. I have an employee who’s originally from South Africa, and she uses “Kindly” a lot in emails. [/anecdote] ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2021, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-has-to-be-a-scam-yeah/945471/48 "2021-07-03T02:11:10Z")
> [@SciFiSam](#): > > “Kindly” is a sign it’s been sent from India. And “for sure” means the scammers are Canadian. > [@running\_coach](#): > > Another one (kidnapped relative scam) claimed to be the head of the FTC and would have the grandson chopped into pieces if the grandfather didn’t pay up. Remind me to never piss off the Federal Trade Commission. 💀 ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2021, 10:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-has-to-be-a-scam-yeah/945471/49 "2021-07-03T10:17:44Z")
Yeah, I get it a fair bit in the scam email conversations from West Africa - of course it could be that they’re simply copying scripts and responses from some common pool of scammy response scripts, but I often see little glimpses of archaic colonial language popping up ---
**Author:** ![Ponderoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponderoid/32/19221_2.png) [@Ponderoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponderoid)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2021, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-has-to-be-a-scam-yeah/945471/50 "2021-07-03T13:52:08Z")
Mangetout works hard to get the scammers “off script” and wasting their time generating unique responses to his baiting emails. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2021, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-has-to-be-a-scam-yeah/945471/51 "2021-07-03T15:03:47Z")
Expending some of my own time in the process, of course, but it’s sort of my job now. ---
**Author:** ![Qwakkeddup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/90ced4/32.png) [@Qwakkeddup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qwakkeddup)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2021, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-has-to-be-a-scam-yeah/945471/52 "2021-07-04T02:32:27Z")
Basically this. You are dealing with a dumb hick ferriner. I can’t possibly be scamming you cause I am too uneducated and dumb. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-has-to-be-a-scam-yeah/945471.md?page=2)