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You aren't even TRYING, are you? (language)

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  • You aren't even TRYING, are you? (language)

    There are e-mail scams that you could almost fall for, and then there's fuckwits like this...

    Email title is "Confidential: Treat with urgency"

    Email text is "Affixed to this mail is an attachment. Review and respond promptly."



    This is just sad. I almost want to reply and ask if he's even trying.
    My Guide to Oblivion

    "I resent the implication that I've gone mad, Sprocket."

  • #2
    When I was in Afghanistan, I got an email from someone claiming to be an Army captain working at the hospital on the base I was at asking for help. She was emailing my yahoo account. I've never met her in my life while I was there. She WAS using an army mil email address. I emailed her back, letting her know that I just happened to be at the base she was claiming to be at and suggested meeting up at the coffee place. She kept making excuses. Meanwhile, I forwarded the original email to some intelligence people I knew and all of a sudden, the emails disappeared. I wonder what happened to her.
    "I've found that when you want to know the truth about someone, that someone is probably the last person you should ask." - House

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    • #3
      Possible whoever it was got arrested, if it wasn't an Army captain. Impersonating a US military officer is a federal offense.

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      • #4
        Quoth Tama View Post
        This is just sad. I almost want to reply and ask if he's even trying.
        I know, right? You'd think that at this stage of their "industry" they'd be getting a little more sophisticated. Heck, there are whole sites dedicated to nothing but how funny/stupid/easily manipulated email scammers are. They could use those as a "DON'TS" list.
        Sadly, I suspect the reason they don't do this is all too simple; the current tactics work well enough. 'Never underestimate the power of human stupidity.'

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        • #5
          Also, what i once saw in a documentary about it, they only want to target gullible people. The "stupid" mails are actually a deterrent for those who'd see through their scam on second or third mail, so they don't sink their time in "intelligent" people and only those susceptible to scamming stupidity

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          • #6
            Quoth Tama View Post
            I almost want to reply and ask if he's even trying.
            I feel the same way about a lot of the spammers we get on here. Most of the time, we nail them before they even get a chance to post. They may as well be wearing a sign that says, "I'm a stupid worthless spammer. Please ban me."
            Sometimes life is altered.
            Break from the ropes your hands are tied.
            Uneasy with confrontation.
            Won't turn out right. Can't turn out right

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            • #7
              Quoth Librarian View Post
              Also, what i once saw in a documentary about it, they only want to target gullible people.
              That makes sense, really. Kind of the first question in a "How dumb are you?" test.

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              • #8
                How do you know they're a spammer before they post?
                My Guide to Oblivion

                "I resent the implication that I've gone mad, Sprocket."

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                • #9
                  Quoth Librarian View Post
                  Also, what i once saw in a documentary about it, they only want to target gullible people. The "stupid" mails are actually a deterrent for those who'd see through their scam on second or third mail, so they don't sink their time in "intelligent" people and only those susceptible to scamming stupidity
                  Yes, gullible... or those quite sensitive. Some of the most recent succesfull scams are either where the scammer delibaretly contacts disabled people, or the "recovery format" wherein a scammer describing himself as an "officer" of sorts contacts a person WHO ALREADY HAS BEEN SCAMMED and promises to get him/her the money back.... for a few cheap risky-free fees, of course.
                  A theory states that if anyone discovers exactly what the Universe is for, it will be replaced by something even more bizarre and inexplicable.

                  Another theory states that this has already happened.

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                  • #10
                    Quoth Tama View Post
                    How do you know they're a spammer before they post?
                    The name, usually. It's either a mishmash of random letters and numbers, or it's something ridiculously obvious like "loseweightnow" or "bankingsecretsyouneverknew." Spam commenters do the same thing.

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                    • #11
                      Quoth KiaKat View Post
                      The name, usually. It's either a mishmash of random letters and numbers, or it's something ridiculously obvious like "loseweightnow" or "bankingsecretsyouneverknew." Spam commenters do the same thing.
                      Pretty much this. Or they'll use a common name with a string of numbers after it. Or they'll have something stupid like the word "man" in their profile. And with all the spammers we get these days, every time I see a "newest member", I check them out. We use a site called Stop Forum Spam to do this. You can look them up by their user name, email address, or IP address. And of course, if one does manage to post their crap before we catch them, we have our moderation system in place.

                      Once in a great while, one of them will attempt to make a somewhat relevant post, but that's extremely rare. Most of them are lazy, and aren't going to put that much effort into it.
                      Sometimes life is altered.
                      Break from the ropes your hands are tied.
                      Uneasy with confrontation.
                      Won't turn out right. Can't turn out right

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                      • #12
                        ... and they are ssslllooowww learners. I've seen some,with the strikeout through their name, remain logged on for more than a week...
                        I am not an a**hole. I am a hemorrhoid. I irritate a**holes!
                        Procrastination: Forward planning to insure there is something to do tomorrow.
                        Derails threads faster than a pocket nuke.

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                        • #13
                          Yeah, I saw this one that managed to get a few spam posts in (not that we'd ever approve them of course), so I banned him. 12 hours later, he was still going at it. And then he came back a few times after that. And sometimes I see ones trying to log in that we banned months ago.

                          I know those things are usually bots, but you'd think they'd realize we're going to ban them sooner or later, and shut them down and sign up some fresh ones.
                          Sometimes life is altered.
                          Break from the ropes your hands are tied.
                          Uneasy with confrontation.
                          Won't turn out right. Can't turn out right

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