While googling a scam phone number, I ran across this blog entry (http://maria-perspective.blogspot.com/2009/07/if-it-seems-too-good-to-be-true.html) from a writer who was living in Benin at the time, another West African country linked to the internet scam industry.
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
If it seems too good to be true...
The internet has been down at work over the last few weeks, so I've been going to the cyber a lot with Bernadette and Mathieu. Not much time to blog with Mathieu sitting beside me, telling me what websites to check and asking me if I'm done writing my friends. I can't wait to be home with an internet connection!!Being at the cyber is always interesting. How do I adequately explain what the guys *do* at the cyber here? No, they don't surf for porn or anything like that. They basically swindle people out of their money. They all do it, and they do it all day. It's their job. Dupe one person and you're in it for hundreds of Euros, thousands if you do your job really well.
They scour the internet for email addresses, using businesses, mailing lists, etc. looking for people to send mass emails to. A little bit more sophisticated than, "I live in Africa and need someone to cash my dead rich uncle's cheque."
They "fake sell" everything from dogs, cars, apartments, property, you name it. You hear them on the phone with people, calling them to say that they've received their order, and it'll be in the mail just as soon as they receive their money transfer. Did they need the transfer information again? Or that construction has begun, did they receive the pictures they sent? It's going very well.
The men on the phone are very literate, very convincing. "Des escrocs, des arnaqueurs," says Mathieu. "Ils font du n'importe quoi. Les Français se laissent faire parce qu'ils vivent chacun dans leur petit monde et personne ne demande des conseils à ses voisins." (Rough translation: ‘Swindlers, swindlers’ says Mathieu. ‘They make and import what. The French let themselves do it because they live each one in their small world and nobody requests councils from his neighbors’)
He says that we're able to be dupped because we don't know a deal that's too ridiculously good to be true. That, and we don't bother to ask a friend or neighbour, "Is this the best way to go about buying something from overseas?"
I loathe these men. But I'm not really allowed to. When your country educates you but can't give you work to do... one does what one can to afford to live.
What really bugs me is the dishonesty of it. The dishonesty and the resourcefulness that could be used for good, not evil.
And the fact that you'll see children in cybers doing the same thing. It becomes a family business passed on from older brothers to their younger siblings. I sat beside an 8 year old boy in a cyber, who was chatting with far away men pretending to be some young woman... "xoxo hearts and kisses" "when can we meet? do you miss me?" I wonder how long it takes for them to ask, "send me money for my plane ticket to visit you."
Buyer beware.
The best! I was apartment hunting and saw an ad in Now Magazine. Beautiful apartment on Bay Street near Dundas. Huge! $700 a month, included a bunch of stuff. The picture was too beautiful to be an apartment on Bay Street, but I decided to email the person and see what the deal was.
Thanks for your email response. The Apartment is still available for rent on 761 Bay Street, Toronto, Ontario M5G2R2, ready for move in at $700monthly. ready for move in. I inherited the Apartment from my late father. (Awwwww...) I lived in the Apartment with my younger sistser, i but presently now i am in West Africa and i will reside here for some time due to my current assignment. I just need someone with an open heart, love and clean to occupy the Apartment and put all my worries off concerning the maintenance of the Apartment for, since i am not residing there for now. I left behind some Facilities and electonics like satellite TV which you have to pay for the subcription, and a sony DVD player, air conditioning, alarm system..
The kitchen is fully equipped with all necessary cooking utensils, a refrigerator-freezer, four-hob and oven, microwave, dishwas her and washing machine. Also the keys to the Apartment are right here with me, and the lease document.......... Which i can send to you after all necessary agreement has be accepted.. Also i will like you to know that the rent charges is not really the issue , but your absolute maintenance of my Apartment, because that is the only valuable property my late father left behind, and it also took him so much time and money to put all those facilities in place..
Bedrooms: 1
Bathrooms: 1
Beautiful open floor plan
Plenty of storage space
Bedroom has walk-in closet
In-suite laundry
Outdoor Balcony, North West facing
Parking for one vehicle
Bike storage
Amenities include:
Gym, weight room & cardio
Billiards room
Meeting room
Pets are allowed
smoking allowed
Terms: Lease Terms:1,2,3,4,5 6 to 12 months and 12 to 4years leases and more available Please, call me as soon as possible if you are really interested in having my Apartment
Regard
Benson adams
mobile .........011-2347081917857
ha!
For those who think they are wrestling with just one scammer, perhaps it's needful to remind you that you are dealing with industries. They can be in Nigeria, Benin, Cote D'Ivoire, Romania and other countries as organized industries or even in your neighbour's apartment as a 'cottage industry'.
The law cannot protect you for the most part. The local constabulary of PiddleDiddle, Anywhere on the Globe, Earth does not have the resources to chase them (albeit occasionally they get lucky with one or two of the home-grown scammers) especially when said scammers are likely on another continent. National agencies acknowledge the issue but I don't see them making massive inroads into the problem and international law enforcement appear to have their hands in the air most of the time as well ~ manipulating the electronic world is no secret and anybody who wants to put a little effort into it can hide quite well.
Dunno what the long term answer is. I'm a real Luddite when it comes to technology but I'm sure that every time they build a better mousetrap, someone will breed a better mouse. Greed has always been a powerful incentive in that little rat race and, as far as I can see, free email generators such as Yahoo, Google, etc... and free consumer ad sites such as Craigslist have long lost any control (if, indeed they ever had any) over the contents and usage of their sites.
For now, you are the answer. Share information; educate your kids, neighbours, siblings, spouses, family, whatever... on not getting scammed ~ there's tons of information at the end of the same fingertips that brought you here.
Use your wits ~ if something doesn't seem quite right, it likely isn't. Be cautious ~ it's allowed. Yes, bargains can be found and do happen but even 'miracles' are thoroughly investigated first. Don't be greedy ~ if you think it's not an attractive trait in scammers, it's not likely to look any better on you.
If you find yourself dealing with a scammer, POST IT SOMEWHERE! ~ anywhere!
Search engines are improving and repeatedly, while searching emails, addresses, phone numbers, whatever...., the information I find to share with you is because someone took the time to comment somewhere on the web about it. There are many, many people who put time and effort into maintaining anti-scam blogs and websites ~ feel free to join in even if it's just for the fleeting moment it takes to post the information. By the way, never mind if someone has posted the same information; go ahead and post it anyway ~ some people will only believe it if they find it in quantity.
Be part of the solution, not part of the problem, eh?
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