Na Me You Wan Do Wayo, Abi?

Hello dear,‏
4/10/11
Reply  ▼
  maureenvelon@hotmail.com
 Add to contactsAttachments, pictures and links in this message have been blocked for your safety.Show content | Always show content from cumbavelon@att.net
          Hello dear,I guess you will not surprise to receive my mail? i saw your profile and it sound well.I will like us to exchange good relationship.I am Maureen by name,No kid and never marriage.I will like to hear from your opinion, you can contact me back so that i can send you my pictures and more introduction about myself. Have a good day and waiting to hear from you soonest

For readers who do not understand Nigerian Pidgin English,

The title literally means: "So, it is me you want to dupe?"

What you are seeing above is an unsolicited mail received in my private mail box a few days ago. It reminds me of sometime in the past, around 2006 when I was desperately looking for job after my second degree. One of my uncle's staff approached me and asked me to procure an international passport that he wants me to join him in going to the US. The departure date was almost a month away.

Inundated by difficulties and really anxious to find a way out of the hardship and unemployment bedevilling me at the time, I was swayed by his conviction. A friend, a girl supposedly, whom he met on-line told him that there is this youth conference in the US and her father who is a diplomat is organising it. She now magnanimously invited him and asked him to bring five others to be the Nigerian delegation at the conference. This guy actually liked me well enough that he invited me to join. He took me to a cyber cafe to show me pictures of his benefactor on the internet, the one that he was already warning us that we shouldn't snatch from him when we get to the US. With the layers of moneylessness that coated my mind, I saw but could not ask questions about this lady being brunette and blonde, with dissimilar faces in all the pictures.

Two things saved me: 

One, I needed about ten thousand naira (about €50) to procure a passport and I needed my uncle to part with the money. His mockery incensed me then, but I am grateful now! He wanted to know why it is that out of the 144 million plus Nigerians that this "Good American" chose us.

Two: This "American" promised to pay our hotel expenses in the US including our transportation and she is in support that once we step on US soil we will "find our way!" She said that because of that the organisers of the conference fixed another one immediately after the US meet, so that from the US everyone proceeds to the next location which is Guinea Bissau, West Africa. The snatch is that the embassy requires that we book for hotel accommodation on-line in Bissau, and with proof of payment, we can now proceed to the embassy to process our travel documents which, she assures of, her father has "cleared the way for us!"

I laugh now! But back then, it took me almost a year to wake up from the self-imposed regrets on a "missed opportunity." My suspicion could have awoken when we asked this "Good American" to pay for us and she gave reasons that that must come from us, but it didn't. My ever-questioning mind was deadened, at the time, by tonnes of needs and desires that cannot be met because of joblessness. I only forgave my uncle and appreciated him for not giving me money to "travel to the US on a platter of gold" back then, when months later, I received the same mail that catalysed the whole scenario by that friend of mine that would have taken us to America.

Now, I have grown wiser and have come to ponder on what poverty and greed can make people do. Both the spammer and the person, who ignores the warning signs and falls victim, are both culpable. Anyone, who is too eager at gaining wealth that s/he did not work for, is a potential victim of this kind of thing. I have not even gone into deconstructing the English grammar that this character has used in the mail above. The next one I get, I will follow it up by giving a response and I will surely keep you posted hoping that the sender will be too busy scamming to read the blog posts of his/her potential mugu! Sometimes, greed is not only for money but also for women. Just imagine the open invitation the writer of the mail above has given. With the name Maureen Velon (from the e-mail address) a young, unemployed or even rich and randy bachelors could fall prey. The former because he has heard stories of poor people who have been taken overseas by internet friends, and the later, for insatiable lust for women. Perhaps, I should write this one back and tell him I am gay to see if he will change to a man immediately! I am considering that seriously and you will see the mail(s) except s/he does not reply! Mugu in deed!

On a final note, I guess I will leave you with this other mail I found in my box. This one is so preposterous that one if its numerous titles reads: "Scammed victim" and yet some people could be mugufied by it! au revoir

