This was originally posted in my blog

Everybody agrees that Internet fraudsters or yahoo boys as they are called in Nigeria are doing the most damage to Nigeria's image abroad. I'm also among those who agree but regrettably without any statistics to back our argument. Fortunately real statistics is proving us all wrong. According to Farooq Kperogi's column "Notes From Atlanta" in Weekly Trust of 4/7/2009, if statistics are anything to go by, then Internet scam should be termed "American Scam" and not "Nigerian Scam". Figures from the Internet Crimes Complaint Center shows that 76% to 87% of all Internet crimes reported from 2001 to 2008 were committed by Americans. In 2008 only 7.8% of such fraud was committed by Nigerians while America and UK has 66.1% and 10.1% respectively.

As a whole scam e-mails which Nigerians are known for, constitutes less than 3% of overall on-line crimes. This has decreased from 15.5% in 2001 to less than 3% in 2008. So why is the western media making so much noise about "Nigerian Scam" and keeping shut about the "Massive American On-line Crime" ?
I agree with Farooq that Nigerians especially those in the west have not help matters also. They always try to emphasize the bad image of Nigeria maybe to justify their self exile in the west. I think our journalists are also doing a lot of damage. It seems they concentrate on reporting mainly the corruption cases in Nigeria. I'm not saying there is no corruption, but can't they find somethings positive to report in a country of 140 million people, At least to maintain a balance ?.

Imagine the insult most of us were subjected to by having our on-line transactions stopped (especially by American companies) simply because we reside in Nigeria. Maybe the Nigerian Minister Of Information is not crazy after all, we need to re-brand Nigeria.

I think the problem is like saying "we have very little or no HIV cases In our country". While it may seem as a valid point (similar to what I understand your post to be saying), but on closer inspection and scrutiny, one can see many factors that make that statement very untrue.

While our reputation for online scam is true in my opinion, the lack of data to back it up like you are claiming do not mean is not a valid or a fair tag. Let us start by asking ourselves - how muchis the nation doing as a whole to root out this issue? Do we have a culture or mentality of looking for an easier option even if it means cheating etc? Do we have corruption on almost all level of government branches? Is our nation in a dire state as a result of embezzeling and mismangement? Etc. I think you would find that these questions can serve as an indicator in some ways, and go a long supporting the notion of endemic fraud issue in nigeria. To deny this is just wrong.

Nigeria have little or no standards, and we have shown time and time again we can hardly enforce any rules when needed over a long time when it comes to this internet scam. As a result, expect others from outside to at least try and take charge in some ways.

I have no issues if your online transaction was stopped - our nation is not doing enough to combat internet fraud. Period. While it may sound harsh, internet fraud causes million of dollars every year in losses, surely something have to be done?

Oh man . . . I have to run. My battery on my phone is low.

The point I'm trying to make is that we do not deserve the internet scam crown that we have been given. Please try not to ignore the statistics, US is at 66.1% while we are at 7.8% and the UK is at 10.1%. Yet they refer to scam e-mails as "Nigerian Scam" and not "American Scam". The fact that we have internet scam doesn't mean it should be unjustly celebrated like it is being done now.

@IG,

You are correct in your analysis, I have been writing about this for over 5 years now and it is funny that Nigeria and relevant agencies are allowing this anomaly to continue.

See below one of those articles.


http://afamnnaji.com/blog_view.php?id=84

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
How EFCC can effectively tackle online scam (419)

He who pays the piper dictates the tune, so goes a popular proverb. The EFCC seems not to have any clue as to the state of online scams in the world, no verifiable statistics to back up claims made by foreign agencies and no effort made to gather and analyze data based on facts.

Otherwise, why would Nigeria and Nigerians be targeted as if majority of the online scams come from Nigerians and the EFCC cannot correct such position?

Defending or promoting ideas or positions of Western agencies or nations sometimes to the detriment of Nigeria and Nigerians is wrong and must be stopped immediately.

Good enough the Ministry of Information is embarking on Rebranding Nigeria Project, maybe this is a good time for the EFCC to evaluate its position on online scam as it relates to Nigeria and Nigerians.

I wish to state here that I have met dedicated Nigerians working in the EFCC who in my opinion know what the problems are and are ready to make sacrifices for this country but unfortunately cannot do much as long as EFCC continues to do what the Western agencies and nations wants it to do.

If there is one thing that has damaged the image of Nigeria worldwide it is the issue of online scams and the very wrong notion that online scam is synonymous with Nigeria.

Online scam refers to any scam that is planned, aided by, assisted by, carried out using a computer or network of computers that are connected to the internet.

What percentage of Nigerians have access to the internet? What is the internet penetration in Africa not just Nigeria when compared to Asian countries or the West?

