I got Spam! Woo!

March 17, 2003

Well, I have some good news and some bad news. Actually, I guess the good news is more interesting than good. The interesting news is that this morning when I woke up and checked my mail, I had received my very myself Nigerian 419 scam email. For those that don’t know, the Nigerian 419 scam is a variation on an old scam, but with an email twist. You receive an email from someone in Africa–always Africa, now, although other states were reported in the past–and they claim to be part of an exiled government, or a government on the brink of being toppled, something like that. It’s typically a very personal email (although your name is never used), with many references designed to tug on your heartstrings. The basis is that the sender, who wishes to initiate a business deal to free up money that has been locked down by the circumstances outlined, and they need your help in doing so. The promise is 10% of the total amount, typically around $1.6 million, though it’s been reported as high as $20 million by some who’ve gotten the email. If you respond, a relationship is established between you and the sender in which they keep you updated on the progress, etc. In the end, they keep asking for money to help free the funds, and most people are willing to pay what they think is chump change because they think they’re getting all that money. You think it sounds silly, but countless people are taken in by it each year, and it was reported recently that the amount that has been bilked out of the British each year numbers in the million of pounds. I’ve been sending and receiving email for nearly ten years now, and I’ve never once received one of those, so I’ve felt a bit left out. I’ve read people who say they get upwards of 50 or 60 a day of them, but this was my first. A popular thing to do nowadays since the scam is getting more press is for people to respond and lead on the scammer so that they think they’re hooking someone. The logic of that is that the longer you string them along, the less time they can devote to other people who are actually falling for it. I thought about doing that, but here’s the bad news: it came to my real email account, not my spam account. My real email account is the one that’s listed on theis website, and my spam account is my old one. I call it my spam account because that’s all I get there anymore, and I’m very careful about what companies have my real email account so that I don’t get any spam. I’ve been largely successful in that, having received maybe two since I started using it, but I know that it will increase. If I’d gotten the email in my spam account, I would have started the process of leading them on. It sounds pretty fun, actually. If you want to do a bit more reading on the subject, I suggest you take a look at the page on the 419 scam on Snopes, the best urban legend reference site I’ve ever come across. It doesn’t chronicle any attempts the lead them on, which is always funny, but it’s a good reference point. Now, I say “them”, but it’s really a widespread organization having no connections to each other, they just happen to be doing the same scams. Now, this is by far the most serious of the Internet scams, as those who have taken it too far have actually gone to Nigeria or whatever country is used and sometimes been kidnapped and held for ransom. A Nigerian diplomat was even shot and killed in Britain (I think it was Britain) recently because someone had been scammed and wanted their money back. Finding no help with the embassy, he killed one of the staff. This is serious stuff. That I want to lead them on isn’t a problem, because I’m not going that far. Basically you just correspond with them and not give them any information, or give them erroneous information. Eventually they stop writing. If you have a few minutes, definitely read the page I linked above.

It was a pretty slow weekend, but I had a lot of fun at times. I hung out with people on Friday and Saturday night, watched a couple of movies, just generally bumming around. A friend of mine that lives here on the floor had a couple of people she knew come and visit, which created several problems. The first was that she only knew one of them, and the other was just tagging along. The second was that both of them were the biggest tools any of us had ever seen. They tried to act like they were “players”, acting all cool, thinking that it’s cool to drink a lot, that sort of thing. Frat boy activity, and not the fun “Animal House”-esque stuff, but just pathetic mayhem. The one that she didn’t know had a flask that he was drinking rum from all night, even refilling it once or twice, and he bragged about how much usage it had gotten and that it was time for an “oil change”. He even had his name engraved on it. Dude, that doesn’t make you cool, that makes you a borderline alcoholic. Mind you, this was being said while he was drinking beer. The guy that my friend actually knew and this other guy drank all her beer–something like eighteen that she had left, plus the guy with his flask of rum. I’m in fabor of drinking as much as the next college student, and I’ve been drunk a fair number of times, but I haven’t actually drank to GET drunk specifically since my freshmen year when things like that were new and exciting. It’s so childish. My philosophy is that I’ll hang out with my friends, have a few drinks with them, and if the alcohol content in my blood gets high and I start feeling drunk, so be it. I won’t deliberately drink just to feel that way, though. That’s part of being an alcoholic and one of the first steps down that road. No thanks. The guy with the flask also made fun of my shoes that I was wearing–my pair of Converse that I’ve had since before I came to Beloit, saying that everyone here wears them. Now, I’ll admit that a lot of people wear them here, but personally, I like them because they’re the most comfortable pair of shoes I’ve ever owned. When I put gel insoles in them, I can wear them all day and on long walks, even. A lot of people wear them here because they have that “retro” look that’s so popular, plus they’re comfy. This guy had no right to make fun of my shoes–at least I don’t dress like every other wannabe player out there, something out of an Abercrombie and Fitch catalog. My friend begged me to go outside with them while they smoked, and since I’d turned them down the last time they went, I followed them outside where I could still hang out with them. I bummed a clove cigarette off one of the guys and smoked it while we all talked and laughed, and then this guy REALLY pissed me off. OK, let me stop there for a second, first. I don’t smoke cigarettes. I don’t smoke at all. I smoke cloves cigarettes once in awhile if I’m offered one because they taste sweet, have no nicotine or tobacco, and they don’t make your clothes smell. I’ve had maybe three or four in the last four years, but since everyone else was smoking and I was offered one, I thought why not? No harm, no foul. Anyway, we’re outside smoking, flask-man is mouthing off as usual, and then when he’s done with his smoke, he flicks it away. Right at me. I don’t think it was intentional, but it got me right on the left shoulder and thankfully fell between my legs and not into my lap. What a jackass.

After that debacle Saturday night (and they’re coming back next weekend on their way back through Beloit! Joy!), I needed something good, and that was definitely the premiere of “Children of Dune.” My friends and I watched the original “Dune” miniseries last week to get back up to speed, and last night was art one of the new movie. As we all gather around the TV and flicked the lights off, I had a flashback to my sophomore year, as many of the same people were present again, plus a bunch of new faces. All in all, there were twelve of us watching the first part last night. I was expecting maybe six people, but this was great. I hope everyone comes back for part 2 tonight.

I got the first draft of my paper in on Friday, and I think I’m going to arrange for a second draft before my final. I have some additional reading to do in the next few weeks, but I have a bit of breathing room. I have yet another paper draft for my senior sem class due on Thursday, plus a presentation. This upcoming weekend will be a tremendous period of relaxation once I get all this done, as I doubt I’ll have anything big due next week. That being said, allow me to get assignments this week due next week. Oh here’s a piece of good news: I don’t have a single final this term. Not one. I have a paper due, but no finals. This will be the first term I haven’t had a final, and I think it’s only fitting that it’s my last term here when I’m schedule to leave about a week after everyone else who’s not graduating does. I think things will be kind of lonely around here about then.

So that’s about it for now. Work, work, work. All work and no plays makes Andrew a dull boy, so it’s time for me to go read the news and find out how much closer we are to going to war. Oh joyous day. Have a good week everyone, and I’ll catch up with you again this week.

Green short-sleeved shirt, green long-sleeved shirt, green book. Happy Saint Patrick’s Day, everyone!