Tuesday, September 23, 2008

Nigerian ... err, I mean American e-mail scam

Now it all makes sense - as a country, we're just victims of an elaborate phishing scam (from Raw Story):

Dear American:

I need to ask you to support an urgent secret business relationship with a transfer of funds of great magnitude.I am Ministry of the Treasury of the Republic of America. My country has had crisis that has caused the need for large transfer of funds of 800 billion dollars US. If you would assist me in this transfer, it would be most profitable to you.I am working with Mr. Phil Gram, lobbyist for UBS, who will be my replacement as Ministry of the Treasury in January. As a Senator, you may know him as the leader of the American banking deregulation movement in the 1990s. This transactin is 100% safe.This is a matter of great urgency. We need a blank check. We need the funds as quickly as possible. We cannot directly transfer these funds in the names of our close friends because we are constantly under surveillance. My family lawyer advised me that I should look for a reliable and trustworthy person who will act as a next of kin so the funds can be transferred.Please reply with all of your bank account, IRA and college fund account numbers and those of your children and grandchildren to wallstreetbailout@treasury.gov so that we may transfer your commission for this transaction. After I receive that information, I will respond with detailed information about safeguards that will be used to protect the funds.

Yours Faithfully

Minister of Treasury Paulson




3 comments:

shrimplate said...

The maximum always turns out to be the minimum. This $700 billion is just the beginning.

wstachour said...

Yeah, I thought at first there must be no other option. But I'm wondering if the shortest route might be the straight line thru financial meltdown and out the other side.

This is the predictable outcome of rampant deregulation and the dismantling and sell-off of the federal government.

Laura said...

Ahhh... the free market can fix itself! Come on now, drink the kool-aid kids! We don't need no stinkin federal regulations or oversight. The corporations and banks have our best interests at heart, don't you know that? Besides, stupid people who got stuck with sub-prime mortgages they can't afford deserve their fate, right???

OK. I must say, it was truly painful for me to write that, even in tongue-and-cheek fashion. I threw up in my mouth a little.