What is the yardstick used to justify this erroneous position that online scams begin and end with Nigeria and Nigerians.

Even before the internet became common in Nigeria there have been online scams perpetrated by many non Nigerians taking different forms.

We have lived with these online scams that tend to target millions of people using mass emails that were either harvested or paid for offering prizes for non existent contests, winnings for non existent competitions, product or gadget offers, all expenses paid holiday trips etc.

What is common in all these online scams is the amount of money involved. The scammers usually ask for small amounts of money that potential victims would effortlessly part with and in almost all the cases once you part with your money you cannot trace or hold anyone responsible that is if you are not unlucky to have also parted with your credit card information that would be used to launch other online scams.

So, what is the noise about Nigerians being seen as online scammers by even nations that have their citizens sleeping and waking up on online scams?

No doubt, Nigerians are involved in online scams but the percentage is very small when compared to what has been happening in the past and what is still happening today in the cyber world.

Most online scams being perpetrated by Nigeria don't focus on millions of potential victims (even though mass mailing is used) with small transaction costs like $10.00 or $35.00. They focus on extremely greedy people who are usually attracted to the prospect of making millions of dollars (fraudulently I must add) by just becoming active collaborators or willing partners in the economic crime against Nigeria.

For over 5 years now I have made it clear that most online scam victims (especially the 419 type) are greedy, lazy and stupid and this position has been defended even on forums dedicated to tackling 419 scam by foreigners who see nothing wrong in the active collaboration (with hope of striking big money) but see everything wrong in Nigerians that stop communicating with them when they have collected enough processing fees or when they have run out of ideas on how to sustain the scam.

Now, as to the problems facing the EFCC in the fight against online scams as it affects Nigerians.

Can you put a stop to prostitution as long as men (who are willing participants) continue to patronize prostitutes without any consequences? NO.

Likewise, can the EFCC effectively tackle online scams in Nigeria as long as it tends to protect the foreign collaborators (who in my opinion are actively involved in economic crimes against Nigeria) while focusing on Nigerians? NO.

What does it take to initiate an online scam? A computer that is connected to the internet, one or more email addresses and any crazy business proposal that promises maximum returns with very minimal effort especially in terms of processing fees.

These are common variants: Become a beneficiary for some forgotten millions of dollars somewhere in a bank, become a beneficiary for millions of dollars belonging to a dead guy (with links to actual plane crashes), buy crude oil for $10.00 per barrel (even though everyone knows the prevailing international crude oil price), take 40% of say $260M by providing your bank account for the transfer.

Why on earth would a reasonable and honest person want to make money from a fraudulent business transaction and yet have the audacity to turn around to insult Nigeria and Nigerians when the promises don't materialize?

Way forward for the EFCC if it really wants to make an impact in this fight

1. Insist on prosecuting online scammers along with their foreign collaborators. This will more than anything else scare a lot of foreigners away.
2. Seek for an increase in the jail term for online scam convicts, the longer the jail term the better
3. Seek for and secure the right to shut down Nigerian owned fraudulent websites regardless of location.
4. Collect, collate, analyze and make available statistics (even going down 10 years ago) that clearly shows the distribution of online scams based on nationalities of perpetrators, originating countries (server locations), email addresses (domain owners) etc

Put differently, there is an urgent need for a change or an update in the Legislation guiding the operations of EFCC as it concerns online scams. There is a very important need to define the collaborator as a guilty partner in the online scam and not as a victim because truth be told almost all the so called victims are far from victims in these online scams.

I have heard and I know that the EFCC believes that the reason for focusing on Nigerians is the INTENT. Granted, it is ok to consider the intent but certainly not enough considering the fact that one person cannot commit 419. It takes a minimum of 2 people, the originator (with the intent) and the collaborator (active business partner hoping to benefit from the scam).

While we are still on INTENT let me point out 2 major areas where INTENT is ignored by the Nigeria Police when it comes to tackling crimes in Nigeria (this I hope will help us understand why the EFCC is acting out a script written by the Western agencies and nations).

1. Both the giver and receiver of stolen goods are considered culpable in Nigeria. This is enforced by the Nigeria Police and is working well
2. The giver and receiver of bribes are considered guilty. This is also the position of the police and I do not have a problem with this as it takes two to tango.

Nigerians, we need to demand from the EFCC a workable approach in tackling online scams especially the 419 brand that has done a lot of damage to Nigerians. Innocent Nigerians are first seen as criminals, searched as if they are aliens from other planets and discriminated against by non Nigerians especially in foreign nations.

We cannot justify the actions of the corrupt few as we hope that the EFCC would hold them accountable for their actions but we cannot be fooled into believing that the current strategy is working as it is clearly not working.

