419 scammers plead guilty in US

Three West African defendants pleaded guilty to federal charges of running an advance-fee scheme that targeted U.S. victims with promises of millions of dollars, including money from an estate and a lottery. The guilty plea proceedings were held this week before US Magistrate Judge Ramon E. Reyes, Jr. at the federal courthouse …

[triky]

Jiggaman

M2R ! How does one fall for a scammer named Jiggaman? That;s just taking the piss really.

[Anonymous Coward]

Personal responsibility

So where does personal responsibility end? If you are stupid enough to send money to some bloke you've never met then you deserve everything you get.

Paris would never fall for that...

[Anonymous Coward]

I'm a convicted 419 Scammer, please help

Dear DoJ,

I have $48M in my account, but because you've frozen my assets, I need you to send me $500 so I can bribe my local bank manager and send you my fine.

Please send cash to my brother in Lagos

Yours,

Jiggaman

[Anonymous John]

20 years prison time?

Not long enough.

[Anonymous Coward]

Surely...

20 years amonst 419 people isn't too harsh a sentence?

Sorry :o)

[Gareth]

Re: 20 years prison time?

Why not long enough?

Although some 419 scams end in bodily harm or worse, this case looks like the (unstated) losses were purely financial - even if you think large financial losses justify a comparably large prison sentence then 20 years already seems quite harsh compared to the sentences handed out to Enron execs (mostly 3-6 years for fraud of tens of millions, or just 24 years for Mr Skilling, guilty of $11 *billion* in fraud).

[Roland]

You don't get it, do you? :-)

>Why not long enough?

Where are these joke alert tags when you need them...

>M2R ! How does one fall for a scammer named Jiggaman?

Well, the email looked like it was a genuine offer! And think about the financial gains! Free money!

[Morely Dotes]

Prison? Nah.

Set up a penal colony in Tierra del Fuego, or on Ross Island. Permanent relocation.

Hey, it worked for Australia.

[Anonymous Coward]

Heh

I remember the 'throat cancer' ones. The best bit was when she introduced herself as the "wife of the late Engineer/Barrister/whatever Lord Hennings, an Englishman who is dead."

Wife of an Englishman who is dead. Classic.

[Andus McCoatover]

Er, OK, but why extradition to US?

Don't gerrit.

Crimes committed in Netherlands. Extradition to US.

If: crimes committed in US, targeting (say) Netherlands citizens, where does the trial happen? Netherlands?

Yeah. I know the answer. US, of course. Silly me, forgetting the location of the World Police (self-appointed). Probably claiming jurisdiction because - er - Internet backbone in America/they must've used DNS servers based there/ ___________ (fill in the blank) etc.

[Anonymous Coward]

Dear Mr. El Reg

I regret to inform you that your Uncle Mr. Car Reg has passed away while working as computer nerd in Nigeria's rapidly developing tech sector.

He passed away leaving an estate worth 419 million dollars. He wanted this money to go to you.

To claim this money please send me one arm and leg as well as your first born child.

Jiggaman @ spam419.com.ng

[Chris C]

Great, just great

So not only do we have to deal with spam from these and people like these, but now I need to stump up my hard-earned tax dollars to keep them locked away in prison, too? That's just a slap in the face. I have a feeling that's not what the tax system was originally started for.

And I agree about personal responsibility. If you're stupid enough to send money to these people, I have little or no sympathy for you. There's a saying -- if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. You do not get unsolicited (legitimate) offers for millions of dollars/pounds, period. End of story. If you really did have a long-lost relative who died and you're in the will, an attorney will contact you by phone or letter, not by email. I would suggest that people be trained to read full emails (including headers), but since people can't even avoid "bad" websites, it wouldn't do any good. Then again, clients like Outlook make it difficult to impossible to see the full email anyway.

[theotherone]

does that mean

that i won't get my share of the 55m untill these guys get out of jail???

[I. Aproveofitspendingonspecificprojects]

@ Andus

The Nederlands have joints the US has torture. Plus gang wars. Might be good.

I hope so!

[heystoopid]

Say

Say did not these thieving wankers contribute towards the death of a preacher shot in the back by his wife one Mary Winkler on March 22nd 2006 in Tennessee !

He says she says but he can't say because he is dead and his character becomes fair game for every lie in town !

[Steve Browne]

Confused

If ordinary people are finger printed and photographed to help keep the bad guys out, why, then, does the US want to import bad guys? Is the department of homeland security aware of what the department of justice are doing?

Left hand, may I introduce Right hand.

[Sceptical Bastard]

No conflict of ideas

On the one hand, we have people who are so irredeemably moronic that they transfer money to the bank account of a complete stranger on risible and transparently absurd pretexts.

On the other hand, is a 20-year prison sentence too harsh for the scamsters who bring a reality check to those morons?

The former richly deserve to be fleeced because stupid people with money are a danger to themselves and to the rest of us.

The latter are scum and lowlife whose spam irritates the rest of us. Causing irritation by unsolicited email should carry a minimum term of, say, 20 years. The sentence should also take into consideration any offences against English usage and grammar.

I have no sympathy whatsoever with either victim or perpetrator - lock up both of them.

[Name]

Er, location?

Um - WHY are they being tried in America ??

[Anonymous Coward]

FAO 'Name'

*thumbsdown only used as 'facepalm' was not available*

Name, may I draw your attention to the first line of the article. Kinda self explanatory that one.

[Graham Jordan]

i had one

through snail mail the other week. I'd won the spanish lottery apparently.

It was nice of them to send me a black and white letter with a camalot logo in the top right hand corner. Clever thinking that. If it'd come with a stamped addressed envelope id of thought about sending it back..

[Anonymous Coward]

@Graham Jordan

Hey Graham,

I work for Camelot.(hence Anon. Coward)

If this Scammer used Camelot's Logo then Camelot Security will be VERY interested.

Can you send the letter, or a copy of it to Camelot Head Office in Watford please?