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Lesigner Girl
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Registered: 11-2005
Location: SW MI, USA
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 i will like you to write me (penpal SCAM)
Today a couple of Runboard members reported someone doing this, and that person has been removed from our system (insert evil grin here). In case you received one of these PMs, do not email the person back (unless you're a scam baiter) because it is a scam.
This is just a "new" twist on an old internet scam. In the old version, someone emails you out of the blue and claims to be the rightful heir to a huge fortune. But because they are female and women have no rights in their country (that's the usual excuse, anyway), they need your help to collect what is rightfully theirs, and they will give you a nice share of it if you help them.
Of course, since they have no access to money, you will have to pay thousands of dollars in legal and other fees in order to get this inheritance turned over to its rightful owner, and before you can get your cut.
I repeat, THIS IS A SCAM! This person is not who she (or most likely he) claims to be, and there is no inheritance. They will only take the money you sent them (usually via Western Union) and move on to their next victim, and you will be left with nothing.
The new version starts with an "I will(sic) like to know you better" email or PM before they get into the financial "business," and they will ask you to write to their email address. Don't do it! They will get your email address this way! But how can they get to know you better if they don't even know you at all to begin with? That should be your first sign that the person isn't legitimate.
For more information on the penpal scam, go to 419 Scam - The penpal scam.
For some fun reading about scam baiting, visit 419 Eater. I've played with some scammers to waste their time in the past, but never got as far as some of those people did. 
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4/17/2008, 2:27 am
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Erika E
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Re: i will like you to write me (penpal SCAM)
I got one of them in my mail box this week, so they are out hunting again. Thanks for the advice Lesa. Bin it right away.
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4/17/2008, 8:54 am
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Lesigner Girl
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Re: i will like you to write me (penpal SCAM)
You're welcome, Erika. 
I've read a couple in my email too, Queeny, but that was before I stopped opening anything from anyone I don't know. The only time I received something similar through a message board system was a 'like to get to know you better' PM from the username Celza, who I later found out was an alter of Ezbios (you might have heard of him?). Instead of money, I suspect that he probably would have asked me for my password at some point, or sent me to a page where he'd expect me to submit it through a form to "test my account", as one of their former mods (even by that time she was no longer on staff) actually tried a few years later. Well, this former mod (let's call her "Pam") claimed her account was hacked and that it wasn't really her, but I had reason to suspect that wasn't true. You see, "Pam" was a regular member at a large-ish board I used to frequent, went on hiatus for a while, and then the posts she made at that board on her return are what caused my suspicion. This probably won't mean much to most people reading this, Queeny, but since we used to post on the same system and even know some of the same people (I fondly remember "Ren"), I thought you might find it interesting. 
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4/17/2008, 10:47 pm
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Lesigner Girl
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Registered: 11-2005
Location: SW MI, USA
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Karma: 156 (+175/-19)
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Re: i will like you to write me (penpal SCAM)
The thing that made me stop is when I received a virus when there was no attachment. As soon as I saw all the weird jibberish, I Googled part of it, discovered it was a virus, then scanned my machine and sure enough it was there. Luckily I was able to remove it easily, but I no longer open any email from someone I don't know unless it comes through a web form that is set up either by myself or someone I know I can trust, like Runboard's PM email, and the only reason I don't use that is simply a personal preference.
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4/17/2008, 11:29 pm
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Lesigner Girl
Global Administrator
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Registered: 11-2005
Location: SW MI, USA
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Karma: 156 (+175/-19)
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Re: i will like you to write me (penpal SCAM)
A couple?  Fool me once... we can't get fooled again. Wait, that's not how it goes!
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4/18/2008, 12:26 am
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beavis
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Re: i will like you to write me (penpal SCAM)
but they look like this, really, they do.
This pic was used to show how much money we had, but unfortunately, it was all tied up
The above passport photo, oh look, she has 2 different names and 2 different birthdays, lucky girl
 There are more pics, and different girls.
To say the guys on another forum had some fun, would be an understatement. (yes, i am a member on the the site these photos came from)
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4/18/2008, 2:51 am
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