A Mystery!
|
|
TundraFire Nightfire
Permafrostbilly
Join date: 5 Apr 2008
Posts: 532
|
09-26-2008 17:04
From: Maureen Boccaccio Conan, I just received this yesterday:
From: Minister of the Treasury Paulson
Subject: REQUEST FOR URGENT CONFIDENTIAL BUSINESS RELATIONSHIP
Dear American:
I need to ask you to support an urgent secret business relationship with a transfer of funds of great magnitude.
I am Ministry of the Treasury of the Republic of America. My country has had crisis that has caused the need for large transfer of funds of 800 billion dollars US. If you would assist me in this transfer, it would be most profitable to you.
I am working with Mr. Phil Gram, lobbyist for UBS, who will be my replacement as Ministry of the Treasury in January. As a Senator, you may know him as the leader of the American banking deregulation movement in the 1990s. This transactin is 100% safe.
This is a matter of great urgency. We need a blank check. We need the funds as quickly as possible. We cannot directly transfer these funds in the names of our close friends because we are constantly under surveillance. My family lawyer advised me that I should look for a reliable and trustworthy person who will act as a next of kin so the funds can be transferred.
Please reply with all of your bank account, IRA and college fund account numbers and those of your children and grandchildren to [email]wallstreetbailout@treasury.gov[/email] so that we may transfer your commission for this transaction. After I receive that information, I will respond with detailed information about safeguards that will be used to protect the funds.
Yours Faithfully Minister of Treasury Paulson I have extra tar, feathers, and pitchforks. Anyone game for an uprising?
_____________________
ARCTIC FIRE
http://slurl.com/secondlife/nordica/90/250/22
"OK, so what's the speed of dark?"
|
|
Maureen Boccaccio
TWJKFA
Join date: 28 Feb 2008
Posts: 14,484
|
09-26-2008 18:31
From: TundraFire Nightfire I have extra tar, feathers, and pitchforks. Anyone game for an uprising? "A riot is an ugly thing...undt! I think that it is just about time we had one!!!"  |
|
Chellonia Regent
Shape shifter
Join date: 8 Nov 2006
Posts: 135
|
09-27-2008 05:34
From: Desmond Shang Just your luck, I am a United States taxpayer, and in a matter of days, my representatives in Washington will arrange to solve your problem. We simply can't let business as usual stop on Wall Street!
The blank check will be in the mail. In fact, probably several. I have no doubt that Wall Street, its speculators and executives will be back on their feet again in no time.
Well said Mr Shang! I'm not a US taxpayer but still see the blatant unfairness.
_____________________
+Regency Shapes+
|
|
Ponsonby Low
Unregistered User
Join date: 21 May 2008
Posts: 1,893
|
09-27-2008 19:20
From: Chellonia Regent Well said Mr Shang! I'm not a US taxpayer but still see the blatant unfairness. Many, many Americans are showing signs of NOT being willing to roll over and play dead for these con artists....not this time. (Trow da bums out!) As for my own could-be con artists---I've been AFC for over 30 hours, and am about to go inworld and see what they're up to.... |
|
Ponsonby Low
Unregistered User
Join date: 21 May 2008
Posts: 1,893
|
09-27-2008 20:41
From: Skell Dagger No need to even 'allow' it. It would be very easy to do, requiring no hacks whatsoever. Any one of us could do it to anyone else, in fact. I meant, it's odd that the system would have such a capacity. I would think that would be a loophole they'd want to close, because of all the potential for troublemaking. Anyways: I went over to the sim in question (the one the notecard had misspelled). I'd looked at it only on the Map, before. It's not something I'd be interested in: seemed a bit laggy, though only one person was there. A lot of scripts running, maybe. Anyway, I clicked on the only parcel that looked to be the right size, and was almost immediately IMed by that one person in the sim. She IDed herself as the owner--it's group-owned, and the name of the notecard writer isn't in the group. I mentioned the first name of the notecard writer, and the owner said she knew that person, but that she herself had no interest in selling her land. So my best guess at the moment is that some people are trying (and hopefully not succeeding) to get people to hand over cash in PayPal accounts for supposed title to SL land---supposed, since of course it doesn't work that way, and the 'seller' doesn't even own the land. If so, it's difficult to believe that anyone would fall for such a transparent scam...??? |
|
AfroduckFromPC Brim
Registered User
Join date: 18 Apr 2008
Posts: 133
|
09-28-2008 01:05
From: Ponsonby Low If so, it's difficult to believe that anyone would fall for such a transparent scam...??? Sub-prime loans, anyone? |
|
Ponsonby Low
Unregistered User
Join date: 21 May 2008
Posts: 1,893
|
My First Griefer (apparently)
