Please sign the downing Street e-petition to stop the lads!

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Master Baiter Joined: 04 Mar 2007 Posts: 125 Location: UK

I thought this was so important that I put it in this forum: Very Happy

It would be great if we could get as many people as possible to sign the e-petition that I have set up on the downing street website. Many of you may have heard about these petitions and how they really seem to work.

Please, please, please sign it at http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/Stop419/

I think this is only for us UK residents.

It would be really great to see how many signatures we get, and I will post the PM's response when the petition is closed. Very Happy

Posted: Mon Jun 11, 2007 6:08 pm

williamnorris wrote:

I think this is only for us UK residents.

From my read of it, a British citizen living overseas may also sign.

Master Baiter Joined: 04 Mar 2007 Posts: 125 Location: UK

^^^^ On closer inspection you can be living in a territory as well (eg: Gibraltar, The Channel Isles, Montserrat, The Falklands, St. Helena, and so on - or if you are in the armed forces).

Sorry for being so vague Rolling Eyes

Posted: Tue Jun 12, 2007 12:52 am

What about if you live in one of the Queen's former colonies...?

Bloody poms, you assert your authority over us when you need us and exclude us when you don't!

Laughing

Posted: Tue Jun 12, 2007 2:51 am

Oh. So that is all that is required. You just sign a petition and the government stops the scam mail. Smile

It is so obvious that we total did even think of that. Good luck, and let us know when they stop it so we can get the US government to do it also.

Master Baiter Joined: 25 Dec 2006 Posts: 156

I'd hope people would stop to think before signing that thing. I'm sure you can figure out what kind of measures the goverment would try in order to stop 419 scams and I think we've had far too much of those already.

Edit: Maybe I was being a little harsh. The measures the petition suggests are ok. The problem is it will (if a lot of people sign it) be used to argue for more spying on ordinary citizens and filtering internet traffic.

Posted: Tue Jun 12, 2007 7:49 am

good point Dr Who, I like your new avatar Laughing

Posted: Tue Jun 12, 2007 9:01 am

Dr Who,
Don't be so pompous. Laughing

The UK Government always listens to the will of the people; just like yours. Laughing

However, they do make a few exceptions when it comes to online petitions.
It is interesting to read some of the rejected ones:-
http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/list/rejected

** ACCOUNT CLOSED ** Joined: 15 Apr 2007 Posts: 766

I thought you lot were all under the United States anyways?

Flees flying cricket balls. . . .

--J.D.

Posted: Tue Jun 12, 2007 9:08 am

DrWho wrote:

get the US government to do it also.

DrWho, I'm on it...........

Posted: Tue Jun 12, 2007 9:40 am

I understand the term '419' ...but would M. Jo Public ? ... maybe they will see the word 'Scam' and sign it anyway

Quote:

More details from petition creator

I ask the government to help the authorities to increase public awareness of 419 scams which (as of 1995) had taken over 2.5 Billion pounds. You can imagine the huge amounts that the scams take now, as the internet is expanding with access to more and more possible victims. People need to know of the dangers, both to their wallets,a and their safety as these scams are run by dangerous criminals. 419s have been going on since the 1980s and live strong today - not enough is done by authorities.

I also ask that those who try to combat the scams are properly supported, by a government agency, to which they can easily submit details (as well as correspondences) of scammers for investigation.

There should also be easy safe access for the public to report information of emails they receive.

These scams are a huge danger to the British public, and it is partly the responsibility of the government to protect the public, the possible victims of this multi-billion pound organised crime.

Master Baiter Joined: 04 Mar 2007 Posts: 125 Location: UK

Surely any way to help the fight is good????

419Eater is my life Joined: 23 Apr 2007 Posts: 377

williamnorris wrote:

Many of you may have heard about these petitions and how they really seem to work.

Funniest thing I've read on this board for ages!

Thanks for that!

Really worked with the 2 million people against the pay per mile road tax thing didnt it?

