Understanding Nigerian scams: romance scams, 419 scams, and more.
Nigerian scams, while centered in one tiny corner of the world, manage to make themselves felt worldwide. Last year, victims lost more than 12.7 billion dollars to Nigerian scams alone. That is 34.7 million dollars lost every single day. Those are large numbers, and behind each lost dollar is a human victim, gutted for much or all of what they own. Scammers are adept at exploiting human emotions, tempting each victim with promises of easy wealth or life-long romantic commitment. We want to believe their promises. We want to increase our wealth quickly and with minimal effort. We want to believe that the person with whom we have been talking online truly means to love us. And they sound so convincing. But at the end of the day, once we have given them what they want, they are gone.
This article is an introduction piece to some of the most common Nigerian scams. I will give an overview of each scam, then link to more in-depth pieces that Rexxfield has done for further reading.
Nigerian 419 Scam
The scam synonymous with a Nigerian scam is the 419 scam or advanced-fee scam. This fraud typically begins with unsolicited contact from a wealthy Nigerian businessman or government official, contacting you for aid in moving a large sum of money across borders in return for a percentage of the amount.
- The victim will be targeted with an unsolicited letter, fax, email, or phone call from a mysterious and wealthy Nigerian individual, claiming to need help moving millions of dollars out of Nigerian for any number of convincing reasons. The victim will be offered a large percent of that money in return for their cooperation.
- As the scam progresses, the scammer will build trust with the victim and attempt to emotionally invest the victim in their story, making it more difficult for the victim to withdraw.
- After a period of time, the scammer will introduce a hitch to the deal, claiming that certain taxes and fees need to be paid immediately in order for the money to go through. They will pressure the victim into sending money for these fees.
- The scammer will continue squeezing the victim for as much money as they can, until either the victim realizes the whole deal has been fake or has been bled dry. When that happens, the scammer will take the funds and disappear to enjoy their ill-gotten gains.
You need to be wary and level-headed to watch out for this kind of scam. Beware of grand promises and once-in-a-lifetime offers. You need to conduct proper due diligence when faced with a 419-scam offer. Verify their story. If holes begin to appear in their narrative, it should be a solid sign that things are not as they seem. The old saying still holds, “Better safe than sorry.”
“[Scammers] will use tactics like the fear of missing out (FOMO), the desire for quick and risk-free financial gains, the use of complex language to make themselves sound educated, intelligent, and trustworthy, and the impersonation of trusted authorities such as law enforcement and government.” Source: Nigerian Fraud Scams.
Rexxfield’s analysis of Nigerian 419 scams:
Prince of Nigeria Scam
Prince of Nigeria Scam An offshoot of the 419 scam is the infamous “Prince of Nigeria” scam. This scam is almost identical to the above, except the person contacting you claims to be Nigerian royalty. They could spin any kind of wild tale to lure their victim in, claiming political unrest or a need to flee the country, and desperately requiring help in transferring millions of dollars across the border. This kind of fantasy captures the imagination, which draws victims in as the scammer builds trust. The scammer will invent issues requiring small to moderate fees to fix, and pressure their victim into paying those fees. Once the scammer receives the money, they disappear, leaving broken promises and a trail of lies.
Read Rexxfield’s dive into Prince of Nigeria scams:
Nigerian Romance Scams
One of the most evil scams to have arisen in recent times is the romance scam. I hope you have heard of this scam, but many people have not. Romance scams tear through victims, drawing them close with the promise of true love and commitment, only to defraud them of their funds and leave them heartbroken in the wake of the scam. Romance scams begin when the scammer and the victim connect via social media or a dating platform. The scammer will invent a persona that they think the victim will be most attracted to, in an effort to begin building a relationship. These scams can go on for many months, even as long as a year, as the scammer continues to groom the victim.
Eventually, the scammer will begin requesting money from the victim, using the trust they have built to make their request and story seem plausible and difficult to refuse. Once the scammer has defrauded the victim of all they can steal, the scammer will cut off contact and disappear, leaving their victim shattered and devastated.
