In the Indian city of Mumbai, fruit sellers hawk fruits on small colorful wooden stalls lining crowded market roads. Indians typically haggle before settling on a mutually agreeable price. A ten percent reduction or an extra fruit is normally an agreeable bargain. The buyer however does not know the true value of the fruit and the negotiation starts at the reference price set by the seller. If you visit a few vendors to check, you will quickly realize the price is remarkably consistent and not competitive. In this way the seller always gets his price minus the mark up built in to satisfy the buyer. The buyer’s negotiation is to the terms set by the seller.
In a similar manner email scammers attempts to set out the process for verifying their scam stories in the emails they send. Self justification built into the story is cleverly intended to fudge or limit the victim’s verification thought process.
I received two nearly identical scam mails copied below within a few hours of each other. This set of mail clearly shows how a recipient’s verification process is fudged and the mail content rapidly tampered with to beat spam filters in an attempt to get them into inboxes.
Self justification was proved by enclosing a BBC new link on an actual incident, which is built into the story, and limiting the recipients’ verification by citing physical harm if the email is disclosed. The recipient does not realize that there are a few billion copies of the same email in circulation.
The first mail was caught by my Yahoo spam filter and sent to the spam folder. The second was not. The spammer had within a few hours modified several words in the email to ensure that it would beat the filter and land in the Yahoo inbox. This improves the chances that a user will read and believe in the scam, as mail in spam folders makes recipient cautious. For a spammer who is paid per response, it increases remuneration. The spam filter was defeated by modifying the title, greetings, and key words.
Trust you will find it interesting to compare both mails. I have tested the links using McAfee site advisor which found them to be safe.
First Email
Sat, March 5, 2011 11:25:40 AM
Can I confide in you?
From: | Riah Yak <riayak@fasbfmail.com> | |
Dearest One,
Compliment of the season to you and yours. my name is Riah Justin YAK,I am 25 years old Girl,from Southern Sudan.I want to confide in you, I need to tell you more things, because I need your help to stand as my trustee.
My father Dr. Justin YAK Arop was the former Minister for SPLA Affairs and Special Adviser to President Salva Kiir of South Sudan for Decentralization. My father Dr. Justin YAK and my mother including other top Military officers and top government officials where on board with the plane crashed on Friday May 02, 2008. You can read more about the crash through the below site:http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7380412.stm
Some months after the burial of my parent, my uncle conspired with my stepmother and sold my father's properties to a Chinese Expatriate. On a faithful morning I opened my father's briefcase and found out some vital documents which my beloved late father used in deposit some Money and GOLD DUST worth 250KG 22 carat alluvial Gold Dust which was deposited in a Finance& Security company in Burkina Faso , under my name as the next of kin beneficiary, this is the reason why I traveled down here in Burkina Faso to withdraw
the money so that I can start a better life and take care of myself.
The great disappointment when i arrived here in burkina faso, the director of the finance company whom I met in person told me that my present status does not permit me by the local law to clear money or make a transfer of money into an account, he advice me to provide a trustee who will help me to receive the money into an international bank account or I should wait till when I will get married then i can come for the claim with my husband as it was demanded by their Authority..
I have chosen to contact you after my prayers and I believe that you will not betray my trust. But rather take me as your own blood sister and help me. Though you maybe wondering why I am so soon revealing myself to you without knowing you, well, I will say that my mind convinced me that you are the true person to help me. More so, I will like to disclose much to you if you can help me to relocate to your country because my uncle has threatened to assassinate me if care is not taken. The amount involve is $4.5 Million USD and I have confirmed from the Finance and security here in Burkina Faso.
However, you will help by recommending a nice University in your country so that I can complete my studies. It is my intention to compensate you with 15% of the total money and GOLD for your services and the balance shall be my capital in your establishment ,so as soon as I receive your interest towards
helping me, I will quickly put things into action immediately and in the light of the above, I shall appreciate an urgent message indicating your ability and willingness to handle this transaction sincerely. Please do keep this only to your self.
I beg you not to disclose it till i come over to your country after the transfer hits your bank account because I am afraid of my wicked uncle who must not know about this.
Thanks with lots of regards to your family.
Sincerely yours,
Riah Justin YAK.
Compliment of the season to you and yours. my name is Riah Justin YAK,I am 25 years old Girl,from Southern Sudan.I want to confide in you, I need to tell you more things, because I need your help to stand as my trustee.
