Two important human needs that don’t change over time are the need to be noticed and to be known.
While there are those who might hide these needs for any number of reasons, leaders need to remember the importance of both.
Kids in a classroom that can’t be noticed for good grades or behavior often resort to bad behavior. Why? Being noticed for being bad is preferable to being ignored.
The famous Hawthorne Effect experiment proved that workers on an assembly line improved their performance when they perceived management was paying attention to them. The changes in working conditions were superfluous, but the resulting perception was “They’re finally paying attention to us!”
Noticing employees and colleagues begins with simple courtesy and acknowledgement. It is more powerful to pay attention to the contributions and good work they do. Too often we notice only the negative or problematic behavior which inadvertently can reinforce that behavior. (Remember the classroom example above?)
Getting to know someone takes much more time and effort. Obviously no manager or leader wants to be obtrusive. The appropriate approach is making the time to understand an employee’s hopes, fears and goals at work. The objective should never be gratuitous; it should be motivated by the value you place on the person and a genuine need to help them be all they can be at work.
Bob Seger wrote a song about being an autoworker in Detroit many years ago. The refrain? “I feel like a number.” Underlying that sentiment is feeling neither noticed nor known.
Being noticed and know are simple but critically important needs. Regrettably they are often overlooked.
Saturday, November 14, 2009
Thoughts are things
if you don’t want something bad to happen, or if you want good things for yourself in your life, be careful about what you think, for you will become what you think as sure as the dawn follows night. Always remember, thoughts are things.’ Wow, the entire world wrapped up in those three magic words: Thoughts are things! A thought is the most powerful force in the universe. You can make of your life whatever you wish if you learn to make your thoughts work for you,
Day Trading Methodology
I have been reading the latest book from Van Tharp, Super Trader and I want to highlight this passage about daytrading methodologies:
"For example, if you are a daytrader, open up a position and either take a small loss or get out at the end of the day. When you do that, you are not tied to the market all day, and you may find that you take small losses and get huge profits. Simplify your entry technique and concentrate on exits"
Now, lets cross this with Jesse Livermore remarks on the speculative line of least resistance:
"It sounds very easy to say that all you have to do is to watch the tape, establish your resistance points and be ready to trade along the line of least resistance as soon as you have determined it."
So, we have a powerful daytrading methodology in these two market generalizations. But JL added, "But in actual practice a man has to guard against many things, and most of all against himself - that is, against human nature."
Rings a bell? Maybe we should all print this post and have it by the trading desk.
"For example, if you are a daytrader, open up a position and either take a small loss or get out at the end of the day. When you do that, you are not tied to the market all day, and you may find that you take small losses and get huge profits. Simplify your entry technique and concentrate on exits"
Now, lets cross this with Jesse Livermore remarks on the speculative line of least resistance:
"It sounds very easy to say that all you have to do is to watch the tape, establish your resistance points and be ready to trade along the line of least resistance as soon as you have determined it."
So, we have a powerful daytrading methodology in these two market generalizations. But JL added, "But in actual practice a man has to guard against many things, and most of all against himself - that is, against human nature."
Rings a bell? Maybe we should all print this post and have it by the trading desk.
Do we need to hear 1.000 opinions about our health?
I know a man who has seen a thousand doctors. Let us call him Thomas. He is 80 years old but even so, a thousand is a huge number. In a year, he would have seen 12 new doctors on the average. A thousand different doctors means perhaps 20,000 consultations. Sometimes Thomas sees three different doctors in one afternoon.
Some of Thomas’s friends are doctors. Some of his doctors become his friends. His doctors range from the junior to the senior, from those in government hospitals to those in private practice, from generalists to specialists. Men, women, foreigners, graduates from local universities; he has seen them all. Sometimes he sees them just to measure his blood pressure.
Sometimes it is for a more serious matter like an unexplained chest pain. He has spent about $230,000 in his lifetime on doctor visits, blood tests, medications, X-rays, scans and minor surgeries.
He has no regrets. Others may splurge on flashy cars or the services of a sommelier, but for Thomas it is doctors, doctors and more doctors. Sadly, Thomas was diagnosed with lung cancer recently and was referred to me. I wonder how many more oncologists he has seen or will be seeing.
Thomas came across as a well adjusted gentleman. He did not exhibit any verbal or physical tic. He spoke well. He gave his medical history clearly and answered most of my questions willingly and appropriately. Having gained his trust, I decided to explore his need to see so many doctors. He was forthright about it. He is afraid to die.
So many of us, with or without cancer, are not willing to admit to our fear of death. We couch our fear like this: “Doctor, I am not afraid to die but I fear the process of dying.” Others of a more poetic bent will say, “Oh, death, where is thy sting?” It is a badge of honor we proudly wear on our sleeves.
Thomas was afraid of death, and he was not afraid to admit it. That’s courage. He was going to do his best to postpone it. Of course, seeing a thousand doctors does not help. It may even be harmful. Conflicting opinions lead to confusion and anxiety. Excessive and unnecessary X-rays and CT scans increase the chance of radiation- induced cancer.
Apart from his fear of death, Thomas also disclosed a distrust of doctors. He was seeking as many opinions as possible before deciding on treatment. He had his doubts. Now you know why I gave Thomas his moniker.
Is Thomas suffering from hypochondriasis? The condition is characterised by fears that minor bodily symptoms may indicate a serious illness. The hypochondriac constantly examines himself; self-diagnosis becomes a preoccupation. He expresses doubt and disbelief in the doctor’s diagnosis. Thomas has some traits of a hypochondriac but that is too easy a label to stick on him. Thomas had a CT scan of his chest two years ago that disclosed a shadow in his lung. He was treated for pneumonia. The possibility of cancer was excluded when most of the shadow disappeared with a course of antibiotics. The doctors should have gone the extra mile to exclude cancer with a PET/CT scan and a biopsy.
