Nigerian scams, also commonly known as "419 scams" after the section of Nigeria's Criminal Code which outlaws the practice, have a history that dates back to the early 1980s. Initially, these scams were primarily conducted through letters and fax machines but have since evolved with the advent of the internet and email technology. The term "Nigerian scam" has become almost synonymous with any form of fraud that involves deceiving individuals or businesses into sending money or disclosing personal financial information.
Historically, one of the earliest and most iconic examples of Nigerian scams is the "Nigerian Prince" scheme. Here, the scammer impersonates a member of Nigerian royalty or a high-ranking official who claims to need help transferring a large sum of money out of the country. In return for assisting with this process, the victim is promised a significant portion of the wealth. However, to help facilitate the transfer, the victim is asked to pay various fees and expenses upfront. Once these payments are made, the promised return never materializes, and the scammer disappears.
Over the years, Nigerian scammers have diversified their strategies to include lottery scams, online dating scams, business email compromise (BEC) scams, and more recently, cryptocurrency scams. In lottery scams, victims receive notifications that they've won a substantial sum in a lottery they never entered but must pay a fee to claim their winnings. Online dating scams involve fraudsters creating fake profiles to form relationships with victims, eventually convincing them to send money to help with a fabricated financial crisis. BEC scams target companies with requests for wire transfers from accounts thought to be legitimate but are actually controlled by scammers. Cryptocurrency scams often involve promises of massive returns on investments in nonexistent digital assets.
Countries around the world have been targeted by Nigerian scammers, with the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand being among the most affected. These countries have high internet penetration rates and prosperous economies, making them attractive targets for fraudsters.
In Canada, one of the main scams involves online classifieds and auction site fraud, where scammers post fake listings for items, collect payment from buyers, but never deliver the promised goods. Another prevalent scam is the employment scam, where individuals are lured into paying for training or certification for jobs that don't exist.
To protect themselves, individuals and businesses are advised to be highly skeptical of unsolicited communication that asks for money, personal, or financial information, especially if it involves an urgent or secretive request. Verification of identities and the legitimacy of organizations through independent channels before engaging in any financial transactions is crucial. Additionally, employing strong, unique passwords for different online accounts and enabling two-factor authentication can help safeguard personal and financial information.
The "Nigerian scammer playbook" refers to the collection of strategies and scripts used by scammers to deceive their victims. This playbook involves building trust and rapport with the target, exploiting emotional or financial vulnerabilities, and then convincing them to part with their money or personal information under the guise of a mutually beneficial arrangement. It often involves elaborate stories, false identities, and manipulated documents to appear legitimate. We have attached a copy of one known playbook as an example with this report.
Awareness and education are key in combatting Nigerian scams. Various governments and organizations worldwide have initiated campaigns to inform the public about these frauds and how to report them. Reporting suspected scams to local law enforcement agencies and relevant financial institutions can help prevent further losses and potentially aid in tracking down the perpetrators.
(Obtained from actual email communication, is not edited and contains explicit language that some may find offensive))
NIGERIAN SCAMMERS PLAYBOOK
Step1
Thank you for your kind reply and am in Afghanistan now for peace keeping mission, it was nice
to have received a text from you, am new here and i was trying to find some old friends when i
saw you gorgeous picture beside my wall and i could not help but write you to know more about
you...... it is a wonder to see your picture was online on the Internet, may I ask to know you
better, i mean tell me where you are from, where you stay ? are you married ? how old are you
? do you have kids and how many ? where you work and what are your hobbies ...sorry for
been so inquisitive
step2
How are you and i want to quickly write you a little about me before i go out....... am a Scottish
man but based in US, and am a soldier by profession in Afghanistan for peace keeping mission
.I have been with the Department Of deffence for 15 years now and now i'm a Sergant here. I
lost my wife 2 years ago, and i have a beautiful daughter named Lisa and she is 4 and she is
living and studying Edinburgh Scotland about 300 km of my house'
Hobbies....
l like swimming, listening to music, reading, watching football and playing golf but i have not
done any of that in years since i lost my wife cause all i do now is work, work and work so i hard
go home so i do not have to think or feel lonely.
That is pretty much all about me and hope to hear more from you soon.
