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November 04, 2008

Here is a 419 message I saw today (thankfully devoid of all uppercase letters):

Subject: Seeking Your Help.

Dear Sir,

I am writing on behalf of my client Ms. Maria Stevens, an (America Citizen) seeking for your assistance towards receiving the sum of $2.7M US dollars her late husband Roland Stevens deposited in a bank. Security Company will assist her in getting back her late husband estates with your cooperation and trust.

If you are willing to help her out on that, she needs your attention immediately and your trust worthy will help a long way in serving her kids better. You can view her on the BBC News site displaces thus; < http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/918781.stm >.

Thanks and God bless.

Yours truly,
Mr. Shaban I.B.Kabala.

The BBC News link is a common ploy of 419ers to lend credibility to their otherwise preposterous story. But this guy goes too far in taking advantage of a tragedy experienced by Maria Stevens, who, indeed, lost her husband to ethnic-political violence in Zimbabwe in 2000. Ms. Stevens is from Sweden, not the U.S., so there is yet another lie in this message intended to tug at heartstrings.

I also fail to understand the logic of this message. Since Ms. Stevens is still alive, what's in it for me to help her retrieve $2.7 million? That amount (in full) is on the low side of recent 419 promises, and in this case, the bulk of the (non-existent) money would certainly go to the widow. This clown failed to put enough "what's in it for me?" answers in this initial message. I mean, c'mon man: If you're going to appeal to greed, put enough cheese in the trap!

So, on this U.S. election day, I vote for this 419er in the category of Most Despicable and Stupid at the Same Time.