Some may diagnose Thomas with thanatophobia — an undue obsession with death (especially one’s own) to the extent that it becomes psychologically crippling. Again, this would be too convenient a label. Thomas is a successful entrepreneur and is socially adept.
I really don’t know. We tend to medicalise every little symptom and discomfort. From an infant’s excessive crying to teenage angst to a wage earner’s blues. There is a pill for everything: insomnia, erectile dysfunction and the sadness of bereavement. Perhaps Thomas has the time and money to see many doctors and he feels good doing this. It is therapeutic for him, if you can forgive my use of the word. It may be no different from some others I know who spend as much as Thomas does on audiovisual systems or eating unmentionable parts of endangered animals.
I shall help Thomas fight his cancer. I will dissuade him from unnecessary blood tests and scans. I will not judge him. Most of all, I will not medicalize his fear of death. It is about being human. There is no pill for it.
Some of Thomas’s friends are doctors. Some of his doctors become his friends. His doctors range from the junior to the senior, from those in government hospitals to those in private practice, from generalists to specialists. Men, women, foreigners, graduates from local universities; he has seen them all. Sometimes he sees them just to measure his blood pressure.
Sometimes it is for a more serious matter like an unexplained chest pain. He has spent about $230,000 in his lifetime on doctor visits, blood tests, medications, X-rays, scans and minor surgeries.
He has no regrets. Others may splurge on flashy cars or the services of a sommelier, but for Thomas it is doctors, doctors and more doctors. Sadly, Thomas was diagnosed with lung cancer recently and was referred to me. I wonder how many more oncologists he has seen or will be seeing.
Thomas came across as a well adjusted gentleman. He did not exhibit any verbal or physical tic. He spoke well. He gave his medical history clearly and answered most of my questions willingly and appropriately. Having gained his trust, I decided to explore his need to see so many doctors. He was forthright about it. He is afraid to die.
So many of us, with or without cancer, are not willing to admit to our fear of death. We couch our fear like this: “Doctor, I am not afraid to die but I fear the process of dying.” Others of a more poetic bent will say, “Oh, death, where is thy sting?” It is a badge of honor we proudly wear on our sleeves.
Thomas was afraid of death, and he was not afraid to admit it. That’s courage. He was going to do his best to postpone it. Of course, seeing a thousand doctors does not help. It may even be harmful. Conflicting opinions lead to confusion and anxiety. Excessive and unnecessary X-rays and CT scans increase the chance of radiation- induced cancer.
Apart from his fear of death, Thomas also disclosed a distrust of doctors. He was seeking as many opinions as possible before deciding on treatment. He had his doubts. Now you know why I gave Thomas his moniker.
Is Thomas suffering from hypochondriasis? The condition is characterised by fears that minor bodily symptoms may indicate a serious illness. The hypochondriac constantly examines himself; self-diagnosis becomes a preoccupation. He expresses doubt and disbelief in the doctor’s diagnosis. Thomas has some traits of a hypochondriac but that is too easy a label to stick on him. Thomas had a CT scan of his chest two years ago that disclosed a shadow in his lung. He was treated for pneumonia. The possibility of cancer was excluded when most of the shadow disappeared with a course of antibiotics. The doctors should have gone the extra mile to exclude cancer with a PET/CT scan and a biopsy.
Some may diagnose Thomas with thanatophobia — an undue obsession with death (especially one’s own) to the extent that it becomes psychologically crippling. Again, this would be too convenient a label. Thomas is a successful entrepreneur and is socially adept.
I really don’t know. We tend to medicalise every little symptom and discomfort. From an infant’s excessive crying to teenage angst to a wage earner’s blues. There is a pill for everything: insomnia, erectile dysfunction and the sadness of bereavement. Perhaps Thomas has the time and money to see many doctors and he feels good doing this. It is therapeutic for him, if you can forgive my use of the word. It may be no different from some others I know who spend as much as Thomas does on audiovisual systems or eating unmentionable parts of endangered animals.
I shall help Thomas fight his cancer. I will dissuade him from unnecessary blood tests and scans. I will not judge him. Most of all, I will not medicalize his fear of death. It is about being human. There is no pill for it.
Friday, November 13, 2009
JP Morgan CEO reply to a chick who wanted to 'marry a rich guy'
Friday, July 3 2009
JP Morgan CEO reply to a chick who wanted to 'marry a rich guy'. WIN!
Title: What should I do to marry a rich guy?
I’m going to be honest of what I’m going to say here. I’m 25 this year. I’m very pretty, have style and good taste. I wish to marry a guy with $500k annual salary or above. You might say that I’m greedy, but an annual salary of $1M is considered only as middle class in New York. My requirement is not high. Is there anyone in this forum who has an income of $500k annual salary? Are you all married? I wanted to ask: what should I do to marry rich persons like you? Among those I’ve dated, the richest is $250k annual income, and it seems that this is my upper limit. If someone is going to move into high cost residential area on the west of New York CityGarden(?), $250k annual income is not enough.
I’m here humbly to ask a few questions:
1) Where do most rich bachelors hang out? (Please list down the names and addresses of bars, restaurant, gym)
2) Which age group should I target?
3) Why most wives of the riches is only average-looking? I’ve met a few girls who doesn’t have looks and are not interesting, but they are able to marry rich guys
4) How do you decide who can be your wife, and who can only be your girlfriend? (my target now is to get married)
Ms. Pretty
Awesome reply:
Dear Ms. Pretty,
I have read your post with great interest. Guess there are lots of girls out there who have similar questions like yours. Please allow me to analyse your situation as a professional investor. My annual income is more than $500k, which meets your requirement, so I hope everyone believes that I’m not wasting time here. From the standpoint of a business person, it is a bad decision to marry you.. The answer is very simple, so let me explain.
