Job Discussion Forums

Otterman Ollie · Posted: Wed Mar 17, 2004 1:39 pm Post subject: unsolicited mail/prize money

Hi

Just a gentle warning to those of you who receive notification in your mail telling you that a large amount of money is coming your way , don't believe a word of it . Basically its a scam to relieve you of what little money you have and preys on human greed . I am expected to believe I am one of only 17 people who if I want to get my hot little hands on said small fortune must disclose personal information pertaining to my bank account and then pay a handling/ processing fee upfront before I receive a single penny of it .Don't be fooled folks ,it is a scam the money does not exist except in your imagination and anything you pay them will disappear when they do .YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED .
There is no such thing as the free lunch .

leeroy · Joined: 30 Jan 2003 Posts: 777 Location: London UK

I did a lesson once picking the holes out of a semi-literate email sent to me by a Nigerian fellow. He promised me US$17,000,000,000 - or a figure close to that amount, if I were to be so kind as to give him my bank details. It was perfect for my Upper-Int class!

Lanza-Armonia · Posted: Wed Mar 17, 2004 2:05 pm Post subject:

I get tens of these feckers a day. I worked out if I collected all the money they said they'd give, I could of bought Microsoft out 2.5 times over

Yeah, I'm bored

LA

FGT · Joined: 14 Sep 2003 Posts: 762 Location: Turkey

Wasn't there a thread recently about the evils of "could of" (see above)?

Lanza-Armonia · Posted: Fri Mar 19, 2004 5:14 am Post subject:

Was/is there? I'd like to know? Do go on..... <yawn>

LA

Teacher in Rome · Joined: 09 Jul 2003 Posts: 1286

Why the hostility, LA?

If you call yourself a qualified / experienced teacher and then write posts which are grammatically incorrect - on a forum for English teachers - of course someone is going to point it out to you...

If you don't want to be reminded about mistakes, don't make them in the first place. Read what you write, try to spell in some sort of standard English and show a bit of respect for your readers.

Lanza-Armonia · Posted: Fri Mar 19, 2004 2:55 pm Post subject:

I'm sorry if it sounded hostile. I just had a shi-tty day and about 3 more PMs slagging me off from various peeps.

Anywho, I have never claimed to speak perfect English but I seem to get by well enough, wouldn't one say? I mean English grammer is SOOOOOO damn compicated, it's ridiculous.....

LA

Teacher in Rome · Joined: 09 Jul 2003 Posts: 1286

But whether or not it's complicated is beside the point. It's your trade, so you should know it. Plumbers might find plumbing complicated, but they need to know it in order to fix pipes.

There are some good grammar books that explain even the complicated bits clearly. You could try Michael Swan's "Practical English Usage" or Murphy's "Essential Grammar in Use" which is written for students.

There are also plenty of teaching English websites with good grammar reference sections.

Anyway, hope you find it's not as complicated as you thought!

Lanza-Armonia · Posted: Sat Mar 20, 2004 3:38 am Post subject:

Only time will tell as I've ordered a grammer book on the net...

Ta muchly

LA

Ben Round de Bloc · Joined: 16 Jan 2003 Posts: 1946

yaramaz · Posted: Tue Mar 23, 2004 4:12 pm Post subject:

A few things that should ring a bell: I am most certainly not a sir (last time I checked I was a full-on girleen) and I really have no business contacts or business listings... hell, I'm just a lowly high school English teacher in Whatthefeck, Turkey....not really the best place for investment. Finally, what the hell is a telegraphi transfer (TT) and why would I transfer money with something that sounds utterly D*ickensian?

How on earth could anyone believe any of this?

FROM:DR. KWESI ACHAPONG
Director, Project Implementation,
Ghana National Petroleum Corporation,
Accra Office Complex,
Accra - Ghana
URGENT RESPONSE.

Attention Sir.

I regret this informal mode of contact to your esteemed personality ,
it was initiated out of my outright desire to enter into a mutual
business relationship with you.

I obtained your contact from a reliable source on a business
listing information service during my search for a investment
opportunities in your country and after due consultations with my
opinion adviser, I decided to contact you believing that by the
grace of the Almighty God, you will accept me to be your
partner in a Business Venture.

I also have concluded several level of Management and
Business Finance Programs and posses an encouraging
educational background. I have decided to seek a confidential
co-operation with you in the execution of a the deal described
here under for the benefit of all parties .

Within the Ministry of Petroleum Resources where I work as a
Director, Project Implementation and with the cooperation of
four other top officials we have in our possession as overdue
payment bills totalling Ten Million United States Dollars
(US$10,000,000.00) which we want to transfer
abroad with assistance and co-operation of a foreign company
/individual to receive the said fund on our behalf or a reliable
foreign non-company account to receive such funds. Very Happy

Moreso, we are handicapped in the circumstances as the Ghana
Civil Service Code of Conduct does not allow us to
operate offshore account hence your importance in the whole
transaction.

The amount represents the balance of the total contract value executed
on behalf of my Ministry by a foreign contracting firm which we the
officials over-invoiced deliberately. Though the actual contract
cost have been paid to the original contractor, leaving the balance in
the tune of the said amount which we have in principles gotten approval
to remit by Telegraphi Transfer (T.T) to foreign bank account .

we have include our bills for approvals with the co-operation of some
officials from the Federal Ministry of Finance and the Bank of Ghana
(BOG) Very Happy

(he said BOG!) We are seeking your assistance in providing a vital account or
any virgin bank account into which we can remmit this money by acting
as our main partner and trustee.

This we can do by swapping of account and changing of beneficiary and
other forms of documentation upon application for claim to reflect the
payment and approvals to be secured on behalf of you.

This processes being pre-arranged with the principal trustee of the
original contractor and with the consent of the original contractor. I
have the authority of my partners involved to propose that should you
be willing to assist us in the transaction your share of the sum will
be 30% of the US$10 million, 60% for us and 10% for taxation and
miscellaneous expenses.

The business itself is 100% safe on your part . Also your area of
specialization is not a hindrance to the successful execution of this
transaction.

Thanks for your cooperation.
Yours faithfully,

DR. KWESI ACHAPONG

yaramaz · Posted: Tue Mar 23, 2004 4:19 pm Post subject:

PS I lived in Accra, Ghana a few years back and truly, 'Accra Office Complex' cannot be an actual address! That's like saying 'Council Flat, London' or 'Pub, Dublin' or 'Monstrous Grey Concrete Block, Ataturkburg, Turkey'.

veiledsentiments · Joined: 20 Feb 2003 Posts: 17644 Location: USA

Some things just never change. I first read one of these letters way back in the old days --- before email --- before faxes -----

These guys actually put them in an envelope with a stamp.

Must have been about 1973, I think ---

Never underestimate the stupidity and greed of the citizens of this world. If this scam didn't work, it wouldn't still be going on after 30+ years. Smile

VS

Lanza-Armonia · Posted: Thu Mar 25, 2004 4:19 am Post subject:

Otterman Ollie · Posted: Thu Mar 25, 2004 7:46 am Post subject: Do they think we are STUPİD ???

Well I had a high old time with my so called lottery win they even gave me the name of a bank one prudenttrustonline.com and the name of my paymaster and then told me the fee for transferring the award to my account was a mere 1,500 dollars who do I make the cheque payable to I ask just to see the response guess what not the bank but some mickey mouse outfit that will cut and run ,apparently last year there were 17 other lucky winners can I have their e-mail addresses or a newspaper article publitizing (?) the win ,no answer ,except sorry sir you are disqualified as an imposter yes thats right I've been doing that most of my life .