The allegiance of the EFCC should be and must be to Nigeria and Nigerians. The best approach that serves our own interest should be the top priority here.

If agencies and nations that contribute to the running of the EFCC are not comfortable with Nigeria taking a very strong stand on the issue of 419 scam then the Federal Government should as a matter of national importance provide the EFCC with all the necessary funds, manpower and tools so that they can do what is best for Nigeria and Nigerians.

If you tell outsiders that your child is a bastard trust me outsiders will call that child a bastard anytime they want to and there is very little you can do about it.

There is hardly any nation that is completely free of crime including online scams. Anyone from anywhere with access to the internet can initiate an online scam.

If majority of online scams are not committed by Nigerians then why is the world behaving as if they are committed by our own very people?

However, this piece cannot dismiss the over 150 convictions the EFCC has recorded even when the system finds it difficult to convict a single armed robber. So, while we hail the EFCC for the positives the agency should be ready to reevaluate the current strategies and seek for better and more effective legislation to even achieve more.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

IG:

The point I'm trying to make is that we do not deserve the internet scam crown that we have been given. Please try not to ignore the statistics, US is at 66.1% while we are at 7.8% and the UK is at 10.1%. Yet they refer to scam e-mails as "Nigerian Scam" and not "American Scam". The fact that we have internet scam doesn't mean it should be unjustly celebrated like it is being done now.

From what I can see Nigerian email scam referred to in the news always have some sort of link with Nigeria - email content - hence one of the reasons. A good example was the one sent to some MPs claiming to be from Jack Straw when he was in africa or something.

Seeing that you have data for the US and UK, how come none exist for Nigeria?

Seeing that you have data for the US and UK, how come none exist for Nigeria?

@ElRazur, please be patient enough to read my posts. You even quoted my statement that states 7.8% for Nigeria.
Making it more clear

U.S.A    66.1%
U.K       10.1%
Nigeria   7.8%

Please don't rush into condemning yourself.

IG:

@ElRazur, please be patient enough to read my posts. You even quoted my statement that states 7.8% for Nigeria.
Making it more clear

U.S.A    66.1%
U.K       10.1%
Nigeria   7.8%

Please don't rush into condemning yourself.

IG:

@ElRazur, please be patient enough to read my posts. You even quoted my statement that states 7.8% for Nigeria.
Making it more clear

U.S.A    66.1%
U.K       10.1%
Nigeria   7.8%

Please don't rush into condemning yourself.

Apologise for that. I could swear I made a post correcting that, but never mind strange things happen and I was one my phone making that post [Plus doing other things]. Besides, I raised other issues which some how have gone on the sideline. But let us not digress shall we?

Again am stating this. All the email I have seen seem to have something to do with Nigeria and perhaps a fair play that these emails are labelled as such? As per the stats at hand, how many percentage of those committed in the US and UK are made by Nigerians etc? It would be interesting to know.

By the way, the actual link to where your stats came from is not readily visible - I.e may require a search. If you can at least point me to the actual link, it would make an interesting read.

The real issue?
Nigerians sell our country too cheaply. The smallest oyibo nonentity only has to mention "corruption"; then watch insecure, holier than thou "I can sell my mother" types start going over the top with how bad it is in their village and how police took away their idiot brother. . . By the way, how we Nigerians are so useless, even our President is called YaraDull.
If we dress like mad people, don't be suprised when fingers start pointing. We are the ones doing the selling.

What if it was Nigerians that caused this global financial meltdown? Enron? Mardoff? Abi no be corruption cause am?

IG, you've made a solid point.

Beaf, internet fraud as a result of email [which Nigeria is infamous for] is probably not the same as some global meltdown. Personally, I feel the issue of calling emails having something to do with Nigeria, and then calling it Nigeria email scam is pretty much bang on target.

How come it wasn't called Ghana email scam, or Online Togo scam. Before we point fingers, perhaps we should look at ourselves. That is the way I see it.

@ElRazur.
Enron was caused by fast fingers, same as the Global financial meltdown (pyramid scams with property and Chinese loans)
There is a vast difference in the scale the crimes I mentioned, but you don't hear that the US or UK are corrupt.

I still cannot why Nigeria and relevant agencies have not taken time to challenge this nonsense.

++++++++++++++++++++++++
http://afamnnaji.com/blog_view.php?id=84

How EFCC can effectively tackle online scam (419)

He who pays the piper dictates the tune, so goes a popular proverb. The EFCC seems not to have any clue as to the state of online scams in the world, no verifiable statistics to back up claims made by foreign agencies and no effort made to gather and analyze data based on facts.

Otherwise, why would Nigeria and Nigerians be targeted as if majority of the online scams come from Nigerians and the EFCC cannot correct such position?