Put the details aside, what you’re trying to do is an exchange of ‘beauty’ and ‘money’: Person A provides beauty, and Person B pays for it, fair and square. However, there’s a deadly problem here, your beauty will fade, but my money will not be gone without any good reason. The fact is, my income might increase from year to year, but you can’t be prettier year after year. Hence from the viewpoint of economics, I am an appreciation asset, and you are a depreciation asset. It’s not just normal depreciation, but exponential depreciation. If that is your only asset, your value will be much worried 10 years later.
By the terms we use in Wall Street, every trading has a position, dating with you is also a ‘trading position’. If the trade value dropped we will sell it and it is not a good idea to keep it for long term - same goes with the marriage that you wanted. It might be cruel to say this, but in order to make a wiser decision any assets with great depreciation value will be sold or ‘leased’. Anyone with over $500k annual income is not a fool; we would only date you, but will not marry you. I would advice that you forget looking for any clues to marry a rich guy. And by the way, you could make yourself to become a rich person with $500k annual income. This has better chance than finding a rich fool.
Hope this reply helps. If you are interested in ‘leasing’ services, do contact me…
signed,
CEO
J.P. Morgan :)
JP Morgan CEO reply to a chick who wanted to 'marry a rich guy'. WIN!
Title: What should I do to marry a rich guy?
I’m going to be honest of what I’m going to say here. I’m 25 this year. I’m very pretty, have style and good taste. I wish to marry a guy with $500k annual salary or above. You might say that I’m greedy, but an annual salary of $1M is considered only as middle class in New York. My requirement is not high. Is there anyone in this forum who has an income of $500k annual salary? Are you all married? I wanted to ask: what should I do to marry rich persons like you? Among those I’ve dated, the richest is $250k annual income, and it seems that this is my upper limit. If someone is going to move into high cost residential area on the west of New York CityGarden(?), $250k annual income is not enough.
I’m here humbly to ask a few questions:
1) Where do most rich bachelors hang out? (Please list down the names and addresses of bars, restaurant, gym)
2) Which age group should I target?
3) Why most wives of the riches is only average-looking? I’ve met a few girls who doesn’t have looks and are not interesting, but they are able to marry rich guys
4) How do you decide who can be your wife, and who can only be your girlfriend? (my target now is to get married)
Ms. Pretty
Awesome reply:
Dear Ms. Pretty,
I have read your post with great interest. Guess there are lots of girls out there who have similar questions like yours. Please allow me to analyse your situation as a professional investor. My annual income is more than $500k, which meets your requirement, so I hope everyone believes that I’m not wasting time here. From the standpoint of a business person, it is a bad decision to marry you.. The answer is very simple, so let me explain.
Put the details aside, what you’re trying to do is an exchange of ‘beauty’ and ‘money’: Person A provides beauty, and Person B pays for it, fair and square. However, there’s a deadly problem here, your beauty will fade, but my money will not be gone without any good reason. The fact is, my income might increase from year to year, but you can’t be prettier year after year. Hence from the viewpoint of economics, I am an appreciation asset, and you are a depreciation asset. It’s not just normal depreciation, but exponential depreciation. If that is your only asset, your value will be much worried 10 years later.
By the terms we use in Wall Street, every trading has a position, dating with you is also a ‘trading position’. If the trade value dropped we will sell it and it is not a good idea to keep it for long term - same goes with the marriage that you wanted. It might be cruel to say this, but in order to make a wiser decision any assets with great depreciation value will be sold or ‘leased’. Anyone with over $500k annual income is not a fool; we would only date you, but will not marry you. I would advice that you forget looking for any clues to marry a rich guy. And by the way, you could make yourself to become a rich person with $500k annual income. This has better chance than finding a rich fool.
Hope this reply helps. If you are interested in ‘leasing’ services, do contact me…
signed,
CEO
J.P. Morgan :)
Sunday, October 18, 2009
A report on money scam by Spam e-mail : What happens when you reply?
Anybody who has ever received the notorious Nigerian Money Scam will probably have asked themselves the same question - what would happen if I replied?
For those of you unfamiliar with this email scam, the basic idea is simple. Somebody purporting to be a Nigerian banker contacts you, offering a chance to earn some serious money. Often his bank will be looking after the considerable fortune of a deceased millionaire - from shipping magnate to former president. He says he needs a foreign bank account through which to launder the money - and in return for sending him your bank details for this purpose, he will give you a share of the spoils.
Of course those who fall for this scam never see these promised millions. Instead their bank accounts are often cleaned out once they have handed over all their details - which include bank account numbers, copies of their passport and drivers licence and phone and fax numbers - it is a simple identity theft, dressed up with a tempting lure for the gullible.
Over the years silicon.com has received hundreds of these emails. What follows is the transcript of a conversation with one such scammer which began on 20 January 2003.
We received an email from somebody calling himself Mr Madu Frank, promising us 30 per cent of a large unclaimed fund, valued in the region of around $20m. Typically these people will send emails to multiple recipients - hoping somebody will take the bait. Often it is claimed the recipient was recommended to them by 'a friend' or taken from some kind of international directory.
Having received the initial email, silicon.com's Will Sturgeon set up a Hotmail account under an assumed identity, and replied.
Dear Madu Frank, Thank you very much for contacting me with this wonderful offer, it sounds almost too good to be true. It's amazing, only this morning I was saying how I could do with having a bit more money - I must be a very lucky man.
Of course I would be interested in helping, but would also be very interested to hear who recommended me, as you say you have been told that I am a "reliable" and "trustworthy" person. I assure you I am, but would like to know who I have to thank for this wonderful opportunity.
Just to clarify, you say I stand to get 30 per cent of the total money transferred - this is £6.75m, right? Wow!
I look forward to hearing from you.
Overnight a reply from Mr Madu arrived.
