Just do not understand how these scams work

[done]

Alright, so I get an email from Mr. Chen at a honk Kong bank. Be wants me, a total stranger, with absolutely no qualifications, to help him on a $40 million transaction.

When I do this he will give me 40% freaking percent.

First of all, I would like to find the guys who send these, and remove their fingers to keep them from typing.

Second of all, how do people fall for these scams? There are some that are better written but most of the ones I get are so obvious. I just do not understand how you can think, rationally, that someone in the above scenario is doing anything but scamming you.

[Glenn]

There's a sucker born every minute.  You'd be shocked to learn how many people fall for scams like that.

[moby bass]

I'm right now waiting for my check to come from my long lost relative I didn't even know I had in Kenya who recently came into millions of dollars and was more than happy to share it with me. Don't you guys wish you had family like that!  

[BrianinMD]

Working in network security I can say you would be shocked to realize the lack of common sense some people will show sometimes. No matter how much we talk to people about being safer about their computer use they still click on or open the oddest things.

[done]

Well, there is this widow out there who has been contacting me trying to get me to help get some cash over here. Oh, and that nigerian government official.

My favorite was the devout Christian woman one. She is sitting on a pile of cash, and "through the love of Christ", wants me to help her by claiming a false identity and using it to launder large sums of money out of the country.

LOL. I wonder how desperate you need to be to hold onto a belief that it is real.

[Siebert Outdoors]

Greed and looking for an easy way out.  The old saying if it sounds too good to be true it probably is comes to mind.

[fishfordollars]

Greed.

[fishinfiend]

How do i contact Mr. Chen  

[Bass Dude]

I work in banking operations and I previously worked in the check fraud area.  We had a lot of lotto scams which seemed to target the older folks.  They would get a letter and a check stating they won the lottery from some foreign country.  They would then tell you to deposit the check ($10,000) and then send them back $3000 for processing fees and taxes.  So, the person that received the check would then deposit a bogus $10,000 check and then withdraw "real" money ($3000) from their account and sending it back to the scammers.  All the while thinking they should have an additional $7000 in their account, but in reality they would be out $3000.

It was very sad because we would get calls from the people that fell for this and at that point, there really wasn't anything that could be done on our end.  You could tell that these were people that REALLY needed money too.  They were devastated when we told them what had transpired.  At the sametime you think to yourself, they know they didn't play the lotto in Zimbabwe, so how could they have won---but people fall for it, especially in todays economy.

[mac]

Driving back from work the other day there was a lady on a phone in program on the radio that sent 45k to a spanish lottery scam half of the money was her retirement savings and the other half she took a loan she sent it in about 5 payments over six months and she was still under the illusion she was going to get her milions.You would think an old lady would be a bit more carefull but she was so trusting its scary.She even asked the dj if she should borrow another 3k as a final payment to release the millions.I think when they catch these suckers they should shoot there kneecaps and then throw them in a lion enclosure at the zoo 8-)

[flechero]

I'm right now waiting for my check to come from my long lost relative I didn't even know I had in Kenya who recently came into millions of dollars and was more than happy to share it with me. Don't you guys wish you had family like that!

Moby, we must be related!!

I was embarrassed at first because I assumed it wasn't legitimate... I thought my whole family was white and overweight. : My kid has a chance after all... we have marathoners in our bloodline somewhere! ;D ;D

[slomoe]

I work in banking operations and I previously worked in the check fraud area. We had a lot of lotto scams which seemed to target the older folks. They would get a letter and a check stating they won the lottery from some foreign country. They would then tell you to deposit the check ($10,000) and then send them back $3000 for processing fees and taxes. So, the person that received the check would then deposit a bogus $10,000 check and then withdraw "real" money ($3000) from their account and sending it back to the scammers. All the while thinking they should have an additional $7000 in their account, but in reality they would be out $3000.

.

x2

I have a co-worker who was asking me "Should I cash this check? Some guy in Africa sent it to me to cash and said I could keep a percentage" LOL The check looked pretty legit. She called her bank and asked, they said theres no way to know its real until you try to cash it.

[atx_newbie]

These people are absolutely evil, especially since they do tend to go after senior citizens who may not be as up to date on their knowledge of potential frauds.  I remember one that called my grandfather a few years back.

They called from "the parish government (this was in Louisiana)" and said that he had been selected for jury duty, and missed it, so there was a warrant out for his arrest.  "Don't worry, though" they said "just give us your DOB and SSN and we can straighten the whole thing out."  Luckily, they didn't realize who they were dealing with.  Paw-Paw was a pretty cantankerous, abrasive, stubborn old fella and was infuriated that they would arrest HIM, a VETERAN, for supposedly missing jury-duty.  So he drove down to the courthouse to give them a piece of his mind, where he was informed about the scam.

[Eddie Munster]

I am surprised when I hear of people being taken in scams where someone calls you or emails you asking for your SSN or Checking acct. # etc.....and they give it to them.

Simple rule of thumb: If you didn't initiate the call/email, don't tell them any personal information.

Recently we've seen people bilked out of MILLIONS with these Ponzi schemes. Kevin Bacon lost EVERYTHING and now is looking for work along with 8% of the population. Another lesson there; diversify investments and as they say 'don't put all your eggs in one basket'.

And always remember: There's no such thing as a free lunch.

[Grey Wolf]

Greed is very blinding.

People want something for nothing.

Stupid is as stupid does.

[SirSnookalot]

About 8 years ago I get an email from a "barrister " in some African Nation claiming a long lost relative owning some diamond mine.....lol.

So I play along.  He had called me on the phone, I guess from African no less than 6 times, I'm sure that cost him a nickle or 2.  I opened up a checking account, with a minimum at some obscure bank ( got free suitcase).

I almost turned the tables on him, getting him to send me some cash for travel and accomodations in Africa, not that I would have really gone.  This fiasco was over a 2month period, so I knew I had him going, most just drop it and go on to the next victim.

I used to get a lot of "boiler room" calls.  My objective was to keep these guys on the phone as long as possible, giving them less time to call other people.

[Sam]

The con artists are also sending out official looking e-mails from banks and the IRS.

Remember, banks and the IRS do not send out e-mails.

Banks and the IRS send you letters.