ASSISTANCE FOR MUTUAL BENEFITS

[Q G Campbell]

[snip]=20
> BTW, I've been trying to figure out how these scams actually=20
> work - my assumption is that if you are stupid enough to=20
> bite, they will then hit you for some money required to=20
> process paperwork or some such - but is there anything more=20
> cunning going on?

Ben

You are correct. There is nothing more cunning involved than exploiting
simple greed and gullibility and knowing how to play people along. Once
people are hooked there may also be a measure of threat involved as
well.=20

It was the BBC (I think) who did a documentary on this scam. It focused
particularly on a UK couple who ran their own business and who had paid
out something like =A330,000 ISR for "processing paperwork" and other
costs. They still believed that it would all come good in the end. =20

The documentary team also spoke to Customs and Excise who showed bags
full of mail from Nigeria that they routinely open and examine looking
for letters operating the scam.

I am more used to seeing the e-mail version of these letters through the
copies forwarded to me by worried recipients at this site. The NCIS
contact address could be useful in future.

Quentin Campbell (Postmaster)
--
PHONE: +44 191 222 8209    Computing Service, University of Newcastle
FAX:   +44 191 222 8765    Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom, NE1 7RU.
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"Any opinions expressed above are mine. The University can get its own."
    =20