Thank you very much for finding time to reply to my mail. We have to begin this transaction fast, so that the fund will be in your account in about 14 banking days. First of all, you have to transcribe the letter below in to your letter headed paper, or plain paper, and send it back to me so that I will submit it to the INTERNATIONAL REMITANCE DEPARTMENT of the bank...
...I will require you to also send me your private telephone and fax numbers, I will submit this also to the bank, and they will contact you directly. When they contact you, I want you to act as the real beneficiary of the fund in question. Do not be intimidated by anybody. I will also want you to send me the front and back photocopy of your international passport or driver's licence, so that I will know who I am having a deal with. For further enquires on what you should do, call me immediately you receive this mail on my telephone number... I will be expecting your call.
He then included the text of the letter he wanted me to transcribe, including helpful blank spaces where I could fill in my name, address and, most importantly, bank details. Of course I didn't oblige... but that didn't mean I was finished with Mr Madu (wasn't he a partially sighted cartoon character?). I still wanted him to answer my question about who recommended me.
So I replied:
Thank you for getting back to me. I am still wondering if you could tell me who recommended me to you, as I asked in my last email.
I do not have a problem with all this, but you said in your original email that you had been told I was a reliable person - I was just wondering if you could elaborate? I am interested in finding this out - as that person may want to share in my good fortune. I should be aware of who has done me this big favour.
I look forward to hearing from you.
So I've posed Mr Madu a challenge here. We know the truth, but surely he won't admit to sending out random emails to all and sundry in the hope that some poor sucker will take the bait. No, instead he comes up with one of the most improbable - yet inventive - lies ever.
I have seen your mail, and understand the surprise that you are still passing through. I got your address from the Hotmail email directory for successful men and women. Please we have to leave out surprises at this point, and deal with the issue that we have at hand right now. Call me as I instructed you for more detail about what this transaction will look like.
Expecting your reply soonest.
I wasn't about to let that one go...
Mr Madu, I didn't know there was a "Hotmail email directory for successful men and women". You live and learn! How do they know I'm successful (I am - but I only set this Hotmail account up on Monday - and they didn't ask me then whether I am successful. Where can I see this directory?)
I hope you can understand my trepidation - I'd hate to blunder into some kind of scam (not that I would ever question your integrity or the genuine nature of this offer).
I suppose, as I said in my earlier email this just sounds too good to be true - are you sure it is all above board?
I am still very keen to help you out, and am really looking forward to getting the money - I just need to be sure it's the right thing to do.
All the best,
My conversational style fell on deaf ears, Mr Madu clearly wasn't keen to hang around chewing the fat...
Please send the transcribed letter, to my fax number... or send it as an attachment to my email box. I will be expecting to hear from you soon.
But, if he can lie, then what is there to stop me?
Mr Madu, OK - I have sent that fax. It should be there now. Let me know once you've got it.
I hadn't. At this point we played a little bit of email tennis. Three times I sent an email saying I'd faxed through the form - three times, on three consecutive days, he replied to tell me it hadn't arrived (that's because I'd not sent it Mr Madu) - each time urging me instead to email it to his inbox. I blamed confusion over the international codes.
My Dear Friend, I have not seen your fax yet... You do not have to add any other code. But I prefer that you send me the letter this time around, through email as an attachment, since you have tried to send it three times through fax.
I will be expecting you to send it through my email box now, so that I can submit it to the international remittance department of the bank, before the close of work today.
In the end I changed tack - suggesting it might be quicker to fax the bank directly - suggesting I might even look up the bank on the internet. I thought this might catch Mr Madu off guard, but it hardly threw him at all. He quickly replied, giving me the "direct telephone number of Dr George Ade, the Director of the international remittance department." He also gave me the department's fax number and implored me to contact them immediately.
Yet, still I resisted... Saturday, Sunday passed and still I hadn't faxed anything. Mr Madu was starting to grow impatient...
Have you faxed the letter to the international remittance department of the Eco Bank? (No) Have you called the director as I instructed you to? (No again I'm afraid Mr Madu) Please you know we have to be fast about this transaction, so I want you to act fast.
I will also require your private telephone number, so that I can communicate with you on phone. I will be expecting your mail immediately.
What's it going to take before this man gives up on me? Surely if he hasn't cottoned on to the fact that I'm winding him up, he must at least think I'm incredibly ungrateful, and more than a little disorganised.
But that's his problem, not mine... This time I replied, telling him I had gone ahead and looked up the proper numbers for the EcoBank in Lagos Nigeria on the internet - and told him that I'd sent my form straight there... Surely this will annoy him - after all, if he really believes that I fell for his scam, then surely he must believe what I've just gone and done is completely idiotic. All along he has stressed the need for secrecy and great caution. Involving the real EcoBank will surely throw a spanner in the works and annoy the long-suffering Mr Madu... and indeed it did.
He wrote:
ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND? I sent you numbers that you can use to reach particular people because of the confidentiality of this transaction, and you are contacting another number! Well I must inform you at this point, that since you refused to follow my instructions, you have 0 per cent chance of collecting any money from the bank. You have just shown how unconfidential you can be.
I also hope that you did not mention my name in the fax you sent to them, because I don't want to lose my job over a fund that has not been released. The best thing I have to do now is to look for someone more confidential than you are! GOOD DAY!
And so it ended... ...or did it?
Mr Madu, I can't believe I'm going to miss out on this money - but these things happen - and I can see that it was all my fault... but what a shame!!!
Your good - but slightly disappointed - friend.
In truth I expected that to be the last of my dealings with Mr Madu. But he wasn't done yet. He just wanted me to understand the foolishness of what he had done, and clearly rued flying off the handle they way he had.
This transaction is very confidential even in the bank. So all I want you to do at this point, is to contact the telephone number that I gave to you right away. It is the direct line of the Director of international remittance. He knows about this transaction. His name is Dr George Ade...
Do this without delay.
Mr Madu Frank, I thought you'd given up on me.
