If I am to believe the Internet, I am rich beyond my wildest dreams. I could bargain for the Taj Mahal or the Hearst Mansion. How does this work? In the past forty-eight hours, I’ve gotten approximately a dozen emails alerting me to my newly acquired wealthy status.
Dr. Usman Shamsuddeen, supposedly from the Nigerian Government, wants to give me an ATM card with a credit of $5 million if I will provide certain personal information. Mrs. Rita Lydia, coincidentally also from Nigeria, wants to give me $1 million if I send money to FedEx to cover her expenses in getting it to me. Then there is our own Federal Bureau of Investigation that informs me it has approved the federal government of Nigeria’s interest in making me rich. If that doesn’t take the cake, then one Professor Paul Carlos of Ireland assures me the Nigerian government really does want to give me $6 million dollars.
This reminds me of the old adage that if it seems too good to be true, then it probably isn’t. It’s also where logic trumps luck. As much as I would love to inherit an unearned million or two, I have no connection with the government of Nigeria. Nor have I purchased a lottery ticket from that country. I don’t even know anybody from Nigeria.
So if your e-mail box is becoming stuffed with notices like the ones above, I suggest you hit your “Delete” button. Do not send personal information to the sender, even if it seems innocuous. Do not send bank account numbers or social security numbers either. Because the person who may be realizing a rich man’s dream might just be the person who contacted you in the first place.
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