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Ghostly 419: The scam from beyond the grave

More Nigerian t-shirt malarkey from Cash'n'Carrion

So great was the demand for our last Nigerian 419 t-shirt, and so indignant the protests when we discontinued it, that we have decided to offer a second limited edition.

That Ghostly 419 shirt in full

This time around, the featured email is from Usman. Y. Usman of Lagos, attorney to one John Ryerson. It's all pretty standard stuff - poor old Ryerson kicked the bucket leaving millions unclaimed in the "Union Bank PLC". If you're prepared to act as Ryerson's next-of-kin, well, you and Usman could liberate the funds, pocket a percentage and selflessly give the rest to charity. Simple as that.



This preposterous missive does, however, feature one small detail which elevates it above the norm. Usman writes:

ON THE 21ST OF APRIL 1999, MY CLIENT, HIS WIFE AND THEIR THREE CHILDREN WERE INVOLVED IN A GHOSTLY MOTOR ACCIDENT ALONG SAGAMU EXPRESS ROAD. MY CLIENT AND HIS ENTIRE FAMILY UNFORTUNATELY LOST THEIR LIVES IN THE ACCIDENT.

Spooky. It fair sends a chill up your spine. We thought that this magnificent typo deserved immortalisation, and you too can celebrate a delicious slip of the key right here. Be warned - when we say limited edition, we mean it. Don't join the ranks of Reg customers who tearfully begged for the last 419 shirt to be reprinted, to no avail. An enlarged version of the t-shirt artwork appears at the bottom of this article.

And, while we're on the subject of 419 scams, and t-shirts thereof, we received this interesting observation from Eion Shanley:

Hi,

Great "Nigerian 419" T-shirt - I am sure many people are tempted to purchase one, but maybe you should first put a notice on the page letting people know that they will actually receive the T-Shirt when they send their money, and also stating that you won't be looking for further handling / lawyer / postage / bank fees to ship the T-shirt over. You may also want to mention that the customer does not have to travel, risking kidnapping etc, in order to complete the transaction.

Just a thought...

Good point. We'd like to state for the record that Cash'n'Carrion has never kidnapped any of its customers, nor is it in the habit of demanding "advance fees" against merchandise. However, we do know of $47m worth of gold bars and uncut diamonds in a safety deposit box in Milton Keynes. If you could send us your bank details we'd be prepared to offer you 10 per cent...®

Ghostly 419 graphic

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