Why are so many still attempting such OBVIOUS scams online? Do they actually work? Are people that gullible?

Every day in my e-mail I get 2-4 such scams of the standard type, where the person claims to be a very wealthy person trapped in a foreign country and wants to submit all or part of some huge amount into your bank account and wants all of this information. I've gotten as many as five on a single day. Do people really think some famous bank would have the name "A-hole" (edited here for Askville) in their email address?

Or some wealthy English royalty can only write broken pidgin English? Asked by Yellowdog 4 months ago Similar questions: attempting OBVIOUS scams online work people gullible Computers > Internet.

Similar questions: attempting OBVIOUS scams online work people gullible.

Yes, some are that gullible. An older man I know was just ripped off for $2500. And he holds two doctoral degrees.

Very smart, a well-traveled man. But he trusts everyone, and is very, very nice. It's sad that something really great about him was used against him.

Oh--and for some of the online scams it's due to people's greed--they think (naively) that they can get something for nothing.

But there are SO MANY claiming the SAME STORY. Only the name of the country changes (and the origin of the email), and maybe the sex of the person asking for a place to deposit their ten million. Doesn't that make it obvious?

Who would trust someone claiming to be a well-known bank if the email address was a standard common email account with a vulgar word in the address (as might have been written by an unsupervised twelve year old? ) Yellowdog 4 months ago .

They're aiming at the few who've not heard yet. For example, I read a few hours ago about the doofus chick who was caught breaking into Alex Trebek's hotel room. That was her third felony under our ever-lovin' "Three Strikes Law" (a.k.a.

, the Richard K. Davis Memorial Scholarship). Anyway, the lady was quoted as whining about, "Why should I get life for one simple robbery; and I didn't even get anything!"

In other words, she had spent her whole life being (apparently) ignorant of this Three-Strikes Law that we think "everyone" knows about by now. She doesn't. There are those who make themselves oblivious, and those are whom the scams are aimed at.

I'm fascinated that blanketing the area with the come-ons is worth their effort, but computers have simplified many things.

Yes, people really are that gullible. I'm trying to relocate to another city, and was using an online website that lists rentals, I ran into a rental scam. Luckily my momma didn't raise no fools!

I filed a complaint with the a FBI for internet rental scams. The dude was slick, but too many errors, in his e-mails, he got caught in his own lies.

Some really ARE credible but many are so obvious. Personally I don't see how ANYONE can submit any personal info online -- especially the unsolicited stuff. What really gets me -- aside from gullibility -- is the slick and savvy technology some of them use.

I was trying to get state-subsidized health insurance (not free -- still about 100 dollars a month) from CoverTennessee -- in my own state. Somehow the Government sponsored website redirected to some illegitimate site in Atlanta, GA. It seems easy to catch such people and they were easy to contact -- but such scams continue evidently unpunshed.. Yellowdog 4 months ago .

I agree, I almost fell for the rental scam, until he messed up his own name on the sample lease agreement. THAT was the final red flag.

A sucker born every minute", is still true. They prey on the need, and greed of people .

HA! Even as we speak, between you and trekincat (5 minutes apart) came THIS in my email! :PLEASE ENDEAVOR TO USE IT ON CHURCHES AND ORPHANAGESWith Due Respect an Humanity, I was compelled to write to you under a humanitarian ground.My name is Mrs Victoria Abraham From Kuwait, I am 68yrs old; I am married to late Dr. Henry.

A contractor and diamond dealer for Thirty-two years before he died in the year 2005. After a Cardiac Arteries Operation. We were married for 36 years without a child.

And Recently, My Doctor told me that I would not last for the next six months due to my cancer problem (cancer of the lever and stroke). When my late husband was alive he deposited the sum of $2.5.Million in one security company here in Abidjan capital of Cote d'Ivoire for safe keeping. Presently this money is still in the Abidjan capital of Cote d'Ivoire as soon as I hear from you I we give you the contact.

For you to contact them. Having known my condition I decided to hand over this money to your care and if you know that you will utilize this money the way I am going to instruct you herein, I will be very happy to do so ensh GOD. I will want you to use this money according to the desire of my late.

Husband, to use it for the help of the Less privileged, orphanages, and using it to propagating the word of GOD. I want you to know that I took this decision because I don't have any child that will inherit this money, and I don't want this money to be used in an ungodly way. This is why I am taking this decision to hand you over this money to your hand.

I am not afraid of death hence I know where I am going. I want you to always remember me in your daily prayers because of my up coming Cancer Surgery. Please assure me that you will act accordingly as I have stated herein.

Hope to receive your urgent reply. Due to the present condition of my health, I was warned by my doctor to avoid receiving or making any call. You can always reach me through this mail.

Victoriaabraham1@yahoo. CnYours Sister in christMrs.Victoria Abraham. Yellowdog 4 months ago .

This one has cancer of the lever, but otherwise at least can write -- in this case, TOO perfect English. I'd expect a Kuwaiti to have a slightly stilted English. Definitely American in origin.

Yellowdog 4 months ago .

They "blast these e-mails by the thousands and % wise ALWAYS hook some greedy,or needy sucker.

Yes, some people are that gullible. I think banks ought to set up a dummy account; that people can supply to the perpetrators of such scams then when they try to clean it out; the transaction is tracked; and the scammer (if in a jurisdiction that cares) gets nailed. If the jurisdiction doesn't care; I see no problem with having a hacker turn around and strip THEIR account.

" "is there really a such thing as at home work or online work or are they all scams" "are there any good work at home jobs that are not scams?" "Please help. Tell me what you might know about internet scams from Nigeria.

Is there really a such thing as at home work or online work or are they all scams.

Please help. Tell me what you might know about internet scams from Nigeria.

I cant really gove you an answer,but what I can give you is a way to a solution, that is you have to find the anglde that you relate to or peaks your interest. A good paper is one that people get drawn into because it reaches them ln some way.As for me WW11 to me, I think of the holocaust and the effect it had on the survivors, their families and those who stood by and did nothing until it was too late.