I need your assistance please [Archive]

newlyfound

28th July 2007, 04:29 PM

I received the following un-wanted e-mail from the presumed below character, I've already sent him a cute nasty reply instructing not to email again or else. What can I do to scare the rats out of him? because this email sure pissed me off.

Thank you so much for your help.

<dgben3@fuse.net>
show details Jul 27 (21 hours ago)

--
FROM: Patrick Chan.
Hang Seng Bank Ltd,
Hong Kong.
Good Day,

I have a Business Proposal of (Twenty Four million Five Hundred
Thousand United State Dollars only) for you to handle with me
from my bank.I will need you to help me in transferring the
above funds from Hong Kong to your country. I need to know if
you will be able to handle this with me before I explain to you
in details. Should you be interested please send me your:

1,Full names,
2,private phone number,
3,current residential address.

finally after that I shall furnish you with more informations
about this project.However I shall be waiting your response and
assurance.

Kind Regards,

Patrick Chan.
e-mail: patrickchan0_07@yahoo.com.hk

CLD

28th July 2007, 04:44 PM

I received the following un-wanted e-mail from the presumed below character, I've already sent him a cute nasty reply instructing not to email again or else. What can I do to scare the rats out of him? because this email sure pissed me off.

Thank you so much for your help.

Dear Mr. Chan,

Thank you for your business proposal. I am a psychic who works with police solving criminal cases in many jurisdictions and my success rate is 100%. I am receiving very strong psychic impressions from your email. I see you at an internet cafe or coffee bar, seated at a table with a laptop computer. You are sending out many messages to many different people. For some reason you are using many different names. I see a calendar with a future date on it, and, the impression is hazy, but I see a man placing metal cuffs on your wrists. Please respond, as the more I hear from you the stronger the images I will be able receive, such as location, phone number, etc.

Sincerely,
I. M. Newlyfound

Amapola

28th July 2007, 04:44 PM

I've gotten emails from scammers too - I just ignore them and never respond. If I don't respond I never hear from that particular scammer again, but there is always another one.

I have a friend who likes to "play" with them. He will pretend he is falling for the scam, and try and scam the scammer. He has been quite successful but it seems to me a dangerous game. Here is a site where this is done and the results published on the web: Scamming the Scammers (http://www.bustedupcowgirl.com/scampage.html). I think she warns people to be careful when doing this. In any event the website is very amusing.

Skeptic Ginger

28th July 2007, 04:49 PM

Isn't this just SPAM? Why did you even open it? Why bother even replying.

It's SPAM for Pete's sake! No one cares if you send a 'cute' reply, nor will replying in anyway get you off the SPAM list. If anything, replying already got you on 100 more lists.

BTW, you can usually block some addresses. Some Spammers have ways of getting around blocks like I've tried everything to block "Survey.net" but either Yahoo purposefully lets that one through or they have a program that changes the IP or return address each time or something.

I like that scam the scamer idea. If I had time....

Miss Anthrope

28th July 2007, 05:04 PM

This is just a scam spammer. Do not validate your email address with them by replying.

IvanOffalich

28th July 2007, 05:06 PM

Well, seeing as the "person" that sent the E-mail has a limited grasp on the Engrish (sic) language, there's probably nothing you can do aside from maybe sending a bunch of randomly generated personal info. In other words, the person isn't likely to understand anything you say to him or her anyway, so why bother?

six7s

28th July 2007, 05:11 PM

It's not 'spam' it's a scam, preying on widespread gullibility

However, it can be fun seeing how scambaiters play the perpetrators at their own game: see 419eater.com

Juliette

28th July 2007, 05:46 PM

I received the following un-wanted e-mail from the presumed below character, I've already sent him a cute nasty reply instructing not to email again or else. What can I do to scare the rats out of him? because this email sure pissed me off.

Thank you so much for your help.

Try scambait.com. It is a forum by/for people with some time and a good sense of humor.

