Archive | August 2012

Indian Spam vs. Nigerian Spam

Listen, Indian spammers, you have a long ways to go if you want to measure up to the masters. Nigerian spammers have long known that you must play to greed in order to get strangers to part with their money. They also have a great sense of drama and unintentional comedy.

Indian spammers, do you really think anyone would fall for this ridiculous attempt? I don’t have any friends in Spain! Just send me a wire transfer for $1000, and I’ll send you a critique of your spam, including 25 tips on how easy it is to spot this as a fake. Cheap at twice the price!

Indian spammers, you’ll have to do much, much better than this, which I received today:

Hello,

I’m sorry I didn’t inform you about my traveling,am writing this with tears in my eyes,my family and i came down here to Spain for a short vacation and got mugged at gun point last night at the park of the hotel where we lodged…All cash,credit cards and cell were stolen off me…I’ve been to the embassy and the Police here but they’re not helping issues at all.

But the good thing is that we still have our passport,our flight leaves today and I’m having problems settling the hotel bills…The hotel manager won’t let us leave until i settle the hotel bills , all we need is {$2,500}  but anything you could assist with now be helpful now… Am freaked out right now Please reply and let me if can you have the money wire to me through western union I’ll surely get the money back to you in couple of days.

Regards

Respected Sir/ Madam

Thanks & Regards.
Delhi Haat Craft Cottage Ind,
New Delhi.
Ph No-0091-11-42648312,42648033
Mail ID-delhihaatcci@yahoo.com

.

This is what happens when you use Indian cyber cafes. I started getting spammed very soon after having done so, mostly fake messages pretending to be about packages I had shipped. Then nothing for almost a year. Until today.

As an attempt to relieve someone out of some money, Indian spammers, this is really pathetic. Come on, now. Try again!

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It’s Not As Easy As It Looks

Out of curiosity I’ve looked up flights between Shimla and Delhi, and from Delhi to Udaipur. There are flights from Shimla to Delhi, but only three days a week. They don’t coincide well with flights from Delhi to Udaipur. Sometimes the layover is 21 hours! Can you imagine it taking two days to get from New York to San Francisco in 2012?

In addition, some of the domestic Indian airlines have reputations for not being so reliable. This is India. It’s not going to be easy.

I’ve also looked at the train schedules. It seems crazy that taking the train would be faster, but it looks like it is. Checking all the ins and outs and connections is not my idea of fun.

Prem may have some ideas on how to get me to Delhi, but he’s a driver, not a travel agent. I may just spend some time with a travel agent in Shimla  who’ll know the best way to get me all the way to Udaipur.