With the increasing opportunities opening up online and flying over us daily, I keep wondering and asking myself, why my dear Naija has still not left the blacklist of most international e-commerce sites. Being a Nigerian in Nigerian is like a curse or something. Paypal has banned Nigerian IP addresses for long now. I was particularly disturbed when an online outsourcing company elance sent me a mail that I have been operating from an unsupported country... and such my membership has been cancelled! It's so pathetic. I think we need to think more outside the box now!
Do you have such experiences? What are our options? Let's share experiences!!!

Its really bad. The image of Nigeria and Nigerians have been smeared so badly by the fraudulent actions of a few. So much that even non-Nigerians perpetrate crimes under the guise of being Nigerians!!!

Sites such as PayPal feel they shouldn't be party in facilitating these acts. Just google it, you'd be amazed at the number of "How to Access PayPal from Nigeria" links you'd find. This, in my opinion, further shows the desperation of a some lots to carrying out whatever business (legitimate or not) via paypal despite being officially unacceptable. If I can see this, I bet PayPal too does. To them, Nigeria is synonymous with fraud.

I haven't had any personal experience with PayPal in particular, but I've run across quite a number of sites that won't ship to Nigeria.

I think u already know how to manuvre the situation. Get a paid vpn service that allocates ur system a foreign IP each time u are online. I have been using this for more than 2 years. It is not that hard, it is technology not math.

samfibby: I think u already know how to manuvre the situation. Get a paid vpn service that allocates ur system a foreign IP each time u are online. I have been using this for more than 2 years. It is not that hard, it is technology not math.

Please do you have suggestions? Which do you use?

samfibby: I think u already know how to manuvre the situation. Get a paid vpn service that allocates ur system a foreign IP each time u are online. I have been using this for more than 2 years. It is not that hard, it is technology not math.

In your words, maneuvering the situation can be likened to the fraudulent cause attributed to Nigerians by PayPal. Circumventing the rule is still borderline illegal. Its only asserts further (to PayPal) that Nigerians are cunning.

Maleeq:
In your words, maneuvering the situation can be likened to the fraudulent cause attributed to Nigerians by PayPal. Circumventing the rule is still borderline illegal. Its only asserts further (to PayPal) that Nigerians are cunning.

Well that's true, but there refusal to doing things the legal way further makes Nigerians cunning and explore all means possible! They should find a way of partnering with a Nigerian Bank and make the whole process credible. they have a lot to gain from the Massive user potential in Nigeria. They win, we win!

@Maleeq. If nigerians are blocked from accessing citizens websites for whichever reason, tell me how their citizens who work or reside in nigeria access these websites Your guess is as good as mine. They only block IPs not humans from accessing their site.

@op. Pay 4 USAIP, their service is cheap 100 percent reliable. And please use it 4 honest purpose only.

This week Freelancer.com suspended my account.

Pathetic Reason: I did a project for a Nigerian on freelancer.com and got paid through Freelancer.com.

You would say "but that's how it should be done".... let me copy-paste part of Freelancer.com's pathetic reply.

We have noted your explanation on your project with *********. We have reasons to believe that you may already know the employer before the project was posted. To set your expectations correctly, if you're transacting with a user that is located in the same area as you are, this gives us the impression that you're either generating feedbacks or doing money exchange which are prohibited in our site. Also this action is very impractical since you will have to pay for fees and commissions whereas you can just hand over the project to him and pay instantly. Please note that we may need to reverse the payments that were transferred between the accounts. Please confirm your understanding of this resolution.

My crime: I followed the Freelancer.com rules and made sure this dude paid me every part of the money for the project through the website. I simply saw this project and placed a bid. I didn't even notice it was a Nigerian who posted the project.

Freelancer.com's view: I am a Nigerian dealing with a Nigerian so its impractical for me to have collected all the money through freelancer.com when I coulda just asked the user to pay me the money directly.

How is this pathetic?: Freelancer.com says obeying their rules under any circumstances could be "impractical".

I'm just dropping this for the OP so you don't waste time migrating to freelancer.com as you have be bounced from elance.com.


My reply to them:

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Hello,
Permit me to express my utter disappointment in freelancer.com for this statement you have made on behalf of freelancer.com:

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To set your expectations correctly, if you're transacting with a user that is located in the same area as you are, this gives us the impression that you're either generating feedbacks or doing money exchange which are prohibited in our site. Also this action is very impractical since you will have to pay for fees and commissions whereas you can just hand over the project to him and pay instantly
=========

Its interesting to note that its now a crime to be honest and follow the rules.

I didn't know following the written rules on freelancer.com could also mean breaking the rules. Or how else am I to take your explanation please?

Would you do this if it was 2 Indians? or 2 Americans? I really doubt so. But now its 2 Nigerians... so we can be treated as lesser people with no intelligence.

I do not know the said user of this project outside this place and I won't waste time in any argument about this. Anything you want to do with the payment is your choice, it won't take away my dignity. I didn't open my freelancer account 2 months ago, I have had my account since 2007 before some present employers of freelancer.com even knew freelancer.com existed.

For my Paypal account, you can please remove anything having to do with my Paypal account from my Freelancer account.

I have lost faith in this process really, its a shame.
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samfibby: @Maleeq. If nigerians are blocked from accessing citizens websites for whichever reason, tell me how their citizens who work or reside in nigeria access these websites Your guess is as good as mine. They only block IPs not humans from accessing their site.

@op. Pay 4 USAIP, their service is cheap 100 percent reliable. And please use it 4 honest purpose only.

Thank you so much for your assistance. I sure will use it for honest purposes. God bless you.

@dual_core
Damn, that's outrightly wrong of them!