It is not all over! Please just follow up the instructions that I gave you, and everything will be alright. I want to receive a mail from you tomorrow morning that you have done it. BE POSITIVE!!!
He's changed his tune! He obviously believes there is still a chance I will hand over my passport, bank account detail, phone number and driver's licence.
I wonder how he'll react when I start losing my patience with him - will he spot the irony? I pretend I have made the phone call which he implored me to make...
Mr Madu, What's going on? Dr George Ade is not answering his phone... what time is it there? Why do you tell me to ring him when he's not around to answer his phone?
This is a waste of my time... I want to help you but I will soon lose patience. I do not need the money that badly - $6.75m would have been nice, but I can live without it and will do so if you do not raise your game very soon.
Are you even serious about wanting to transfer this money?
I'm getting frustrated. I expect to hear from you soon.
Me Madu wasn't impressed.
I will not be a party to any kind of funny jokes because I have a very important schedule myself.
I have called Dr George immediately I received your mail, just to find out if he had any missed call, he said no. Please I know that you are getting frustrated, but we have to keep trying. He will definitely pick up your call when you contact him.
It is too early to start giving up.
Mr Madu, You say "I will not be a party to any kind of funny jokes because I have very important schedule myself" - well excuse me, but I'm the one who gets the distinct feeling this all a bit of a botched operation.
Are you suggesting that I'm lying about ringing Dr George Ade. I do not appreciate being called a liar. I called the number you sent me - there was no answer. Why would I waste my time and yours lying about it?
I don't think I want to do business with you any more.
That told him. Within a week we've gone from him cutting me off to me cutting him off. By this stage I was confident that he would still come back for more, almost regardless of whatever I said. Sure enough, Mr Madu replied, this time - giving me the email addresses for Dr George Ade and his department within the bank. Interestingly, like Mr Madu, both used Yahoo.com webmail addresses. Not very professional for a bank, I thought. (Rest assured all addresses being used have been reported to Yahoo!).
So I contacted Dr George Ade. Could this be Mr Madu by another name?
Dr George, I have been in contact with an associate of yours Mr Madu Frank - I'm sure he has told you about our conversation. He has asked me to contact you to move this transaction on.
Tell me please - why does the bank have a Yahoo! email address? It doesn't sound very official - I need to be assured that this is a serious and official operation - not just people setting up Yahoo! mail addresses - which anybody could do. Please send assurances that I am dealing with honest and official people.
I hope you understand my concern.
Let's see what 'Dr George Ade' has to say for himself.
Dear Sir, I wish to acknowledge the receipt of your mail addressed personally to me, Dr George Ade, on this 3rd day of February 2003. I will start by explaining to you, that this bank does not have only one branch, therefore we do not have just one website or just a particular email address. All departments of the bank are allowed to set up contact points, which will be best to access the banking procedures.
So let's get this straight. Dr Ade is telling me that companies can only set up a specific web address when they are based in just one location. This goes against everything the web stands for. What's starting to annoy me at this point is that these people obviously think I'm an idiot. That said... I did reply to the original email, so as far as they're concerned it's probably a fair assumption.
But who would deal with an international bank that uses Yahoo! mail addresses?
At this point it really hits me how foolish the people are who have been duped by these scammers.
Thanks George, Before we go on - I really don't think you are making the most of the opportunities the internet presents you.
You say "this bank does not have only one branch therefore we do not have just one website or just a particular email address".
The internet is supposed to remove such 'location-based' thinking. You sound like a good man, and I trust you, but I really think an international bank would sound far more impressive if it wasn't using free internet mail addresses. You should look into it.
I'm more than happy with Mr Madu's arrangement - but I imagine there are people out there who would be unwilling to hand out important information, such as bank details, to a Yahoo! account.
Anyway, that's just my opinion,
All the best
I included Mr Madu on my reply. I imagine by now there is at least one very frustrated man in Nigeria. Surely after three weeks he's getting fed up of this. After all, he originally said the transaction must be completed in 14 days... we're well over that already, and sure enough Mr Madu is not happy.
Why are you making a joke of this transaction? I have the certificate of deposit of the fund in question, and the Lodgement receipt with me, and can fax it to you if you can give me a fax number. I am not joking, I mean what I am saying.
So send me your fax number, so that I can send you these documents of proof immediately.
Oh dear. I appear to have annoyed him.
I waited a few days before sending my next email. By this stage we're well into the fourth week - Mr Madu wanted this done within 14 days. I thought it best to make my apologies and also make up an excuse for the delay.
Sorry Mr Madu, I wasn't making a joke of this transaction intentionally. Apologies also for the delay, but I have been away on business. As such I didn't want to leave a fax number before I went away as I didn't want this form arriving in my absence as I wanted to keep this transaction quiet - I'm sure you understand.
Anyway, I'm back from my travels now and if you could let me have the certificate of deposit and the Lodgement receipt that would be excellent - why not send them as attachments to this email address.
With the ball back in Mr Madu's court I'm kept waiting for a couple of days, until I next hear from him.
It's nice receiving your mail once again. It was a public holiday for the past two days here in Nigeria, so I will send you the documents through mail, tomorrow morning or on Saturday morning.
But they didn't turn up. Has Mr Madu finally given up the chase? Saturday and Sunday pass, with no forms arriving. For five days there is silence from Mr Madu, I start to suspect he's lost interest but I've one last trick up my sleeves to elicit a reaction.
Since starting this email conversation we've received dozens more of these Nigerian emails. Perhaps it's time to introduce Mr Madu to some of his peers.
Mr Madu, Have you shared my details with colleagues of yours. Just this past weekend I received two emails:
First up is Dr Godfrey Ugo who is offering me a share in the fortune of "a foreign customer who died along with his entire family in a Concord plane crash in the year 2000 in Paris".