Posted: Tue Jun 12, 2007 1:52 pm

My $0.02
[rant]
How are they going to do that? Control the internet? Scan all the emails for words they think are indicating a scam? They just make them smarter and better, look at the spammers. Voluntary censorship?

Or do it the US way and invade the country? Zillions a year, should tickle someone to do something.

The best way is to school your kids a tat better and give them some working brains and RL experience. It has and will always happen(ed) in some form or another or do you really believe all those commercials and drive a 300hp+ SUV/cross over with a max speed of 80 miles an hour while wearing brand clothes and sipping you water/sugar drink of the latest trend with your hands free cell phone on standby because they might phone, following the directions of your latest satellite navigation system to find the shopping mall? Not you of course [/rant] Wink

419Eater is my life Joined: 23 Apr 2007 Posts: 377

WOW!

Top rant there Bill!

Those petitions are just a meaningless PR stunt from the government, I'd be very surprised if they took any notice of the really important ones, let alone the ones they can do nothing about (like scammers from other countries)

Dont get me wrong, its a nice idea but it'll never work.

Posted: Tue Jun 12, 2007 2:22 pm

Just took a look.

So far 9 signatures including :

Prof. Charl3s S0ludo
Usm@nn B3llo

I can understand trying to get governments to crack down on scammers but how can they do it?

Ok so we, and others, can pass on the full emails we recieve to a government agency. That gives them an IP address in Nigeria or similar.
Then what? They shut the email addy? We all know how effective that is.
If they can trace the IP address, they need to get an physical address from the ISP, but what if that ISP is in Africa? Then they need the government of Nigeria or wherever to take action.

As any action would be seem as infringing on various civil liberties/human rights, the best we could hope for George Bush to get scammed and to get a cruise missile flown through the window of a few internet cafes.

The petition is a good intention, but I fear that it is asking too much.

Posted: Tue Jun 12, 2007 3:45 pm

I don't see why people are coming down so hard on this petition.

If only one person is saved from being scammed isn't it worth it? Sure it's a drop in a vast ocean and sure, petitions don't really seem to be on top of the UK governement's agenda. But good intentions or not, if it goes unsigned, you'll never know if it could have made a difference - however small.

I'll sign.

Master Baiter Joined: 26 Mar 2007 Posts: 149

PLEEEEEEEEEASE - nobody sign the petition!!!!!!!!

Chipmunk doesn't want to get a real life!

Can't we just invade Guam instead?

Forever n00b Joined: 11 Jan 2006 Posts: 432

I know little about UK politics, so I don't have any idea if this thing would help at all. But I have to wonder why some of you folks think there is nothing that the government can do to curb these scams. The government certainly could do more. You can bet your ass that if this involved nuclear or biological weapons something would certainly be done. Personally I think sanctions against governments that don't police their own would help a great deal. The fact that most of these scams originate in countries that also have grossly corrupt government leaders is no coincidence. Yes, scammers operate in most countries, but not nearly at the level that they do in west African countries. Public awareness is also a key factor. A campaign to educate the most vulnerable members of our society, (like senior citizens) would also help a great deal.

Posted: Wed Jun 13, 2007 2:27 am

Quote:

The UK Government always listens to the will of the people; just like yours

Then you have my sympathies. Smile

Quote:

I don't see why people are coming down so hard on this petition.

I don't think we are down hard on the petition. It is only that it isn't a question asking the government stop it. How could they stop it? Pull the plug on the internet? It was around long before the internet. Stop all email? Read all email and only let the ones that are safe get through? Only allow the 'right' people access to the internet?

It is only a tongue-in-cheek response from people who have seen what happens and how scams work and know the reality. We are all for stopping scams. And signing the petition could get a little attention. But I really wouldn't hold my breath that something will really happen. If you feel strongly about it, you should sign it. The government is suppose to be about the citizens. When people stop caring enough to use their freedoms, they will lose them.

Posted: Wed Jun 13, 2007 12:39 pm

24 Leinster Gardens, Bayswater, London, W2 3AN

worked fine for me ... was it wrong to sigh with wrong credential Rolling Eyes

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