We love our InBox. Every day it’s a treasure trove of magical news from around the globe, useful tips, angry rants about how we’re closeted Mormons and spam–so much delicious, yummy spam.
Normally, we are all “Deleted!”, but a missive from Mr. Koffi Acthin Franck Herve caught our attention. It goes a little like this:
hello
We are an association of homosexual called AJHCI resident in Ivory Coast we’ve decided to write because we are convinced that you are likely to help us.
We decided last year to set up a project (construction of a workshop on cassava processing of cassava flour) to be free from want
We are looking for funds that can help us realize this project we would like a heart and serar probably an opportunity for us to rebuild everything as it should be noted that we have lost everything since the war because we were a bases Bouake .
But short term we would like you help a school (the rentree is ongoing) our friends who have no apppui because of their sexual orientation.
what we need for this year amounts to CFAF 480 000 or 739 euros.I hope this email will your attention.dans pending a favorable Please accept the assurances of my highest consideration.
franck herve
president ajhci
tel 00225 01149508
That’s right, we’re now getting email scams targeted to the gay community! Oh sure, Budwiser ads with two dudes staring at each others ass is one thing, but when you start getting poorly-written requests for euros from Africa, you know you’ve hit the big time.
Of course now our InBox is going to be cluttered with angry emails telling us how they personally know Franck Herve, how he’s the Harvey Milk of Africa (we’re working that movie in as much as we can today) and that only a horrible closeted-Mormon would make fun of “an association of homosexual called AJHCI”.
How about we take this to the next level?
Our newsletter is like a refreshing cocktail (or mocktail) of LGBTQ+ entertainment and pop culture, served up with a side of eye-candy.
Just kidding. We checked: It’s a scam— a wonderful thoughtfully gay-targeted scam.
Smokey Martini
Sad how this is news to you — or rather, worthy of posting on this blog. Can someone please explain to me why the bar has been set so low?
It seems like the only things Queerty has been reporting are (a) US-related stuff (more specifically, all the Prop 8 shenanigans) and (b) useless garbage like this.
I’m still waiting for SOME significant international reporting on this site. Like really: do you not have any interest in your non-American readership, Japhy?
What’s the deal?
walt zipprian
Is this supposed to be an international news organization?
Is it even a news organization?
If you want news go read the Times.
walt zipprian
And quit complaineng.
Gah!
walt zipprian
complaining.
Cody
Yeah. It’s a blog, stoopid.
Mark
This has been going on for YEARS. The good old “West African email scam”. And they have been targeting gays for years, too.
My favourite is the gay escort scam, which hit the headlines in the gay press around three years ago. An email drops into the inbox of ‘rent boys’ proposing a booking of two or three days “while they are visiting London” and offering $2,000. Escort starts counting the cash in his mind – and replies. Back comes an email from West Africa asking for postal address so that a check for full payment can be sent. A cashiers check arrives for $5,000 – and about the same time so does an email saying that to save doing two cashier checks could the escort immediately send the $3,000 balance via Western Union to an address in Canada. Rent boy deposits check in bank, and then sends the three grand by Western Union. After a few days, rent boy hears from bank … the check is a very good forgery, the $3,000 has already been collected in Canada, rent boy is seriously out of pocket!
Oh, well. There are always suckers who will fall for this sort of thing.
Trenton
I think that the scam is bloggable, but I will say that we could use a little more international news. This complaint was levied recently, in the heat before and after the national day of protest, and then I felt it was out of line. Though things surrounding prop 8 have by no means cooled off completely, and I though would say that the content is still good overall, I would agree that Queerty could use more international news again.
waffle twat
@Smokey Martini: Yeah screw off ya little bitch ass. Start your own international blog of ass-hattery if you don’t like it here.
Michael
The organization named KIVA (www.kiva.com) Makes small loans to entrepreneurs around the world. There is a homo group in Kiva just waiting to make loans. The group investigates lendees and makes small loans paid for by Kiva members. As the loan is paid back, Kiva members can take their money out or reinvest. Sure, it sounds like a scam, but there are lot of us willing to try to help homo people and other people realize their dreams.
Smokey Martini
I’m not hating, I’m just being critical.
There IS a difference.
I never said I didn’t like Queerty (I don’t know where any of you got that). In fact, I’ve been a loyal reader for some three years now and it is with this respect that I make my comment – however brutal it may have been. All I’m doing is pointing out how, under Japhy, Queerty has been commenting almost exclusively on American items. There is zero balance with international news, as was the norm under Andrew. And this is a balance I have missed considerably!