Defending or promoting ideas or positions of Western agencies or nations sometimes to the detriment of Nigeria and Nigerians is wrong and must be stopped immediately.

Good enough the Ministry of Information is embarking on Rebranding Nigeria Project, maybe this is a good time for the EFCC to evaluate its position on online scam as it relates to Nigeria and Nigerians.

I wish to state here that I have met dedicated Nigerians working in the EFCC who in my opinion know what the problems are and are ready to make sacrifices for this country but unfortunately cannot do much as long as EFCC continues to do what the Western agencies and nations wants it to do.

If there is one thing that has damaged the image of Nigeria worldwide it is the issue of online scams and the very wrong notion that online scam is synonymous with Nigeria.

Online scam refers to any scam that is planned, aided by, assisted by, carried out using a computer or network of computers that are connected to the internet.

What percentage of Nigerians have access to the internet? What is the internet penetration in Africa not just Nigeria when compared to Asian countries or the West?

What is the yardstick used to justify this erroneous position that online scams begin and end with Nigeria and Nigerians.

Even before the internet became common in Nigeria there have been online scams perpetrated by many non Nigerians taking different forms.

We have lived with these online scams that tend to target millions of people using mass emails that were either harvested or paid for offering prizes for non existent contests, winnings for non existent competitions, product or gadget offers, all expenses paid holiday trips etc.

What is common in all these online scams is the amount of money involved. The scammers usually ask for small amounts of money that potential victims would effortlessly part with and in almost all the cases once you part with your money you cannot trace or hold anyone responsible that is if you are not unlucky to have also parted with your credit card information that would be used to launch other online scams.

So, what is the noise about Nigerians being seen as online scammers by even nations that have their citizens sleeping and waking up on online scams?

No doubt, Nigerians are involved in online scams but the percentage is very small when compared to what has been happening in the past and what is still happening today in the cyber world.

Most online scams being perpetrated by Nigeria don't focus on millions of potential victims (even though mass mailing is used) with small transaction costs like $10.00 or $35.00. They focus on extremely greedy people who are usually attracted to the prospect of making millions of dollars (fraudulently I must add) by just becoming active collaborators or willing partners in the economic crime against Nigeria.

For over 5 years now I have made it clear that most online scam victims (especially the 419 type) are greedy, lazy and stupid and this position has been defended even on forums dedicated to tackling 419 scam by foreigners who see nothing wrong in the active collaboration (with hope of striking big money) but see everything wrong in Nigerians that stop communicating with them when they have collected enough processing fees or when they have run out of ideas on how to sustain the scam.

Now, as to the problems facing the EFCC in the fight against online scams as it affects Nigerians.

Can you put a stop to prostitution as long as men (who are willing participants) continue to patronize prostitutes without any consequences? NO.

Likewise, can the EFCC effectively tackle online scams in Nigeria as long as it tends to protect the foreign collaborators (who in my opinion are actively involved in economic crimes against Nigeria) while focusing on Nigerians? NO.

What does it take to initiate an online scam? A computer that is connected to the internet, one or more email addresses and any crazy business proposal that promises maximum returns with very minimal effort especially in terms of processing fees.

These are common variants: Become a beneficiary for some forgotten millions of dollars somewhere in a bank, become a beneficiary for millions of dollars belonging to a dead guy (with links to actual plane crashes), buy crude oil for $10.00 per barrel (even though everyone knows the prevailing international crude oil price), take 40% of say $260M by providing your bank account for the transfer.

Why on earth would a reasonable and honest person want to make money from a fraudulent business transaction and yet have the audacity to turn around to insult Nigeria and Nigerians when the promises don't materialize?

Way forward for the EFCC if it really wants to make an impact in this fight

1. Insist on prosecuting online scammers along with their foreign collaborators. This will more than anything else scare a lot of foreigners away.
2. Seek for an increase in the jail term for online scam convicts, the longer the jail term the better
3. Seek for and secure the right to shut down Nigerian owned fraudulent websites regardless of location.
4. Collect, collate, analyze and make available statistics (even going down 10 years ago) that clearly shows the distribution of online scams based on nationalities of perpetrators, originating countries (server locations), email addresses (domain owners) etc

Put differently, there is an urgent need for a change or an update in the Legislation guiding the operations of EFCC as it concerns online scams. There is a very important need to define the collaborator as a guilty partner in the online scam and not as a victim because truth be told almost all the so called victims are far from victims in these online scams.

I have heard and I know that the EFCC believes that the reason for focusing on Nigerians is the INTENT. Granted, it is ok to consider the intent but certainly not enough considering the fact that one person cannot commit 419. It takes a minimum of 2 people, the originator (with the intent) and the collaborator (active business partner hoping to benefit from the scam).

