# weird e-mail **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 8, 2002, 12:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-e-mail/131339 "2002-10-08T12:43:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![siva](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7c8e57/32.png) [@siva](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/siva)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2002, 12:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-e-mail/131339/1 "2002-10-08T12:43:44Z")
## has any one else received this e-mail? I just thought it was odd to recieve this type of e-mail from a complete stranger. Content-Type: text/plain; charset=“ISO-8859-1” Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit FROM: MR. MALENGE UWA TEL: 234-8037202155 FAX:234-9-2721523 LAGOS - NIGERIA. ATTN: President/Ceo. STRICTLY CONFIDENTIAL FINANCIAL PROPOSAL RE: TRANSFER OF US$21.5 MILLION (TWENTY ONE MILLION, FIVE HUNDRED THOUSAND US DOLLARS ONLY). I am contacting you based on information and esteem recommendation I received of you from a high ranking official in the commercial section of the Nigerian Chambers of Commerce and Industry who guaranteed your reliability and trustworthyness in business dealings. This business proposal I wish to intimate you with is of mutual benefit and it’s success is entirely based on mutual trust, cooperation and a high level of confidentiality as regard this transaction. I am the Chairman of the contract Award/Advisory Committee (CAAC) of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC). I am seeking your assistance to enable me transfer the sum of US$21,500,000.00 (Twenty Million,Five Hundred Thousand United States Dollars)into your private/company account. The fund came about as a result of a contract awarded and executed on behalf of my Ministry the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation. The contract was supposed to be awarded to two foreign contractors to the tune of US$65,000,000.00 (Sixty Four Million United States Dollars). But in the course of negotiation, the contract was awarded to a Bulgarian contractor at the cost of US$43,500,000.00 (Forty-Three Million, Five Hundred Thousand United States Dollars) to my benefit unknown to the contractor. This contract has been satisfactorily executed and inspected as the Bulgarian firm is presently securing payment from my Ministry, where I am the Executive Director in-charge of all foreign contract payment approval. As a civil servant still in active government service, I am forbidden by law to operate an account outside the shores of Nigeria. Hence this message to you seeking your assistance so as to enable me present your private/company account details as a beneficiary of contractual claims alongside that of the Bulgarian contractor, to enable me transfer the difference of US$21,500,000.00 (Twenty One Million, Five Hundred Thousand United States Dollars) into your provided account. On actualisation, the fund will be disbursed as stated below. 1. 30% of the fund will be for you as beneficiary 2. 5% for reimbursement to both parties for incidental expenses that may be incurred during the course of the transaction. 3. 65% of the fund will be for me and my colleagues which we intend to invest in your country with you as my partner. We have strong reliable connections and contacts at the Central Bank of Nigeria, as well as the Federal Ministry of Finance and we have no doubt that all the money will be released and transferred if we get the necessary foreign partner to assist us in this deal. Therefore,when the business is successfully concluded we shall through our same connections withdraw all documents used from all the concerned Government Ministries for 100% security. I would require the following:- 4. Your company’s name,address,telephone and fax numbers. The above information would be used to make formal applications as a matter of procedure for the release of the money and onward transfer to your account. It does not matter whether or not your company does contract projects of this nature described here. The assumption is that your company won the major contract and subcontracted it out to other companies. More Often than not, big trading companies or firms of unrelated fields win major contracts and subcontracts to more specialized firms for execution of such contracts. All logistics are in place and all modalities worked out for a smooth actualisation of the transaction within the next few working days of commencement. For further details as to the workability of this transaction, Please contact me immediately whether or not you are interested in this deal. If you are not,it will enable me scout for another foreign partner to carry out this deal. But where you are interested, send the required documents aforementioned herein either through my above fax line as time is of the essence in this business. I wait in anticipation of your fullest co-operation. Yours faithfully, MR. MALENGE UWA. :eek: :eek: :eek: :rolleyes::eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: ---
**Author:** ![siva](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7c8e57/32.png) [@siva](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/siva)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2002, 12:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-e-mail/131339/2 "2002-10-08T12:45:09Z")
p.s. smilies are mine ---