Step3
Hello how are you doing? hope your day has been nice? it's great to read from you again, i have
been widowed for some years now ,Losing a love one is difficult but we have to move on in life ..
I have been here at the camp for 18 months now and i should be retired or transferred from here
in less than 3 months and this is why i want to make friends before i leave here it's easy for me
when am out cause i don't have friends or relatives out there except my daughter
When am retired, i intend to go in to supplies of copper wires and tractors for buildings and
telecommunications networks so am not idle.... I write her though always cause she is all i have
and that is also one of the reasons i want to retire soon too.
I hope to retire soon cause i want to be able to spend more time with my little girl and also have
a family again " complete family " .. I have no siblings and same is Lisa so she is in a boarding
school for now and all we have is each other .. Life hasn't been fair to us too over here.
Note
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WHY WE DON"T MAKE CALLS
Sorry i can't call you cause we are not allowed to use mobiles here because the Taliban
insurgents cause manipulate it to detonate bombs so for security reasons we don't use
phones... am sorry we can't talk on phone until am out of here.
How is your life over there ? do you like your job there ? i hope i can get to know you more
though cause i hope to make honest friendship and more with you..
warm hugs to you.
Step 4
Hello dear, thanks for your message, it's really great to read from you again and hope your day
has been nice ? I want you to know that a friend is never a coincidence in your life, they are
meant to enter your life to bring you joy and laughter So, I will always treasure the friendship
between us and hope it can be more in future that will bring joy and laughter into each others
lives.
you seem like a nice woman and note that God has a plan for everybody ok, we just have to
believe and be patient .. I really hope we can share more about ourselves honesty cause that is
the bases for true friendship or relationship cause am quite interested in you now ..
Step 5
Hello dear , thanks for the message i really enjoy reading from you and i will like to tell you more
about myself I am the only child of my late parents Professor and Dr. Mrs of the blessed
memory. I want to spend the rest of my life with someone who is friendly, honest, caring, and
trustworthy and God fearing,. I find very much peace and tranquility here.
I`m athletic build, mentally stable, physically fit, a bunch of laughs, warm, caring, honest,
a good listener, God Fearing, and a positive person. I am real easy person to talk to and a
loving and outgoing father. I enjoy playing sax which i do often at my leisure time. I like going to
the movies, or watching movies in my room or Cabin, I like swimming, listening to music,
watching football and I am a diehard fan of Chelsea FC and dance to any kind of music, I sing,
sailing, going bowling and also a good cook. I am a family oriented person, love children and
there is more, but it would be better for you to find some things out for yourself.
It is very important for me to build a life of stability, security, and opportunity for the
special person I hope to share my thoughts, feelings, experiences, dreams and fantasies with,
and to offer the best opportunities for any kid that might be included in my life, both mine and
that special person children, and that is my focus at this time and I also do enjoy my job though
risky because we are always on the high battle field.
I am really interested in wanting to know about what makes you the special person you
are today, I want to know more about your family, your background, your life experiences, past
relationships, your goals and dreams, your interests, and anything else you want to tell me. I
even want to learn about the secrets you very rarely share with someone!. So come on and
share it all with me, as I am not here to talk to you about general things such as partying, the
weather, sports, e.t.c. I want to learn about you and what makes up your heart and soul, as the
friendship I want to build with you I want it to be like no other you have ever shared in or
experienced. This friendship I want to build with you will be filled with substance, quality,
spirituality, love, faithfulness and potential. Hope I didn't write much of a novel
Hope to hear from you soon. Until then have a pleasant day.
Step 6(distance)
Hello dear, How has your day been? Nice to hear from you. I like to say much thanks for your
message and for telling me more about yourself. I have really not been active on Insta
gram/facebook because of the nature of my job. It is my pleasure to let you know that I have
taking you as my special friend, I hope we can be a very good friend.
I hope we can be in constant communication so we can get to know more about ourselves.
What's your plan for the future dear? All i want now is someone who i can love and give my
heart to, honest, faithful and responsible. A woman who can communicate what she desires and
has the ability to listen. Someone who is positive and believes that everyday holds something
amazing. I want to share my life with someone, and it won't be as a playmate. I am a very
passionate man, and i need a passionate woman to be my partner.i have got to know the value
of a woman in a man's life. And also to let you know that the distance and language can never
be a problem because all that matters is understanding, trust and passion as i am ready to
travel miles just to spend the rest of my life time with the woman i love.Hope you find this mail
understanding.