 Flag this message
Attention You Have One New MessageSaturday, 9 April, 2011 10:05
From: "COMPENSATION© 2011" <compensation@ymail.com>Add sender to Contacts
To: undisclosed-recipients
Malaysian National Sweeptakes Compensation Award 2011
Selangor Turb Club (Lottery and Sports Center)
Jalan Kuda Emas, 57100 Kuala Lumpur
Ref:  ECB/06654 $2.5Million Dollars
SCAMMED VICTIM/ $2.5Million Dollars BENEFICIARIES.
REF/PAYMENTS CODE: ECB/06654 $2.5Million Dollars.
On behalf of the Malaysian National Sweeptakes Compensation Award,wishes
to inform you the results of the E-mail address ballot lottery
international program by the Malaysian lotto Board held this Month,notify
you as a beneficiary of  $2.5Million Dollars in compensation of scam
victims. This is to bring to your notice that we are delegated from the
Malaysian National Sweeptakes Compensation Award in World Bank to pay 150
victims of scam $2.5Million Dollars each. You are listed and approved
for this payment as one of the scammed victims  to be paid this amount.
  This Award was promoted and sponsored by a conglomerate of some
multinational companies as part of their social responsibility to the
citizens in the communities where they have operational base in all
countries ofAsia.Afghanistan,Armenia,Azerbaijan,Bahrain,Bangladesh,Bhutan,Brunei,Burma,
(Myanmar),
Cambodia, China, Georgia, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq,
Israel,Japan, Jordan, Kazakstan,South Korea,Syria,Taiwan,
Korea,Kuwait,Kyrgyzstan,Laos,Lebanon,Malaysia,Maldives,Mongolia,Myanmar,Nepal,Oman,Pakistan,
Philippines,Qatar,Russia,Saudi,Arabia,Singapore,Sri,LankaTajikistan,Thailand,Turkey,
Turkmenistan,United,Arab,Emirates,Uzbekistan,Vietnam,Yemen.Be
advice to keep your winning information confidential until your claims has
been processed and your money remitted to you. This is part of our
security protocol to avoid double claiming and unwarranted abuse of this
programme.
  Do contact CIMB BANK INTERNATIONAL BANK,CIMB BANK for  verification and
release of your $2.5Million Dollars that we have deposited  with the
CIMB BANK MALAYSIA.The account log on will be presented to you by the
bank in order to access the funds before releasing into your nominated
bank  account.You will transfer the funds into your nominated account
on-line as the CIMB BANK MALAYSIA will provide the necessary information
to you. Please if you are willing to accept the funds, do contact the
Managing.
Director of the CIMB BANK
Attention You Have One New MessageSaturday, 9 April, 2011 10:05 From: "COMPENSATION© 2011" <compensation@ymail.com>Add sender to Contacts To: undisclosed-recipients Malaysian National Sweeptakes Compensation Award 2011 Selangor Turb Club (Lottery and Sports Center) Jalan Kuda Emas, 57100 Kuala Lumpur Ref:  ECB/06654 $2.5Million Dollars
SCAMMED VICTIM/ $2.5Million Dollars BENEFICIARIES. REF/PAYMENTS CODE: ECB/06654 $2.5Million Dollars. On behalf of the Malaysian National Sweeptakes Compensation Award,wishes to inform you the results of the E-mail address ballot lottery international program by the Malaysian lotto Board held this Month,notify you as a beneficiary of  $2.5Million Dollars in compensation of scam victims. This is to bring to your notice that we are delegated from the Malaysian National Sweeptakes Compensation Award in World Bank to pay 150 victims of scam $2.5Million Dollars each. You are listed and approved for this payment as one of the scammed victims  to be paid this amount.   This Award was promoted and sponsored by a conglomerate of some multinational companies as part of their social responsibility to the citizens in the communities where they have operational base in all countries ofAsia.Afghanistan,Armenia,Azerbaijan,Bahrain,Bangladesh,Bhutan,Brunei,Burma, (Myanmar), Cambodia, China, Georgia, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Israel,Japan, Jordan, Kazakstan,South Korea,Syria,Taiwan, Korea,Kuwait,Kyrgyzstan,Laos,Lebanon,Malaysia,Maldives,Mongolia,Myanmar,Nepal,Oman,Pakistan, Philippines,Qatar,Russia,Saudi,Arabia,Singapore,Sri,LankaTajikistan,Thailand,Turkey, Turkmenistan,United,Arab,Emirates,Uzbekistan,Vietnam,Yemen.Be advice to keep your winning information confidential until your claims has been processed and your money remitted to you. This is part of our security protocol to avoid double claiming and unwarranted abuse of this programme.   Do contact CIMB BANK INTERNATIONAL BANK,CIMB BANK for  verification and release of your $2.5Million Dollars that we have deposited  with the CIMB BANK MALAYSIA.The account log on will be presented to you by the bank in order to access the funds before releasing into your nominated bank  account.You will transfer the funds into your nominated account on-line as the CIMB BANK MALAYSIA will provide the necessary information to you. Please if you are willing to accept the funds, do contact the Managing. Director of the CIMB BANK MALAYSIA,  with the following details:
              You are to fill the appropriate form and submit to the bank.
[1] Full Names:________________
[2] Contact address______________________________
[3] Direct Telephone No: ___________________
|4| Occupation : ____________________________
Managing Director of the CIMB BANK
              You are to fill the appropriate form and submit to the bank. [1] Full Names:________________ [2] Contact address______________________________ [3] Direct Telephone No: ___________________ |4| Occupation : ____________________________ Managing Director of the CIMB BANK MALAYSIA Name: Mr Abu Bakar Bin Saud Private Email:mrabubakarbinsau1@w.cn Yours Faithfully, Dr. David Adams Coordinator.Malaysian National Sweeptakes Compensation Award© 2011 !