Hm. Anyone else get an email like this...?
 

Right, let's see. The last thing this particular email says is "NOTE: You must maintain the topmost confidentiality of this transaction because we are top civil servant who would not want our reputable image dented." (That in itself sets off the old warning bells; if this was a reputable transaction why would it dent their reputation, and I think most reputable civil servants would at least be able to spell properly) Anyway. I won't quote it verbatim, just in case the person in charge of sending said email sees me post it. ;) I know it's paranoid, but hey.

Email comes with the subject "Strictly confidential", from a Yahoo email address.
It goes through a little spiel about who it purports to be from (some mineral oil producer, or something) then says it is going to transfer to my bank account the sum of (get this) "US$26.3 (Twenty six Million Three Hundred Thousand united states Dollars)" with the note that "NOTE: There is no risks or dangers involved" - provided I send them:
Now, I can see this is a scam, but I'm still a little concerned about it... After all, I personally know people who'll be completely taken in by it and go and glibly forward all those confidential details... After all, why in hell would a major oil producer want to transfer a massive chunk of their funds into a lowly student's bank account?

Just thought I'd better make people aware of it. Oh, and as a sidenote, is there anywhere we can report what I guess counts as abuse of the email system like this...?

[ November 29, 2001: Message edited by: Teal ]

Hi, Teal. I know that MSN has an abuse management e-mail address to which you can forward spam e-mail that originates from an MSN domain for investigation, and I imagine that Yahoo might too, particularly because they host web-based businesses and presumably don't want to be tarnished by association with these lowlifes.

That's a scary e-mail. It's clear that all they're going to do is wipe out their victims' bank accounts -- all they need is the number.

Click here to go straight to the form to report this.


I'd be so offended at how patronising that email is if I got it.

I don't think that a major company would use yahoo for "important business" like this. That in itself is a dead give-away.

anybody who is foolish enough to give out that info deserves to be swindled...

What a D HeAd! As if you would give any of that info away!