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### Another wire-transfer scam

Mike Orr [sluggoster at gmail.com]

Fri, 29 Dec 2006 10:36:38 -0800

On 12/29/06, visa at vmaster.spammerscammer.invalid

    > FELICITATIONS  (Xmas/New Year Bonanza)
    > Serial No:         DPA810-557NL
    > Batch No:          Batch No: EUR/768-DPL
    > Ref No:             EURML/214-dpa/6997/EU
    >
    >  Kind Attention: Winner,
    > We are pleased to inform you the result of the computer random selection for
    > The VISA/MASTER CARD International program held on 24th of December,2006.
    > Your personal or company email address, attached to serial number
    > DPA910-77NL drew the lucky numbers 7-9-5-3-9-11-5, and consequently won the
    > lottery in the 2nd category.
    >
    > The email lottery draws was conducted from an exclusive list of 600,000.000
    > e-mail addresses of individual, companies, and corporate bodies picked by an
    > advanced automated random computer search ballot system from the Internet.

Wow, that sounds special.

    > All participants email addresses were selected through a computer balloting
    > system drawn from 800,000.000 email addresses from all over the world as
    > part of our International Promotions Program, which is conducted Weekly. It
    > was a promotional program design to benefit and promote the Internet
    > usage(NO TICKETS WERE SOLD).

I didn't know Internet usage needed to be promoted. Was it in danger of dying out? Exactly how does this lottery promote Internet usage among the 599,999.999 people who didn't win, and presumably didn't even know this lottery was taking place? What criteria did you use to choose the 600,000.000 eligible? Where did the 800,000.000 original addresses come from? Is the "." in your numbers a decimal point?

    > As a result, you have therefore been approved for a lump sum pay out of (One
    > Million United States Dollars) $1,000.000.00 in cash credited to file REF
    > NO: EURML/717-dpa/3598/EU  and Batch No: EUR/688-DPL

Pfft, I'll take the scam that offers $23,000,000 (TWENTY THREE MILLION UNITED STATES DOLLARS) instead.

    --
    Mike Orr <sluggoster at gmail.com>

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Benjamin A. Okopnik [ben at linuxgazette.net]

Fri, 29 Dec 2006 13:47:18 -0500

On Fri, Dec 29, 2006 at 10:36:38AM -0800, Mike Orr wrote:

    > On 12/29/06, visa at vmaster.spammerscammer.invalid
    >
    > I didn't know Internet usage needed to be promoted.  Was it in danger
    > of dying out?  Exactly how does this lottery promote Internet usage
    > among the 599,999.999 people who didn't win, and presumably didn't
    > even know this lottery was taking place?  What criteria did you use to
    > choose the 600,000.000 eligible?  Where did the 800,000.000 original
    > addresses come from?  Is the "." in your numbers a decimal point?

To the best of my parsing ability, it appears that only some small part of your body gets to win - and then, it gets to go off without you. It sounds like a modified version of the New Orleans' kidney theft story... except in this case, your kidney will want to run away to Monaco or wherever.

http://www.snopes.com/horrors/robbery/kidney.asp

    --
    * Ben Okopnik * Editor-in-Chief, Linux Gazette * http://LinuxGazette.NET *

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