Cultural Themes & 419
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Written By Reprise Media | October 21, 2005 | Share This
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Nigerian 419 scammers are people, too!
That’s the premise behind an article in the LA Times which attempts to provide the backstory on some of the people that commit the crime.
Most surprising (or perhaps not surprising) is the amount of vitriol levelled against people in the United States. Here’s a quote from a fraud artist named Samuel:
“Scammers have the belief that white men are stupid and greedy. They say the American guy has a good life. There’s this belief that for every dollar they lose, the American government will pay them back in some way.”
419 fraud has become so prevalent it’s even got its own anthem, a song called “I Go Chop Your Dollars” that’s topping the charts in Lagos.
A sampling of the lyrics:
“419 is just a game, you are the losers, we are the winners/White people are greedy, I can say they are greedy/White men, I will eat your dollars, will take your money and disappear/419 is just a game, we are the masters, you are the losers.”
Now that’s just not nice.
To me it’s funny that they think they’re taking advantage of the stereotypical greedy American when it’s most likely the disadvantaged (unsophisticated, uneducated, not computer savvy, etc.) who are the ones most likely to fall prey to this scheme.
Read the full article here and then see what the gang has to say on Slashdot.
Topics: International |