After recieving several of these, I finally hit 'reply' to one that I found particularly offensive. I was so ticked off that I just had a lapse of judgement. The guy wrote me back immediately!!! I couldn't believe it when he told me that my letter had offended HIM! He assured me that he was an honest person who believed in the LORD and would NEVER scam anyone!

Even more difficult to believe was that after writing me a fairly lengthy letter reprimanding me for not trusting him (a complete stranger - go figure), he ended by telling me that I should send him the information he originally requested (full name, phone #'s, address, driver's lisc. info, BANKING info), because if I didn't want to accept his generous offer, he would give someone else a chance!!!

That's when I looked around and discovered scambait.com. Even if you decide to not do anything, it's an interesting, informative, fun forum to read.

Julia

fromdownunder

28th July 2007, 05:49 PM

It's SPAM for Pete's sake! No one cares if you send a 'cute' reply, nor will replying in anyway get you off the SPAM list. If anything, replying already got you on 100 more lists.

Just repeating this with emphasis. It's true.

Norm

Skeptic Ginger

28th July 2007, 05:54 PM

It's not 'spam' it's a scam, preying on widespread gullibility

However, it can be fun seeing how scambaiters play the perpetrators at their own game: see 419eater.comWhy would you think the two terms, spam and scam, are mutually exclusive? Almost all the spam I get are scam spams of one kind or another.

Skeptic Ginger

28th July 2007, 05:56 PM

Try scambait.com. It is a forum by/for people with some time and a good sense of humor.

After recieving several of these, I finally hit 'reply' to one that I found particularly offensive. I was so ticked off that I just had a lapse of judgement. The guy wrote me back immediately!!! I couldn't believe it when he told me that my letter had offended HIM! He assured me that he was an honest person who believed in the LORD and would NEVER scam anyone!

Even more difficult to believe was that after writing me a fairly lengthy letter reprimanding me for not trusting him (a complete stranger - go figure), he ended by telling me that I should send him the information he originally requested (full name, phone #'s, address, driver's lisc. info, BANKING info), because if I didn't want to accept his generous offer, he would give someone else a chance!!!

That's when I looked around and discovered scambait.com. Even if you decide to not do anything, it's an interesting, informative, fun forum to read.

JuliaSounds like an automated response. It fits with a second attempt to get you engaged in a discussion which is how telephone solicitors often proceed. Acting offended, "how dare you question me" is a common high pressure sales technique. It's also a sign you probably should question them.

six7s

28th July 2007, 06:09 PM

Why would you think the two terms, spam and scam, are mutually exclusive?

I don't... so apologies... I mean it's not JUST spam - which is often simply an annoying waste of bandwidth... like my previous post :o

newlyfound

28th July 2007, 06:22 PM

Dear Mr. Chan,

Thank you for your business proposal. I am a psychic who works with police solving criminal cases in many jurisdictions and my success rate is 100%. I am receiving very strong psychic impressions from your email. I see you at an internet cafe or coffee bar, seated at a table with a laptop computer. You are sending out many messages to many different people. For some reason you are using many different names. I see a calendar with a future date on it, and, the impression is hazy, but I see a man placing metal cuffs on your wrists. Please respond, as the more I hear from you the stronger the images I will be able receive, such as location, phone number, etc.

Sincerely,
I. M. Newlyfound

I looooove it, got a good shuckle out of me, thank you. If he answers again I might go for this, this is too fun. Txs.

Amapola, I will check out the site, thanks.

Isn't this just SPAM? Why did you even open it? Why bother even replying.

Skeptigirl,
it went into my inbox not the bulk, and I open all of them (my computer is protected) as they turn out sometimes to be from people who have been referred to me for one reason or the other.

It's SPAM for Pete's sake! No one cares if you send a 'cute' reply,

apparently you do care because here you are overheating for absolutely no reason whatsoever ;) :D .

nor will replying in anyway get you off the SPAM list. If anything, replying already got you on 100 more lists.

you are clearly cluless in in regard to the subject, one time this "Mrs Spencer" sent me an email telling me I won a million british pounds (again, this one also went to the inbox not the bulk), I replied her in much the same manner and I've never heard of her again!

