Nigerian Scams

Roughly a week ago, I was at home with my folks watching this Dateline special that was dishing the scoop on Nigerian scams. I felt compelled to dig deeper into this matter. Americans are bombarded, on a daily basis, with images of deprived and malnourished South African families. It would almost seem unlikely that victims of poverty would have enough brilliance to scam wealthier people.

Photo 1: Computer users at an Internet
Cafe in Owerri, Nigeria

In fact, South Africans do have access to technological advances such as the Internet...there are even local Internet cafes that are being used daily. Inside these internet havens (particularly in Nigeria), natives are logging in to the Internet and using the email system to rip off honest people.

Whether it is the "money investment" scheme or the "money relocation" scheme, or the "mail order" mishap, "wiring overage" uh-oh, Nigerians are using the computer to their advantage.

On the Dateline series investigators went undercover and pretended to feed into an alleged Nigerian scam involving a woman who was apparently living in Switzerland and needed help with a money deal that was going to fall through unless someone helped her transport goods from one hemisphere to another...she came off as desperate and legit. For months, the investigators played along and then when the time was right, they asked to meet the young lady. Surprisingly, the woman accepted but under the condition that her attorney be present.

Upon meeting, investiagtors spotted the attorney, but with another woman...different from her online photo. Long story short...investigators were able to find that the emails were coming from an ISP located in Nigeria and not Switzerland. It was assumed that the representing "attorney" was the scammer...because he even wascaught in a lie and came clean about not even being an attorney.

These cafes were filmed and inside there are a collection of computer users who were mostly partaking in scams...

I just hope that people would keep an eye out for fraudulent email scams. For me, it is nearly impossible only because I am not one to answer a call from an unknown number or read an email from someone or something other than my school or close friends and family...it sucks, but it keeps me internet happy.

Keep your special offers and deals; keep your get rich quick schemes!

photo 1 courtesy of www.gbengasesan.com

photo 2 courtesy of http://news.bbc.co.uk/olmedia