I want to say that my heart is full of joy and happiness for knowing you and i will like us to keep
this closeness and hope this will bring us to a better future as I wish. We seriously need
people's prayer for God's protections here in Afghanistan. Hope to hear from you soon. Do have
a nice day.
Step7(4allin more in luv)
Dear, I think about you every second of every day. When I fall asleep, my dreams are about
you. When I wake up, I look at the empty pillow next to me and wish you were there looking into
my eyes. I wish I could tell you how I really feel.
Dear I want a long term relationship and one that will last forever but now we have to take it
slow and get to know more about each other better.
I wish I could tell you but I don't want to scare you away from me, and I would rather write you
and not be with you then to never see you , because writing you every day is a gift from God
that I was blessed with. I guess I will never know how you feel unless I confess my love to you.
Who knows - you might feel the same about me. I really think I am falling in love with you . I just
don't know how to tell you.
i know that this might be too forward or fast but i just thought you knew what i felt and i am sorry
if this is not want you wanted.I pray and hope that you understand my message ....
your smile entices me,your words keep me warmth when i am lonely and i would like to spend
the rest of my life with you
i need someone who will love me for whom i am not for what i am.
ANOTHER PHASE( another convinction of of distance)
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I wish you were here to see how excited i am to received your
message, i really felt so good. You are such a nice beautiful woman whom i
would like to get to know .. Well, i am just a very caring man and i do
really like kids alot because they are God gift from the heaven so parents
are to do anything to make them happy and be a very good child,i hope you
won`t bother about the distance between us, distance does not matter in a
relationship, what really matter most is the HEART and FEELINGS and
distance is only there for us to get toknow each other much better before
getting to meet each other in person then see how things develop. Well, i
really would like to get to know you more and sometimes chat with you then
see how things may work out. By the way, What kind of dates do u
prefer??Well as for me i prefer private dates, with my woman and myself
alone. I guess i like the private moments when we can share intimate
things. Talk about plans, desires, feelings. As I said before, I'm quite
physical. I love to hug and touch and be touched. I love to show affection
to my woman and i love it when she's very affectionate with me. I love
women and i always desire to respect them. When i have been with a woman, i
have never taken advantage of them unless they do took advantage of me.
Even when they want me to be physical with them, I always want only to
honor and respect them.When i find the woman who i feel is my soul mate, i
look forward to when we can spend time alone, cuddling on the sofa,
watching tv/films. Making out, caressing and kissing. I can't wait to have
sex with my future wife. I am a sexual person and i love the thought of
being intimate with her in every way. I want a wife who feels the same way.
Who has the same sexual appetite as i do and desires to be as intimate as i
- But all of this must be within the context of a relationship. So i will
protect the sanctity of my future marriage. It doesn't matter to me if my
future wife has a sexual history. As far as I'm concerned, when we marry we
start from fresh. Her past is not of importance to me.Can you tell me more
about yourself??????.Well am really looking for a long term and serious
relationship,I need a woman that will love me for whom i am,Make me happy
again..Am also gonna show in a lot of caring ways in return,Am new on this
dating stuff and i really hope i can make som,ething real with you and
leave this internet stuff soon....I'm honest, faithful, caring, respectful,
responsible and witty. I like having fun and laughing.I like most kinds of
music, except rap. I also like to sing karaoke for fun. Other interests
include drawing, writing poetry, reading, art, museums,concerts, camping,
hunting and fishing. I don't watch much TV, but I do like a good happy
ending movie now and then, (but not at a walk in theater).I don't mind
getting my hands dirty and do a lot of yardwork and remodeling myself. Will
even help work on cars. I don't care for sports much, but don't mind if a
woman likes them if it doesn't take much time away from us I don't like
head games, lying, cheating, abusers or fighting. I don't like being around
people who are drug users and those who make a habit of getting drunk. If
someone doesn't have the respect to be faithful to the one they are with,
than get rid of them first. There are no excuses for cheating!I believe
that just because I think I'm right, doesn't necessarily make the other
person wrong.. Being mean and name calling isn't part of my life.. I'd
rather turn my back on all that drama than live a miserable life. I am not
bitter about any past relationships and do not believe in bringing them
into a new one What makes you laugh, smile, and cry???? Crazy funny people.
