Nigerian Scammer Gets A Laptop From Me
After switching to a Mac recently, I decided to put my old laptop up for sale to help recoup a little of the Mac cost. I received an email almost immediately from a girl named Rebecca and we had this email exchange…
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From: Rebecca Nemanova (ramstar08@gmail.com) To: Brad Carter Date: Tue, Jun 1, 2010 at 9:25 PM Subject: Dell Inspiron E1505 laptop – 500 gig HD, 2 gig RAM – $350 (Albany, OR) i love this item is it available for sell?kindly get back to asap.. |
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From: Brad Carter To: Rebecca Nemanova Date: Tue, Jun 1, 2010 at 11:23 PM Subject: Dell Inspiron E1505 laptop – 500 gig HD, 2 gig RAM – $350 (Albany, OR) Yep, it’s still available. If you’d like to come by, just let me know when. Brad |
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From: Rebecca Nemanova (ramstar08@gmail.com) To: Brad Carter Date: Wed, Jun 2, 2010 at 6:48 AM Subject: Re: Dell Inspiron E1505 laptop – 500 gig HD, 2 gig RAM – $350 (Albany, OR) Thanks for the mail….what is the present condition of this it $400 Thanks |
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From: Brad Carter To: Rebecca Nemanova Date: Wed, Jun 2, 2010 at 9:29 AM Subject: Dell Inspiron E1505 laptop – 500 gig HD, 2 gig RAM – $350 (Albany, OR) It’s 3 years old so it has normal wear and tear on it. It’s in fine |
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From: Rebecca Nemanova (ramstar08@gmail.com) To: Brad Carter Date: Wed, Jun 2, 2010 at 6:48 AM Subject: Re: Dell Inspiron E1505 laptop – 500 gig HD, 2 gig RAM – $350 (Albany, OR) Thanks for the mail….what is the present condition of this it $400 Thanks |
After letting Becca (I can call her that cause we’re tight) know my PayPal email address, she immediately sent me the payment. But, as I expected, this was a Nigerian scam. The payment emailed looked very real, although the color scheme was a little off. Just to be sure, I checked my PayPal account to make sure there really wasn’t an extra $500 in it. There wasn’t. My dreams of receiving a bonus $100 for my old laptop were crushed.
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From: Brad Carter To: Rebecca Nemanova Date: Wed, Jun 2, 2010 at 10:05 AM Subject: Re: Notification of Instant Payment Received from Rebecca Nemanova (Transaction ID: 5Y758872CS5628811) Thanks for your payment! I’m heading to the post office right now so I’ll get this shipped to you immediately. Thanks for the extra $100 too! It’s nice to see that you’re made of money and are willing to just throw extra $100 at people all willy nilly like. I will have this shipped to you in the fastest way possible. God bless, |
The next day, I found an email from the FBI waiting for me. Except that it was another very obviously fake email.
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From: postageconfirmationteam@representative.com To: Brad Carter Date: Thu, Jun 3, 2010 at 7:22 AM Subject: *** Collaboration Complaint From PayPal To FBI **Message From FBI Department***
We believed you entered into buying agreement by requesting money through PayPal, and by non response to the payment confirmation made to your account you have violate PayPal agreement. However the buyer has already contacted us in other to make report about your non response. We are ensuring to make PayPal a safer place, therefore we need to set confidence on our users. Therefore, your Money has been credit into your Account, that means the item must have been shipped to the Buyer. From IC3 we give you 24hours(1day) to ship the package to the Delivery Address given to you by your buyer, and also send the Shipment Tracking Number immediately to us to verify the shipment.Immediately we confirm the shipping.You will receive a confirmation e-mail that your account has been credited. We use proprietary technology and constantly innovate to help ensure your transactions are safe. In addition, Pay Pal has over 20,000 staffs worldwide dedicated to keeping Pay Pal accounts safe, and stopping online criminals. And we work with Internet Service Providers (ISPs) worldwide to shut off fraudulent websites as soon as possible. Pay Pal ‘s Fraud Investigation Team is highly experienced in fraud prevention. Several members of the team were former law enforcement officials with extensive experience in fighting online fraud. Pay Pal’s fraud investigation team focuses on: Identifying and preventing fraud before it occurs, Detecting fraud in process Mitigating loss, if fraud does occur, Delivering information to law enforcement around the world to help stop those committing online fraud. NOTE: New York Field Office Thanks for your co-operation. |
Stuff like this puts me on the side of the Nigerian scammers. If people in the U.S. aren’t suspicious of free money, PayPal payments that look fake, the absence of a payment in their account, fake emails from PayPal’s FBI department or just Nigerians in general, then they deserve to have their money taken from them. If I hadn’t noticed this was a scam already, then this email would have let me know. I couldn’t believe they’d try to draw attention to themselves like this when a person otherwise might have gone ahead and mailed the laptop out.