And, yes, while each and every one of us, as Walt points out, can turn to the Times to get our queer news – BOTH in the US and elsewhere – I would still like to get Queerty’s take on international issues. Is that really such a contentious request to make?
jack
yes…
or, as the song goes, it ain’t what ya said, its the way that ya said it.
and japhy has gone a long way to shifting the tone UP a bit. not a bad thing, in my view.
a blog or magazine is not a static thing. its tone and content will change with new management,
Stephen Coote
The UK’s Gay Business Association has been approached by half-a-dozen new gay business groups seeking funds to start up in African counries. While clearly these are scams, there have been serious attempts to set up LGBT support groups in these countries, and one of our members returned to Nigeria to set up a church for LGBT Christians. Needless to say they are now in hiding, fearing for their lives.
Roland Basque
Once again more disgruntled whining and moaning from the exalted “gay” community.Since gays are above all others and know what is better for themselves and everybody else,they should have all their demands met.I think it’s really cool to be anti-gay.I mean what does “gay” entail?Is it about a beligerent whining bunch of over-demanding heterophobes intent on advancing their own intolerant and narcissistic agenda?Everyone I know enjoys mimicking and making sport of the self absorbed nebbish twits who consider themselves candidates for veneration just because they are so called gay.Nobody really likes queers they just consider them material for great comedy.Proposal 8 won by a majority vote.
Roland Basque
@Smokey Martini:
Once again more disgruntled whining and moaning from the exalted “gay” community.Since gays are above all others and know what is better for themselves and everybody else,they should have all their demands met.I think it’s really cool to be anti-gay.I mean what does “gay” entail?Is it about a beligerent whining bunch of over-demanding heterophobes intent on advancing their own intolerant and narcissistic agenda?Everyone I know enjoys mimicking and making sport of the self absorbed nebbish twits who consider themselves candidates for veneration just because they are so called gay.Nobody really likes queers they just consider them material for great comedy.Proposal 8 won by a majority vote.
Smokey Martini
Roland, you posted that very same comment in another blog entry. What gives?
Tin Tin
Smokey Martini=EPIC FAIL
shove off
Japhy has made Queerty infinitely better
chill the fuck out.
Leonard
@Smokey Martini: Did you miss the articles on the Brazilian Gay Mag, the Australian court decision, the news about immigrants attacking gays in the Netherlands the cute Belarussan activist? Seems like there’s plenty of international content to me.
Smokey Martini
Plenty, yes, but not as much as there used to be…
Brian Miller
Then go start your own International Gay Blog That Nobody Reads, and stop bitching.
This is a US-centric site. UK gay sites don’t comment on Louisville Pride or the latest developments in gay nightlife in Traverse City, MI. This site does quite a lot more than other sites focused primarily on one geographic area.
John
“We are an association of homosexual called AJHCI resident in Ivory Coast”
Sorry to be Mr Pedantic here but Ivory Coast is a country-I’ve been there. Pretty large too and is NEXT to Nigeria, also very large. Very different people Niderians speak English and people from Ivory Coast speak ONLY French and other mother tongues.
Lot’s of people from Ivory Coast make up 70% of the french football/soccer team-Ivory Coast was a colony of France.
Nigeria, was a colony of England and is one of the richest countries in Africa, if not sub sahara but darn they don’t invest enough in their country! ‘Real’ Nigerian princes wouldn’t do this…they tend to go to London Business School or Harvard, then back to Nigeria to start their own business.
Whether Nigerian or Ivorian (2 VERY different countries), these are just chancers.
Ah.
And if this WAS legit, it would not be sent in an email to Queert but to HRC. I know Americans know NOTHING about other countries in Sub-Sahara BUT a legit Nigerian company, knowing the many Nigerians I do here in London….wouldn’t do this.
michael
golly gee whiz if you know of things of interest pass it on & stop bitching
PDQ
Forward the scam e-mail (with headers) to [email protected] (or gmail or whichever free e-mail service the fraudster is using) and report it as Internet Fraud. The account will be closed and he’ll have to open another one – which will also send you an e-mail and which you can then report and have closed…..etc.
