one born every minute

In amongst my spam mails today I got another of the Lagos Bank Scams. I always wonder how people fall for such gambits.

Standard Trust Bank of Nigeria,
Lagos-Nigeria.

STRICTLY A PRIVATE BUSINESS PROPOSAL

I am Alhaji Ahmed Dasuki, The manager, Bills and Exchange at
the Foreign Remittance Department of the Standard
Trust Bank of Nigeria Plc. I am writing this letter to
ask for your support and cooperation to carry out this
business opportunity in my department. We discovered
an abandoned sum of $15,000,000.00 (Fifteen million
United States Dollars only) in an account that belongs
to one of our foreign customers who died along with
his entire family of a wife and two children in
November 1997 in a Plane crash.

Since we heard of his death, we have been expecting
his next-of-kin to come over and put claims for his
money as the heir, because we cannot release the fund
from his account unless someone applies for claim as
the next-of-kin to the deceased as indicated in our
banking guidelines. Unfortunately, neither their
family member nor distant relative has ever appeared
to claim the said fund. Upon this discovery, I and
other officials in my department have agreed to make
business with you and release the total amount into
your account as the heir of the fund since no one came
for it or discovered he maintained account with our
bank, otherwise the fund will be returned to the banks
treasury as unclaimed fund.

We have agreed that our ratio of sharing will be as
stated thus; 20 % for you as foreign partner, 75 % for
us the officials in my department and 5 % for the
settlement of all local and foreign expenses incurred
by us and you during the course of this business.

Upon the successful completion of this transfer, I and
one of my colleagues will come to your country and
mind our share. It is from our 75% we intend to import
Agricultural Machineries into my country as a way of
recycling the fund. To commence this transaction, we
require you to immediately indicate your interest by a
return e-mail and enclose your private contact
telephone number, fax number full name and address and
your designated bank coordinates to enable us file
letter of claim to the appropriate departments for
necessary approvals before the transfer can be made.

Note also, this transaction must be kept STRICTLY
CONFIDENTIAL because of its nature.

I look forward to receiving your prompt response at my
private email: [email protected]

If you do not intend to help me, i will respect your
privacy and not contact you again.

Thank you

Ahmed Dasuki

I can’t sleep

It wouldn’t be so annoying if I hadn’t decided to try working earlies next week. (Work have decided we can start an hour or half an hour earlier or later in a first attempt at flexible working).
So knowing I have to be up at 7 instead of 8 and yet lying in bed from 10:30 until 01:30 restlessly awaiting sleep is annoying.
As anyone who has slept withme will attest (get your minds out of the gutter) I fall asleep at the drop of a hat and sometimes mid conversation. As soon as my head hits pillow I am practically snoozing.
Tonights bout of insomnia then is doubly annoying.
I’ve decided since I can’t sleep to do some mundane routine tasks like check bank balances and pay bills. I’ve even caught up with reading some other sites which used to be regular reads but with work becoming hectic and social life taking on a new level have sadly become less frequent and more sporadic.
So I’ve caught up with Ian online if not in person for the first time in weeks. Weirdly I was at the White Swan on Friday and thinking of him (but left early due to illness and I hasten to add not brought on by alcohol).

It brought me to thinking (again) about how transitional friendships are. Some people I used to see every week without fail I now see rarely if at all. Others whom until fairly recently I barely knew I see daily. I now am financially commited to some friendships with shared mortgage and bills which would have been unheard of a few years ago.

I think I’m rambling now too cos I’m tired so I think I might sign of now and seek out sleep.