“Some victims eventually become suspicious or discover the fraud when they realize inconsistencies in the scammer’s stories, conduct reverse image searches on photos, or conduct further research. Unfortunately, by this point, they may have lost a significant amount of money.” Source: Nigerian Romance Scams.
This Nigerian scam is particularly harmful to victims, because not only were they robbed of their funds, but they were deceived by someone who professed to love them, someone they thought they could trust. With this kind of scam, there are signs you need to watch out for and not disregard. Inconsistencies in the scammer’s stories. Pressure to send money for various financial emergencies. Pressure to invest in certain cryptocurrency ventures or platforms. A reluctance to video call and an outright avoidance of meeting up in person. Be vigilant, wary, and watchful so you don’t let your emotions compromise you.
Rexxfield’s deep dives on Romance Scams:
Nigerian Oil-Rig Scam
Nigerian oil-rig scams are a kind of variation of traditional romance scams. As the name suggests, it involves the scammer spinning the tale that they are employed on an oilrig in some remote location. This scam usually will begin and progress like a typical romance scam, however the oilrig twist gives handy excuses to the scammer to avoid verifying their fake identity via a video call or an in-person meet up. They will also use the oilrig story to coerce their victim into sending money, claiming limited access to monetary services such as banks. They may ask for help in covering a medical or financial emergency, pressuring their victim into sending funds through utilizing the trust the scammer has previously built with the victim. Once the victim discovers the fraud or has run out of money, the scammer cuts off contact and disappears.
“Watch out for the following tell-tale signs of an oil rig scam:
- Claims to be stuck on an oil rig and can’t meet in person.
- He asks you for money or gift cards.
- Avoids meeting or engaging in a video chat.
- Wants to transition to off-app communication through platforms like WhatsApp as soon as possible.
- Expressing love and romantic feelings unusually quickly.
- Poor grammar and an accent suggesting a non-native English speaker.”
Read Rexxfield’s case study on oil-rig scammers:
Nigerian Sextortion
Image source: BBC
Sextortion is one of the darkest internet scams. This scam particularly targets young people, and can cause them immense reputational, emotional, mental, and physical damage. The scammers will initiate contact with their victim and build trust over a period of time. The scammer will solicit compromising photos or videos of the victim, and if the victim complies, will then use those photos to blackmail and extort the victim, threatening to send the photos to the victim’s family members, friends, contacts, and school, unless the victim can meet monetary demands.
There are ways to avoid falling into a sextortion scam.
- Never, under any circumstances, send compromising photos or videos of yourself to someone online, no matter who they say they are.
- Switch off your webcam on your electronic devices when not in use.
- Beware of opening email attachments sent from someone you do not know.
If you are being extorted by a scammer, then seek help. You may feel ashamed and like you are all alone, but there are people who can help you. Let someone know – a parent, a sibling, a friend, a teacher – what is going on. Contact the police and a private investigation firm such as Rexxfield to help identify the extortionist and perhaps make an arrest. Just remember you are not alone.
Read Rexxfield’s studies on sextortion:
Conclusion
While all bearing different names, these Nigerian scams each share key common traits. Emotional manipulation. The building of trust. Once-in-a-lifetime offers and opportunities. Lies. Broken promises. Financial incentive. The manipulation of the victims to send money under various pretexts. These are hallmarks of a Nigerian scam.
However, there are ways to avoid falling victim to such scams.
- First: be wary and skeptical of grand promises and too-good-to-be-true scenarios.
- Second: do not send money to people you do not know personally, and never send money to someone you have not met in person.
- Third: Verify stories and seek a second or third opinion before taking action and sending funds, even to someone you think is in love with you. It may all be a lie.
If you were caught in a scam, I would highly encourage reporting it to law enforcement. Additionally, report the scam to a private investigation firm such as Rexxfield, as we are able, in many cases, to move more swiftly than law enforcement in gathering perishable evidence that can help to solve your case. You can contact us for a free consultation at any time. Finally, seek to educate those around you about your experiences. It will be a tough topic, hard and raw, but the more people who know the dangers of scams and what to look out for, then the less people are likely to fall for those scams. And that is a hugely positive thing.
If you have fallen for any of the above scams, contact Rexxfield’s investigators for a free consultation and let us see how we can help.
