SCAM! Beware!

I'm a lucky man. Through free-association web surfing I get to learn many many things (some related to my business or profession, some just general information), now aided by the amazing Stumbleupon service.

I had gotten a message from another member of SU claiming to be Laarni Enriquez, the alleged mistress of former president Joseph Estrada. Here is the message in full:

2:31am Hello Dear
it is my pleasure to contact you through mail after going through your profile. I am laarni Enriquez a phillippino by nationality.I need someone, who would take me for whom I am and as a life time business partner, after making claims of my deposited life fortuned in Abroad. Well, from your profile, I believe in me that you ought to be a very honest person.
I would like to give you a brief description of my life autobiography.
I was once the mistress of our President, Joseph Estrada,and during his tenure in office, I was often used as a courier in depositing his(the president) funds, in the Europe, and Africa because of my honesty with him.but his wife Madam Loi and her son-Jude, accused me of having secret affair with the president
this led to fabrication of all kind of allegation against just to disrepute my honestly earned fame But, not quite long, I was arrested, together with his wife and son, in connection with the 27th July, 2003, failed coup for working in the household of the ex-president Joseph Estrada .Although i was later granted bailed as there was no substantial evidence against me , now I have
been released but under security watch within state confinement with limited opportunity to reach the outside world to prove my innocence.
Now my main purpose of sending you this mail confidentaily is to ask for your assistance in claiming of some funds, I did deposited in metallic truck box in security company in Coted Ivories-a remote states in Africa. Every other deposit including my properties and bank account have been confiscated and seized by the the government of Madam Gloria the President of republic of
Philippine .But, this one is the only one they could not see, as I did
kept the deposit certificate and deposit agreement with one of my close confidant.
The Amount being deposited is much about 17.5 Million United states dollars, as this was the money that was supposed to be used by the President to acquire some properties in Africa..
As a matter of fact this transaction demands honesty and sincerity, as soon as this money is claimed by you, I will look for a way and sneaked out of Philippines and travel down to meet you in your country.
I would like us to go into investment partnership together by investing this fund in your country and anywhere else you prefer. I will send to you the deposit certificate and authoritative agreement as soon as recieve your mail. please i want you to know that this transaction is legitimate, risk free and cost free i think all expected of you is lassoing role with a lot reciprocal merit attached to it.
Not to mentioned instant benefit of five million united states dollars as soon the shipment is accomplish within two days depending on your lassoing capacity because all major cost including shipment charge,demuurage and custodian charges already settled.
contact me at my private contact below the reason for this
is that there is need for some confidentiality to be
exercise.
private contact :laarni_lan@yahoo.com
With love and concern,
Madam Laarni Enriquez

Whoa! It's a good thing I had encountered a website dedicated to busting scams like this (god knows I've forgotten the url). In any case, this is the classic Nigerian Scam. Otherwise known as the Advance fee fraud. What will happen next should I contact this Laarni is that she will require me to send her my own money in order to get the big payoff. Since the activity is illegal, I'd be incriminating myself should I report her (provided that I bite the bait). From the Wikipedia article:

These scams have come to be associated by the western media with Nigeria due to the massive proliferation of such confidence tricks from that country since the early 1990s, as well as the reputation of the country for corruption. However, these scams typically are carried out in other countries that have either experienced economic turmoil, corruption and dictatorship such as Togo, Congo, the Ivory Coast, Liberia, and Sierra Leone or countries that have a large population of well-educated but unemployed university graduates such as Ghana and Benin or increasingly from cities with large West African immigrant populations, notably London, Amsterdam, Johannesburg and Madrid, and lately also Dubai (United Arab Emirates) and Canada.

The dead giveaway was found by doing a simple google search of the name Laarni Enriquez, which leads you to a Google Groups post. It's practically spam. The profile in SU was created just a few days ago. The SU profile states:

"I am a 41 year-old woman from Manila, Manila Philippines. I am caring lovely and understanding lady, with the fear of God."