I normally delete these things unread, but this one did end up being opened. It's a slightly different version of the normal scam. I won't bother you with all the boring bits, and I'll jump straight to the oddity:
Your name appeared among the beneficiaries who will receive a part-payment of US$21.5 million and has been approved already for months. You are requested to get back to me for more direction and instruction on how to receive your fund. However, we received an email from one Dr. Robert Walter who told us that he is your next of kin and that you died in a car accident last week. We want to hear from you before we can make the transfer to confirm if you are dead or not.
How fantastic is that! I couldn't resist a reply:
Thank you very much for your email correspondence, and I wish to thank you for taking the time and trouble to check to see if I am dead or not. You hear so many dreadful things in the world do you not, about graverobbing and so on. Most dreadful. And of course people do die on a regular basis so I believe. It is certainly as well to check in advance. However, in this particular instance I should inform you that I have, in actual fact, died. Oddly however, this was not as stated by your contact Dr Walter, because it was not in a car crash last week. A turtle fell on my head dropped by a penguin passing overhead while I was sunbathing in the Antarctic back in June 1973. I suspect that your Dr Walter is being something of a scamp, out for his own ends and you should be careful of him.
I await with interest to see if there is a reply...
Phil, there is a slight discrepancy in your reply - penguins do not fly.
Posted by: NickT | December 13, 2007 at 01:42 PM
Hi Nick - I don't think they carry turtles in their beaks either!
Posted by: Phil Bradley | December 13, 2007 at 03:06 PM
I think thats kind of the point! Duh!
Posted by: Sheamus | December 13, 2007 at 03:42 PM
That's just pure genius!
I take it you've heard there's a new scam that purports to come from the Nigerian government offering to help victims of the Nigerial 419 fraud! These guys!!!
db
Posted by: David Bradley | December 14, 2007 at 10:33 AM
Very funny. Drop dead funny in fact.How do these guys approach their inboxes? Do they have a laugh too when they know they've see they've been led up the garden path?
Posted by: newmo | December 14, 2007 at 11:09 PM