Imagine my surprise when I learned via email that I had won an Indian lottery that I didn't recall entering. Why, all I had to do was send them my bank information and a passport-sized photo and they'd deposit my "4CROER 75LAKHS India rupees!" I was ready to charter a private jet and fly up to Mount Desert Island.
But of course it was a scam. The bizarre, stilted, Raj-style grammar was a dead giveaway: "Also be informed that the assigned British representative to supervise the transfer of your fund from the Reserve Bank is in the person of: (BRITISHDIPLOMAT) MRS.JESSICA ALEX. He will supervise the transfer and all the documents will be sent to you by courier immediately the transfer of your fund is completed to your bank account."
Or: "Dr Urjit Patel man date [sic] all unclaimed funds to be released back to the beneficiary stating that it is an unfair practice to withhold funds for government basket for one reason or the other for tax accumulations."
("Government basket" is actually a great phrase. I'm sure I'll be able to work that into conversation sometime soon.)
In other scamming news, tech-savvy telemarketers have managed to make it seem like they're calling from local area codes. It's really annoying, and I now make it a policy not to pick up the phone unless Caller ID tells me it's somebody I know. My financial advisor called me from home the other day but had his assistant put the call through, assuming, correctly, that I would pick up for "Amanda Conshy" but not for a random Devon number.
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