Born Yesterday

I am sure most of you get these type requests in your email. There was a commercial that came out a year or two ago that keeps playing in my mind everytime I get one. It was very effective because I laugh and remember it when I read these things.

The commercial starts with a disheveled, well spoken guy on the back of a public bus holding a crumpled "cashiers check" from a foreign national he represents. He starts telling an unsuspecting soul this eloquent story that we have seen a thousand times (different variations) in our emails pleading that he needs to give this money away in return for using our bank account. The announcer says something profound that basically says "you are an idiot if you fall for this crap, don't do it!".

I have the greatest urge to email these people back and say "Do you think I was born yesterday". But I don't. That little rumpled fellow might follow me home.



Attention Please,


I crave your indulgence to kindly attend to this in good faith. I do not mean any disrespect approaching you through this medium, it is due to the time constrain of this matter, I write to inform you of my desire to acquire estates or landed properties in your country, believing that you are within the capacity to handle this project that involves the investment of large sum of money on real estates if you agree to be our over sea agent. Your area of specialization in the real estate market doesn?t matter in this transaction.


I am Tito Thambo, Deputy General Manager, (credit Controls) First National Bank. An American Citizen,Late Engr. Mark Stewart, a Geologist with the department of mining. Until his death in a car acciedent in 2005, operated a domiciliary account with us and had a closing balance as at the end of
September2005 amounting to millions of dollars, the bank now expects a next of kin and till date no body has come forward or put application for the claim. So I want to present you as his next of kin only if you are interested.


You are requested to communicate your acceptance of this proposal, through my private email :(tito_thambo@live.com) after which we shall discuss in details the modalities for seeing this transaction through.To enable us commence, I will need your personal telephone/fax number.



Yours Faithfully,
Tito Thambo