Imagine how screwed you’d feel—on at least two levels—if Chemical Shifts and Coupling Constants for Silicon-29 was one of your college textbooks. $8,539! The reviews are very funny. Here’s an example:
My bank just received a major TARP bailout package, so me and my buds in top-level management got our quarterly bonuses after all. Vegas junkets are too conspicuous these days and black caviar from the Caspian Sea is getting a little old hat, so I bought a copy of Landolt-Bornstein’s “Chemical Shifts and Coupling Constants for Silicon-29” for another V.P. as a gag gift. Last week when I flew to Bora-Bora for a weekend management retreat there he was, reading it on the beach! He had some reservations about how a couple of the formulas were expressed, but apart from that he thought it was well-researched and compellingly written. On his recommendation I’m going to pick up a copy for myself to read at the next management retreat in Dubai. This book has some legs.
P.S. “scamsandhoaxes” is the closest tag I have for something like this. It’s no hoax, as near as I can tell, but wow, what a scam.
P.P.S. Found this by going from here to here to here.
Jeff Atwood on Swoopo:
I just watched an 8GB Apple iPod Touch sell on swoopo for $187.65. The final price means a total of 1,251 bids were placed for this item, costing bidders a grand total of $938.25
How is that possible? Well, each time you bid you pay a $0.75 fee, which raises the the auction price by $0.15 and extends the close time by up to 20 seconds.
So I’m looking at a Nokia phone right now (picked at random off the Swoopo home page) where the bidding is up to $880, which means so far bidders have collectively paid well over $4,000 in fees to Swoopo.
Evil. Genius. I’m agape, and vaguely nauseated.
I was all psyched about the Bosnian pyramids, but then Wohba! went and updated their article from a couple months ago with a link to this Archaeology piece titled, The Bosnia-Atlantis Connection. That pretty effectively puts the whole thing to rest for me. Extraordinary claims, extraordinary evidence... I know, I know; when will I learn?
How a Massachusetts psychotherapist fell for a Nigerian e-mail scam:
Still, Worley, faced with an e-mail that would, according to federal authorities, eventually lead him to join a gang of Nigerian criminals seeking to defraud U.S. banks, didn't hesitate. A few minutes after receiving Mbote's entreaty, he replied, "I can help and I am interested." His only question was how Mbote had found him, and he seemed satisfied with the explanation: that the South African Department of Home Affairs had supplied his name.
One of the better phishing attempts to hit my inbox:
Dear [my e-mail address],
Greetings from Amazon Payments.
Your bank has contacted us regarding some attempts of charges from your credit card via the Amazon system. We have reasons to believe that you changed your registration information or that someone else has unauthorized access to your Amazon account Due to recent activity, including possible unauthorized listings placed on your account, we will require a second confirmation of your identity with us in order to allow us to investigate this matter further. Your account is not suspended, but if in 48 hours after you receive this message your account is not confirmed we reserve the right to suspend your Amazon registration. If you received this notice and you are not the authorized account holder, please be aware that it is in violation of Amazon policy to represent oneself as another Amazon user. Such action may also be in violation of local, national, and/or international law. Amazon is committed to assist law enforcement with any inquires related to attempts to misappropriate personal information with the intent to commit fraud or theft. Information will be provided at the request of law enforcement agencies to ensure that perpetrators are prosecuted to the full extent of the law.
To confirm your identity with us click here:
https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/...[snip]
After responding to the message, we ask that you allow at least 72 hours for the case to be investigated. Emailing us before that time will result in delays. We apologize in advance for any inconvenience this may cause you and we would like to thank you for your cooperation as we review this matter.
Thank you for your interest in selling at Amazon.com.
Amazon.com Customer Service
http://www.amazon.com
This message and any files or documents attached may contain classified information. It is intended only for the individual or entity named and others authorized to receive it. If you are not the intended recipient or authorized to receive it, you are hereby notified that any disclosure, copying, distribution or taking any action in reliance on the contents of this information is strictly prohibited and may be unlawful. If you have received this communication in error, please notify us immediately then delete it from your system. Please also note that transmission cannot be guaranteed to be secure or error-free.
Of course, where the URL goes and where it appears to go are different, but even the real URL looks vaguely Amazonian.
