RSSMS Joins Nigeria to Fight Internet Crime
By Ed Oswald | Published October 14, 2005, 7:17 PM
The country of Nigeria said on Friday it would begin working with Microsoft to combat Internet crime originating in its country. The agreement marks the first time the Redmond company is working with an African country on such issues.
Nigerian moneymaking e-mail scams are probably the oldest and most well known spam on the Internet, which the government for a long time let occur without much intervention.
Most e-mails ask for some type of monetary payment in order to receive a portion of deceased African dictator's fortunes. However, these fortunes don't exist, and those sending the e-mails keep the money collected.
However, in recent months the Nigerian government has begun to take on nationals within the country that are sending out millions of these e-mails, most recently proposing jail time of up to three years for convicted spammers.
The legislation is currently making its way through the Nigerian Parliament, and criminalizes the use of a computer to spam or commit fraud, among other uses already illegal in most nations such as terrorist threats.
Microsoft will offer technical support to the government to combat crime, as well as help track down those responsible.
The current president of Nigeria, Olusegun Obasanjo, is now in his second four-year term. Obasanjo has made cleaning up decades of corruption a major part of his presidency.
Hi,
As per the previous comments given, the Government of Nigeria itself creating the spam mails and even it makes revenue to the governent. Thinkso the King itself may be responsible for inititating the spam mail project.
But, the IT industry needs high protection and secure mode of working. The spam mails will make waste of time, waste of network efficiency. Relying on the Microsoft platform for reducing the spam mails will not give the country atmost solution.
They, can rely on Linux Secrity providers..so that the future of linux too will be good and new dawn of linux will evolve in the world. This doesnt mean that Microsoft wont fulfill the country's request. Rather than profiting a single company and single person always and new aidea can be brougth.
Thanking You
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I think with the issues they have going on in thier country helping Microsoft will be on the things to do list, next to make sure are citizens, have shoes on their feet,lol
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making fun of other people's misery is considered possesing a corrupted mind.....
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I remember reading an RCMP report that said that most of the scams coming from Nigeria were by the government itself, and that the scams were the 3rd largest source of revenue for that government. I'll have to see if I can find that report.
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too bad... and i thought that i was set for life when prince ndoegoe made me his sole benificiary. guess ill have to take that saudi-arabian offer to get me some of those high-rated-and-not-yet-publicly-made oil stocks.
Can't believe people still fall for these lame scams...
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So true! It never ceases to amaze me that people will send money or get involved with some supposed "ex-government official" or whatever, in some far off land, believing that individual chose them, an unknown, out of all the people in the world. Just an ounce of common sense would make you ask yourself, "Why have then chosen me to help them in their plan?"
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"...when prince ndoegoe made me his sole benificiary."
Hey, wait just a minute there. The good Prince has made ME his sole benefactor... I think you got scammed.
You should be more careful. In fact, I'm expecting the check any day now.... poor you.
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You're BOTH screwed! Bill Gates got there first. He really only made $1.99 profit from DOS, Windows, and Office. The rest was from helping the Nigerian Prince! You snooze, you lose...
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Theres a spam system (SpamAssasin) running on my email server that catches this kind of s*** and tells my users ^_^
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Bill Gates could BE Prince ndoegoe!
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He chose *me* because I'm more special than the rest of you losers! When I get that check (I'm expecting it next Friday) - you'll all be crying! HA HA!
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Good point
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he isnt, I am the allegedly deceased Prince Nodoegoe! I have all my money with me and none of you greedy evil satan americans will ever get a penny of it... because I just spent it in the gumball machine :(
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