Almost unbelievable AOL story...

[PCIntern]

Some people here may have received a joke Nigerian-type e-mail the text fo which follows my commentary. Anyway, I sent it on to a few buddies and received a Terms of Service violation from AOL and a temporary account suspension. If anyone had bothered to read it, they would have realized that it was satirical and I was mad as Hell.

And then I began thinking: maybe that HAD read it and used the formula of it to take a swipe at me. Am I paranoid much? Perhaps for good reason.


I know I know...WTF am I doing on AOL???


HIGHLY CONFIDENTIAL
>
>FROM: GEORGE WALKER BUSH
>DEAR SIR / MADAM,
>
>I AM GEORGE WALKER BUSH, SON OF THE FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF
>AMERICA GEORGE HERBERT WALKER BUSH, AND CURRENTLY SERVING AS PRESIDENT OF
>THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. THIS LETTER MIGHT SURPRISE YOU BECAUSE WE HAVE
>NOT MET NEITHER IN PERSON NOR BY CORRESPONDENCE. I CAME TO KNOW OF YOU IN MY
>SEARCH FOR A RELIABLE AND REPUTABLE PERSON TO HANDLE A VERY CONFIDENTIAL
>BUSINESS TRANSACTION, WHICH INVOLVES THE TRANSFER OF A HUGE SUM OF MONEY TO
AN
>ACCOUNT REQUIRING MAXIMUM CONFIDENCE.
>
>I AM WRITING YOU IN ABSOLUTE CONFIDENCE PRIMARILY TO SEEK YOUR SSISTANCE IN
>ACQUIRING OIL FUNDS THAT ARE PRESENTLY TRAPPED IN THE REPUBLIC OF IRAQ. MY
>PARTNERS AND I SOLICIT YOUR ASSISTANCE IN COMPLETING A TRANSACTION BEGUN BY
MY
>FATHER, WHO HAS LONG BEEN ACTIVELY ENGAGED IN THE EXTRACTION OF PETROLEUM IN
>THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, AND BRAVELY SERVED HIS COUNTRY AS DIRECTOR OF
>THE UNITEDSTATES CENTR AL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY.
>
>IN THE DECADE OF THE NINETEEN-EIGHTIES, MY FATHER, THEN VICE-PRESIDENT OF
>THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, SOUGHT TO WORK WITH THE GOOD OFFICES OF THE
>PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF IRAQ TO REGAIN LOST OIL REVENUE SOURCES IN THE
>NEIGHBORING ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF IRAN. THIS UNSUCCESSFUL VENTURE WAS SOON
FOLLOWED
>BY A FALLING OUT WITH HIS IRAQI PARTNER, WHO SOUGHT TO ACQUIRE ADDITIONAL
OIL
>REVENUE SOURCES IN THE NEIGHBORING EMIRATE OF KUWAIT, A WHOLLY-OWNED
>U.S.-BRITISH SUBSIDIARY.
>
>MY FATHER RE-SECURED THE PETROLEUM ASSETS OF KUWAIT IN 1991 AT A COST OF
>SIXTY-ONE BILLION U.S. DOLLARS ($61,000,000,000). OUT OF THAT COST,
>THIRTY-SIX BILLION DOLLARS ($36,000,000,000) WERE SUPPLIED BY HIS PARTNERS
>IN THE KINGDOM OF SAUDI ARABIA AND OTHER PERSIAN GULF MONARCHIES, AND
SIXTEEN
>BILLION DOLLARS ($16,000,000,000) BY GERMAN AND JAPANESE PARTNERS.
>
>BUT MY FATHER'S FORMER IRAQI BUSINESS PARTNER REMAINED IN CONTROL OF THE
>REPUBLIC OFIRAQ AND ITS PETROLEU M RESERVES.
>
>MY FAMILY IS CALLING FOR YOUR URGENT ASSISTANCE IN FUNDING THE REMOVAL OF
>THE PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF IRAQ AND ACQUIRING THE PETROLEUM ASSETS OF
HIS
>COUNTRY, AS COMPENSATION FOR THE COSTS OF REMOVING HIM FROM POWER.
>
>UNFORTUNATELY, OUR PARTNERS FROM 1991 ARE NOT WILLING TO SHOULDER THE BURDEN
>OF THIS NEW VENTURE, WHICH IN ITS UPCOMING PHASE MAY COST THE SUM OF 100
>BILLION TO 200 BILLION DOLLARS ($100,000,000,000 - $200,000,000,000), BOTH IN
>THE INITIAL ACQUISITION AND IN LONG-TERM MANAGEMENT.
>
>WITHOUT THE FUNDS FROM OUR 1991 PARTNERS, WE WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO ACQUIRE
>THE OIL REVENUE TRAPPED WITHIN IRAQ. THAT IS WHY MY FAMILY AND OUR
COLLEAGUES
>ARE URGENTLY SEEKING YOUR GRACIOUS ASSISTANCE. OUR DISTINGUISHED COLLEAGUES
IN
>THIS BUSINESS TRANSACTION INCLUDE THE SITTING VICE-PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED
>STATES OF AMERICA, RICHARD CHENEY, WHO IS AN ORIGINAL PARTNER IN THE IRAQ
>VENTURE AND FORMER HEAD OF THE ALLIBURTON OILCOMPANY, AND CONDOLEEZA RICE,
WHO SE
>PROFESSIONAL DEDICATION TO THE VENTURE WAS DEMONSTRATED IN THE NAMING OF A
>CHEVRON OIL TANKER AFTER HER.
>
>I WOULD BESEECH YOU TO TRANSFER A SUM EQUALING TEN TO TWENTY-FIVE PERCENT
>(10-25 %) OF YOUR YEARLY INCOME TO OUR ACCOUNT TO AID IN THIS IMPORTANT
>VENTURE. THE INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA WILL
FUNCTION
>AS OUR TRUSTED INTERMEDIARY. I PROPOSE THAT YOU MAKE THIS TRANSFER BEFORE
THE
>FIFTEENTH (15TH) OF THE MONTH OF APRIL.
>
>I KNOW THAT A TRANSACTION OF THIS MAGNITUDE WOULD MAKE ANYONE APPREHENSIVE
>AND WORRIED. BUT I AM ASSURING YOU THAT ALL WILL BE WELL AT THE END OF THE
>DAY. A BOLD STEP TAKEN SHALL NOT BE REGRETTED, I ASSURE YOU. PLEASE DO BE
>INFORMED THAT THIS BUSINESS TRANSACTION IS 100% LEGAL. IF YOU DO NOT WISH TO
>CO-OPERATE IN THIS TRANSACTION, PLEASE CONTACT OUR INTERMEDIARY
REPRESENTATIVES TO
>FURTHER DISCUSS THE MATTER.
>
>I PRAY THAT YOU UNDERSTAND OUR PLIGHT. MY FAMILY AND OURCOLLEAGUES WILL BE
>FOREVER GRATEFUL. PLEASE REPL Y IN STRICT CONFIDENCE TO THE CONTACT NUMBERS
>BELOW.
>
>SINCERELY WITH WARM REGARDS,
>GEORGE WALKER BUSH
>= = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