10-03-2008 22:42
Out of the blue, when I went inworld just now, this IM: [22:32] XXXXXX XXXX: (Saved Fri Oct 03 18:06:13 200  Dear Ponsonby, you may have misunderstood me. Someone just told me that you showed them my property. I have not and do not intend to authorize anyone to show my property for me. Kindly do not show my property. If you are interested in buying it, I would be happy to discuss it with you. Thank you. [22:33] Ponsonby Low: I don't recognize what you mean by 'show your property'--can you explain what this claim refers to? [22:33] Second Life: User not online - message will be stored and delivered later. ................................................................ The trip over to see what the property was on September 28, described in the post just above, was my last contact with anything having to do with this bizarre situation. Needless to say, I haven't been 'showing anyone's property'. I'm scratching my head to figure out how this could any type of Innocent Misunderstanding...and coming up blank. My best guess is that this is a bored person trying to stir up trouble. He or she will find me a dull, unresponsive playmate---after this one attempt to get more information (my curiosity being aroused), I can see that the wisest course will be to mute and ignore this person. It's just so weird.... |
|
Ponsonby Low
Unregistered User
Join date: 21 May 2008
Posts: 1,893
|
10-03-2008 23:35
The more I think about this, the more I wish I hadn't answered.
But as far as I know, there's no way to take back an IM.
Oh well...live and learn.
|
|
Sling Trebuchet
Deleted User
Join date: 20 Jan 2007
Posts: 4,548
|
10-04-2008 02:07
From: Ponsonby Low I meant, it's odd that the system would have such a capacity. I would think that would be a loophole they'd want to close, because of all the potential for troublemaking.
..... It's the standard permissions system. If you give someone a notecard, it's just an inventory item like any other for permissions. If you allow next owner to copy, mod and resell - then bingo. You will be the creator of that notecard no matter what its contents and no matter how many times it is modified and copied. In theory millions of notecards with you as creator could result.
_____________________
Maggie: We give our residents a lot of tools, to build, create, and manage their lands and objects. That flexibility also requires people to exercise judgment about when things should be used.
http://www.ace-exchange.com/home/story/BDVR/589
|
|
Ponsonby Low
Unregistered User
Join date: 21 May 2008
Posts: 1,893
|
10-04-2008 16:28
Indeed, and now I'm much more alert and aware of making sure any notecards I give out aren't full permissions.
A point I think worth making, though: very few people are going to think of Notecards as being objects-with-permissions---even though that's precisely what they are.
Many of us are in the habit of thinking of notecards as a communications channel, in the way that IMs are a communications channel.
Thus, I'd bet you that the majority of Residents DON'T realize that their notecards could be misused in the way described.
It would be nice if the name of the object was changed to something that would alert people that it IS an object-with-permissions. Then there would be less opportunity for fraudulent use.
|
|
Clarissa Lowell
Gone. G'bye.
Join date: 10 Apr 2006
Posts: 3,020
|
10-06-2008 01:17
From: Ponsonby Low
So my best guess at the moment is that some people are trying (and hopefully not succeeding) to get people to hand over cash in PayPal accounts for supposed title to SL land---supposed, since of course it doesn't work that way, and the 'seller' doesn't even own the land.
If so, it's difficult to believe that anyone would fall for such a transparent scam...???
The whole situation sounds strange and I think the 'hand over money or property and get ripped off' theory is probably the closest to accurate. I think unfortunately a fair amount of people could conceivably fall victim to this, if they didn't look into land prices, were trying to get off their own land for some reason, or were just not paying attention. I wonder who'd fall for the Nigerian schemes too, but some must, because it's a really old con. Con artists know if you catch the right person at the wrong time they will be vulnerable. Strange the person says they know this mysterious IM'er and isn't alarmed they are attempting to sell their land without their permission. |
|
Alicia Sautereau
if (!social) hide;
Join date: 20 Feb 2007
Posts: 3,125
|
10-06-2008 06:36
tried to find it but got to ask, where did you get that coat from? it looks great  |
|
Aleister DaSilva
insert witty phrase here
Join date: 19 May 2005
Posts: 168
|
10-06-2008 14:24
From: TundraFire Nightfire I have extra tar, feathers, and pitchforks. Anyone game for an uprising? Yes. Please send guns, money and lawyers.
_____________________
Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.
|