Pugs
I just joined this site about a month ago and I like it, obviously, or I wouldn’t keep coming back. Hmm, there’s an idea. If you don’t like the way the site has gone under Japhy, don’t come back. You know that old saying, “if you don’t like something, do it yourself.” Yeah, write your own blog and blog about whatever the fuck you want to.
http://www.ComeTogetherGiftBaskets.com
Smokey Martini
@waffle twat: @Brian Miller: @Pugs:
Easier said than done, guys!
I, of course, have other obligations (i.e. a full-time job and academic research on the side) which really restricts the time I have to search around for news items and/or to post stuff on a blog. This is why I turn to Queerty for my quick dose of critical/satirical/informative updates — content that I always find super interesting and oh-so-wittily delivered!
I really cannot state this enough: I have ZERO problems with Queerty’s current content and tone; all I’m really asking for is to see just a few more posts per day dealing exclusively with non-American events. That’s it. Found and posted, no less, by someone (i.e. Japhy) who is ALREADY being paid to do such work.
Brian Miller
I, of course, have other obligations (i.e. a full-time job and academic research on the side) which really restricts the time I have to search around for news items and/or to post stuff on a blog. This is why I turn to Queerty for my quick dose of critical/satirical/informative updates — content that I always find super interesting and oh-so-wittily delivered!
I really cannot state this enough: I have ZERO problems with Queerty’s current content and tone; all I’m really asking for is to see just a few more posts per day dealing exclusively with non-American events.
Well then, make a sizable contribution to Queerty so they can get the resources to meet your demands for custom content. Or are you trying to say that you’re somehow entitled to content?
Weird.
Smokey Martini
@Brian Miller:
Again, easier said than done.
A sizable contribution from where, exactly? Yes, I do work a full-time job, but much of what I make – rent and bills aside – goes into my research, so I have very little left at the end of the day. And no, I’m certainly not trying to say that I’m somehow entitled to content, but rather feel just the same way Trenton does above:
“Though things surrounding prop 8 have by no means cooled off completely, and I though would say that the content is still good overall, I would agree that Queerty could use more international news again.”
Then again, as a loyal reader, what exactly is the harm in asking for a bit more content?
Puddy Katz
This was news to me. I am glad I was warned by Queerty. I might have fallen for it.
JinkyJuggler
How long is Queerty down for?
Earthlingdave
@Roland Basque: We don’t want MORE rights, Roland, we want equal rights. And if we were heterophobes would you really be surprised? Look at the hateful tone of your message. Way to be a stereotype while stereotyping others. I’m not threatened by straight people, they’re my friends and family, I’m a hatephobe critical of people like you who enjoy demeaning and dehumanizing gays. So much so that you read a gay blog and post comments on it. “He doth protest too much.”. By the way, it’s Proposition 8, not Proposal. Good luck.
Académie Gay & Lesbienne
http://www.archiveshomo.info/escroquerie/ajhci.htm
.
WARNING SCAM :
.
Amicale de Jeunes Homosexuelles ( AJHCI )
= ÉGLISE ÉVANGELIQUE LA CROIX DU SALUT
=========>
Amicale de Jeunes Homosexuelles ( AJHCI )
de 1500 persones repartis dans une vingtaine de maisons
bonjour
nous sommes une amical de jeunes homosexuelles ( ajhci ) resident en cote d’ivoire desireux de se faire connaitre dans le monde et aussi de s’impregner des realites de nos amis.
En effet cette amical est neee le 01/03/2001 de maniere officieuse parce que en afrique il est difficile d’admettre l’homosexualite d autrui raison pour laquelle nous sommes marginalises rejetes.
nous avions avant la guerre des representations a travers le pays mais du faite de la guerre beaucoup se sont retrouves sans abris nous avons tout perdu des biens materiels,financiers et humains.
Par consequent nous vivons tous dans une banlieu abidjannaise pour un effectif de 1.500 persones repartis dans une vingtaine de maisons c’est dur.nous vivons en promiscuite .
Malgre tout le bureau fonctionne mais nous manquons de beaucoup de chose nous envisageons prendre (etudes) en charge nos freres qui ont ete renie par leur parents .
Eu egard ce qui precedenous vous supplions de biens vouloir nous aider aussi bien en nature qu en especes ou tout ce qui vous semblera neccessaire pour nous.
Nous osons esperer que vous ne resterez pas indifferents a nos supplications.nous vous remercions.
Veuillez croire a l’expression de mes sentiments les plus averes.
le secretaire