While we are still on INTENT let me point out 2 major areas where INTENT is ignored by the Nigeria Police when it comes to tackling crimes in Nigeria (this I hope will help us understand why the EFCC is acting out a script written by the Western agencies and nations).

1. Both the giver and receiver of stolen goods are considered culpable in Nigeria. This is enforced by the Nigeria Police and is working well
2. The giver and receiver of bribes are considered guilty. This is also the position of the police and I do not have a problem with this as it takes two to tango.

Nigerians, we need to demand from the EFCC a workable approach in tackling online scams especially the 419 brand that has done a lot of damage to Nigerians. Innocent Nigerians are first seen as criminals, searched as if they are aliens from other planets and discriminated against by non Nigerians especially in foreign nations.

We cannot justify the actions of the corrupt few as we hope that the EFCC would hold them accountable for their actions but we cannot be fooled into believing that the current strategy is working as it is clearly not working.

The allegiance of the EFCC should be and must be to Nigeria and Nigerians. The best approach that serves our own interest should be the top priority here.

If agencies and nations that contribute to the running of the EFCC are not comfortable with Nigeria taking a very strong stand on the issue of 419 scam then the Federal Government should as a matter of national importance provide the EFCC with all the necessary funds, manpower and tools so that they can do what is best for Nigeria and Nigerians.

If you tell outsiders that your child is a bastard trust me outsiders will call that child a bastard anytime they want to and there is very little you can do about it.

There is hardly any nation that is completely free of crime including online scams. Anyone from anywhere with access to the internet can initiate an online scam.

If majority of online scams are not committed by Nigerians then why is the world behaving as if they are committed by our own very people?

However, this piece cannot dismiss the over 150 convictions the EFCC has recorded even when the system finds it difficult to convict a single armed robber. So, while we hail the EFCC for the positives the agency should be ready to reevaluate the current strategies and seek for better and more effective legislation to even achieve more.
+++++++++++++++++++++

90% of the scam emails I get are from Europe and America. Its Americans always wanting to sell caked powder as Viagra and all the other rubbish. . .

I do get my fair share of yahoo yahoo mails but they are nowhere near the ones trying to sell me fake drugs etc. The salesmen who scam OAPs by deceiving them to sign contracts with Gas and electricity compaines are not Nigerians.

JustGood:

90% of the scam emails I get are from Europe and America. Its Americans always wanting to sell caked powder as Viagra and all the other rubbish. . .

I do get my fair share of yahoo yahoo mails but they are nowhere near the ones trying to sell me fake drugs etc. The salesmen who scam OAPs by deceiving them to sign contracts with Gas and electricity compaines are not Nigerians.

justgood u know we expect much from you bros. 419 letters is bad gas or electricity seller or no sellers.

JustGood:

90% of the scam emails I get are from Europe and America. Its Americans always wanting to sell caked powder as Viagra and all the other rubbish. . .

I do get my fair share of yahoo yahoo mails but they are nowhere near the ones trying to sell me fake drugs etc. The salesmen who scam OAPs by deceiving them to sign contracts with Gas and electricity compaines are not Nigerians.

Why do you like to twist stories and present them to suit your view?

How are these drugs fake? I guess you bought from every one of them?

In the UK, door-to-door sales is not even allowed in some areas, or at least regulated. OAP are not duped into signing anything like you are trying to portray - they do not even part with their cash - besides, their are concession for some OAPs when it comes to electricity and Gas.

GEW:

justgood u know we expect much from you bros. 419 letters is bad gas or electricity seller or no sellers.

Referring to those others is not a justification for 419 and other rubbish perpetrated by Nigerians abroad. I posted that to show my experience and what I have read about.

ElRazur:


Why do you like to twist stories and present them to suit your view?

How are these drugs fake? I guess you bought from every one of them?

In the UK, door-to-door sales is not even allowed in some areas, or at least regulated. OAP are not duped into signing anything like you are trying to portray - they do not even part with their cash - besides, their are concession for some OAPs when it comes to electricity and Gas.

If these drugs are the right ones, why does the government always tell us not to buy drugs on the internet? OAPs dont part with their cash?. . . oh yes, they only have to sign documents which implicate them financially. Do concessions mean they get electricity and gas for free?

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/scotland/article4641432.ece

na wa o

A former salesman, who did not want to be named, said he reported deception and mis-selling by salesmen to Luke Schultz, the Edinburgh sales office manager, but that only one, who had accumulated 27 complaints, was sacked. The salesman resigned from the company last week because he felt the management had misled him about price rises.

“I felt sick because I had been signing people up telling them, ‘we have had this honesty policy that we when we put our prices up it will be last and by the least amount’. We weren’t. Our company has been making me lie to all these people.”

