Nigerian Scam -- The Sequel

As I've said before, the Internet often seems to be a different medium for the same messages -- for better or worse. An example of the worse are scams and chain letters. Remember chain letters from last century? Someone sends a hand-written letter that would tell you that you need to make 10 copies of this letter and send it to 10 people. If you did, wonderful things would happen to you -- money would come raining down from the sky. If you didn't, a pox and you and your family.
So, frightened into doing so, we'd hand-write 10 copies of the letter (photocopiers weren't as prevalent in those days) and bother 10 friends with the note. And lo and behold, our boring lives went on as usual, only now we had writers' cramp.
With the advent of email, chain letters and other scams are easier to perpetuate. Just click a button, and wham! Instant gratification -- or most likely, you've only just annoyed 10 of your friends.
Related to chain letters are scams in which someone makes up some lie to get you to give up your money or personal private information that will allow that person access to your money. Case en point -- The Nigerian Scam. The premise: A wealthy foreigner (sometimes a prince or king) needs help moving millions of dollars from his homeland and promises a percentage of his vast wealth to the kind, generous soul who helps him. Of course, all that happens is the scammer helps himself to the victim's hard-earned money. According to snopes.com, this type of scam has been going on since the 1920's, and is commonly known as the "Spanish Prisoner" scam.
So flash-forward t0 2008 -- I'm perusing my junk mail box for possible legitimate email I may have missed from a client or potential client. Among the plethora of ads for Viagra-like products, I see something familiar. Apparently, the Central Bank of Nigeria feels horrible about all the US citizens who have been scammed over the years, and will give the victims money for all their troubles. Yeah right.
Most people know better than to trust these scams, but every once in a while someone fall for them. Another scam that is more or less harmless, but still a pain -- The AOL/Microsoft Giveaway. According to the email, as part of a test for a Microsoft/AOL email tracking system, if you forward this email, you will receive cash. People figure, what the heck to I have to lose? Besides, it was verfied by a real gen-yoo-wine attorney and in USA Today. Ok then.
I worked for AOL for two years as part of Netscape and tested many applications, and can tell you that Bill Gates is not sitting up in his Mighty Tower, checking his computer and saying, "Oh goody! Billy Joe Jim Bob just forwarded my email! Let me whip out my checkbook and send that boy some money!"
And just to reiterate -- if you receive an email from your bank, PayPal, eBay, etc, that requests you to update your information, DON'T DO IT. Even if it looks legit, contact your bank, PayPal, etc. directly instead.