Ivan,

I find it really aggravating as well as insulting that a stuuupid thug comes along, asks me for the information he asked for and just takes it for granted that I am just going to go ahead and hand it over, this is what pisses me of, not that I think much of the rat. Because I don't.

thanks six7's and Juliette, will do :) . And Juliette, with criminals such as the one you dealt with I go full strength as far as 'ruthlesness', you send him a civilised letter, and he thinks he still got a chance. One time I opened one from the spam, it was about a supposed home business opportunity, I went to their site, they are ligit as I read through their material and they seem ok, I made the mistake of typing in my email address to be able to get their newsletter, and the very following day, a 'kaka' type of storm swarmed my inbox, all sorts of you known who wanted to talk to me. So I started a black list, started entering their unwanted grabage on there, notified each that they are on it and warned in bold red print that the proper agencies will be notified if these losers mail keeps coming, all those who got that 2 lines mail have not been heard from again. And the whole thing ended in like 2 days.

Gord_in_Toronto

28th July 2007, 06:44 PM

Once-upon-time I would forward a copy to the abuse address at the domain the e-mail came from (in this case: yahoo.com.hk) and sometimes something would be done. At least any potential suckers who responded to the e-mail after the address had been deleted would be saved. And the scammer would have to spend a few minutes getting a new address.

These days; no one cares. 90% of Internet e-mail traffic is Spam. If I was a Conspiracy Theorist, I would blame Bill Gates. ;)

You'll love the new proprietary Spam free Internet. The one you'll pay a nickel a message for. :D

Juliette

28th July 2007, 07:22 PM

Sounds like an automated response. It fits with a second attempt to get you engaged in a discussion which is how telephone solicitors often proceed. Acting offended, "how dare you question me" is a common high pressure sales technique. It's also a sign you probably should question them.

Skeptigirl,

No, it was clearly not an automated reply. I started the letter sarcastically saying something about my being a widow with millions of dollars and was just looking for a stranger to invest the money with, that I had prayed and the good Lord had sent him to me. Then I said what I really thought.

His letter back said that he was "offended" that I would pretend to be a wealthy widow who prayed to the Lord. He said that when he first started reading he had hoped I was sincere (I'll bet he did). But then, when I committed blasphemey - something that he couldn't tolerate, (Ah, the indignation of a con artist) he almost decided to not renew his offer, and instead make the offer to someone else.

I do believe that this is uncommon and that many - such as the lottery-type - are all autamated.

Julia

TX50

28th July 2007, 07:55 PM

Why would you even bother to reply to this 419 scam crap? If you were
pissed off by this message then you obviously haven't seen some of the
really evilly exploitative ones. These criminals are utterly shameless.

Skeptic Ginger

28th July 2007, 08:06 PM

Skeptigirl,
it went into my inbox not the bulk, and I open all of them (my computer is protected) as they turn out sometimes to be from people who have been referred to me for one reason or the other.

apparently you do care because here you are overheating for absolutely no reason whatsoever ;) :D .That must be quite annoying to have to check through the spam because of the nature of your email. And yes, I loathe spam. Wait, that's an understatement.

What irks me about both spam and unsolicited phone calls is they ruin my right to actually use those services I pay for. For example, I can't give my fax number out freely. I have a home office. My fax number got on some junk fax list. It's illegal but you can't catch them. They have blocked numbers and the fax says to go to a web site instead of having a return fax. I started getting faxes in the middle of the night because that's when these creeps have their auto dial machines going. I unplugged the fax machine and the computer redials every 30 minutes on the faxes that didn't go through. I had to get the number changed and take the new fax number off my business cards.

And again, the do not call list doesn't apply to businesses. So having a home office means sales people call all day. But it isn't people. It's mostly autodial machines and recordings. And I have a number than pages me when messages are left. So I have to stop what I am doing and answer a page only to hear a recorded sales call. I'm getting angry just thinking about this nuisance.

