$100,000,000.00 from Nigeria and other fun things (like fulcrumatic cancer)

Everyone reading this post must have, at some point, received some form of spam email about some poor fellow in Nigeria who needs to transfer $10,000,000 to your bank account for the time being in order to help his ailing mother…

These scams are known in the techie world as 419 scams.

Well, if you haven’t heard of them, they’re very prolific and, simultaneously, the subject of quite a few jokes around the water cooler. Unfortunately, they are also quite effective to the more gullible type, as apparently the authors of some of these letters make a living off of the money they receive from the fruits of their labor.

I’ve included a link HERE to a wonderful site that has made it its mission to scam the scammers. Yes, that’s right. 419 Eaters play along in the scam as far as they can, and sometimes, the results are very funny. In fact, this scam-of-the-scammer went so far that the results are quite astounding! Just visit the site and read through the emails that were exchanged...

Although not associated (as far as I know) to the group above, THIS SITE has a documented case of “playing along” as well (Have you met Wendy Wilcox and her dog? ). Anyone ever heard of Fulcrumatic cancer?

Enjoy the stories! I sure did. And remember: If you get a too-good-to-be-true email saying that you have something really good coming your way, it probably is to good to be true.

So have fun reading of these online escapades. And make sure to comment back your stories of these and other stupid (yet effective) scams!


--Xi Hyperon

At Last! Virginia's Judicial System Shows Some Sense

This posting is an update on the situation regarding the Virginia teen who is battling Hodgkin’s disease (an in some ways, his state’s judicial system as well). The article excerpt below I found to be a great relief.

Another Virginia judge has set aside the previous judicial order(s) that prompted my previous posting, although a new court hearing is set for August 16th. Hopefully, common sense will permeate that hearing, and this young man may concentrate on fighting his disease, and depend on and take comfort in his human rights rather than defend them.


-- Xi Hyperon

--->> Article excerpt below <<---

Tuesday, July 25, 2006; Posted: 5:09 p.m. EDT (21:09 GMT)

ACCOMAC, Virginia (AP) -- A judge ruled Tuesday that a 16-year-old cancer patient who has refused conventional medical treatment does not have to report to a hospital as previously ordered and scheduled a trial to settle the dispute.

A social worker had asked a juvenile court judge to require the teen to continue conventional treatment, and the judge on Friday ordered Abraham to report to a hospital Tuesday. Accomack County Circuit Court Judge Glen A. Taylor set aside that order.
"I feel free today. I was let off the leash," Abraham said after Taylor agreed to a stay and set a trial date of Aug. 16.
Taylor also ended joint custody of Abraham between his parents and social services officials. Carl Bundick, an attorney for the department, told the judge the department would not object, provided a new trial takes place quickly.

"What the department is interested in is this young man being cured of cancer," Bundick said.

Excerpt from http://www.cnn.com/2006/HEALTH/07/25/sick.teen.ap/index.html