I also got another email from Rebecca, accusing me of being a scammer.
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From: Rebecca Nemanova (ramstar08@gmail.com) To: Brad Carter Date: Thu, Jun 3, 2010 at 10:28 AM Subject: WHY SILENT????????????????????????? Hello, |
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From: Brad Carter To: Rebecca Nemanova Date: Thu, Jun 3, 2010 at 4:28 PM Subject: Re: WHY SILENT????????????????????????? Hi Rebecca. I’m not being silent. I sent you two emails yesterday to Thanks, |
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From: Rebecca Nemanova (ramstar08@gmail.com) To: Brad Carter Date: Thu, Jun 3, 2010 at 6:52 PM Subject: WHY SILENT????????????????????????? so get back to me with the tracking number so i verify it |
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From: Brad Carter To: Rebecca Nemanova Date: Thu, Jun 3, 2010 at 9:13 PM Subject: Re: WHY SILENT????????????????????????? There is no tracking number. You should have told me you wanted one |
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From: Rebecca Nemanova (ramstar08@gmail.com) To: Brad Carter Date: Thu, Jun 3, 2010 at 9:14 PM Subject: WHY SILENT????????????????????????? what about the scan receipt. |
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From: Rebecca Nemanova (ramstar08@gmail.com) To: Brad Carter Date: Thu, Jun 3, 2010 at 9:53 PM Subject: WHY SILENT????????????????????????? what is the meaning of all this are you trying you scammed me or what? |
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From: Brad Carter To: Rebecca Nemanova Date: Thu, Jun 3, 2010 at 9:54 PM Subject: Re: WHY SILENT????????????????????????? I’m sorry, but I ran out of toilet paper so I ended up using the |
At some point during this exchange, someone gave me the idea to mail them a fake laptop for my fake payment. It seemed only fair. I think it was Angela that came up with this, but it’s been so long (over a month!) that I don’t remember. Instead of doing it myself, I told my kids all about Nigerian scammers and asked if they would make me a fake laptop to mail to this guy. Er, I mean girl, because I’m sure she wasn’t lying to me about that.
I cut out pieces of cardboard, using my real laptop to make them the right size. Then Emily and Payton began drawing a laptop on the pieces. Emily quickly got bored with it, but Payton finished it all up, even copying the vents and screw holes on the bottom.
The last picture shows the top of the closed cardboard laptop. For hinges we used black electrical tape. It was Payton’s idea to make the screen show the Google homepage, but I had him write “Nigerian scammers” into the search box.
I shipped it the next morning at the cost of around $9.00, which almost made me feel bad about all the extra money she sent me for shipping. On the customs form, I put the value at $500 and the description said “cardboard art.” I’m not completely sure of this, but I think Nigerians have to pay a small percentage of the value to customs, so putting a high price on the customs form hopefully cost them a little money. Although the post office promised me that it would arrive in about 10 days, I didn’t hear back from Becca until this morning. As I was eating a bowl of Frosted Flakes, she begins messaging me.
9:25 AM: rebecca: you are stupid for what you did
9:26 AM: rebecca: you are crazy
9:27 AM: me: why do you think that?
9:27 AM: rebecca: what did you ship to my boss
9:28 AM: me: a Dell laptop, just like you ordered
9:28 AM: rebecca: is that a laptop
9:28 AM: me: of course
9:29 AM: rebecca: ypou are crazy
9:30 AM: me: what are you talking about? did the laptop not work?
9:32 AM: me: please tell me what’s wrong with it
9:35 AM: rebecca: suck my divck
9:35 AM: me: what’s a divck?
10:08 AM: me: please don’t be mad at me
10:18 AM: me: helllloooo?
10:18 AM: me: talk to me rebecca!
Soon after that chat, she tried to voice chat with me on Google, but I couldn’t do that since I was on the phone. I’ve tried talking to her a few more times, but she refuses to answer me now.
3:30 PM: me: sorry i can’t voice chat with you. i don’t have a microphone
3:32 PM: me: i really would like to work out any problems you might have with the laptop though
3:33 PM: me: maybe you could turn it on and i could help you troubleshoot from here
3:37 PM: me: let me know when you’re there and we’ll get started
3:48 PM: me: are you ready to troubleshoot yet, rebecca?
So that’s about it. Tee hee! Interesting that she said she has a boss. Guess she’s just a minion that does the scamming since she’s so good with her people skills and it gets sent to the boss. Kind of like a pimp/ho relationship. I’ll keep trying to chat with her and append anything else that happens to this post, but I doubt she’ll say anything more to me.
2 years later update: Jesus, people, I know this scammer was from Nigeria because I SENT THE PACKAGE TO NIGERIA. Quit accusing me of being racist and hating all Nigerians and teaching my kids to stereotype.
If you voice chatted with her, you’d know her IP address! (Unless she’s using using VPN).
