more on internet financial scams

Broke new ground last night by receiving my first known scam in a language other than English.

But here’s a standard English one of the kind you’ve all seen thousands of times, just come in:

“Attention Beneficiary, This is to bring to your notice that, I have paid the re-activation fee and the delivery of your Trunk Box to you. I paid it because your TRUNK BOX OF $2.5 MILLION has few days to expire and when it expires will go into Government purse of this Country, then I decided to help you pay the money so that the Trunk Box will be transport to you in *RAW CASH BUT I DISGUISE IT AS A FAMILY TREASUR I DID NOT DISCLOSE THE CONTENT AS RAW CASH OF $2.5 MILLION IN A SILVER METALIC TRUNK BOX WRAPED WITH DHL LOGO* They will transport it via customs diplomatic means, because I know when you get your Trunk Box definitely you must pay me back the money I have spent and even reward me for good work thereafter.”

And here I have a simple question… Why is it always some utterly outrageous amount of money? If they told you that you had, say, eleven thousand dollars coming (instead of millions) wouldn’t you be more tempted to think it was genuine? This seems to be one of those areas of life where “the big lie” (Goebbels) is less effective than a small one would be.