I received the following email about an hour ago. The sender’s name as it appeared in my inbox is Agent Thomas Green. The name is obviously a common name and a simple Google Search will reveal that this email has already done quite a few rounds. The Subject of the email is ‘Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3)’. When I received the email, I opened it because I wanted to ensure it wasn’t from a customer who had lodged a complaint (which would have been a first ever). I couldn’t stop laughing when I opened it, and I knew I had to post it here because it is worth reading, and learning from!
Federal Bureau of Investigation
J. Edgar Hoover Building
935 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, D.C. 20535-0001From: Agent Thomas Green
Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3)(IC3 accepts Internet crime complaints from either the person who believes they were defrauded or from a third party to the complainant.)
My name is Agent Thomas Green of the FBI, I’m using this medium to inform you that we recieve a complaint about some internet frauds attempt which involves you and some culprit. Your complain has been reviewed and approved for immediate actions.
After our thorough scrutiny, we realise that you have been defrauded in one way or the other by some people claiming to have huge funds waiting for you. Some of the culprits reside in your country while some are outside of your shore. We have so far arrested atleast 6 people involved in these schemes and further investigation is still in progress.
Meanwhile, the FBI compensation department has agreed to refund a partial amount of the money recovered from the culprit totalling the sum of US$250,000.00 (Two Hundred and Fifty Thousand US Dollars) to be returned to you. To avoid any illegal/fraudulent act, these money has been preloaded into an ATM card for your own conveniences and you can cash it at any ATM machine in your country.
To utilize your claim, we request that you provide the following information for proper filing:
Your full name:_____________________
Your mailing address:_______________
Your mobile number:_________________Fill appropriately and send to our paymaster via email:
Agent Fredy Simon
e-mail: fredysimon@aol.comFor security reasons, your Personal Identification Number (PIN) code has not yet been activated until your final review.
Best regards,
Agent Thomas Green
Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3)
Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)
While I post this here, I want you to know that I know at least 3 instances where people have fallen prey to this Nigerian scam and lost their money. They feel bad not because of losing money only but more because they were well educated and knew that there is no dead relative, old banker, Iraqi General or Oil Baron who would leave money for them.
Greed!
I always found it strange that Apple locks devices even when the customers pay the full / unsubsidized price for them. All that I could think of was that it is their product. They are free to market it the way they want and there is no reason anyone should be bothered! You like it, buy it, otherwise there are more customers and more sellers! (On this note, I use ONLY Windows Mobile because I think it is the best mobile platform)
I got an iPhone because I wanted to see what is it in the phone that people don’t mind waiting in queue for weeks to buy it. I got it last November and used it for a couple of days, finally realizing that it was meant for my wife who is a casual techie. I wanted my Windows Mobile back, which meant getting the all new HTC HD2, the powerhouse!
When I heard about iOS 4, which is funnily termed as the world’s most advanced mobile OS by Apple, I wanted to see what was in there. I connected my jailbroken and unlocked phone to iTunes and it was quick to offer me the upgrade to the World’s most Advanced Mobile OS!
The *primary* features that iOS4 offers are Multitasking, Folders, FaceTime, app Platform, performance and stability, security and the fact that it works World over. Is it all that is required to make an OS the world’s most advanced mobile OS? I have been using all these (except FaceTime) on the Windows Phone platform since the first phone I bought!
I call Windows Mobile OS a platform because I think it is not an OS but actually a platform that allows people to develop on it and improve it. Any of the above features, which are a part of the OS (not hardware dependant like the phone works world over), have always been available on Windows Phone. The ability to manage apps in folders sounds as if we are getting something still in it’s infancy, Windows allows you to manage the entire file structure! You can manage all the files, applications, pictures and whatever is there on the phone in an explorer like structure.
XDA-Developers and HTC make a great software and hardware combination for the Windows platform. The fact that I can change anything, even the OS flavor on my phone, in max 30 minutes without thinking about anything, gives me the satisfaction that I own what I paid for!
I think the openness (and I have not used android yet) of Windows Phone makes me love the platform. Apple may make great products and they may be ‘cool’, I want something that works according to me and not according to the manufacturer!
