Nigerian Email Scammers Are More Effective Than Ever (wired.com)

You would think that after decades of analyzing and fighting email spam, there'd be a fix by now for the internet's oldest hustle -- the Nigerian Prince scam. But the problem, a new report suggests, has only grown to become more widespread and sophisticated. From the report: There's generally more awareness that a West African noble demanding $1,000 in order to send you millions is a scam, but the underlying logic of these "pay a little, get a lot" schemes, also known as 419 fraud, still ensnares a ton of people. In fact, groups of fraudsters in Nigeria continue to make millions off of these classic cons. And they haven't just refined the techniques and expanded their targets -- they've gained minor celebrity status for doing it.

On Thursday, the security firm Crowdstrike published detailed findings on Nigerian confraternities, cultish gangs that engage in various criminal activities and have steadily evolved email fraud into a reliable cash cow. The groups, like the notorious Black Axe syndicate, have mastered the creation of compelling and credible-looking fraud emails. Crowdstrike notes that the groups aren't very regimented or technically sophisticated, but flexibility and camaraderie still allow them to develop powerful scams.

Comments

It is a form of taxation.

[Ecuador]

Well, by this point, after decades of reports on it, I wouldn't call it "fraud" exactly, more like some sort of tax... Idiot tax? Greed tax? Take your pick.

Human nature

[rsilvergun]

as people get older their brains go. Not always, but there's plenty enough that do. A lot of these people have money from retirement earned before their minds went. The only thing you can do (besides curing age related cognitive decline) is try and keep the scammers away from them.

Re:Forget the prince...

[Kjella]

The only proof that he has that this "woman" exist are pictures and texts. No video, no audio. A year later he is still waiting for his check, still thinks he has a girlfriend and believes that she is the victim of the Nigerian government because the president is too ill to sign anyone's paycheck.

Hey, almost half the world think there's a God because there's a 2000/1400 year old book about it. They don't even get pictures...