Hatrack River Forum: REQUEST FOR ASSISTANCE-STRICTLY CONFIDENTIAL

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Posted by Storm Saxon (Member # 3101) on :

This bit of spam has been making the rounds on the internet blog sites lately. Thought you guys might find it amusing.

quote:

Subject: Nigerian Astronaut Wants To Come Home
Dr. Bakare Tunde
Astronautics Project Manager
National Space Research and Development Agency (NASRDA)
Plot 555
Misau Street
PMB 437
Garki, Abuja, FCT NIGERIA

Dear Mr. Sir,

REQUEST FOR ASSISTANCE-STRICTLY CONFIDENTIAL

I am Dr. Bakare Tunde, the cousin of Nigerian Astronaut, Air Force Major Abacha Tunde. He was the first African in space when he made a secret flight to the Salyut 6 space station in 1979. He was on a later Soviet spaceflight, Soyuz T-16Z to the secret Soviet military space station Salyut 8T in 1989. He was stranded there in 1990 when the Soviet Union was dissolved. His other Soviet crew members returned to earth on the Soyuz T-16Z, but his place was taken up by return cargo. There have been occasional Progrez supply flights to keep him going since that time. He is in good humor, but wants to come home.

In the 14-years since he has been on the station, he has accumulated flight pay and interest amounting to almost $ 15,000,000 American Dollars. This is held in a trust at the Lagos National Savings and Trust Association. If we can obtain access to this money, we can place a down payment with the Russian Space Authorities for a Soyuz return flight to bring him back to Earth. I am told this will cost $ 3,000,000 American Dollars. In order to access the his trust fund we need your assistance.

Consequently, my colleagues and I are willing to transfer the total amount to your account or subsequent disbursement, since we as civil servants are prohibited by the Code of Conduct Bureau (Civil Service Laws) from opening and/ or operating foreign accounts in our names.

Needless to say, the trust reposed on you at this juncture is enormous. In return, we have agreed to offer you 20 percent of the transferred sum, while 10 percent shall be set aside for incidental expenses (internal and external) between the parties in the course of the transaction. You will be mandated to remit the balance 70 percent to other accounts in due course.

Kindly expedite action as we are behind schedule to enable us include downpayment in this financial quarter.

Please acknowledge the receipt of this message via my direct number 234 (0) 9-234-2220 only.

Yours Sincerely, Dr. Bakare Tunde
Astronautics Project Manager
tip@nasrda.gov.ng

http://www.nasrda.gov.ng/

Posted by Mr.Funny (Member # 4467) on :

I really hope that people do not fall for this type of thing...

Though, the people that DO fall for this probably deserve to lose their money like this.

Posted by Hobbes (Member # 433) on :

Does anyone rememeber that Nigerian royalty spam going aroung? One of my Dad's friend's children got fooled by it. He actually thought the message orginated from Nigerian royalty and felt he could cash in by allowing them to store money in his account. He gave them acess information and they took out his life savings. A little while later, broken and without hope he comitted suicide. I don't know if that fills me with incredible sadness, hatred or both, either way, I have absolutley no tolerance for spamers, especially full fledged cons like that. [Mad]

Hobbes

[ April 19, 2004, 01:29 AM: Message edited by: Hobbes ]

Posted by Troubadour (Member # 83) on :

419 Eater is well worth a look.

Posted by Richard Berg (Member # 133) on :

quote:
We have confirmed losses just in the United States of over $100 million in the last 15 months," said Special Agent James Caldwell, of the Secret Service financial crimes division. "And that's just the ones we know of. We figure a lot of people don't report them."

That's a quote from 1997. Snopes has citations going back to the 1920's.

Posted by Storm Saxon (Member # 3101) on :

That site's great, Troubadour. [Smile]

[ April 19, 2004, 02:57 AM: Message edited by: Storm Saxon ]

Posted by Amka (Member # 690) on :

I was going to laugh at that, but then I read Hobbes post. [Frown]

Posted by Ela (Member # 1365) on :

This is a new twist on the old spam of the Nigerian who wants to transfer money. I received the old one in one of my email accounts a few times, and before that, I received it by snail mail a couple times.

Posted by Hobbes (Member # 433) on :

I have to admit Amka, everyonce and in a while, I lose faith in the world. [Frown]

Hobbes