Is the advance fee/e-mail scam a.k.a 419 celebrated in Nigeria? Well, according to ABC News, it is. And no thanks to the popular music video: I go chop your dollar. Check out Brian Ross of ABC News investigative reporting of the 419 scam on Blotter, where he out-outmaneuvered some 419 fraudsters.
The damning ABC report came about a week after the Nigerian information Minister launched the Heart of Africa, the government funded “image laundry” initiative in Washington, USA. If there is one area Nigeria has failed woefully on the international scene, it’s in the image arena, particularly through the 419 scams, a fraud perpetrated by an insignificant proportion of Nigerians.
I have discussed “[tag]The Heart of Africa[/tag]” PR media campaign in earlier posts: It is a wrong way to fix Nigeria’s image problem. A problem which the information Minister believes is more of “a perception issue.” Perception my foot! I would like to know what he thinks after the ABC show.
And if anyone cares, a recent 419 victim is Ed Mezvinsky, a former Democratic Congressman from Iowa. According to ABC News, Ed is “serving a seven-year sentence for fraud after getting caught up in a series of Nigerian e-mail scams.” Ed the father of Chelsea Clinton’s boyfriend. Nigeria image problem is definitely more than that of perception.
It is unfortunate that no nation can revoke the citizenship status of native-born nationals, otherwise I would have advocated for revocation of citizenship as one of the punishments for these slimy scoundrels. Nonetheless, it’s proper to advocate life sentences for these fraudsters, including those featured in the ABC news. They should be jailed for life, and with hard labor too. Make them serve their terms at the hottest region in Nigeria, Maiduguri! This will be a good way to curb the menace of [tag]419 fraud[/tag].
And if not because I’m an advocate for freedom of speech, that “I go chop your dollar” video/music track should be banned. Well, I guess I may be the only one with this impression, visit David, another Nigerian blogger, who has a totally different take on the 419 scam:
“Eerily i do not feel ashamed to be recognised as being a fellow citizen with those who scam greedy American mugus. I am busy searching for the song “I go chop your dollar”, well not that i’m going out tomorrow to start chopping someone’s dollar. I can’t believe Americans can be such mugu’s…”
Well, that is David, for me, I do care.
I think it is only right to punish the “victims” as well as the perpetrators of the 419 scams. I have strung along a few scammers myself, but they cannot get you into anything illegal unless you commit to helping them with a bank account or credit card.
Nigerians simply need better legitimate business outlets for their boundless ability and desire to wheel and deal. I am not clear on what the legal situation is in Nigeria as opposed to abroad, but I think that our politicians and businessmen here in the Unite States are learning to be careful and avoid their traps as our law enforcement begins to crack down.
December 10, 2006 at 4:00 pm
Yes I agree Don. It definitely takes two to tango. The victims are almost as guilty as the perps.
There is a possibility that the prevalence of these scams would reduce if barriers to doing legitimate business is reduced in Nigeria. This is another way to look at the problem, and a more worthy venture than the global image laundry initiative of the government. Charity they say begins at home, but maybe not in Nigeria.
December 11, 2006 at 2:08 am