The Truth About Barclays

Those of you who read UF consistently (Hi Dad!) may have noticed our refusal to refer to our favorite league as the Barclays Premier League, instead choosing to continue calling it the English Premier League. You may ask yourselves why this is the case. Surely we are not opposed to the concept of commercialism, as our favorite teams in the EPL (suck it, Barclays!) wear advertisements prominently on their kits. So what is the basis for our distaste of the English banking giant? All of the dirty details are after the jump.

If you are reading this, then you clearly have internet access. And if you have internet access, then you almost assuredly have an e-mail account (if you don't, you are most likely a politician). I am quite sure that in your daily stroll through your e-mail account, you are inundated with spam, phishing and the like. Imagine my surprise when I received this the other day:

From: "BARCLAYS BANK PAYMENT" bbramondbakerplc31@hotmail.com
Reply-To: ramondbaker19@yahoo.co.uk
Date: Fri, 28 Mar 2008 18:56:27 +0100
Subject: BARCLAYS BANK PAYMENT

BARCLAYS BANK PAYMENT
BARCLAYS BANK PLC.
CLAPHAM JUNCTION BRANCH,
7 ST JOHNS HILL,
SW 11 1 TN, LONDON www.barclaysbank.co.uk
Attention: REF:- INSTRUCTION TO CREDIT YOUR BANK ACCOUNT

This is to notify you about the statues of your fund right now in my desk. After due vetting and evaluation of your Inheritance file which The Ministry of Finance of the Federal Republic of Nigeria Forwarded and contacted us to see to your immediate payment.

From our findings you have been going through hard ways by paying alot of charges to see to the release of your fund ($28, 500, 000, 00) which has been delayed.

We advice that you stop further communication with any correspondence from Nigeria. You don't have to pay any charges to receive your Inheritance fund anymore as you have met up with the whole requirements, your representatives in Nigeria will tell you to still go ahead with them but on your own risk.The only thing required from you is to obtain Non-Resident Clearance Form/Reciept which we are not asking you to pay the fee to us here in United Kingdom as the Government of Nigeria have paid us for handling/processing of your payment with other customers.

We will help you to see that you obatin the form so that our bank will effect immediate transfer of your Inheritance sum ($28, 500, 000, 00) in to your designated bank account. Will you follow up our directives your fund will reflect in your account within five working Bank days from the day you obtain this form. Do not go through anybody again but through this Bank if you really want your fund.

Please respond to my private email (ramondbaker19@yahoo.co.uk)
Your RAYMOND BAKER
Head, Private Banking Section.
Barclays Bank Plc.

It's bad enough that they got their grubby little hands on the EPL, but now they're involved in a Nigerian bank scam? I'm not sending any money overseas unless it's to Arsene to help him finance a transfer for Benzema, Ribery and Ben Arfa.