# What will it take to get idiots to stop falling for the Nigerian Bank Fraud Scam? **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [January 19, 2007, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-will-it-take-to-get-idiots-to-stop-falling-for-the-nigerian-bank-fraud-scam/388634 "2007-01-19T21:46:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![OtakuLoki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ac8455/32.png) [@OtakuLoki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OtakuLoki)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2007, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-will-it-take-to-get-idiots-to-stop-falling-for-the-nigerian-bank-fraud-scam/388634/1 "2007-01-19T21:46:47Z")
We have a new winner: This week’s Moron of the Week is here! The latest idiot to get caught up in a Nigerian Bank Fraud scam is this long time [county treasurer](http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070118/NEWS06/701180305). Not only did he sink his whole life savings into this, he also dropped $1.25 million in public funds there, too. If this were a few years ago, I might be able to find some sympathy for him. I’d not heard of the Nigerian scam until the mid-nineties, myself. But that’s ten, maybe fifteen years ago. Since then, anyone not approaching senility should **know** the basics of the Nigerian scam, how it works, and what it will eventually get the mark. A fifty-six year old man, presumably educated, and aware of the world around him, should know better. And that’s completely ignoring the folk wisdom: If something’s too good to be true, it often is. I hope they raise a huge stink about this. I have no sympathy for this man, and look forward to hearing more of his idiocies. ---
**Author:** ![wolf\_meister](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolf_meister/32/15202_2.png) [@wolf\_meister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolf_meister)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2007, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-will-it-take-to-get-idiots-to-stop-falling-for-the-nigerian-bank-fraud-scam/388634/2 "2007-01-19T21:49:16Z")
And he was looking forward to that windfall so he could buy the Brooklyn Bridge. ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2007, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-will-it-take-to-get-idiots-to-stop-falling-for-the-nigerian-bank-fraud-scam/388634/3 "2007-01-19T21:51:10Z")
I hope the county fired his dumb ass. I don’t want anyone _that_ stupid in charge of my money. Or anything else, for that matter. ---
**Author:** ![Ponder\_Stibbons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponder_stibbons/32/343_2.png) [@Ponder\_Stibbons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponder_Stibbons)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2007, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-will-it-take-to-get-idiots-to-stop-falling-for-the-nigerian-bank-fraud-scam/388634/4 "2007-01-19T21:59:49Z")
Shit, I still don’t see how people ever fell for this in the first place. Look, it’s easy. If someone you’ve never heard of before sends you an email offering you Free Money, _it’s a scam!!_ :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Ponder\_Stibbons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponder_stibbons/32/343_2.png) [@Ponder\_Stibbons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponder_Stibbons)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2007, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-will-it-take-to-get-idiots-to-stop-falling-for-the-nigerian-bank-fraud-scam/388634/5 "2007-01-19T22:02:31Z")
[QUOTE=Q.E.D.] I hope the county fired his dumb ass. I don’t want anyone _that_ stupid in charge of my money. Or anything else, for that matter. [/QUOTE] According to the article: > [@](#): > > He was relieved of his job in late November, after the alleged fraud was uncovered. And he’s currently charged with nine felonies. So I don’t think he’s going to get off light. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2007, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-will-it-take-to-get-idiots-to-stop-falling-for-the-nigerian-bank-fraud-scam/388634/6 "2007-01-19T22:11:28Z")
Ironically enough, the article had an ad in the middle of it saying, “Not everybody will give you free cable. But we will!” :dubious: I bet it’s not really free cable… ---
**Author:** ![Contrapuntal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e274bd/32.png) [@Contrapuntal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Contrapuntal)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2007, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-will-it-take-to-get-idiots-to-stop-falling-for-the-nigerian-bank-fraud-scam/388634/7 "2007-01-19T22:11:45Z")
[QUOTE=wolf\_meister] And he was looking forward to that windfall so he could buy the Brooklyn Bridge. [/QUOTE] Nah man. I can get it for you for a lot less than that. Call me. ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2007, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-will-it-take-to-get-idiots-to-stop-falling-for-the-nigerian-bank-fraud-scam/388634/8 "2007-01-19T22:17:10Z")
[Sometimes you can get a bottle of wine out of it](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=350648&highlight=aussie) 😃 ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2007, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-will-it-take-to-get-idiots-to-stop-falling-for-the-nigerian-bank-fraud-scam/388634/9 "2007-01-19T22:23:53Z")
[QUOTE=Ethilrist] I bet it’s not really free cable… [/QUOTE] Naw, it’s probably around 19 cents per foot. ---
**Author:** ![ComeToTheDarkSideWeHaveCookies](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e9bcb4/32.png) [@ComeToTheDarkSideWeHaveCookies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ComeToTheDarkSideWeHaveCookies)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2007, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-will-it-take-to-get-idiots-to-stop-falling-for-the-nigerian-bank-fraud-scam/388634/10 "2007-01-19T22:25:19Z")
I just had to chime in to say that for the past few weeks, a significant amount of my time has been spent inactivating metric assloads of internet accounts that were (fraudulently) created for no other reason but to spew out these 419 scam spams like pestilent puss. May they all burn in Hell for eternity with Satan’s scrotum as a permanent pacifier. ---
**Author:** ![Antinor01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecae2f/32.png) [@Antinor01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antinor01)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2007, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-will-it-take-to-get-idiots-to-stop-falling-for-the-nigerian-bank-fraud-scam/388634/11 "2007-01-19T22:32:31Z")
Idiots will never stop falling for it. What it will take is for there to not be idiots. I won’t hold my breath. ---