I get thousands of spams in the junk mail box on yahoo. And ~10 a day come through past the spam filters. So like you, I sometimes need to be sure it isn't spam. I will copy the name and Google it. From there I can usually tell if it is someone I need to answer. On comcast their spam filter is not so good. If I ever get on as many junk mail lists as my yahoo account, I'll have to change my email address. The ones coming through on comcast are about 90% of some sexual nature either to make your penis bigger, sell viagra or see porn. And the f word is often in the name.

Yes I loathe this stuff and it gripes me more isn't done to outlaw it. The phone companies and ISPs could do more if they wanted to but they make money off the stuff so have no motive to stop it.

..you are clearly cluless in in regard to the subject, one time this "Mrs Spencer" sent me an email telling me I won a million british pounds (again, this one also went to the inbox not the bulk), I replied her in much the same manner and I've never heard of her again!How do you know your reply had anything to do with it? I was under the impression the vast majority of this stuff went out from massive mailing address lists. I cannot imagine anyone taking the time to delete addresses from such lists. Perhaps someone more knowledgeable on the forum can enlighten us?

Skeptic Ginger

28th July 2007, 08:07 PM

Skeptigirl,

No, it was clearly not an automated reply. I started the letter sarcastically saying something about my being a widow with millions of dollars and was just looking for a stranger to invest the money with, that I had prayed and the good Lord had sent him to me. Then I said what I really thought.

His letter back said that he was "offended" that I would pretend to be a wealthy widow who prayed to the Lord. He said that when he first started reading he had hoped I was sincere (I'll bet he did). But then, when I committed blasphemey - something that he couldn't tolerate, (Ah, the indignation of a con artist) he almost decided to not renew his offer, and instead make the offer to someone else.

I do believe that this is uncommon and that many - such as the lottery-type - are all autamated.

JuliaAutomated or individual it is still just a high pressure sales technique to play the, "I'm offended" card.

newlyfound

29th July 2007, 12:27 AM

That must be quite annoying to have to check through the spam because of the nature of your email.

did you read what I typed????????!!!!!!! Apparently not! in which case you neeed to:

1/-either go back and reeeeead it.

Or:

2/- save up your breath for non-stupid use!...Understand?!

How do you know your reply had anything to do with it? I was under the impression the vast majority of this stuff went out from massive mailing address lists. I cannot imagine anyone taking the time to delete addresses from such lists. Perhaps someone more knowledgeable on the forum can enlighten us? Incivility removed

If you are soo "smart", and undestand basic english language so well, you should get that I asked for help not be supplied with A problem!!!!!! If anything you seem to be A problem and I don't need Another Problem. OUt!

PS: just to be on the safe side, you are on ignore right now, so anything more chitchatter won't be read.

newlyfound, please refer to your membership agreement: Be civil and polite

newlyfound

29th July 2007, 12:31 AM

Skeptic Ginger

29th July 2007, 01:15 AM

Apparently you aren't happy people don't share your perspective, newlyfound. You might as well ignore me, you certainly didn't understand what I said anyway.

TheAnachronism

29th July 2007, 01:22 AM

newlyfound, we here at the JREF sincerely love you.

We just want to help you.

Won't you let us fix you?

baron

29th July 2007, 04:08 AM

I had no idea that in this day and age people still reply to spam.

If you reply to spam you run the risk of your email being included in a list of valid emails which are then sold to other spammers. Just reply once and six months down the line you could find your spam has increased by 1000%, or more.

Of course, it depends on the spammer. Not all would use your email this way, but why on earth take the risk for no gain?

And although it shouldn't need saying, never ever reply to the "click here to remove your name from our mailing lists" links. These are more properly named "click here to add your name to our valid email list, which we will then use ourselves in the future and possibly sell to other scumbags so they can spam you too."