My father Dr. Justin YAK Arop was the former Minister for SPLA Affairs and Special Adviser to President Salva Kiir of South Sudan for Decentralization. My father Dr. Justin YAK and my mother including other top Military officers and top government officials where on board with the plane crashed on Friday May 02, 2008. You can read more about the crash through the below site:http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7380412.stm
Some months after the burial of my parent, my uncle conspired with my stepmother and sold my father's properties to a Chinese Expatriate. On a faithful morning I opened my father's briefcase and found out some vital documents which my beloved late father used in deposit some Money and GOLD DUST worth 250KG 22 carat alluvial Gold Dust which was deposited in a Finance& Security company in Burkina Faso , under my name as the next of kin beneficiary, this is the reason why I traveled down here in Burkina Faso to withdraw
the money so that I can start a better life and take care of myself.
The great disappointment when i arrived here in burkina faso, the director of the finance company whom I met in person told me that my present status does not permit me by the local law to clear money or make a transfer of money into an account, he advice me to provide a trustee who will help me to receive the money into an international bank account or I should wait till when I will get married then i can come for the claim with my husband as it was demanded by their Authority..
I have chosen to contact you after my prayers and I believe that you will not betray my trust. But rather take me as your own blood sister and help me. Though you maybe wondering why I am so soon revealing myself to you without knowing you, well, I will say that my mind convinced me that you are the true person to help me. More so, I will like to disclose much to you if you can help me to relocate to your country because my uncle has threatened to assassinate me if care is not taken. The amount involve is $4.5 Million USD and I have confirmed from the Finance and security here in Burkina Faso.
However, you will help by recommending a nice University in your country so that I can complete my studies. It is my intention to compensate you with 15% of the total money and GOLD for your services and the balance shall be my capital in your establishment ,so as soon as I receive your interest towards
helping me, I will quickly put things into action immediately and in the light of the above, I shall appreciate an urgent message indicating your ability and willingness to handle this transaction sincerely. Please do keep this only to your self.
I beg you not to disclose it till i come over to your country after the transfer hits your bank account because I am afraid of my wicked uncle who must not know about this.
Thanks with lots of regards to your family.
Sincerely yours,
Riah Justin YAK.
Second Email – Modified to beat the spam filter
Sat, March 5, 2011 3:11:49 PM
My Dearest,
From: | Missregina Justin <missreginayak@sify.com> Add to Contacts | |
To: |
My Dearest, I am writing this mail to you With due respect trust and humanity, i appeal to you to exercise a little patience and read through my letter i feel quite safe dealing with you in this important business having gone through your remarkable profile, honestly i am writing this email to you with pains, tears and sorrow from my heart, i will really like to have a good relationship with you and i have a special reason why i decided to contact you, i decided to contact you due to the urgency of my situation, My name is Miss.Regina Justin Yak, 24yrs old female and I from Sudan in Africa. My father was the former Minister for SPLA Affairs and Special Adviser to President Salva Kiir of South Sudan for Decentralization. My father Dr.Justin Yak, and my mother including other top Military officers and top government officials had been on board when the plane crashed on Friday May 02, 2008. You can read more about the crash through the below site:http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7380412.stm After the burial of my father, my stepmother and uncle conspired and sold my father's property to an Italian Expertrate which the shared the money among themselves and live nothing for me. One faithful morning, I opened my father's briefcase and found out the documents which he have deposited huge amount of money in one bank in Burkina Faso with my name as the next of kin. I travelled to Burkina Faso to withdraw the money for a better life so that I can take care of myself and start a new life, on my arrival, the Bank Director whom I met in person told me that my father's instruction to the bank is that the money would only be release to me when I am married or present a trustee who will help me and invest the money overseas... I am in search of an honest and reliable person who will help me and stand as my trustee so that I will present him to the Bank for transfer of the money to his bank account overseas. I have chosen to contact you after my prayers and I believe that you will not betray my trust. But rather take me as your own sister. Though you may wonder why I am so soon revealing myself to you without knowing you, well I will say that my mind convinced me that you may be the true person to help me.. Moreover, I will like to disclose much to you if you can help me to relocate to your country because my stepmothers have threatened to assinate me. The amount is($5.6USD)Million United State Dollars, and I have confirmed from the bank in Burkina Faso on my arrival, You will also help me to place the money in a more profitable business venture in your Country. However, you will help by recommending a nice University in your country so that I can complete my studies. It is my intention to compensate you with 10% of the total money for your services and the balance shall be my capital in your establishment. As soon as I receive your positive response showing your interest I will put things into action immediately. In the light of the above, I shall appreciate an urgent message indicating your ability and willingness to handle this transaction sincerely. Awaiting your urgent and positive response. Please do keep this only to your self for now until the bank will transfer the fund. I beg you not to disclose it till i come over because I am afraid of my wreaked stepmother who has threatened to kill me and have the money alone ,I thank God Today that am out from my country (SUDAN) but now In (Burkina Faso) where my father deposited these money with my name as the next of Kin. I have the documents for the claims. Yours Sincerely Miss.Regina Justin Yak. |
No comments:
Post a Comment