[Heidi]

1. They sanctioned you for sending around satire?????

:wtf:

[PCIntern]

6. interesting, isn't it.

My gut fell about 16 feet...frightening to get a TOS violation notice when you think you haven't done anything.

[Heidi]

7. I truly hope you're only being paranoid, PCIntern;

the alternative is too frightening to contemplate.

Could it be that AOL utilizes spam filters, like DU does? I once was tombstoned at DU and was really freaked out about it; then I realized I had been caught in the spam filter.

Sending you good vibes, okay?

[spindoctor]

2. Maybe one of your buddies filed a complaint? ;)

Anyway, you seem to know better so just tell them goodbye.

[ArkySue]

3. Well, that's a hoot!

They don't bother to block the Nigerian e-mails I get. Just sayin'.

[mcscajun]

4. More than likely, it was identified as Spam based on its closeness

to the actual Nigerian spam e-mails. This would have been done by the programming, not a person.

Even if you weren't on AOL, you might have had the same problem, depending on how other providers' spam filters and TOS enforcement work.

All that said: Yes, What are you still doing on AOL? :D

[Gman]

5. Yes, WTF are you doing on AOL

very typical of AOL. They can you for anything negative about Bush or Republicans. Then they make it impossible to quit.

[annabanana]

8. #1) That is a very funny email ~ highly forwardable!!

#2) It does sound like AOL was taking an editorial swipe at it.

The only legal excuse they could possibly make is that anything with the words "Nigerian", "intermediary", "transfer" and "compensation" all in caps is automatically killed. . without human review. . (an account I would find difficult to believe.)