Cool dell laptop. where can I buy one. it’s so flat and light?
this guy did it first.
http://www.zug.com/pranks/powerbook/
Haha!! Friggin hilarious :-) :-D
First clue that this was a scam is that anyone showed interest in a three year old Dell Inspiron E1505 covered in stickers for $350.
Cool arts and crafts activity for kids, though.
this is really funny! couldn’t help laughing when i saw pictures of the ‘laptop’ .
Got any more of those laptops for sale?
Hey,
I must say, That’s a nice way to deal with him or her. I am a Nigerian and I am tired of such illegal acts. The best way to deal with them is not just by ignoring there emails, but by making them believe or think that you are responding positively. Then you hit them hard, don’t for get to put a “Wink” and say, “Gatcha Beach” …. It’s great fun. And I do it when I have the time thou… And in that way, you’ll see how these criminal minds are..
this could be a side business for you =)
Anytime you think you can scam a scammer, just send out another fakebook. Easy money!!
two thumbs up!!!!! lmao!!!!
Is that cardboard laptop running linux? sweeeet.
You should post the address so we all can send laptop, camera,and the like flood her/him just a thought
Hey Brad,
Hilarious, excellent write-up. One minor nitpick: in the first block of email transcripts, you posted “Becca”‘s final email (Wed, Jun 2, 2010 at 6:48 AM) twice. Otherwise… well done!
Brilliant. You went even further than I ever have. I and some online friends have baited 419 scammers, but to go so far as to pay for shipping for a fake item is priceless.
Brad lol. U are the Man. Great work Sir lolol.
I will tell others in the office tomorrow. Every one will get a hefty laugh.
The best scam the scammer story I’ve read so far is the one where the Nigerian makes wooden models and mails them to the guy in the states. http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2007/06/how-to-trick-an-online-scammer-into-carving-a-computer-out-of-wood/5903/
Brrrr-illiant!!!!!
I have had a few scammers try stuff, but I think this takes the cake. Always wondered how you can get back at them, playing their own game. This is good. I nearly fell off my chair … ROR
Nice 1 m8
Great way to get back at somebody. I’m sure he won’t forget the lesson.
What you should always additionally do give the scammer and extra beating is to make sure you explicitly state the value of the item on the customs documents so that s/he gets whack for customs duty in their country!
You’re my HERO!
Your article is actually quite offensive. Believe it or not, not all Nigerians are scammers, just like all white middle-aged males aren’t paedophiles
How about placing a gps tracker next time so you know where the scammer lives? :P
This is friggin’ brilliant…
I’ve been reading your “blog” for quite some time, and this is the best yet!
Remember to use appropriate padding when shipping cardboard laptops: BRICKS
choose C.O.D. shipping ?
Consider rigging an inexpensive camera to record box opening with creative software on USB to upload video or sequential frames to the internets
or encase camera and require documents to be authenticated by returning them with your company totem (camera enclosure)
Be sure to provide an expensive toll number to receive complaints: many such sip services provide free UK number
There is nearly endless joy to be had with SIP :)
I’d pay $500** just for that “Phone Losers of America” sticker.
__________
**500 Rebecca Dollars, anyway.
A better idea to mess with the Nigerian Scammers is use rocks (Have it properly padded with any shitty disgusting worn out sheets found in the garbage or in a dumpster) or phone books (Use duct tape to keep in place). Just don’t tell the Nigerian Scammers. Nothing says loving like Nigerian Scammers getting delivered to them what they think are Televisions, Computers, Laptops, Netbooks, Video Gaming Systems only to open them up and find out it actually boxes of rocks and Phone Books.
wish i would’ve read this ahead of time ….
they got me for my laptop…
i built that laptop from an old laptop my sister had about 3 years ago..(just replaced the motherboard)
so when i got a new laptop from my job (i put the old one on craig’s list…)
even though i didn’t pay a dime for the laptop i was looking forward to making a little money off it. …. it never happened.
i feel a little better because i wiped the hard drive (( so theres no OS on it ))
and the battery has a life of all of 92 seconds … unplugged
Gosh…….u guys r so offensive! The way ure classifying all Nigerians like we are scammers…..My husband is Nigerian and I’m white and he’s the most lovely, honest, patient and wonderful person I’ve ever met so not all Nigeriana are scammers…..every country has their flaws so stop being stereotypical and change ur views about Nigerians. It’s just like me saying all old white guys are paedophiles!
Hard to blame us for feeling that way when Nigerians have been aggressively trying to scam every single one of us forever now. That’s the only context any of us know Nigerians in. Your old white guys analogy doesn’t work, because we all know tons of old white guys who aren’t pedophiles. Do any of us know Nigerians who aren’t scammers?
Face it, Jenny, Nigerians are the Ferengi of Earth.
