Well, it sounds ...
... pretty stupidious to me...
There is we believe some kind of worldwide minimum standard for phishing expeditions, which demands at least a level of literacy, a false bank log-in page and a plausible alert to hook victims. If you really can't be arsed with all that, though, why not just throw out a quick email and wait for those intimate banking details …
stupidious - 1 definition - a truly lame act; someone that has overacheived in being an idiot.
Like MonkeyBot's example a classic would be posting on a support forum: "When you do <this> and <this> and <that> the system wipes all your data and destroys your hardware.
Which gets a response of: "Oh .... yeah. It does"
...to offer 'benno209@gmail.com' my most sincere, contrafibularities. I am anaspeptic, frasmotic, even compunctuous to have caused him such pericombobulation.".
From Black Adder the Third. Of all the people to invent words to confuse and possibly overwhealm peoples sense of authority, I would not have thought that far off foreign scammers would!
Truly benno209@gmail.com is an idiot of unrivalled compunctuous idiocy.
There is always the possibility that it is not what it at first sight appears, that it is in fact a steganographically concealed or prearranged signal to agent(s) unknown. The fact that it has been sent to untold millions of others is of course cover for the agents.
So it could be quite clever, not at all stupidous.
But I remember reading something where the main character either places or receives a coded message in the homosexual male section of the personal ads. The character finds himself wondering how many of the other personal ads are in fact coded messages to other secret agents. Today, spam email would be a good replacement due to their ubiquity and invisibility by Purloined Letter methods.
Thank goodness I have founded you all here in one place. I am afraid that the internet has been hacked and we have had to lock all your bankery details to prevent frauad. Please be posting your bank details on here (IN PRIVATE WAY) for us to reinitialising your accounts and make ready your funds.
Best Retards.
HSBC
Here's one that was waiting for me when I got home from work.
We are pleased to inform you again about your UK NATIONAL LOTTERY
NEW YEAR BONANZA price of £1,000,000.00 Equivalent to=
$1,831,922.00. Usd.
for claim contact:
E-mail: thomasches1@yahoo.com.hk
Phone:+44 702 408 4762
VERIFICATION FORM BELOW:
*Name of Winner:
*Address:
*City/State:
*Nationality:
*Sex:
*Email Address:
*Phone no:
*Occupation:
*Age:
*Amount won:.
Yours Truly,
Meerbergen Jef van
Co-ordinator (The Uk National Lottery)
Nice one Jef or Thomas but I won't be paying that price
I received this in my inbox about 18 months ago, kept it for posterity...
We recently determined that various computers connect on your account
Lloyds TSB, Password and of multiples checs taient present before
connection. We now need assure you again information of your Lloyds TSB
account. If this n' d' is not completed; here on October 29, 2008, we will
be constrained to suspend your account indefinitely, Because it can have
uses d' fraudulent ends. We thank you for your comprehention in this
manner. To confirm your online banking of the files, click on the
following bond:
[link removed]
Thank you for your patience. Lloyds TSB service customers. S' you like it
do not answer has this e-mail because c' is only one notification. Email
to send has this address cannot be answered. 1999-2008 Lloyds TSB. All
rights reserved
I had one this very morning, apparently from "Rt Hon David Cameron MP". It starts:
"I am The Rt Hon David Cameron MP,Prime Minister, First Lord of the Treasury and Minister for the Civil Service British Government."
OK, no arguments there. Posh Boy then says there's an ATM card with my name on it and two million quid on offer. I have asked Dave the Chameleon to leave it under the brown wheelie bin as the thought of passing my personal details to space peanut William Hague makes me feel slightly ill.
However, the thing which *really* makes me doubt its veracity is right at the bottom, where the message concludes:
"Regards,
The Rt Hon Gordon Brown MP
Prime Minister"
Oh dear...