Look at it this way, if people never responded to spam then there would be no spam. End of story. Spammers are scumbags but their customers are idiots.

newlyfound

29th July 2007, 12:38 PM

I had no idea that in this day and age people still reply to spam. then you need to get out more hon :D LOL.

If you reply to spam you run the risk of your email being included in a list of valid emails which are then sold to other spammers. Just reply once and six months down the line you could find your spam has increased by 1000%, or more.

I see some' imagination is running in the high gear. I said it b4 and I will repeat it again, I never open the mail that's in the spam, I usually just dump the whole thing. Please folks, bother to process that, because up until now yo have not.

And although it shouldn't need saying, never ever reply to the "click here to remove your name from our mailing lists" links. These are more properly named "click here to add your name to our valid email list, which we will then use ourselves in the future and possibly sell to other scumbags so they can spam you too." I know about that, if one has never given them their address why should they bother to take it out?

Look at it this way, if people never responded to spam then there would be no spam. End of story. Spammers are scumbags but their customers are idiots.

I am no idiot and so far so good, the rat has not re-appeared and neither did the rest of the others. So I would interpret that as having responded the way I was supposed to.

And folks please save your energy for something more constructive and beneficial to you, all some of you are doing by responding the way they do is speed up your own aging process. For your own sake, and judging from the level of agitation you appear to be in, I'd swear you're the ones who have gotten the mail not me. Calm down and enjoy your day as well as life. Thank you.

baron

29th July 2007, 02:08 PM

I see some' imagination is running in the high gear. I said it b4 and I will repeat it again, I never open the mail that's in the spam, I usually just dump the whole thing. Please folks, bother to process that, because up until now yo have not.

In that case you need to wake up to the fact that not all spam is caught by the filters and start using your brain to deduce whether or not mail is spam. At the end of the day you replied to spam and then created this forum post for response, so don't whinge when people do just that.

I am no idiot and so far so good, the rat has not re-appeared and neither did the rest of the others. So I would interpret that as having responded the way I was supposed to.

I never stated you were an idiot but I'm beginning to wonder. As I've already clearly stated, if you reply to spam then your email could be added to a list that will be used by other spammers. Get it? Other spammers, not necessarily the same ones. And again, as I said, it can take months for this to happen, so the fact you didn't get an increase in spam the day after is pretty much irrelevant.

And folks please save your energy for something more constructive and beneficial to you, all some of you are doing by responding the way they do is speed up your own aging process.

You're right. Good advice is wasted on you. Still, could be worse. I could have spent my time replying to spam and then boasted about it on a forum.

newlyfound

29th July 2007, 02:25 PM

To the Mods,

Please lock this thread or delete it, I've asked for help not insults from mental patients. Thank you. This concludes my visitations to this thread.

Keep in mind the Membership Agreement and do not use personal attacks or insults.

TheAnachronism

29th July 2007, 02:30 PM

I've asked for help not insults from mental patients. Thank you. This concludes my visitations to this thread.

Oh ya? Well then, how do you explain this quote by you in the original post??

Exhibit A:

I'm looking for insults from mental patients. Any response of this sort will be appreciated.

HMMMM??

-Fran-

29th July 2007, 03:08 PM

then you need to get out more hon :D LOL.

You are really rather arrogant. By laughing at baron's comment, you do not succeed in convincing anyone that it is no other than you who neds to get out more. Baron is the one who's mildly sarcastic comment about people replying to spam in this day and age, succeeded in being funny, not you!

I see some' imagination is running in the high gear. I said it b4

Oh, the net-speak that usually go with the wit and temper of certain people... I see it so seldom here on this forum, I've almost missed it. I get all sentimental here :( So? Your imagination is used to come up with witty ways of writing 'before' on :rolleyes:

and I will repeat it again, I never open the mail that's in the spam, I usually just dump the whole thing. Please folks, bother to process that, because up until now yo have not.

Worth repeating it seems, since you're the one who can't process things. Some spam will get through the spamfilter and in to your inbox!