Another Nigerian 419 man?

On three occasions she said: “I really only like dealing with my local man and don’t want to change . . . I want to think about it if you give me some literature.” He ignored her objections. Lyall later told The Sunday Times that she couldn’t read what she signed and cancelled the policy the next day.

The reporter took his findings to Finlay Mason, area sales manager, and Lindsay MacDonald, acting office manager, for Scottish Hydro. Both warned the reporter not to lie on the doorstep but did not appear to take any action.

JustGood:

If these drugs are the right ones, why does the government always tell us not to buy drugs on the internet? OAPs dont part with their cash?. . . oh yes, they only have to sign documents which implicate them financially. Do concessions mean they get electricity and gas for free?

It is not as simple as that.

Your statement suggest all emails asking you buy drugs are fake.

People sell drugs across the web because it is easier to reach a global audience. Some of these drugs are actually as good as they claim, but are not readily availabe in the UK -either due to needing prescription or not yet licensed etc.

There are laws in place to make sure contract and trades explanation are clear cut.

Concessions mean they get some sort of subsidized electricity and Gas due to their income etc.

JustGood:

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/scotland/article4641432.ece

na wa o


Another Nigerian 419 man?

Please go and look across the web and tell which one you find the most - Naija scam email or Western scam email.

ElRazur:

It is not as simple as that.

Your statement suggest all emails asking you buy drugs are fake.

People sell drugs across the web because it is easier to reach a global audience. Some of these drugs are actually as good as they claim, but are not readily availabe in the UK -either due to needing prescription or not yet licensed etc.

There are laws in place to make sure contract and trades explanation are clear cut.

Concessions mean they get some sort of subsidized electricity and Gas due to their income etc.

Please go and look across the web and tell which one you find the most - Naija scam email or Western scam email.

Is it not criminal to expect me to buy drugs through a non-legalised route?

There are also laws in place to ensure that 419ers are caught.

Concessions dont mean they dont get to pay and they can be made to pay to thieving/fraudulent salesmen.

Nigerians are more likely to live in poverty than westerners so it is normal that their own style of scams will be more naive and not subtle enough. It will therefore seem to be more pronounced.

Just to be clear, I regard scammers as scum and I dont condone them but I like to get things straight.

JustGood, it is not as simple like that.

Tamiflu appears to be prescription only in the Uk - I.e, you would need a note from the GP to get one. However due to the fear of swine flu, a lot of people have bought some over the net. There is no law saying you can buy some kind of drugs. However, trying to buy cocaine or heroine over the net is illegal.

Most of the emails you get are usually about Viagra and aphrodisiac. . . am guessing.

I already explained what concessions is. However, there are a few bad eggs amongst sales men - mind you not the company but the sales men doing the leg work [some are paid on commission basis]

You claim to not like scam, yet you appear to have given some sort of explanation as to why it may be acceptable as long as it is from a nigerian? ?

ElRazur:

JustGood, it is not as simple like that.

Tamiflu appears to be prescription only in the Uk - I.e, you would need a note from the GP to get one. However due to the fear of swine flu, a lot of people have bought some over the net. There is no law saying you can buy some kind of drugs. However, trying to buy cocaine or heroine over the net is illegal.

Most of the emails you get are usually about Viagra and aphrodisiac. . . am guessing.

I already explained what concessions is. However, there are a few bad eggs amongst sales men - mind you not the company but the sales men doing the leg work [some are paid on commission basis]

You claim to not like scam, yet you appear to have given some sort of explanation as to why it may be acceptable as long as it is from a nigerian? ?

You have a strange meaning for accpetable

And who is removing my post? I posted something yesterday and it disappeared, posted it again in the morning and about 9 hrs later it's gone.

What is really happening here?

There is an anti-spam bot plug-in being used. It is indiscriminate.It may be worth clearing your cache and cookies - I did and it appeared worked for me.

419 is dead

It played out in early 2000.

today it is all about identity theft.

that's where the big money is.

and EVERY EASTERN COUNTRY is doing it.

ElRazur:

There is an anti-spam bot plug-in being used. It is indiscriminate.It may be worth clearing your cache and cookies - I did and it appeared worked for me.

Many thanks for the advice. Hope it works for me too.



+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

How EFCC can effectively tackle online scam (419)

He who pays the piper dictates the tune, so goes a popular proverb. The EFCC seems not to have any clue as to the state of online scams in the world, no verifiable statistics to back up claims made by foreign agencies and no effort made to gather and analyze data based on facts.

Otherwise, why would Nigeria and Nigerians be targeted as if majority of the online scams come from Nigerians and the EFCC cannot correct such position?

