Money Matters: How to spot a scam

There's a show that comes on CNBC every wednesday called American Greed and it talks about, you guessed it people who scam and their victims. Scaming is nothing new. The first documented case of scaming was in the late 1800's where William "520 percent" Miller invented the Ponzi Scheme when Charles Ponzi was still a minor. If there's a way to part you from your money, someone somewhere has thought of it and is coming for you. Here is a scheme from my inbox:

I AM MR MIKE NASRI THE CHIEF AUDITOR INCHARGE OF FOREIGN REMITTANCE UNIT OF
CENTRAL BANK AND 1.I HAVE HAD THE INTENT TO CONTACT YOU OVER THIS FINANCIAL
TRANSACTION WORTH THE SUM ($4.2Million USD) FOR OUR SUCCESS.

THIS IS AN
ABANDONED SUM THAT BELONGS TO ONE OF OUR BANK FOREIGN CUSTOMERS WHO DIED WITH
HEART RELATED DISEASE ALONG AGO.

YOU HAVE THE ABSOLUTE AUTHORITY TO
CLAIM THE FUND HENCE YOU ARE A FOREIGNER AS SOON AS YOU REPLY, STEP TO FOLLOW IN
ORDER TO FINALIZE THIS TRANSACTION IMMEDIATELY WOULD BE DECLARED TO YOU.
1.I
EXPECT YOU'RE URGENT COMMUNICATION.

YOURS SINCERELY
MR. MIKE NASRI

Mind you this person didn't ask for any upfront money but believe me they will. Very few people actually read these letters, all they see is the 4.2 million promised to them. Let's analyze this letter.

1. broken english- this person is obviously a foreigner because this letter makes no sense.
2. no name: not once in this letter did Mr. Nasri address me by name. He obviously has no idea who I am. He just sent out a bunch of emails hoping someone will respond.
3. something for nothing: this random person is going to give me 4.2 million out of the kindness of their heart?Be real. There is no money. If I email this person back, which I'm not going to do, they will tell me there is a transaction fee which will be minimal considering what I'll get back.
4. banks don't give other people's money away: although I'm not 100% sure on this, I am 99.999% sure that no bank will give someone else's money away. I'm sure this man had family, friends, a butler, dog or something that will love the money.
5. no details: what bank is this? what is the customer's name? why has no family been contacted? which country is this from? The only detail they need you to know is you're going to get 4.2 million.

Please be careful. There are so many heartless people who have scams for everything. There is a new scam going around for the victims of the gulf oil spill. These people are crafty. They know we want to get rich quick and if they can "offer" that to you, they will. Anything that pops up randomly in your inbox or promises something for very little is a scam. Beware! Also, please note that these people dissapear quicker than David Copperfield.