Secondly I heard from Sunday Ikechukwu who says he works for the Foreign Remittance Department of the Zenith Bank. He is offering me a share of money held in "an account that belongs to one of our foreign customers who died along with his entire family in November 1997 in a plane crash."
What's going on?
This stirred Mr Madu back into action, though he was hardly phased at all by the revelations in my email. In fact he offered this incredible response.
This is just exactly what I told you about delay in anything you do. I investigated the mails that you sent to me, and found out that the mails where sent to you by some fraudulent officials of my bank, who know about this transaction, but want to send the money through another bank.
Please, let us be fast about this transaction before somebody else will come and claim the fund.
Please do not contact any of those people, because you may end up not even getting anything at the end of the day.
So there it is - in so many words my Nigerian scammer has admitted that these emails are a fraud. The final line of his last email is probably the only truthful thing he's said all along. He has instructed me not to contact these people because he would rather he got the chance to clean out my bank account than one of his peers.
The End
For those of you unfamiliar with this email scam, the basic idea is simple. Somebody purporting to be a Nigerian banker contacts you, offering a chance to earn some serious money. Often his bank will be looking after the considerable fortune of a deceased millionaire - from shipping magnate to former president. He says he needs a foreign bank account through which to launder the money - and in return for sending him your bank details for this purpose, he will give you a share of the spoils.
Of course those who fall for this scam never see these promised millions. Instead their bank accounts are often cleaned out once they have handed over all their details - which include bank account numbers, copies of their passport and drivers licence and phone and fax numbers - it is a simple identity theft, dressed up with a tempting lure for the gullible.
Over the years silicon.com has received hundreds of these emails. What follows is the transcript of a conversation with one such scammer which began on 20 January 2003.
We received an email from somebody calling himself Mr Madu Frank, promising us 30 per cent of a large unclaimed fund, valued in the region of around $20m. Typically these people will send emails to multiple recipients - hoping somebody will take the bait. Often it is claimed the recipient was recommended to them by 'a friend' or taken from some kind of international directory.
Having received the initial email, silicon.com's Will Sturgeon set up a Hotmail account under an assumed identity, and replied.
Dear Madu Frank, Thank you very much for contacting me with this wonderful offer, it sounds almost too good to be true. It's amazing, only this morning I was saying how I could do with having a bit more money - I must be a very lucky man.
Of course I would be interested in helping, but would also be very interested to hear who recommended me, as you say you have been told that I am a "reliable" and "trustworthy" person. I assure you I am, but would like to know who I have to thank for this wonderful opportunity.
Just to clarify, you say I stand to get 30 per cent of the total money transferred - this is £6.75m, right? Wow!
I look forward to hearing from you.
Overnight a reply from Mr Madu arrived.
Thank you very much for finding time to reply to my mail. We have to begin this transaction fast, so that the fund will be in your account in about 14 banking days. First of all, you have to transcribe the letter below in to your letter headed paper, or plain paper, and send it back to me so that I will submit it to the INTERNATIONAL REMITANCE DEPARTMENT of the bank...
...I will require you to also send me your private telephone and fax numbers, I will submit this also to the bank, and they will contact you directly. When they contact you, I want you to act as the real beneficiary of the fund in question. Do not be intimidated by anybody. I will also want you to send me the front and back photocopy of your international passport or driver's licence, so that I will know who I am having a deal with. For further enquires on what you should do, call me immediately you receive this mail on my telephone number... I will be expecting your call.
He then included the text of the letter he wanted me to transcribe, including helpful blank spaces where I could fill in my name, address and, most importantly, bank details. Of course I didn't oblige... but that didn't mean I was finished with Mr Madu (wasn't he a partially sighted cartoon character?). I still wanted him to answer my question about who recommended me.
So I replied:
Thank you for getting back to me. I am still wondering if you could tell me who recommended me to you, as I asked in my last email.
I do not have a problem with all this, but you said in your original email that you had been told I was a reliable person - I was just wondering if you could elaborate? I am interested in finding this out - as that person may want to share in my good fortune. I should be aware of who has done me this big favour.
I look forward to hearing from you.
So I've posed Mr Madu a challenge here. We know the truth, but surely he won't admit to sending out random emails to all and sundry in the hope that some poor sucker will take the bait. No, instead he comes up with one of the most improbable - yet inventive - lies ever.
I have seen your mail, and understand the surprise that you are still passing through. I got your address from the Hotmail email directory for successful men and women. Please we have to leave out surprises at this point, and deal with the issue that we have at hand right now. Call me as I instructed you for more detail about what this transaction will look like.
Expecting your reply soonest.
I wasn't about to let that one go...
Mr Madu, I didn't know there was a "Hotmail email directory for successful men and women". You live and learn! How do they know I'm successful (I am - but I only set this Hotmail account up on Monday - and they didn't ask me then whether I am successful. Where can I see this directory?)
I hope you can understand my trepidation - I'd hate to blunder into some kind of scam (not that I would ever question your integrity or the genuine nature of this offer).
I suppose, as I said in my earlier email this just sounds too good to be true - are you sure it is all above board?
I am still very keen to help you out, and am really looking forward to getting the money - I just need to be sure it's the right thing to do.
All the best,
My conversational style fell on deaf ears, Mr Madu clearly wasn't keen to hang around chewing the fat...
Please send the transcribed letter, to my fax number... or send it as an attachment to my email box. I will be expecting to hear from you soon.
But, if he can lie, then what is there to stop me?
Mr Madu, OK - I have sent that fax. It should be there now. Let me know once you've got it.
I hadn't. At this point we played a little bit of email tennis. Three times I sent an email saying I'd faxed through the form - three times, on three consecutive days, he replied to tell me it hadn't arrived (that's because I'd not sent it Mr Madu) - each time urging me instead to email it to his inbox. I blamed confusion over the international codes.
