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I've always been curious about that as well.

Although it doesn't entirely answer your question, you might find this paper to be interesting: "Why do Nigerian Scammers Say They are from Nigeria?" http://research.microsoft.com/pubs/167719/whyfromnigeria.pdf

Or perhaps it is a worst is better type of thing and the crappier designs convert better for their purposes. Hmm.

possibly.

perhaps people more readily identify with a site written with the same spelling and grammar mistakes they use, and trust the site more over those "educated" sites where "proper grammar" and "correct spelling" are just lorded over you and rubbed in your face. the crap website might be a kind of kindred spirit, just waiting to befriend the intellectually downtrodden.

Ugly designs can convert better in some situations, and the people making these sites are very likely tuning their sites to convert the best. Also, by making things unattractive to you, the scammers can filter for the people more likely to fall into their trap.