What percentage of the people asking the "I got an email that said I won the lotto, but have to pay first. Is that real?" kind of question are for real and what percent are sarcastic jackasses?
Also, what does it say about our society if even one person is taken in by these scams?
2007-10-02 07:33:20 · 9 answers · asked by bagalagalaga 5 in Games & Recreation ➔ Gambling
can yahoo have some kind of auto-answer or something to take care of these? key words "won" "lotto" "but" = you are being scammed?
2007-10-02 07:40:04 · update #1
The Nigerian scam took in something like 51 million dollars last year according to the FBI. I find it impossible to believe anyone can fall for it who isn't elderly or otherwise not particualrly savy; but it happens every day.
I treat every request seriously
2007-10-02 07:37:15 · answer #1 · answered by wizjp 7 · 3⤊ 0⤋
Well all of it is part of advertisement and Internet scammers get paid for posting it thousands of times repeatedly in people's email sites and other such places. I never believe any percentage of those are real and just mark it as spam so later it will just be sent to my bulk and not even have to worry about if its all that important. You can see all those constantly all over every bodies e-mails and its do to, that the scammer has to post a set number (say 1,000 posts) through phishing and other new ways in order to turn his scam into a profit other wise he would make more flipping burgers. Others use it to get your credit card number, implant a virus, or just advertise a magazine or product that you have to subscribe to or do a trial of in order to receive your so called "free gift or reward".
2007-10-02 15:56:24 · answer #2 · answered by Larko Kuroi 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Since many of the questions like that I have seen are written in REALLY poor English, I'm assuming that they are uneducated, undereducated or foreigners who just really DON'T know any better, sad to say. And since some of them even admit to being "ripped off" by these scams, I just tend to feel sorry for them.
2007-10-02 14:37:17 · answer #3 · answered by Yahzmin ♥♥ 4ever 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Aww man so I didn't help out the banks when they had no money.... DAMN! I'VE BEEN SCAMMED! .... If anyone thinks I'm being serious needs to drag there *** to the street and live there for five years. That way you will never be this dumb again.
2007-10-02 14:40:46 · answer #4 · answered by jamesthefishy 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
They send out millions of those emails. If they can fool 1/10 of 1% they are happy.
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2007-10-02 14:37:43 · answer #5 · answered by Barkley Hound 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
I think 99% are honestly checking to see if they won.
What gets me is that people think there might be a Microsoft Word Lottery. Or that addresses like yahoo_lottory@hotmail.com are official addresses.
2007-10-02 14:40:21 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Old people get sucked into this one all the time.. i see them send their money off all the time but there is no making them see sense! I guess its that promise of millions that they can't quite let go of. It's really really sad.
2007-10-02 14:36:40 · answer #7 · answered by pixiegurl2k2 2 · 2⤊ 0⤋
its a scam delete it right away make sure you never give your personal info or money to anyone on the internet
2007-10-02 14:36:50 · answer #8 · answered by jezbnme 6 · 3⤊ 0⤋
giggity giggity
2007-10-02 14:36:08 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 1⤋