* * * * *
                                        
                        We to name IS Bond. Zhames Bond.
                                        
Well, the scams [1] are getting a bit better. I just received this in my
email (in my “all spam ends up here” account): 



> Hello Sir, 
> 
> This information is top secret and is for your reading only. Please delete
> this email immediately if you feel this is an error. 
> 
> My name is Vitaliy Smirnov. I work in Russian Fund of Reconstruction and
> Development under the Government of Russian Federation as a financial
> advisor and auditor. During the last two years of my work I've discovered
> the fact of the money remaining in the Fund left after the Great Default on
> August, 17th 1998 which you should know or may heard about. 
> 
> After studying and checking into this I finally got the information that
> the money can be mapped out by me and then used in some way. The amount is
> US $1.92 million ($1,920,000). I've found out a problem I can't work this
> out by myself being an official in Russia. I am not allowed to act as a
> businessman or have and operate any bank account overseas. That's why I
> have this proposal for you. 
> 
> According to all above here is what I suggest. You will help me to accept
> this money in your country to the firm bank account. After the transaction
> takes place you hold 20% of the amount and then send out 80% in parts to
> bank accounts I provide. 
> 
> This money will be processed as a contract payment to the firm you have or
> open for it. Firm nature doesn't really matter as I plan to make up a
> contract of the audit/marketing services or something that your firm did
> for the Fund. I require the following details about the firm: name,
> physical address, short working history, managerial stuff, how long it
> operates in the market and the firm bank account information where this
> money will be sent. Bank account details are the bank name, bank address,
> bank contacts and the account numbers. 
> 
> Sooner you confirm you've read and understood what I sent you we'll start
> our preparations for the main transaction immediately. 
> 
> Please treat this information as confident and secret as possible. 
> 
> Contact me via email if you are ready. 
> 
> Looking forward to hear from you, 
> 
> Vitaliy 
> 

At least they're not asking for money up front this time. A quick Google [2]
search revealed that Vitaliy Smirnov [3] is the Russian Olympic Committee
President (so yes, that would make him a official in Russia, but I doubt he
would have any financial problems that he would ask me for help. Also, this
really can't be all that top secret if I found it on web site [4] (okay, so
the site in question is in Russian, which looks very cool if you have the
proper font. I ran it through The Fish [5] for a translation. Got enough of
it so that it does look like a scam, but The Fish also attempted to translate
the English that was on the page to Russian—which explains where I got the
title from). 

And the Crimes of Persuasion [6] website is always a handy reference. 

[1] gopher://gopher.conman.org/0Phlog:2001/01/26.1
[2] http://www.google.com/
[3] http://www.google.com/search?q=Vitaliy+Smirnov&hl=en&start=0&sa=N
[4] http://dz.yandex.ru/dz/article/show_one.php?id=-0000870&theme_id=32&category_id=6&sid=&return=category%2Fmain.php%3F
[5] http://babelfish.altavista.com/
[6] http://www.crimes-of-persuasion.com/

Email author at sean@conman.org

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