Washington Post Says Economy Is Bad... No, Good... No, Bad For Nigerian 419 Scammers
from the good-or-bad? dept
There's a fascinating article in the Washington Post about the impact of the worldwide financial crisis on Nigerian 419 scammers. However, I have to admit, that I'm a bit confused about the article, which seems to state two totally contradictory things. First, that it's more difficult to be a Nigerian scammer these days since Americans don't have as much money -- but then at the same time, that Americans are falling for the scam more easily these days since they're desperate for money. I don't see how both can be true. Two quotes from the article:"We are working harder. The financial crisis is not making it easy for them over there," said Banjo, 24, speaking about Americans, whose trust he has won and whose money he has fleeced, via his Dell laptop. "They don't have money. And the money they don't have, we want."And then, just two paragraphs later:
U.S. authorities say Americans -- the easiest prey, according to Nigerian scammers -- lose hundreds of millions of dollars a year to cybercrimes, including a scheme known as the Nigerian 419 fraud, named for a section of the Nigerian criminal code. Now financially squeezed, Americans succumb even more easily to offers of riches, experts say.And then, just a bit later, the scammers again complain that times are harder, and profits are down 40%.
So... um... which is it? Has it become more difficult or easier than ever? Isn't that the sort of thing that a newspaper reporter would be expected to search out and let us know? Not the Washington Post, apparently. It just tells us both are true and lets everyone else figure it out!
While, personally, I still can't figure out how anyone is still fooled by such scams after so many years of them being talked and written about, the article does suggest that the scammers themselves are easily scammed. This, of course, will come as no surprise at all to the group of folks who have fun scambaiting 419 scammers, but the article notes that scammers who are having a tough time are quickly throwing down lots of cash on magic potions, powders and artifacts to help them perform better as scammers:
Banjo said, he has traveled six hours to the forest, where a magician sells scam-boosters. A $300 powder supposedly helps scammers "speak with authority" when demanding payment. A powder, rubbed on the face, reportedly makes victims viewing the scammer through webcams powerless to say no.So, scam baiters, it seems like perhaps you should be selling such things right back to the scammers.
"No matter what, they will pay," said Olumide, a college student, adding that he is boosting his romance scams by wearing a magical, live tortoise hanging from a cord around his neck.
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Filed Under: 419, economy, nigerian scammers
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Makes sense to me, in theory
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Re: Makes sense to me, in theory
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Re: Makes sense to me, in theory
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The article seems like a 419 scam...
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Believe Anything? You Bet!
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Bailout
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Re: Bailout
My apologies for the clarification, but this is America and you're a moron... so I wanted to make sure you didn't think 'Nigerian' is a PC substitute for 'ni**er'.
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Re: Re: Bailout
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Re: Re: Re: Bailout
If you put a Kenyan and Nigerian in a room together, I doubt there would be much mutual respect.
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Re: Re: Re: Bailout
By the way, did you know that African tribes would war with each other and sell the losers into slavery? I'd hardly call that "kinship" by anyone's definition. You need to read up on some world history.
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Re: Bailout
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I think the idea went along the lines of "American's are easier to bait into scams due to hard economic times, however due to American's having no money Scammers are dipping into a dry well due to hard economic times."
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What I find more interesting is the chain of scamming. I should totally set-up an automatic reply to an e-mail address I purposely get injected into spamming lists which says:
"Thank you for your contacting me about (enlarging my pen1s, your incredible business opportunity, and/or that fantastic m0rtgage rate). I am unable to send you cash at the moment, like many Americans I am hit with hard financial times. But let me tell you how I intend to get myself out of it, and it can help you too! With my amazing discovery of a special blend of herbs and spices that make people want to give you money! I'm using it right now! You want to give me money, don't you! That's how great this works!!! Send $583 to..."
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How in the fuck would anyone even believe their fishing emails even a little?
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One of the problems with print
Quite simply: sometimes you're rushed.
Admittedly I haven't worked in any newsrooms as reputable as the National Post, and I haven't actually worked on the editorial side since college, but I have observed without fail that sometimes journalists have to cut corners, or not take ideas as far as they wanted to, or leave out certain interviews or research elements, in order to make deadlines. Sometimes it's as simple as a source who doesn't get back to you in time.
This, I think, is the reason that truly excellent publications still produce sloppy journalism on a fairly regular basis.
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Re: One of the problems with print
We all have deadlines. Some of us, however, can be bothered to take the time to do our jobs correctly.
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Scambaiting
... Then you start questioning if any scambaiting story is actually real.
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Re: Scambaiting
Just asking, because it seems like these days the term "racism" is thrown around so much that it just doesn't mean anything. Stories written for a laugh aren't necessarily racist just because the story is about a particular group of people. Be careful of what you accuse people of, especially when you don't know who the people are.
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419 Advanced Fee fraud
Fees add up, scammers make money, we suffer once we're stupid enough to give in.
I personally just mark each 419 e-mail as spam and forget it.
Those that are dumb/stupid enough to believe that shit need to restart their education.
DON'T BELIEVE EVERYTHING YOU HEAR unless YOU check the SOURCE(S).
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I'll cut out the middle man
Mine are made from magical tree excrement and therefore ten times more powerful - guarenteed to make your morgage advisor say "yes", they are also useful for scaring away tax collectors when pinned to your front door
$400 each - who's first, limited supply
PS I am also acting as an advisor to a government minister who needs somewhere to place their second home allowance, please only apply if you are happy with thousands of dollars a month being placed in your account
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