I've been on the internet since the early 1990's and I FINALLY got my first Nigerian bank scam email. There's a really good website somewhere where they guy played along with one of these crooks for a while...but I don't have any current plans to go to Europe. (But now that I have a reason???)

Anyway, for your entertainment:

From: "Sijuwade Harrison" <sijuharrison@gaza.net>__Add to Address Book

To: (me)

Date: Wed, 21 Apr 2004 09:06:17 -0700

Subject: FOR YOUR KIND ATTENTION

Dr.Sijuwade Harrison

Plot 19A ,Osborne Street,

Victoria Island ,Lagos.

Email:sijuharrison@netscape.net

FOR YOUR KIND ATTENTION

RE:RELATIONSHIP/PARTNERSHIP.

It is my great pleasure to write this letter to you.First I must

solicit your utmost confidentiality in this transaction. I am making

this contact with you based on reliable information available to

us,courtesy of the internet business index and confirmed locally by our

chamber of commerce and industry, thus we are convinced that you would

be capable of providing us with a solution to a money transfer

transaction of US$16,500,000.00 (Sixteen Million, Five Hundred

Thousand United States Dollars).

Source:During the last military regimes here in Nigeria, government

officials set up companies and awarded themselves contracts that were to

be paid from the Petroleum Trust Fund (PTF) set up by the military

regime for the purpose of financing special projects and these were

grossly over-invoiced.The present civilian government have constituted

an Interim Management Committee (IMC) with the mandate to investigate

all contracts awarded as well as carry out debt verification of all

claims that have not yet been paid with a view of settling all

legitimate debts owed by the Federal Government of Nigeria to both

local and foreign contractors before the government wind up the Trust

Fund.

We as members of this committee have identified a lot of inflated

contract funds which are presently floating in the Central Bank of

Nigeria.In the meantime,the government have already made a budget

allocation for the payment of these contracts,but by virtue of our

position as civil servants and members of this panel, we cannot acquire

this fund in our names. I was delegated as a matter of trust by my

colleagues to look for an overseas partner into whose account we would

transfer the funds totalling (USD16,500,000.00) and you will be

adequately compesated with 25% of the entire sum, hence we are writing

you this mail.

The present Civilian Government is determined to pay foreign

contractors all debt owed so as to maintain an amiable relationship with

both the Foreign Governments and Non Government Financial Agencies and

to attract foreign investment into our economy.We have decided to

include our bills for approval with the co-operation of some officials

of the Federal Ministy of Finance (F.M.F) and the Central Bank of

Nigeria (C.B.N.).We seek your assistance in providing us with a good

company account or personal account into which we can remit this

money,you

will be acting as an ORIGINAL CONTRACTOR in this deal, the fund will

be paid to you. This we can do by SWAPPING of account information and

changing of beneficiary information to apply for payment. We will

prepare letters of claims and job description on your behalf,on

confirmation of your willingness to assist us.

It is our intention therefore,while having your understanding and

co-operation to invest 70% of this funds in pulp and paper manufacturing

plant for worldwide distribution and importation of agricultural and

oil prospecting equipment to sub-western region of Africa.While the

balance

5% will cater for all local and foreign expenses incurred in

facilitating the transfer of this funds.

Please contact me immediately on my private email

address(sijuharrison@gaza.net)immediately you receive this mail thus

signifying your capability and willingness to assist us.We are building

our trust on sincerity of purpose, mutual understanding and

recommendation.The business itself is 100% safe and fail proof,

provided you treat it with utmost secrecy and confidentiality and you follow

my

instructions carefully and religiously.Your line of specialization does

not matter as it cannot hinder the successful execution of this

transaction.

Again we look forward to doing business with you and solicit your

utmost confidentiality in this transaction.Thank you for your co-operation.

Yours faithfully,

Dr.Sijuwade Harrison

N.B.(PLEASE,DO QUOTE REFERENCE NUMBER (SH/01)IN YOUR RESPONSE.)

BTW, I KNOW Nigeria is not in Europe. But the gal who ran the scam on the scammer met them in Amsterdam, I think.

Here's one link for you Potter fans:

http://www.scamorama.com/harrypotter-ayokure.html

Hey, congratulations! These things are just mind-blowing, aren't they? I've gotten them for years, by regular mail before the internet came about. I used to work for a well-known journalists organization and we got more than our share of wacko mail. These scam letters were so authentic looking! The first time I got one I have to admit I was intrigued, but thankfully no one was around at the time to see me thinking about answering the letter.

You've arrived, Sue! :mad:

That is so freaking funny!

Alrighty, then, I answered the scammer.

Dear Dr. Harrison,

May I call you Siju or Sijuwade? I apologize for taking so long to reply. I haven't studied your country, but I certainly understand how things can get messed up when such entities as the military and democracy get involved.

I'm a widow, Sijuwade...or Siju...or Dr. Harrison. I don't have a lot of money, and what I have I had to fight the insurance company for after the whole suicide thing. That goddam Seymour. Right there in the hotel. Anyway, a little extra cash would be a great thing. Costs are rising you know, especially medical. By the way, what kind of doctor are you? Are you by any chance a psychiatrist? If so, we sure could have used you with that whole bathrobe deal with that frickin' Seymour.

Am I going to need some kind of contractor's license? I ask because I'm not as good at taking tests as Seymour was. But Franny is very good at taking tests. That whole family is pretty famous for being Wise Children. I just married into it. I can probably pass the test, but I might need to study for a couple of days.

We've got a few problems. I'm traveling with my sister-in-law Franny and her daughter right now. I'm using their email and and won't be able to answer you right away. And, they don't often leave me to my own devices, if you get my drift. But what's the deal?

Sincerely,

Muriel Glass

P.S. How is the cost of prescription drugs in Nigeria or Lagos right now? Nothing fancy. Maybe just the stuff Rush Limbaugh uses. I mean used. Whatever. Do they cost a lot there?

Opinions? And apologies to J. D. Salinger.

Sue

Sue,

HOW FUNNY!! You go girl....what an imagination!

Carolyn

Gee Muriel ... I just don't know how Seymour could have left you like that! I wonder if Siju is single?? Hmmm!

Your guys ARE J.D. Salinger fans, right? The "Perfect Day for Bananafish" short story (or mini-novel) is one of his classics. Well, everything is one of his classics, because he's been holed up in New Hampshire or somewhere since about 196?. Seymour Glass committed suicide in his hotel room on his honeymoon...leaving, one can only surmise, his bride Muriel a tad pissed off.

Here's a Salinger link:

http://vision.york.ac.uk/articles/137/books/43137.shtml