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EMAIL SCAMMERS AIM TO look ridiculous in order to maximise profit, according to a new study by Cormac Herley, a researcher at Microsoft’s HQ in Washington State.
Tales of Ivorian finance ministers and Congolese princes with untapped bank accounts might pass most people’s BS detectors, but that’s because Nigerian scammers are not interested in sounding believable, he says. Rather, they are looking for the most gullible victims.
In ‘Why do Nigerian scammers say they are from Nigeria?‘, Herley says that the scams work because they aim to “repel non-viable users.”
“If only 0.00001% of the population is viable then mistakenly attacking even a small portion ofthe 99.999% of the population that is non-viable destroys profit. The initial email is effectively the attacker’s classifier: it determines who responds, and thus who the scammer attacks (i.e., enters into email conversation with).
“An email with tales of fabulous amounts of money and West African corruption will strike all but the most gullible as bizarre,” he writes.
“It will be recognized and ignored by anyone who has been using the Internet long enough to have seen it several times. It will be figured out by anyone savvy enough to use a search engine [and] won’t be pursued by anyone who consults sensible family or fiends [that's Microsoft's typo], or who reads any of the advice banks and money transfer agencies make available.”
“Those who remain are the scammers ideal targets,” he concludes.
Dubbed ’419′ scams after a section in Nigeria’s criminal code, the West African country has become synonymous with emails that promise large sums of money in exchange for an initial advance fee.
Successful scammers can make significant amounts of money. Two years ago, a Nigerian man received 12 years in prison after making $1.3m over five years.
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Looks like great craic in fairness
@Lad: cant wait
@Lad: I heard the sound was awful.
@Toon Army: you heard from a third party, or you know
@Toon Army: I was there in the stands. It was a struggle to hear what he was saying whatever way the sound was set up. Great gig all the same.
@James Gorman: Jezzussss I hate his music
Best night ever. Voice gone. Feet sore. Brilliant. GARTH FOREVER
@Claire Walsh: Iam not a Garth fan claire. But ye deffo sound like someone that enjoyed the experience and that’s what its all about.
In my hometown of Ardee tonight a bunch of local musicians all gave our time up to support the SOSAD charity.
I hope everyone at the Brooks gig had a good night, but I know that everyone who paid their hard earned cash to support an amazing charity had a brilliant night.
Support local musicians.
@Garren Bellew: fair play, brilliant to support local over this boomer country crap
@Sean Stevenson: So as a country we just support local musicians and never have big concerts ?
@Bernard Mc Grath: that’s what you took from this, is it? Sad little unicorn.
@Sean Stevenson: thanks Sean. It’s a drop on the ocean. But incredibly worthwhile. I can confirm there were no Garth Brooks fans in the vicinity!
Something good. Welcome to the best country in the world. Now I’m getting overwhelmed. Good stuff Garth
@Mick Hyland: The best country in the world ????Have you not been watching the news of late ??
@Brian Byrne: ah go away with your negativity. The whole world is a shambles…just let us have this. We are great.
@Andy O’B: And that’s exactly the attitude that has us where we are …
@Mick Hyland: The best country,,your funny Man!
Garth Brookes was fantastic tonight, unfortunately, the organisation at Croke Park was absolutely abysmal. People that queued from 5pm missed his opening. Signs were wrong, ladies toilets needed a walk of fifteen minutes (before the queue for the actual toilets) and another fifteen minutes to get back inside the stadium. With the bottleneck getting in, I’d dread to think what would happen if there was a fire or emergency. The concert was 100% brilliant, the entrances, exits and crowd design was so poor it was scary!
@Grainne Kelly: No worries it should be sorted by the 5th show. Lol
@Grainne Kelly: don’t agree Grainne. I was there also this evening and didn’t experience any of this. I didn’t queue from 5pm, it was 6pm when we arrived at Croke Park and we were lucky to enter quickly with no issues at all. Staff on-site were very friendly and in my experience this evening were more than happy to help and direct with any questions
@Geraldine Brady: you just said you were lucky, which means your experience of getting in was not the norm. And she actually didn’t mention issues with staff being unfriendly or unhelpful so it’s a bit odd that that’s what you focused on. I for one believe Grainne.
@Marie Broomfield: nothing odd about it Marie – we had no issues what so ever last night in getting in, getting out, going to thr bathroom or getting drinks… nada!!
@Grainne Kelly: we arrived at half 6, strolled in no bother, no queues for drinks and I thought everything was very well laid out and run. I’d say the problem was the amount of people who left it very late to leave the pubs in the city and all tried to get in at the same time.
@Grainne Kelly: I didn’t arrived until well after 6pm. Had time to use the ladies, queue for a drink and I still saw him come on stage. Staff were great.
You could probably enjoy tomorrow night in the Brazen Head with the Rye River Band just as much
@Don Knox: they’re still on the go?
@Don Knox: or Seamus, Barney and Victor in the Hairy Lemon on Sunday night
@Don Knox: You could also just by-pass this article without passing any comment and …..well …. That’s just it.
@Robert John: maybe just maybe he’s advertising the brazen head? Who knows. I doubt it but you can have done the same ie by- pass said article.
@Dearbhla O Reilly: Yes, they’re still on the go. But they’ve many line-up changes over the years. A bit like Triggers sweeping brush.
But great to see in recent years they’ve had an influx of new, young up and coming talent like Don.
Great article! Congratulations. Perfectly written and you caught the mood just right.
Good show, top class entertainment
Hes wiping those tears with €500 euro notes
Brokeback mountain
As good as it was in 97! Loved every second of it.
Met him once years ago before he became famous at a wedding in the US. A really nice man back then. Hope he hasn’t changed. He sang a few songs for the wedding.
Brilliant concert from start to finish. If your a fan of his music you won’t be disappointed.
Hope he was paid enough
@Jim Harrington: are you being smart,?…
Made to go by the missus, was dreading it. Was brilliant and only knew about 3 songs. 80 per cent of it is who you are with. Enjoy whoever going today or another day.
While I roll my eyes at that headline and his declarations of love for thr Irish, gawd, that was such a well written account. Good job.
Wahoo 5 in a row
Not my type of music at all, but I hope everyone enjoyed their night and the rest of the concerts are a roaring success
Hernia alert
I’m getting very emotional reading this…
I think his wallet in his jeans pocket was digging in and hurting his back.
have your say