My Dear Friend, I have not seen your fax yet... You do not have to add any other code. But I prefer that you send me the letter this time around, through email as an attachment, since you have tried to send it three times through fax.
I will be expecting you to send it through my email box now, so that I can submit it to the international remittance department of the bank, before the close of work today.
In the end I changed tack - suggesting it might be quicker to fax the bank directly - suggesting I might even look up the bank on the internet. I thought this might catch Mr Madu off guard, but it hardly threw him at all. He quickly replied, giving me the "direct telephone number of Dr George Ade, the Director of the international remittance department." He also gave me the department's fax number and implored me to contact them immediately.
Yet, still I resisted... Saturday, Sunday passed and still I hadn't faxed anything. Mr Madu was starting to grow impatient...
Have you faxed the letter to the international remittance department of the Eco Bank? (No) Have you called the director as I instructed you to? (No again I'm afraid Mr Madu) Please you know we have to be fast about this transaction, so I want you to act fast.
I will also require your private telephone number, so that I can communicate with you on phone. I will be expecting your mail immediately.
What's it going to take before this man gives up on me? Surely if he hasn't cottoned on to the fact that I'm winding him up, he must at least think I'm incredibly ungrateful, and more than a little disorganised.
But that's his problem, not mine... This time I replied, telling him I had gone ahead and looked up the proper numbers for the EcoBank in Lagos Nigeria on the internet - and told him that I'd sent my form straight there... Surely this will annoy him - after all, if he really believes that I fell for his scam, then surely he must believe what I've just gone and done is completely idiotic. All along he has stressed the need for secrecy and great caution. Involving the real EcoBank will surely throw a spanner in the works and annoy the long-suffering Mr Madu... and indeed it did.
He wrote:
ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND? I sent you numbers that you can use to reach particular people because of the confidentiality of this transaction, and you are contacting another number! Well I must inform you at this point, that since you refused to follow my instructions, you have 0 per cent chance of collecting any money from the bank. You have just shown how unconfidential you can be.
I also hope that you did not mention my name in the fax you sent to them, because I don't want to lose my job over a fund that has not been released. The best thing I have to do now is to look for someone more confidential than you are! GOOD DAY!
And so it ended... ...or did it?
Mr Madu, I can't believe I'm going to miss out on this money - but these things happen - and I can see that it was all my fault... but what a shame!!!
Your good - but slightly disappointed - friend.
In truth I expected that to be the last of my dealings with Mr Madu. But he wasn't done yet. He just wanted me to understand the foolishness of what he had done, and clearly rued flying off the handle they way he had.
This transaction is very confidential even in the bank. So all I want you to do at this point, is to contact the telephone number that I gave to you right away. It is the direct line of the Director of international remittance. He knows about this transaction. His name is Dr George Ade...
Do this without delay.
Mr Madu Frank, I thought you'd given up on me.
It is not all over! Please just follow up the instructions that I gave you, and everything will be alright. I want to receive a mail from you tomorrow morning that you have done it. BE POSITIVE!!!
He's changed his tune! He obviously believes there is still a chance I will hand over my passport, bank account detail, phone number and driver's licence.
I wonder how he'll react when I start losing my patience with him - will he spot the irony? I pretend I have made the phone call which he implored me to make...
Mr Madu, What's going on? Dr George Ade is not answering his phone... what time is it there? Why do you tell me to ring him when he's not around to answer his phone?
This is a waste of my time... I want to help you but I will soon lose patience. I do not need the money that badly - $6.75m would have been nice, but I can live without it and will do so if you do not raise your game very soon.
Are you even serious about wanting to transfer this money?
I'm getting frustrated. I expect to hear from you soon.
Me Madu wasn't impressed.
I will not be a party to any kind of funny jokes because I have a very important schedule myself.
I have called Dr George immediately I received your mail, just to find out if he had any missed call, he said no. Please I know that you are getting frustrated, but we have to keep trying. He will definitely pick up your call when you contact him.
It is too early to start giving up.
Mr Madu, You say "I will not be a party to any kind of funny jokes because I have very important schedule myself" - well excuse me, but I'm the one who gets the distinct feeling this all a bit of a botched operation.
Are you suggesting that I'm lying about ringing Dr George Ade. I do not appreciate being called a liar. I called the number you sent me - there was no answer. Why would I waste my time and yours lying about it?
I don't think I want to do business with you any more.
That told him. Within a week we've gone from him cutting me off to me cutting him off. By this stage I was confident that he would still come back for more, almost regardless of whatever I said. Sure enough, Mr Madu replied, this time - giving me the email addresses for Dr George Ade and his department within the bank. Interestingly, like Mr Madu, both used Yahoo.com webmail addresses. Not very professional for a bank, I thought. (Rest assured all addresses being used have been reported to Yahoo!).
So I contacted Dr George Ade. Could this be Mr Madu by another name?
Dr George, I have been in contact with an associate of yours Mr Madu Frank - I'm sure he has told you about our conversation. He has asked me to contact you to move this transaction on.
Tell me please - why does the bank have a Yahoo! email address? It doesn't sound very official - I need to be assured that this is a serious and official operation - not just people setting up Yahoo! mail addresses - which anybody could do. Please send assurances that I am dealing with honest and official people.
I hope you understand my concern.
Let's see what 'Dr George Ade' has to say for himself.
Dear Sir, I wish to acknowledge the receipt of your mail addressed personally to me, Dr George Ade, on this 3rd day of February 2003. I will start by explaining to you, that this bank does not have only one branch, therefore we do not have just one website or just a particular email address. All departments of the bank are allowed to set up contact points, which will be best to access the banking procedures.
So let's get this straight. Dr Ade is telling me that companies can only set up a specific web address when they are based in just one location. This goes against everything the web stands for. What's starting to annoy me at this point is that these people obviously think I'm an idiot. That said... I did reply to the original email, so as far as they're concerned it's probably a fair assumption.
