I'm still getting emails from Africa

[Hardrada]

Trying to sell me Get Rich Quick Schemes. Could it be US people are being deluged with these because of our government? I mean if so many of us bought the Bushco stuff, we'll buy anything, right?

[jswordy]

1. No, the real reason we still get them is that they work.

As old as the messages are to most of us, there are still folks who willingly shell out their cash to unknown scam artists. Sigh.

The latest scam is when "eBay" or a "local bank" (by name) will email you saying they are updating your account or their records. Don't give them your info, folks. Please?

[Hardrada]

4. You are right about the eBay scam

and I also made a remark about it below. It is also Paypal that supposedly has troubles. That seems to be a new wrinkle. Someone in Italy or Russia is using you Paypal ID etc. etc. Please do this or that. If you are an impressionable, naive person it works like some sort of PsyOP!

[Spider Jerusalem]

2. Hello, I am Dr Mboto N'Gele.

Give me your bank account number so that I may transfer three million dollars US to your account for a period of three weeks. Due to collapse of my country's government, is necessary for to transfer large amounts of funds outside my country. We have determined that you are excellent prospect to assist. Please respond with necessary information. Thank you.

[Hardrada]

3. Ha ha, yes, That's exactly the message.

I think it used to be called something too. The Spanish Prisoner, perhaps? There is a variant of it on eBay where something is screwed up on your account and you have to supply, again, necessary information to "clear things up." That is also a variation of one the oldest scams around and was mainly used on querulous elderly folks.

[Spider Jerusalem]

5. Yeah...

and the Spanish Prisoner scam goes back to the sixteenth century. The version back then was that a wealthy English nobleman was imprisoned in a Spanish dungeon, with no access to his money, and needed someone to bribe his gaolers for his release, in exchange for which you would of course be handsomely compensated.