Defending or promoting ideas or positions of Western agencies or nations sometimes to the detriment of Nigeria and Nigerians is wrong and must be stopped immediately.

Good enough the Ministry of Information is embarking on Rebranding Nigeria Project, maybe this is a good time for the EFCC to evaluate its position on online scam as it relates to Nigeria and Nigerians.

I wish to state here that I have met dedicated Nigerians working in the EFCC who in my opinion know what the problems are and are ready to make sacrifices for this country but unfortunately cannot do much as long as EFCC continues to do what the Western agencies and nations wants it to do.

If there is one thing that has damaged the image of Nigeria worldwide it is the issue of online scams and the very wrong notion that online scam is synonymous with Nigeria.

Online scam refers to any scam that is planned, aided by, assisted by, carried out using a computer or network of computers that are connected to the internet.

What percentage of Nigerians have access to the internet? What is the internet penetration in Africa not just Nigeria when compared to Asian countries or the West?

What is the yardstick used to justify this erroneous position that online scams begin and end with Nigeria and Nigerians.

Even before the internet became common in Nigeria there have been online scams perpetrated by many non Nigerians taking different forms.

We have lived with these online scams that tend to target millions of people using mass emails that were either harvested or paid for offering prizes for non existent contests, winnings for non existent competitions, product or gadget offers, all expenses paid holiday trips etc.

What is common in all these online scams is the amount of money involved. The scammers usually ask for small amounts of money that potential victims would effortlessly part with and in almost all the cases once you part with your money you cannot trace or hold anyone responsible that is if you are not unlucky to have also parted with your credit card information that would be used to launch other online scams.

So, what is the noise about Nigerians being seen as online scammers by even nations that have their citizens sleeping and waking up on online scams?

No doubt, Nigerians are involved in online scams but the percentage is very small when compared to what has been happening in the past and what is still happening today in the cyber world.

Most online scams being perpetrated by Nigeria don't focus on millions of potential victims (even though mass mailing is used) with small transaction costs like $10.00 or $35.00. They focus on extremely greedy people who are usually attracted to the prospect of making millions of dollars (fraudulently I must add) by just becoming active collaborators or willing partners in the economic crime against Nigeria.

For over 5 years now I have made it clear that most online scam victims (especially the 419 type) are greedy, lazy and stupid and this position has been defended even on forums dedicated to tackling 419 scam by foreigners who see nothing wrong in the active collaboration (with hope of striking big money) but see everything wrong in Nigerians that stop communicating with them when they have collected enough processing fees or when they have run out of ideas on how to sustain the scam.

Now, as to the problems facing the EFCC in the fight against online scams as it affects Nigerians.

Can you put a stop to prostitution as long as men (who are willing participants) continue to patronize prostitutes without any consequences? NO.

Likewise, can the EFCC effectively tackle online scams in Nigeria as long as it tends to protect the foreign collaborators (who in my opinion are actively involved in economic crimes against Nigeria) while focusing on Nigerians? NO.

What does it take to initiate an online scam? A computer that is connected to the internet, one or more email addresses and any crazy business proposal that promises maximum returns with very minimal effort especially in terms of processing fees.

These are common variants: Become a beneficiary for some forgotten millions of dollars somewhere in a bank, become a beneficiary for millions of dollars belonging to a dead guy (with links to actual plane crashes), buy crude oil for $10.00 per barrel (even though everyone knows the prevailing international crude oil price), take 40% of say $260M by providing your bank account for the transfer.

Why on earth would a reasonable and honest person want to make money from a fraudulent business transaction and yet have the audacity to turn around to insult Nigeria and Nigerians when the promises don't materialize?

Way forward for the EFCC if it really wants to make an impact in this fight

1. Insist on prosecuting online scammers along with their foreign collaborators. This will more than anything else scare a lot of foreigners away.
2. Seek for an increase in the jail term for online scam convicts, the longer the jail term the better
3. Seek for and secure the right to shut down Nigerian owned fraudulent websites regardless of location.
4. Collect, collate, analyze and make available statistics (even going down 10 years ago) that clearly shows the distribution of online scams based on nationalities of perpetrators, originating countries (server locations), email addresses (domain owners) etc

Put differently, there is an urgent need for a change or an update in the Legislation guiding the operations of EFCC as it concerns online scams. There is a very important need to define the collaborator as a guilty partner in the online scam and not as a victim because truth be told almost all the so called victims are far from victims in these online scams.

I have heard and I know that the EFCC believes that the reason for focusing on Nigerians is the INTENT. Granted, it is ok to consider the intent but certainly not enough considering the fact that one person cannot commit 419. It takes a minimum of 2 people, the originator (with the intent) and the collaborator (active business partner hoping to benefit from the scam).

