Dozens Duped by Spam Scam from Virginia Jail
(2003-04-20) — A new spam scam making the rounds via email is duping less-than-savvy net surfers into sending thousands of dollars worth of cigarettes to inmates in a Virginia prison.
The email starts…
Dear sir
We wish to solicit your assistance to provide us with a solution to a money transfer of Thirty nine Million United States Dollars. We got your contact from my brother in law that works with the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms in Nitro, West Virginia and a careful study of your business activities confirm that you are the one we need.”
The note, which comes from a man who was jailed for sending fraudulent spam email, requests that the recipient order several cases of Marlboro and Kool cigarettes for shipment to a state correctional facility in Virginia. In return, the recipient would receive a wire transfer of the aforementioned $39 million.
The message writer alleges that the money was earned in a “legitimate Nigerian business deal.”