**Author:** ![Crusoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/49beb7/32.png) [@Crusoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crusoe)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2002, 12:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-e-mail/131339/3 "2002-10-08T12:46:37Z")
Congratulations. You’ve just had your very first [Nigerian 419 advance fee fraud](http://home.rica.net/alphae/419coal/) junk email. Bin it and forget about it. ---
**Author:** ![DemonSpawn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ac8455/32.png) [@DemonSpawn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DemonSpawn)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2002, 12:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-e-mail/131339/4 "2002-10-08T12:47:10Z")
This is the well-known classic “Nigerian scam”. Read all about it: [http://www.snopes.com/inboxer/scams/nigeria.htm](http://www.snopes.com/inboxer/scams/nigeria.htm) ---
**Author:** ![siva](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7c8e57/32.png) [@siva](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/siva)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2002, 12:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-e-mail/131339/5 "2002-10-08T12:47:24Z")
i figured ---
**Author:** ![DemonSpawn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ac8455/32.png) [@DemonSpawn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DemonSpawn)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2002, 12:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-e-mail/131339/6 "2002-10-08T12:48:14Z")
argh, not fast enough … **Crusoe** beat me to it. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![lost4life](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c4cdca/32.png) [@lost4life](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lost4life)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2002, 12:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-e-mail/131339/7 "2002-10-08T12:54:17Z")
I reply to them acting interested and see if I can get a response. This is using my hotmail account and not my real e:mail, and of course I don’t give them any real information. I’ve gotten a few responses, and I usually end things by writing something like “bloody hell, could you be the same Dr. Mugabe that patched me up while I was on the dark continent fighting with her majesty’s troops? Spot on old chap, jolly good show!” I have no idea what that means, but then again, I can get really, really bored. ---
**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:** [October 8, 2002, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-e-mail/131339/8 "2002-10-08T13:31:10Z")
I’ve never yet had one of these by email; We used to get printed ones at work every couple of months. ---
**Author:** ![Kamelion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/8baadc/32.png) [@Kamelion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamelion)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2002, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-e-mail/131339/9 "2002-10-08T14:06:15Z")
I’ve gotten an email like this, only creepier. This one was less of a ‘get lots of money easily’ daydream type thing than a ‘really scary obviously illegal huge scam’ thing. I even got a second email when I replied to it, which actually bothered to address my questions in my response (I’d basically said, I might consider doing it if you reassure me this isn’t illegal. He tried to, but didn’t convince me one iota. And never gave me his details.) It really scared me. I was told that I had been selected to be involved in this scam that involved pretending to be the descendent of some guy who had died, which a lot of money and no proven next of kin, in some war-torn country (can’t remember which). They seriously expected me to drop everything and help them with this scam so that I could get a commission of $45 million. The scariest part is the possibility that it was a real scam and that somebody did actually try to use me to steal $45 million. It just chills me thinking about the possibility. ---
**Author:** ![muttrox](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a8b319/32.png) [@muttrox](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muttrox)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2002, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-e-mail/131339/10 "2002-10-08T14:47:40Z")
You shouldn’t even reply. That lets the spammers know they have a valid email address, putting you on the lists of even more spammers. ---
**Author:** ![photopat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e95f7d/32.png) [@photopat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/photopat)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2002, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-e-mail/131339/11 "2002-10-08T14:52:58Z")
Congratulations siva! You’re now a full fledged member of the “International Spam Recipients Club.” By no means should you believe the nigerian mail, however, if you wish to show your support for the club, feel free to send a signed blank check to the ISRC at: 666 North Sputum Way North Chicago East Virginia, 12345-6789 And enjoy those wonderful spams. You can expect at least 3 per year from now on.