419 Scam Costs Britons 8.4m GBP in 2002 314
Albanach writes "In this article the Scotland on Sunday newspaper reports figures from the UK's National Criminal Intelligence Service which show 150 Britons were caught out by the Nigerian 419 scam and its variations in 2002, with a total loss of 8.4m GBP ($13.3m US)or around 57,000 GBP ($90,000 US) a head. "
I wonder... (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:Surprising? (Score:3, Interesting)
Or not, if that spelling's anything to go by... Just kidding ;o)
I think it's mainly jelousy on our part. We used to be a world player but now we're reduced to hanging on to the tails of Mr. Bush like some sort of flunkie. Most Americans I have met and spoken to are as intelligent and well-mannered as any Briton, most of the time more so. You just have a propensity for electing to office the same fools we do :o)
I think the Brtions are not the only ones... (Score:5, Interesting)
Have we forgot? (Score:5, Interesting)
THE 'victims' tooks part in the scam, trying to import and export money while avoiding reporting it and paying taxes.
Shouldn't all 150 go to prison? Remember, the fraud of millions is also on Brittain's side of the table with its citizens...
More information (Score:3, Interesting)
The 419 coalition website [rica.net] fights the nigerian scam
scam alert [priveye.com]
A hilarious account of a revenge killing [theregister.co.uk] related to the 419 scam
What if.. (Score:2, Interesting)
Skeptical (Score:2, Interesting)
Re:How stupid can people be? (Score:5, Interesting)
Check out Scam o Rama (Score:2, Interesting)
I think these scammers share info, too (Score:3, Interesting)
Well, ever since then, guess what? We get about one of these scam emails per *day*, all slightly different and from different origins.
So I guess these scammers resell mailing lists of people who reply to their original scam letters!
Re:How stupid can people be? (Score:1, Interesting)
People who fall for it have the lethal combination of greed, stupidity and dishonesty, and I'm afraid I can't feel much sympathy for them. For that matter, I wouldn't want them within a mile of a business I was running.
By getting involved in these schemes on the basis that the messages claim, they are willingly becoming accessories to a crime. What other laws are they prepared to break to make a quick buck?
Re:My Small Time Con (Score:3, Interesting)
i always wondered how that scam worked. . . (Score:2, Interesting)
in the berkeley scenario i forget the specifics but a dude came up and asked for help "donating" a huge wad of "cash" (probably paper with a bill on the outside) to a charity or something. . . i remember he had some sorta "official" letter of some sort stating he had to spend the money before he returned home and was absolutely adamant about not going to anything like a cop or bank. . . in fact, i think he also didn't want anything to do with white people or something too. . . anyway, after trying to help him out for a bit a 2nd dude came up and joined in on the conversation. .
when the wad of cash first made its appearance i remember alarm bells going off in my head and when the 2nd dude came up i remember thinking, "okay, this *has* to be a scam but how are they planning on taking my money?".
thing was that up until your post i couldn't figure out how the scam would've worked even if i believed 'em. . . only thing i could think of was that they'd lead me down some side street (or give me a ride in a car) and just rob me outright. .
you're right tho', getting scammed sucks, psychologically as well as monetarily. . . in europe i got taken by a scam (that's been tried on me several times since) where you're on an average sidewalk (i.e. not deserted but not totally bustling either) and a dude comes up with a map and asks for directions somewhere. . . basically what happens is you help him out (or not, if you don't know your way around) and then he gets all friendly and talkative asking where you're from and how long you're travelling and shit like that. .
well while you're distracted by talking to your new "friend", another dude in everyday street clothes walks up and says he's a cop (or secret service, control, immigration, military, whatever), flashes you some bogus ID, and demands to see your passport. . . then he demands that you empty out your pockets and acts all, y'know, gruff authoritarian cop like with the attitude that he could throw you in jail if he wanted to. . . sometimes a third dude then comes up and acts as an additional distraction and when the "cop" says you're clear and gives you back your shit in one big confused lump, the first thing you make sure you get back is your passport.
i was in prague when i fell for the scam but i've been approached like that in vienna, munich, and paris. . . to me, the scams where someone poses as a cop are always disconcerting 'cuz growing up in the US i've kinda got it ingrained into me that when someone says they're a cop and even shows you his ID, you don't just turn and walk away. . . i do it now if the cop was preceded by someone asking for directions but it still feels weird. . . it's a similar feeling to, say, the first few times you pee in your wetsuit while out surfing - it's so ingrained into your psyche to not pee in your clothes that it's hard to do at first. .
btw, in prague there *are* plainclothes "control" officers (complete with a wallet badge that looks like a toy) who check to see if you've got a ticket for the tram/bus/metro. . .
Re:How stupid can people be? (Score:1, Interesting)
This is why stupid people should be protected by legislation to some extent - otherwise they can become tools of the dishonest.