While we are still on INTENT let me point out 2 major areas where INTENT is ignored by the Nigeria Police when it comes to tackling crimes in Nigeria (this I hope will help us understand why the EFCC is acting out a script written by the Western agencies and nations).

1. Both the giver and receiver of stolen goods are considered culpable in Nigeria. This is enforced by the Nigeria Police and is working well
2. The giver and receiver of bribes are considered guilty. This is also the position of the police and I do not have a problem with this as it takes two to tango.

Nigerians, we need to demand from the EFCC a workable approach in tackling online scams especially the 419 brand that has done a lot of damage to Nigerians. Innocent Nigerians are first seen as criminals, searched as if they are aliens from other planets and discriminated against by non Nigerians especially in foreign nations.

We cannot justify the actions of the corrupt few as we hope that the EFCC would hold them accountable for their actions but we cannot be fooled into believing that the current strategy is working as it is clearly not working.

The allegiance of the EFCC should be and must be to Nigeria and Nigerians. The best approach that serves our own interest should be the top priority here.

If agencies and nations that contribute to the running of the EFCC are not comfortable with Nigeria taking a very strong stand on the issue of 419 scam then the Federal Government should as a matter of national importance provide the EFCC with all the necessary funds, manpower and tools so that they can do what is best for Nigeria and Nigerians.

If you tell outsiders that your child is a bastard trust me outsiders will call that child a bastard anytime they want to and there is very little you can do about it.

There is hardly any nation that is completely free of crime including online scams. Anyone from anywhere with access to the internet can initiate an online scam.

If majority of online scams are not committed by Nigerians then why is the world behaving as if they are committed by our own very people?

However, this piece cannot dismiss the over 150 convictions the EFCC has recorded even when the system finds it difficult to convict a single armed robber. So, while we hail the EFCC for the positives the agency should be ready to reevaluate the current strategies and seek for better and more effective legislation to even achieve more.
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@ElRazur

I thought the poster is making a point and is u that is narrowing ur thinking. The argument is not only about internet scam but western hypocrisy of quickly and gladly point accusation finger's to others knowing fully well that they are the real perpetrators.

Come to think of it, most human atrocities is being committed by who?
- Slavery : westerners
- Gas Chamber : westerners
- war crime : Bush, Clinton, Baby Bush ,   
- Financial Swindler of all time : Mardof
- Discrimination : for over 100 years blacks and women dont vote in America

The list can go on and on and on. And still the west believe they are the decent form of governance ever. believe that and u are set for life.

Erm okay.

^{It gets to a stage where it is best to just let some things be.}

deen:

@ElRazur

I thought the poster is making a point and is u that is narrowing ur thinking. The argument is not only about internet scam but western hypocrisy of quickly and gladly point accusation finger's to others knowing fully well that they are the real perpetrators.

Come to think of it, most human atrocities is being committed by who?
- Slavery : westerners
- Gas Chamber : westerners
- war crime : Bush, Clinton, Baby Bush ,   
- Financial Swindler of all time : Mardof
- Discrimination : for over 100 years blacks and women dont vote in America

The list can go on and on and on. And still the west believe they are the decent form of governance ever. believe that and u are set for life.

Really?
- Slavery: Africans, they sold out their brothers and sisters. (worst than buying a stranger)
- Genocide: Africans-omar elbashiru.
- Financial swindlers: 40% of nigerian youths.
- War crimes: Gowon, Samuel doe, charles taylor. the list is endless.
- Discrimination: nigerians tribes till date.

It is not as simple as that.

Your statement suggest all emails asking you buy drugs are fake.

People sell drugs across the web because it is easier to reach a global audience. Some of these drugs are actually as good as they claim, but are not readily availabe in the UK -either due to needing prescription or not yet licensed etc.

There are laws in place to make sure contract and trades explanation are clear cut.
and Gas due to their income etc.

This poser is a dead end. He is one sorry western apology defending thier hypocisy with a demention. The scam emails are every where in my email and its all from some gabbage western idiots trying to cheat us out of the little we have. I bought a book from one American website and paid top dollar but never got the book. they are the real scammers not some Nigerains using some pathetic stories not worth a dime if not for the greedy oyibo's that wanna reap where they never sowed. people like El razor or whatever sorry name he bears can never colour the truth just as they have been trying to do for decades


Concessions mean they get some sort of subsidized electricity

Finally,

At last, there are indeed some great minds in nairaland.I have been talking to and fro about this issue for months now with one NL user who's on a white elephant campaign concerning fraud ( https://www.nairaland.com/nigeria/topic-273913.160.html ).

Its 2018 buhari is president, some of you guys are probably f**king dead, Life oh Life.