I am no idiot

I can't process this :rolleyes:

and so far so good, the rat has not re-appeared and neither did the rest of the others. So I would interpret that as having responded the way I was supposed to.

Worth repeating it seems, since you're the one who can't process things. It is not necessarily this individual only, who will benefit from you replying.

And folks please save your energy for something more constructive and beneficial to you, all some of you are doing by responding the way they do is speed up your own aging process.

It is very touching that you care about us all that much. Personally I think it's well worth the few minutes off my life that this reply will, apparently, cost me :D

For your own sake, and judging from the level of agitation you appear to be in,

The level of our agitation? :D Granted I haven't been a member of this forum for very long, but I have never seen anyone here get so agitated about so little as you did in one of your posts above. Never seen anyone here use such a big font in a serious way to show this agitation. Made me first :eye-poppi and then :D I feel bad for skeptigirl though, she really did not deserve the way you treated her! By the way, I think you also broke some sort of record in being one of the fastest people I've seen on here to put someone on ignore. It only took one reply that wasn't to your liking, and... BAM, on ignore :D If you stick around you will be putting MANY people on ignore, that's for sure :)

I'd swear you're the ones who have gotten the mail not me.

No no, we would never be so agitated with a spam like that. Spam is very annoying, but behaving like that over a spam that made it through the filter is NOT worth the speeded up aging-process.

Calm down and enjoy your day as well as life. Thank you.

Follow your own advice!

-Fran-

29th July 2007, 03:11 PM

To the Mods,

Please lock this thread or delete it, I've asked for help not insults from mental patients. Thank you. This concludes my visitations to this thread.

*LOL* You are right, all this laughing must speed up my aging process quite a bit :D Mental patients, ha ha ha, priceless :D

Skeptic Ginger

29th July 2007, 04:11 PM

-Fran-

29th July 2007, 04:28 PM

Wow! That's all I can say. I was going to ask someone to read my posts and tell me how I insulted this person unknowingly. I was not born with the greatest of social skills, it's been a struggle.

But now I guess I have my answer.

Yeah, it sure wasn't you!

Personally I think he/she simply became embarrassed when he/she realized from these replies that he/she had behaved a bit silly with that spam, and then decided that instead of laughing about it, shrugging it off, and take the advices, it would be a better idea to bite everyones' heads off in an effort to keep his/hers dignity :rolleyes:

Didn't succeed very well, I'd say.

LostAngeles

29th July 2007, 04:39 PM

To the Mods,

Please lock this thread or delete it, I've asked for help not insults from mental patients. Thank you. This concludes my visitations to this thread.

Well, this mental patient didn't even get to insult you. Although I think you've been doing most of the insulting here.

Here's some future tips:

1) When you get something odd in your inbox, check snopes.com first. They've got plenty of stuff debunked/verified/still looking into it in the Inboxer Rebellion Section

2) The mods do not monitor every thread and only act on reports made my members unless they come across it themselves.

3) You might not want to reconsider your posting style as the post I'm quoting is rude and incivil.

I know you said you were leaving this thread, but this is TEH INTERWEBS. No one really leaves when they say they are...

IvanOffalich

29th July 2007, 10:25 PM

Why would you think the two terms, spam and scam, are mutually exclusive? Almost all the spam I get are scam spams of one kind or another.

Gazactly! :D

IvanOffalich

29th July 2007, 10:33 PM

did you read what I typed????????!!!!!!! Apparently not! in which case you neeed to:

1/-either go back and reeeeead it.

Or:

2/- save up your breath for non-stupid use!...Understand?!

Incivility removed

If you are soo "smart", and undestand basic english language so well, you should get that I asked for help not be supplied with A problem!!!!!! If anything you seem to be A problem and I don't need Another Problem. OUt!

PS: just to be on the safe side, you are on ignore right now, so anything more chitchatter won't be read.

newlyfound, please refer to your membership agreement: Be civil and polite

Wow, someone needs a nap. :rolleyes: