Japan : Lost paradise for Internet preys

Quote of Matsushita Shuji news:
"My name is Mrs. Fadimatu 'Yar Sakkwato. Once, I was
the second concubine of onetime head of state of
Nigeria, late Alhaji Sani Abacha. As everybody knows
well, he had stashed away more than 3 billion dollars
(US$3,000,000,000)...

Alhaji Sani Abacha, the most corrupt dictator of
Nigeria, who died while whoring. After so many years,
his legacy still works as the central theme of many a
Nigerian letter fraud.

Thus started the infamous Nigerian letter scam, or 419
fraud. Mobile Ojisan receives tons of them in his
inbox everyday. These scammers, I guess, are firm
believers of patterns. Almost all the letters never
deviate from the pattern set around 20 years ago by
creative Igbo gangs in Southern Nigeria.

If only they had translated the emails into readable
Japanese with tolerable honorifics and sent them to
Japan exclusively, those scammers could have retired
very young and rich in Riviera or Bahamas. Because
this land is wall-to-wall carpeted with eager dupes.

Presently, the most fashionable (!) Internet con in
Japan is called One-Click fraud. Of course, there are
millions of variations. But the basic plot is like
this:

First, victim is lured to a dubious Web site by a spam
mail or blog trackback, believing it's a high-powered
libido location. Or, online dating site with full of
supernatural promises.

There on the site, some fineprint is displayed. You
have to click "I AGREE" button to proceed. Then, all
hell breaks out.

.Your IP address: xxxxxxxx,
.Your remote-host: yyyyyyyy,
.Your provicer: zzzzzzzz,
.Your network: aaaaaaa, bbbbbb, ccccc ...
THANK YOU FOR JOINING OUR EXCLUSIVE CLUB.
.Your membership fee is 60,000 yen for 60 days. Please
transfer the amount within three days. If not, we
have no choice but to acquire your name, address, and
phone number from your provider, and physically
contact you. Our agent might call on your
office/school/family, then.
.Our account particulars: ddddddddd, eeeeeeee

Sometimes, a naughty .exe file is quietly pushed into
viewer's PC, and threatening window pops out
constantly to intimidate the victim.

If he calls or sends an email to this con site to
protest, these jokers will be overjoyed. Adding some
concrete information to their easy dupe database!

I guess, most of the Asian Net users, if faced with
this kind of ridiculous but threatening message, would
laugh away scornfully and forget it immediately. But
in Japan, quite a few people take it rather seriously.
Besides, the guilty conscience that one has ventured
into a libido site does not help the situation.

Also, the ingrained Japanese psychological urge to
avoid any kind of fuss, trouble, conflict or dispute
at any cost kicks in.

"Ah, what the heck. Just a matter of small money!"

Oho, you've clicked! Display says: Registration of
your membership application completed. Thank you for
your agreeing with the contract!!

Yes, those con artists never overdo. Their demand
seldom exceeds, say, 50,000 yen (US$435), the
psychological threshold between small money and
not-so-small-money. Online bank transfer completed.
Naughty .exe warning refuses to go away, of course.
The victim finally realizes that he has been done for.

The most beautiful point of this scam is that nobody
rushes to the police station because he's been scraped
off a tiny amount of dough. Thus, One-Click software
keeps on working silently and dilligently without let
and hindrance from the side of law. Con artists' bank
account (constantly shifting from one to another, as
usual) gets fatter and fatter. These scammers shed
absolutely no sweat and toil. Hurray, Internet!

Sure, the One-Crick fraud works only in Japanese
mental environment, as you notice. Wanna stick your
finger in the honeypot? I'm afraid it's a bit too
late because, already, the field is pretty cluttered
up with Chinese and Korean (South, not from North) Net
tricksters." (Copyright From Matsushita Shuji)