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Man Loses 150K In 419 Scam (No, Really)

The depths of human stupidity never fail to amaze me. What ever happened to the simple adage “if its too good to be true, then it probably is”? I guess it would be better served with a revision for these times. “If its too good to be true then some dumbass will more than likely take the bait hook, line and sinker.

One such story involves the sad story of one John Rempel from Leamington, Ontario.

From the Windsor Star:

John Rempel said he quit his truck driving job, lost friends, borrowed money and crossed the globe in pursuit of a non-existent inheritance, after he was contacted by e-mail in what is known as a Nigerian 419 scam.

Rempel said he borrowed $55,000 from an uncle in Mexico and his parents gave him $60,000 on credit to cover fees for transferring $12.8 million into his name.

“They’re in it now because of me,” said Rempel, 22, breaking into sobs. “If it wasn’t for me, nobody would be in this mess. You think things will work out, but it doesn’t. It’s a very bad feeling. I had lots of friends.

“I never get calls anymore from my friends. You know, a bad reputation.”

The part that strikes me square in between the eyes is that not only did this guy get taken in the 419 scam but, so did the rest of his family who gave him money to pursue this folly. Where did common sense manage jump the tracks and rush headlong into a concrete abutment?

The scammers even had him meeting cutouts in London,

They met Rempel the next day with a suitcase. They said it had $10.6 million in shrink-wrapped U.S. bills. Rempel wanted more proof. His new friends pulled out one bill and “cleansed” it with a liquid “formula,” which washed off some kind of stamp. Rempel was told that process made the money “legal tender.”

“I was like holy crap, is that mine?” he said. “They said ‘yes sir, it’s yours.’ It all sounded legit.”

At this point in the story I had to seek medical attention. I had manage to stab myself with a coffee spoon.

For the full story of this idiotic escapade darwin award runner up read on.

( a special thx to @packetsense for the new graphic )

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