**Author:** ![Contrapuntal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e274bd/32.png) [@Contrapuntal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Contrapuntal)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2007, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-will-it-take-to-get-idiots-to-stop-falling-for-the-nigerian-bank-fraud-scam/388634/12 "2007-01-19T23:05:37Z")
[QUOTE=Antinor01] Idiots will never stop falling for it. What it will take is for there to not be idiots. I won’t hold my breath. [/QUOTE] To be fair to idiots, it’s the greedy ones who fall for this. Simply an internet version of the [pigeon drop.](http://www.crimes-of-persuasion.com/Crimes/InPerson/MajorPerson/pigeon_drop.htm) ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2007, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-will-it-take-to-get-idiots-to-stop-falling-for-the-nigerian-bank-fraud-scam/388634/13 "2007-01-19T23:11:35Z")
Jesus H. Christ! From the article: > [@](#): > > Local bank officials had warned Katona earlier that they suspected he was dealing with Nigerian fraud artists. So, even if we can give him the benefit of the doubt for not having heard of this type of scam before, the bank people actually warned him he might be in trouble. You’d think that would at least cause him to make some inquiries. Who knows, there might even be a technology that allows you to search for this sort of information, maybe through a network of connected machines. ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2007, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-will-it-take-to-get-idiots-to-stop-falling-for-the-nigerian-bank-fraud-scam/388634/14 "2007-01-19T23:22:30Z")
[QUOTE=mhendo] Who knows, there might even be a technology that allows you to search for this sort of information, maybe through a network of connected machines. [/QUOTE] Hey, yeah! And we should call it, um…Doogle. No…Boogle! Goozle? Well, I’ll think of something. This is gonna make us rich! ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2007, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-will-it-take-to-get-idiots-to-stop-falling-for-the-nigerian-bank-fraud-scam/388634/15 "2007-01-19T23:22:28Z")
My Dad used to quote the aphorism, “You can’t cheat an honest man.”\* Even totally clueless people with no understanding of the internet and no personal knowledge of the Nigerian Scam should recognize that the basic request in the letter is fundamentally dishonest and that they should avoid participating for ethical reasons. - _(It’s an aphorism, not a solid gold Absolute Truth. Obviously, a person who was caught by a phishing expedition using a letter from their “own” bank’s security department with a masked hyperlink has not demonstrated any dishonesty.)_ ---
**Author:** ![Contrapuntal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e274bd/32.png) [@Contrapuntal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Contrapuntal)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2007, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-will-it-take-to-get-idiots-to-stop-falling-for-the-nigerian-bank-fraud-scam/388634/16 "2007-01-19T23:28:28Z")
[QUOTE=Q.E.D.] Hey, yeah! And we should call it, um…Doogle. No…Boogle! Goozle? Well, I’ll think of something. This is gonna make us rich! [/QUOTE] [Gizoogle.](http://www.gizoogle.com/) ---
**Author:** ![infamousmom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/d6d6ee/32.png) [@infamousmom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/infamousmom)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2007, 9:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-will-it-take-to-get-idiots-to-stop-falling-for-the-nigerian-bank-fraud-scam/388634/17 "2007-01-20T09:16:03Z")
Every once in a while, though… I used to work at a large urban public library and was one of the people who had to supervise the knucklewalkers who used the public computers. (library computers are flypaper for assholes) Had this guy who was trying to print something out. He would not listen to my explanation of how the process worked. Kept arguing with me about it and getting ruder and ruder and ruder till I finally told him that he’d have to listen to what I was telling him or he’d never in a million years get his Oh So Important document to print. And then I couldn’t get him to sit still and listen to the steps involved. He’d click something and get up and run to the printer and I’d have to call him back to do the next step. And again. And again. Finally, the print job went through, and he got up and ran… and I got a chance to see what the document was. Ah yes. A nice long email from a nice rich guy in Nigeria who so wanted this jackass for a friend. ---
**Author:** ![Eutychus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Eutychus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eutychus)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2007, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-will-it-take-to-get-idiots-to-stop-falling-for-the-nigerian-bank-fraud-scam/388634/18 "2007-01-20T22:14:13Z")
Think of it this way. You know how stupid the average person is? Well, statistically speaking, half the people in the world are even stupider than that. There’s your answer. ---
**Author:** ![Nanoda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce73a5/32.png) [@Nanoda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nanoda)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2007, 6:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-will-it-take-to-get-idiots-to-stop-falling-for-the-nigerian-bank-fraud-scam/388634/19 "2007-01-21T06:48:26Z")
> [@](#): > > Cheryl Peterson, editor and publisher of the Alcona County Review, said Katona had been convicted of a misdemeanor while doing bookkeeping work for a private company several years ago. > > “This is a tremendous blow to a small community where we trust our politicians,” she said. I think that might not be the only problem here… ---
**Author:** ![OtakuLoki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ac8455/32.png) [@OtakuLoki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OtakuLoki)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2007, 9:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-will-it-take-to-get-idiots-to-stop-falling-for-the-nigerian-bank-fraud-scam/388634/20 "2007-01-21T09:02:10Z")
I’m not sure. I mean, the fact that he was convicted of a misdemeanor doesn’t indicate anything to me about his probity. Many traffic infractions are misdemeanors, for example. The article implies it was a misdemeanor related to his bookkeeping work, but doesn’t actually say it had anything to do with his professional work. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-will-it-take-to-get-idiots-to-stop-falling-for-the-nigerian-bank-fraud-scam/388634.md?page=2)