Missed Opportunities?

Starting about six months ago I have been receiving anywhere between 5-15 emails a day from people who wish to share their fortunes with me. At least 5 of these have supposedly been from the widow of the late Yasser Arafat. You've probably all gotten these. The dollar amounts and reasons why this money must be redistributed vary, but the underlying theme is the same. They generally go something like this:

Dear Sir/Friend/Beloved,

I am the son/widow/lottery manager/bank manager/attorney for the president of an African country torn apart by civil war/diamond mine/oil company and am looking for a business partner to help protect my father's/husband's/some dead client's money (usually accompanied with a link to show the accident in which the client died) from the government/business partner who is trying to get their hands on it.

I am looking for a business partner so that I can transfer this money into your country. The sum is (varies) and I would be willing to split it with you 80/20 (this also varies) for your efforts. All you need to do is give me your name, phone number, fax number and a bank account number so that we can make this transfer. Please understand that this must be kept strictly confidential until after the money has been transferred. Also know that there will be an opportunity for us to business together again in the future.

Sincerely/Yours Faithfully/Yours in God,

Name

Now I hate to be skeptical of these good people who are just looking to help me out by sharing their fortune with me in the name of doing what is right, but how can it be that there are at least five people a day who are willing to give me millions (or at the very least 100s of thousands of dollars)? Do people actually fall for this stuff and respond by sending out their names and bank account numbers? More importantly, who exactly is keeping this world list of emails updated? And how is it that this person (or people) knows which email addresses belong to people who can be trusted? And how can I get my name removed?

I just want to come out and say, Ms. Arafat, I am sorry to hear about your esophageal cancer, and that you have not lived your life according to your beliefs. I hope that you are able to make things right with your God, but I am not interested in laundering your money. You'll have to get someone else's email address off the 'world list.' We know that if they're on there, they can be trusted.

Of course, if I ever find out that all of these are real I am going to bang my head against the wall and cry about my lost fortune.