No, my analogy about old white men work perfectly because you are trying to tell me all Nigerians are scammers so to me all old white men are paedophiles! Every one needs to hustle and make money and by scamming is Nigeria’s way of making money.”Do any of us know Nigerians who aren’t scammers” and this quote as well just make me want to jump into the screen and slap you. I know Nigerians who aint scammers. Not only is that quote rude and stereotypical, its also racist, you might not think it is but it is. Let me ask u this question “who is stupid to buy and sell things online” so you guys should not chat shit!
To back up Jenny’s argument; Nigerians are making it big, they have two of the major airports in britian. A Nigerian is a the richest man in Africa and this people didn’t scam anyone so before you chat shit, make sure you know the facts, yeah! My husband is the CEO of a major engineering company is America and I’m a fashion magazine editor of a big magazine company and trust me WE ARE RICH and we made our money the good and clean way. Ohh and btw I’m Nigerian so I dare you chat shit about me scamming your beloved countries!
next time, tape a dorito to it, then you can claim that the laptop does indeed contain a chip.
Is your computer still for sale? LOL!
EPIC! I love scamming the scammers!
Some people take it seriously: http://www.419eater.com/ (or at least as some serious fun)
@cap,
Why is that relevant to this post? Who cares who did it first. Can people not get the same ideas as other people anymore? Is this a crime that I am foolishly unaware of?
someone provide a link to the THis is my American Life NPR podcast about “enforcers”/scammers it is hilarious
Really funny!
Reminds me of this: http://www.dontevenreply.com/index.php
I don’t get it. Did this person, at any point, tell you he/she was Nigerian? Did you mail the cardboard laptop to an address in Nigeria? From your write-up above, I cannot see that the answer to the questions above is ‘yes’.
Take a step back and read your line again: “… I told my kids all about Nigerian scammers …” – you have now “educate”d your son about Nigeria and “scamming”. In today’s globalized world, what do you expect your son to think or feel if he ever met a Nigerian sometime in life – school, workplace etc?
Of course Nigeria has had a tarnished reputation of producing “scammers” in the past – but Germany also produced Adolf Hitler (his Austrian ancestry not relevant here), and Saudi Arabia produced Osama Bin Ladin. Does that make all Germans mass murderers, or all Saudi Arabians terrorists? Of course not!!
Please be careful how you paint the world with that broad brush of yours – and much as i do not want to tell you how to bring up your son – please do not give hem a legacy of chronic social myopia.
0/10, p-p-p-powerbook was WAY before this, way more amusing, and about the same.
As a Nigerian and a software developer, I want to say I’m truly sorry. We are not all like this.
I love to see Beca commenting here on your blog!! hahah Hi becca! I think its time I go ahead and try this!
For all you stupid people like @temidayo and @alalalolo @Cierra
Can none of you read? First of all he didn’t say that all nigerians are scammers, he said “all about nigerian scammers” LOL its no wonder Nigerian scammer emails have such bad grammer! They don’t know how to read either! You guys just make me laugh
Second, he actually MAILED out the package so its obvious that he knows its going to NIGERIA! LOL oh man all your stupid comments made my day just as funny as the article!
I can’t comment, I keep getting duplicate comment :(
I love to see Beca commenting here on your blog!! hahah Hi becca! I think its time I go ahead and try this!
For all you stupid people like @temidayo and @alalalolo @Cierra
Can none of you read? First of all he didn’t say that all nigerians are scammers, he said “all about nigerian scammers” LOL its no wonder Nigerian scammer emails have such bad grammer! They don’t know how to read either! You guys just make me laugh
Second, he actually MAILED out the package so its obvious that he knows its going to NIGERIA! LOL oh man all your stupid comments made my day just as funny as the article!
Why dont you teach your kids how to buy guns in toys’r’us and use them in school you racist prick.
I think this is very funny and I enjoyed reading it, but I was also very uneasy about the way you characterized all Nigerians, even going as far as indoctrinating your kids.
The U.S and China lead the world in online scams, but I doubt you would have been this way and condemned all Americans if you were scammed by one.
I’m glad you got the scammer, but I think you need to rethink how you see some of your fellow humans.
This is hilarious!
Btw the nigerians getting angry at this articles should calm the fuck down. Where is your sense of humor?
Una no sabi laugh?
Awesome. Just… awesome.
I’d poop, garnish with caramel and a lil chocolate or icing on top and gift wrap it nicely in a box or gift pack and if they choose to taste it out of curiosity …………. I WIN!
Nice work in keeping scammers busy. But I second the view that… I hope that “I told my kids all about Nigerian scammers” included the elaboration that “scammers are not necessarily from Nigeria” and “you shouldn’t giggle “scammer” whenever you encounter a Nigerian”.
(No, I’m not from Nigeria.)
Just to say not all nigerians are like this. I’m sad the government is not doing more to prevent all these activities.