marching on...

Never mind my profile, I will be xx in a couple of weeks. Somehow I believe life is lived in sort of 7 year segments. At least that is one way I sort things out. I will enter the # 10 Life segment in that case and I do believe that I should review a few things if I may be permitted to use this simplified description.
I will try to stick with this posting idea for a while. Nothing chiseled in stone. But it makes some sense to look back, compare and see if this world ( sounds a bit pompous) has learned anything in my lifetime.
Scientific and technical advances have been astounding over the last 49 years. And so, I may reflect on where we are, where we have been and where we are likely to go from here.

this war busimess..

So? ...are we there yet? Are the targets sufficiently softened up... have the hezbolah blown away enough chicken rockets without aim?

Have the Israelies covered sufficient ground to create a useless buffer zone?

Maybe Miss Rice was right a week ago when she commented that it was too early to get involved.
And then, why should the US get involved in the first place is it not enoug that they get their butt kicked in Iraq?

What about the Russians, as well as the Chinese, they are large nations why don't they get involved.Russia supplied most of the hardware to begin with...to Iran I believe.

The US and Canada have rescued some of their dualciticen Lebanese nationals. Leave it at that. And as always....too bad for those poor childrenthey did'nt create this mess.

Fraud

You have received a letter informing you of a large sum of money that could come your way: a business opportunity, a request for assistance in a financial transaction, or perhaps even an inheritance.
Is it a scam?
Did the offer come out of the blue from a total stranger? Don't take offence at this, but 'Why you?' No-one with a big financial deal in the offing is going to contact a stranger on the internet. I wouldn't. You wouldn't. They wouldn't. If the offer is for lots, possibly millions, of dollars and you don't know the person making the offer... ...then it is a scam.

What if the offer is for an inheritance? Ask a few questions: Do you know the person who supposedly left you this money? Do you know them well? Do other people in your family know them? Can you verify their death? Do you know of a reason for them to leave you this money? Can you contact another source to confirm death & will? Was the original approach addressed to you by name, or just "Dear Sir"? How did they find you? If the offer is for an inheritance from someone you have never heard of and your mother never told you about...
...then it is a scam.

Did the offer come by email or fax? More importantly, did it come addressed to the 'contractor', 'beneficiary', 'director' etc? Any legitimate offer would come to your mail address, would come from a legitimate company, would be addressed to you by name. If the offer did not know your name and postal address... ...then it is a scam.

Did the offer come with a contact email address that is from a public email provider? I don't care what the excuse, the Director of the Reserve Bank of Nigeria will not be using a Hotmail account. Mind you, the scammers are getting more clever and you are likely to get email addresses from @accountant.com or @lawyer.com. If the contact email is from a public email provider... ...then it is a scam.

Did the offer ask you to 'reconfirm' your details? If they are fishing for information... ...then it is a scam.

Is it going to cost you money up front? I am not talking phone calls and bus fares here. Normal business procedure is to adjust any financial settlement for costs incurred in the transaction. If it is going to cost you a sizeable chunk of money and it cannot be offset againt the money on offer... ...then it is a scam.

Is it legal? Are you being asked to assist in a crime? Think carefully about the offer presented to you. Are you supposed to pretend to be someone you are not, to collect an inheritance or an unclaimed bank balance? Are you supposed to bill someone for something that you did not do in order to claim money that you never earned? Does it involve someone being over invoiced to create a 'fund'? If it seems to be based on an illegal operation... ...then it is a scam.

I am sorry for being the bearer of such bad news, of squashing your dreams of spending the rest of your days checking your portfolio while cruising the Whitsundays but there seems to be no exception to that old addage: if it sounds too good to be true, it is.

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Fraud

I've written on a number of occasions on fraud, attempts to defraud, attempts of identidy theft and similar issues.
This obviously will not go away and the best we can do is either ignore all this junk or report it to someone willing to do something about it.
Most of this nonsense I forward to info@phonebusters.com, they generally acknowledge receipt but I have no idea as to what happens from there.

In any case above is another payment to me this time a draft drawn on the central bank of Nigeria.
I have in the past as well contacted this bank but the extend of these fraudattemps are so numerous that they can't be bothered to reply.

This nonsense is extensive, I have won numerous lotteries as well. Some of this stuff originates from the UK, Spain, Italy and Germany. Somehow a number is drawn from the internet and magically...I win... Many millions, pound,dollars euros...amazing.

In fact the Nigerian fraud efforts are so numerous that more recently phonebusters have set up a new reporting address just for those efforts.
wafl@phonebusters.com I believe is the contact.

pocoloco37

the old villa needs more trim and paint....oh well..

can't think of anything crytical or useful today...the beat goes on..so, a couple of pictures, Mr. Bush at the Ranch and a balloon fest..

pocoloco37

I am taking a close look at this little place just a half hour away from my home, I will probably buy it. It's not on a lake but part of this semi gated community features a fresh water constantly spring fed pool.
I think I might just like it there in the summer months, away from the highway traffic near the Courtice house...