MEMBER ITEMS FOR SALE
Custom Knives | Other Knives | General Items
-------------------------------------------
New Posts | New PhotosAll Photos



Go Back   The Knife Network Forums : Knife Making Discussions > Custom Knife Discussion Boards > Knife Making Discussions

Knife Making Discussions A place to discuss issues related to all aspects of the custom knifemaking community.

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
  #1  
Old 01-30-2002, 07:33 PM
primos
Guest
 
Posts: n/a
Unusual email requests


Does anyone else get strange requests from people who visit their websites? I get all sorts of interesting stuff. At least half a dozen times I have received requests from companies, universtities, etc., asking for my opinion on things relating to metallurgy, heat treating, etc.

Once I got an email from a group of engineers in India, asking my opinion on a metallurgical theory that they were working on. I don't know where these people get the idea that I'm some sort of steel guru.

Tonight I saw an order request come through, and when I opened it, here's what it said (names removed):

Dear Sir

My name is XXXXXX and I came from Indonesia.

I want to order: Victorinox Knives .

1. Could you send it to my country???
2. Could I pay this goods with my credit card???
3. Could you send my order by Postal Mail(Post
Office)???
4. Do you have a stock Victorinox Knives???

If you can process my order please reply my mail and I will
give you information about my credit card.

We should be pleased to received your prompt reply.
Thank for your cooperation and really need your information
ASAP .

Best Regard
XXXXXX

------------------

Has anyone seen anything on my website that would make them think I'm either a wizard in metallurgy, or a vendor of Victorinox knives, or any other factory knife for that matter? :\ I just can't figure it out.
Reply With Quote
  #2  
Old 01-30-2002, 08:09 PM
DC KNIVES
Guest
 
Posts: n/a

We always thought you were a wizard.Have you been hiding something from us?A spy from Crucible,maybe?

So when are you going to start pounding out that 45 tool Primos/McGuyver SAK? Inquiring minds want to know.

Dave,lol
Reply With Quote
  #3  
Old 01-30-2002, 08:13 PM
Coop747
Guest
 
Posts: n/a
Oh man, this is a chuckle !!!


The internet is a CRAZY place!!!

>We should be pleased to received your prompt reply.
>Thank for your cooperation and really need your information
>ASAP .

>Best Regard
>XXXXXX

I love the well-meaning and very polite attempt to get you to sell them a Victorinox knife. I bought a number of knives from 'T. Kardin-Custom Knives' in Indonesia, and the guys from there might as well be this guy's brother. Very polite and trying soooo hard. But COMPLETELY botching up the English in translation. (Well, think of how you might sound responding to them in Indonese. They're pretty darn good, now, eh? )

I hope you sent them a link to a discounter. They've probably exhausted themselves looking already, and now they're scraping the BOTTOM of the barrel looking for good knives. :

As for the Metalurgist stuff, I just looked and you DO have a wealth of 'Impotent' info about forging and steels. Maybe you didn't write all of it, but it sure looks it to me! Consider yourself honored.

Thanks!

Coop
Reply With Quote
  #4  
Old 01-30-2002, 09:35 PM
KnifeWife
Guest
 
Posts: n/a
Re: Oh man, this is a chuckle !!!


"Bots" have a lot to do with this. The letters are almost usually identical. I think they do searches using a list-bot type program that searches for certain words. Then searches for e-mail addresses on those pages. They can then send their "form letter".

We get a lot of weird request to "sell" their knives for them. Most we get are poorly translated into English too.

The favorite one we get has nothing to do with knives (and we get it a couple times each month). It's a little different each time, but asks us to help retrieve a diplomatic pouch that contains millions of dollars "smuggled" from a specific country to Houston. The country and Houston are always the same, but the sender varies a little each time.
Reply With Quote
  #5  
Old 01-31-2002, 12:57 AM
CKDadmin
Guest
 
Posts: n/a
Re: Oh man, this is a chuckle !!!


God bless e-mail extraction scripts ... where would spam be without them?

Alex
Reply With Quote
  #6  
Old 01-31-2002, 05:47 AM
Bob Warner
Guest
 
Posts: n/a
Re: Oh man, this is a chuckle !!!


I keep getting some that say that some guy with my same last name died and there is a lot of money to be had. I am supposed to send my bank account information so they can deposit it in there for me. Now I may not be the sharpest tool in the shed but even I won't fall for this.

