Just who are these scammers out to scam?
Anyone and everyone!.
It’s a common misconception that internet scammers target wealthy, elderly, Western victims for their scams. While these types of people are targeted, they aren’t the only ones. Scammers are after anyone they think they can get money out of – regardless of nationality, race, age, or social status.
Many (certainly not all) of these advanced fee fraud internet scams originate from West Africa. It’s a common thing for the scammers there to claim they are doing this because it’s a way for them as a marginalized people to strike back at the former colonial elites. It is beyond the scope of this article to examine the pitfalls of colonialism or the vast issues plaguing the region, but the scammers’ feelings of justification for their scams is simply not true. They will scam their own impoverished countrymen just as quickly as they will scam a wealthy foreigner, and not think twice about it. All they are after is money!
Most of us have heard of the early 419 advanced fee fraud scams involving a Nigerian princess and the millions she is ready to send. As the years have gone by, the scammers have adapted and branched out with many new scam tactics. Some tactics are specifically designed to target individuals from developing countries, who can scarcely afford to survive, let alone send money to a scammer. It may not have started as one, but this is now truly a global issue.
It is unfortunate that these criminals are out there, and it’s terrible if anyone from anywhere gets scammed by them. However, as more people become informed of these scams, the scammers have to adapt and find new targets. Romance scammers are posing as wealthy Europeans or Americans and luring Africans and Asians from developing countries with their proposals and offers of gifts. There has been a definite increase in fake websites impersonating Spanish-language South American banks – attempting to scam Latin Americans. The scammers have also learned to use free online translation tools, to send their fraudulent emails in whatever language they like, to whomever will respond to them.
Regardless of where you are from or who you are, if you or someone you know has fallen victim to one of these scams, there are people who are willing to help. There are numerous diverse international members in the scam-fighting community. These are people who understand what you’re going through and know that these internet scams can happen to anyone. To learn more or to receive support, please visit ScamWarners.com.