Why Is It Always The Nigerians?

DUTCH POLICE said they had arrested 12 Nigerians in connection with an Internet scam in which emails were sent to Americans tricking them into investing in non-existent schemes. Most of the victims of the scam were US citizens. Four of the men detained were arrested on the request of US authorities, who cooperated in the investigation. The gang posted some 100,000 emails to potential victims as part of a relatively simple 419 fraud setup. What I want to know is… why is it always Nigerians? How come no one else seems to be doing this?

If I do any sort of research into online fraud it always comes down to Nigeria 419′ers and and endless list of scams committed (mostly in Europe) by Nigerians. It is estimated that these 419′ers (named after the relevant section in Nigeria’s criminal code) steal hundreds of millions of dollars every year from unsuspecting targets. Now that also makes me wonder… I mean how dumb do you need to be before you fall for this kind of online scam?

Well – never let it be said that Howl @ The Moon! is not interested in providing a community service, so for those of you who feel susceptible to such scams, let us offer you some sagely advice. It’s quite simple really, and goes like this…

Don’t say you weren’t warned!