How The 419 Scam Works
from the very-sophisticated dept
We've been posting a ton of stories about the famous Nigerian money scam (also known as the 419 scam), but here's an article that gives even more details about how the scam works (beyond the typical description that usually says "they eventually hit you up for money"). Mike Wendland, from the Detroit Free Press actually followed through with one of the scam artists right up until the point where money was required and then mentioned that he was a reporter - only to have the scam artist disappear. This is running with a second article that talks to some people who fell for the scam where they explain some of the tactics used by the crooks to steal ridiculous amounts of money. There are all sorts of scams using photographs of photocopied money, as well as shipping counterfeit money coated in black paint to trick otherwise unsuspecting people out of hundreds of thousands of dollars.
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Unsuspecting??
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Victims deserve to be ripped off
I could imagine some addled person falling for a different story -- maybe the golden goose really did finally arrive! But anybody who agrees to this "419" scheme is completely amoral and deserves to be screwed.
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Coated Money
DW
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