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419 Scam Costs Britons 8.4m GBP in 2002

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the you-gotta-be-kidding dept.

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. "

3 of 299 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Surprising? by nomadic · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    THAT'S RIGHT BUDDY NOW ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS DRIVE ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE ROAD, AND DAMN THESE ENGLISH IS SURE UNFRIENDLY, NOT LIKE -WE- DO THINGS OVER HERE.

    Seriously though, you guys have a slight advantage now because your PM can be (in theory) more easily reigned in by his party, and if necessary, by a vote of no confidence. Our guy's basically in until 2004, and possible (ugh) 2008, and has the support of both the Senate (barely), and the House of Representatives (I don't know how many Europeans realize how reactionary many of its members are)

  2. Re:Have we forgot? by DoorFrame · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    What's that link all about? It's not even a valid IP, is it?

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    RumorsDaily
  3. Re:How about the payback angle? by nwanua · · Score: 2, Offtopic

    Now, I'm not jusifying these criminals who defraud people. Personally, as a Nigerian, I am embarrassed to get these letters as well, and once in a while I send a scathing reply (which I bet is promptly deleted)

    Don't forget that "no truly honest person falls for these scams". The greedy fools who wanted to defraud the Nigerian government got defrauded themselves, and they have the gall to complain :-D

    But one thought constantly crosses my mind when I hear people complaining about these crooks. I am ever surprised that no one talks about colonization, slavery, land grabs, and all the other "scams" the nation of Britain pulled on Nigerians for centuries. And don't forget that those scams were sanctioned by the British Government itself :-)

    No, I'm not bitter... part of that was our fault. But when enteprising young men from Nigeria (much like British "entrepreneurs" in the late 1800s and early 1900s) decide to fleece Britain or America, fooling the locals from those countries, I must admit it makes me chuckle just a little bit :-)

    Yes some American and British victims are "innocent", and I realize a few people have actually died while pursuing these quests for illegal money, so I'm not trying to belittle the situation; governments should continue the crackdown on these perpertrators, and their foolish victims. Yes the victims; what ever happened to aiding and abbetting a crime? That should make them delete those emails quick!

    I hope I have been able to add another dimension to your thoughts when you read about 419 scams.

    Nwanua.