Sarcastic people like Dr Cox on Scrubs. I love his character. I love
intelligent comedy like political satire. I love Robin Williams, Jim Carey
and Mike Myers. They crack me up so much. I love watching those home video
clips of kids doing hilarious funny things. Kids make me laugh. The things
they say. You never expect it.What makes me cry, I'm always moved when i
see scenes on tv between parent and child when they are struggling or
dealing with the relationship. my personality type tends toward being
outgoing. People would most often describe me energetic, loving,caring,
extremely emotional, bubbly, understanding, very supportive, very caring
and warm, very passionate and loving,i dont drink nor smoke,i am not into
any kind of drugs as well,i like to hang out and have nice time with my
partner,I love to bowl, though I haven't done it in years and shoot pool,
play cards, just cruise on a beautiful sunny day,I love the water and one
day hope to be blessed to have a home on the water.I love to cook and play
video games with my mother and sometimes we swim at the pool in the
evening.....and sometimes we ride on our four wheeler..I am a channel
surfer,I like csi any cit discovery,tlc anything that has to do with
motorcycles.I also like a few reality shows, american idol so you thing you
can dance the news sometimes.anything funny or something that will atleast
make me smile. I like to smile, it makes me feel better,I am a CSI, Law and
Order Special Victims,Criminal Intent and the 4200. I also love
Smallville,I like We Were Soldiers,Indepenance Day,Lord of the Rings, All
the Mummys, Resident Evil 1 and While you were sleeping, Jerry Maguire,
Jumanji, I guess i could keep going but I think I could go on for a while,I
enjoy reading. Some of my favorite musicians songs are Chris Tomlin, Dave
MatthewsRobert Kelly and Eminem...i have only been in relationship with
Danielle she is dead, i love and she loves me too i really miss her...I am
seeking for a long term relationship with Someone special to capture my
heart and knows how to handle it with care, one who will cherish me,i am
looking for someone to love as well, Capture my heart,Someone kind and
affectionate and believe in romance...A real person, who likes themself and
is comfortable with who they are, even if not where they are,i am seeking
someone who can keep up with me, challenge me and inspire me. And who is
intelligent, has ideas, may be creative and has needs and/or expectations
to be fullfilled,I am looking for my soulmate to share lifes dreams with,
someone who still believes in romance,fun,and is a true gentle woman at
heart
do you think we are seeking for the samething in a relationship?
i do think that we are seeking for the samething well lets see where it
will lead us to......i wanted to get to know you more about you that was
the reason i messaged you,i am not a guy that use and dump women no no no i
am a very faithful and Godly man,i know how to handle my woman heart and
keep it safe in other not to miss it,so i know how to handle my woman just
the way people handle Golds and fragile items,i expect what i give out to
my woman in return
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LOve tales
Hey Beautiful, I just wanted to do something simple to say I love you and
to put that smile I love so much back on your face. I want everyone to know
how much you mean to me. Ever since you have entered my life, I've been
flying on Cloud 9 and I have not come down yet.I miss you all the time. I
can't bear to 'be' without you. Sometimes when we don't talk for long I
find that painful, then when we do talk I find that painful too cos I know
how much am gonna miss u when you leave.
I tell you this everyday, but you are the most beautiful person I know,
inside and out and I see that more clearly with each passing day. I love
everything about you, about us. You do something to me that no other has,
you have made me so happy, the happiest I've ever been. You give me the
most amazing feelings inside, the feeling of being in love with you.
I still don't know what I did to be so lucky to have you in my life, my
dream come true... I am so thankful though. In this short time that we've
been together, we have grown so much and I can't wait to see what the
future holds for us. Am falling in love with you barbara, with all my heart
and soul, always and forever!
baby I can't stand not being with you and and you being so far away. I've
been struggling with this for so long baby. I want u to know that you are
with me' always, my thoughts are on you constantly baby and that will never
change. Baby am in love with you so deep. Am desperate to feel your arms
around me' baby. You are my sweet baby Girl, just need you to know how much
I care. Missing you and loving you always xoxoxoxoxo