(Image: SpaceFacts.de)
The classic scam spammed out to millions of people for the past 20 years or so is that a Nigerian prince needs help getting access to his massive supply of money. He needs just a bit of cash--a few thousand dollars or so--to get the process started. In exchange, he'll cut you in for half of the money in the bank.
You can have fun with the scammer, as comedian James Veitch did, or simply delete the email and move on with your life.
And you should move on because there are better opportunities. The entertainment website Anorak recently received an email soliciting funds for a Nigerian astronaut who boarded a Soviet space station in 1989 and been stranded there since the collapse of the Soviet Union. He'd like to come home and needs your help:
I am Dr. Bakare Tunde, the cousin of Nigerian Astronaut, Air Force Major Abacha Tunde. He was the first African in space when he made a secret flight to the Salyut 6 space station in 1979. He was on a later Soviet spaceflight, Soyuz T-16Z to the secret Soviet military space station Salyut 8T in 1989. He was stranded there in 1990 when the Soviet Union was dissolved. His other Soviet crew members returned to earth on the Soyuz T-16Z, but his place was taken up by return cargo. There have been occasional Progrez supply flights to keep him going since that time. He is in good humor, but wants to come home.
In the 14-years since he has been on the station, he has accumulated flight pay and interest amounting to almost $ 15,000,000 American Dollars. This is held in a trust at the Lagos National Savings and Trust Association. If we can obtain access to this money, we can place a down payment with the Russian Space Authorities for a Soyuz return flight to bring him back to Earth. I am told this will cost $ 3,000,000 American Dollars. In order to access the his trust fund we need your assistance.
The pay is 20% of the gathered funds.
-via Super Punch