I send them messages back requesting they send me $1,000,000 of the money as proof of it's existance and it must come through the US mail addressed to me, care of the postmaster in my zip code. I point out that that is my way to have them on mail fraud if they are not legit. They stop writing for a while. Than theycome back asking about knives with another name, then after a while start taking about my dead relative and all that cash.

I keep playing with them by asking them to send the money to the CIA, FBI, local news stations, Post office, police department and my "Aunt Ester".


Reply With Quote
  #7  
Old 01-31-2002, 10:36 AM
Knifemaker01
Guest
 
Posts: n/a
Re: Oh man, this is a chuckle !!!


Ha, I get these things at least once a month. Always from a foriegn country wanting to share large sums of money with me, but have yet to see any of it. I could certanly provide them with a bank account that don't have much money in it to warry about, but surely they expect that. Kinda am curious what else they might be able to do with these account numbers. Funny, but most seem to try invoking trust by declaring to be devout Christians. If all these offers to share these vast amounts would've came through, I'd have zillions of dollars.LOL

Steve
Reply With Quote
  #8  
Old 01-31-2002, 11:12 AM
J Loose
Guest
 
Posts: n/a
Re: Oh man, this is a chuckle !!!


I got a request to help a Nigerian firm that had been 'overbilled,' distribute money in the states to charities- and I'd get 20% of millions for my trouble. All I had to do was call some guy and meet with him. I couldn't figure out exactly what the scam was but I sure smelled one. Turns out to be an elaborate scheme where they get you to keep paying ever increasing 'bribes,' to Nigerian officials in order to get your 'charity money'. The crazy part is that some Dupes have even flown to Nigeria and had meetings with the scammers in Gov't offices! I guess the State Dep't here is kinda getting ticked...
Reply With Quote
  #9  
Old 01-31-2002, 11:15 AM
Don Cowles
Guest
 
Posts: n/a
Re: Oh man, this is a chuckle !!!


I have sent the last half-dozen or so of these that I have gotten to a friend who is an FBI special agent. Unfortunately, they have a few items on their plate right now with a slightly higher priority.
Reply With Quote
  #10  
Old 01-31-2002, 12:22 PM
Bob Warner
Guest
 
Posts: n/a
Re: Oh man, this is a chuckle !!!


There does seem to be quite a few from Nigeria. I forward them to the local "Us on your side" team for the local news. They usually respond that, yes it is a scam but don't go into detail about it. They must get bogged down with that from others as well.
Reply With Quote
  #11  
Old 01-31-2002, 01:41 PM
Roger Gregory
Guest
 
Posts: n/a
Re: Oh man, this is a chuckle !!!


Terry, I always assumed you were at least a metallurgist when I was directed to your pages on steel composition a couple of years ago, so yes you are a guru Yours is the page everyone on rec.knives is directed to...

'The Nigerian Letter' has been around for at least ten or fifteen years, probably longer but this long in significant numbers. It probably hit England first as the old colonial power. Some people even sent the money and then complained to the police that they hadn't been given their illegally held money :
I like Bob's idea of asking for some money upfront as a demonstration...

Roger


Reply With Quote
  #12  
Old 01-31-2002, 06:52 PM
jar
Guest
 
Posts: n/a
Re: Oh man, this is a chuckle !!!


I don't know what you folks are talking about. I got the letter and immediately sent them my bank account number. Since then they've been depositing about $20,000,000.36 every month for 14 years.
Reply With Quote
  #13  
Old 01-31-2002, 10:24 PM
ScottWiley
Guest
 
Posts: n/a

Hey Terry
Do you carry spare parts (tweezers, toothpicks etc.) for the Victorinox knives you sell ?








Ok,Ok..........I'm kidding ! Sorry, I couldn't resist.


Scott
Reply With Quote
  #14  
Old 02-05-2002, 03:15 PM
mongoismyname
Guest
 
Posts: n/a

hoaxbusters.ciac.org/

This is an interesting site
Reply With Quote
Reply

Tags
forging, knife, knives


Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)
 

(View-All Members who have read this thread : 0
There are no names to display.
Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is On

Forum Jump


All times are GMT -5. The time now is 07:29 AM.




KNIFENETWORK.COM
Copyright © 2000
? CKK Industries, Inc. ? All Rights Reserved
Powered by ...

Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.4
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
The Knife Network : All Rights Reserved