You Had Me at "Dear Sir"

Everyone has received an email saying that they have won a massive lottery prize in Latvia, or that a fallen leader in Africa needs to deposit $24M USD into your private bank account.   It's a simple scam: they ask to pay processing fees; there is a problem with the $24M; and then you have to send more processing fees.  Thinking that you are "almost there," unsuspecting emailers get swindled.

Similar scams have now reached academia, in the form of false conference announcements. Everyone likes international conferences, right?  And invited speaking engagements are always fun to add to the CV.  But beware of governmental-sounding human rights organizations requesting your presence in Senegal!

After the jump, a sample letter.

Dear Sir/Madam

 I am Mrs. Isabella Jacob, a staff of International Humanitarian Aid  Organization (IHAO) Washington D.C, U.S.A and a member of the international  Red Cross. We are organizing a global combined conference against Racism and  Fighting for Human Right in U.S.A and Dakar Senegal West Africa. It is my  pleasure to invite you to participate in this global combined international  conference, taking place from 20th to 23rd of January 2010 in Washington D.C  United States of America and from 27th to 30th of January 2010 in Dakar 
Senegal West Africa.

In our request to invite people from various countries around the world, I  went in searching of E-mails in Google web sites as a means of contacting  people and organizations and I picked your E-mail from an N.G.Os website. If  you are interested to participate as an individual or want to represent your  country or your organization, you may contact the conference secretary general  of the organizing committee for details and information’s regarding  registration for the international conference.

Inform them that you were invited to participate by a friend of yours  (Mrs.Isabella Jacob) who is a member of the International Committee of the  Red Cross and a staff of Global Humanitarian Aid Organization (IHAO)

I believe that we may have the opportunity to meet if you may be willing to  participate in this event. The benevolent donors from across the world and  the Organizing Committees will provide air round trip tickets, accommodation  here in the United States and visa processing for all registered participants  for the period of Staying in the U.S, If you are a holder of passport that  may require visa to enter into the United States you may inform the  conference secretariat at the time of registration, as the organizing  committee is responsible for all visa arrangements and travel assistance.

Below is the contact address of the conference secretariat .via E-mail: [email protected] OR [email protected]

you can also contact me on my privet E-mail: [email protected]

Yours Sincerely,

Mrs. Isabella Jacob.

Assistance Youth Leader (IHAO)

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