But who would deal with an international bank that uses Yahoo! mail addresses?
At this point it really hits me how foolish the people are who have been duped by these scammers.
Thanks George, Before we go on - I really don't think you are making the most of the opportunities the internet presents you.
You say "this bank does not have only one branch therefore we do not have just one website or just a particular email address".
The internet is supposed to remove such 'location-based' thinking. You sound like a good man, and I trust you, but I really think an international bank would sound far more impressive if it wasn't using free internet mail addresses. You should look into it.
I'm more than happy with Mr Madu's arrangement - but I imagine there are people out there who would be unwilling to hand out important information, such as bank details, to a Yahoo! account.
Anyway, that's just my opinion,
All the best
I included Mr Madu on my reply. I imagine by now there is at least one very frustrated man in Nigeria. Surely after three weeks he's getting fed up of this. After all, he originally said the transaction must be completed in 14 days... we're well over that already, and sure enough Mr Madu is not happy.
Why are you making a joke of this transaction? I have the certificate of deposit of the fund in question, and the Lodgement receipt with me, and can fax it to you if you can give me a fax number. I am not joking, I mean what I am saying.
So send me your fax number, so that I can send you these documents of proof immediately.
Oh dear. I appear to have annoyed him.
I waited a few days before sending my next email. By this stage we're well into the fourth week - Mr Madu wanted this done within 14 days. I thought it best to make my apologies and also make up an excuse for the delay.
Sorry Mr Madu, I wasn't making a joke of this transaction intentionally. Apologies also for the delay, but I have been away on business. As such I didn't want to leave a fax number before I went away as I didn't want this form arriving in my absence as I wanted to keep this transaction quiet - I'm sure you understand.
Anyway, I'm back from my travels now and if you could let me have the certificate of deposit and the Lodgement receipt that would be excellent - why not send them as attachments to this email address.
With the ball back in Mr Madu's court I'm kept waiting for a couple of days, until I next hear from him.
It's nice receiving your mail once again. It was a public holiday for the past two days here in Nigeria, so I will send you the documents through mail, tomorrow morning or on Saturday morning.
But they didn't turn up. Has Mr Madu finally given up the chase? Saturday and Sunday pass, with no forms arriving. For five days there is silence from Mr Madu, I start to suspect he's lost interest but I've one last trick up my sleeves to elicit a reaction.
Since starting this email conversation we've received dozens more of these Nigerian emails. Perhaps it's time to introduce Mr Madu to some of his peers.
Mr Madu, Have you shared my details with colleagues of yours. Just this past weekend I received two emails:
First up is Dr Godfrey Ugo who is offering me a share in the fortune of "a foreign customer who died along with his entire family in a Concord plane crash in the year 2000 in Paris".
Secondly I heard from Sunday Ikechukwu who says he works for the Foreign Remittance Department of the Zenith Bank. He is offering me a share of money held in "an account that belongs to one of our foreign customers who died along with his entire family in November 1997 in a plane crash."
What's going on?
This stirred Mr Madu back into action, though he was hardly phased at all by the revelations in my email. In fact he offered this incredible response.
This is just exactly what I told you about delay in anything you do. I investigated the mails that you sent to me, and found out that the mails where sent to you by some fraudulent officials of my bank, who know about this transaction, but want to send the money through another bank.
Please, let us be fast about this transaction before somebody else will come and claim the fund.
Please do not contact any of those people, because you may end up not even getting anything at the end of the day.
So there it is - in so many words my Nigerian scammer has admitted that these emails are a fraud. The final line of his last email is probably the only truthful thing he's said all along. He has instructed me not to contact these people because he would rather he got the chance to clean out my bank account than one of his peers.
The End
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
how a sofa bring bankruptcy?
if you want to teach a lesson to your friend who cheated you then give him a very expensive half gift (which he can not sell) and thus see his bankruptcy, like this:
I know a gentleman of fortune who says, that when he first began to
prosper, his wife would have a new and elegant sofa. "That sofa," he
says, "cost me thirty thousand dollars!" When the sofa reached the
house, it was found necessary to get chairs to match; then side-boards,
carpets and tables "to correspond" with them, and so on through the
entire stock of furniture; when at last it was found that the house
itself was quite too small and old-fashioned for the furniture, and a
new one was built to correspond with the new purchases; "thus," added my
friend, "summing up an outlay of thirty thousand dollars, caused by that
single sofa, and saddling on me, in the shape of servants, equipage, and
the necessary expenses attendant upon keeping up a fine 'establishment,'
a yearly outlay of eleven thousand dollars, and a tight pinch at that:
whereas, ten years ago, we lived with much more real comfort, because
with much less care, on as many hundreds. The truth is," he continued,
"that sofa would have brought me to inevitable bankruptcy, had not a
most unexampled title to prosperity kept me above it, and had I not
checked the natural desire to 'cut a dash'."
I know a gentleman of fortune who says, that when he first began to
prosper, his wife would have a new and elegant sofa. "That sofa," he
says, "cost me thirty thousand dollars!" When the sofa reached the
house, it was found necessary to get chairs to match; then side-boards,
carpets and tables "to correspond" with them, and so on through the
entire stock of furniture; when at last it was found that the house
itself was quite too small and old-fashioned for the furniture, and a
new one was built to correspond with the new purchases; "thus," added my
friend, "summing up an outlay of thirty thousand dollars, caused by that
single sofa, and saddling on me, in the shape of servants, equipage, and
the necessary expenses attendant upon keeping up a fine 'establishment,'
a yearly outlay of eleven thousand dollars, and a tight pinch at that:
whereas, ten years ago, we lived with much more real comfort, because
with much less care, on as many hundreds. The truth is," he continued,
"that sofa would have brought me to inevitable bankruptcy, had not a
most unexampled title to prosperity kept me above it, and had I not
checked the natural desire to 'cut a dash'."
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)