The Nigerian prince scam is still relevant and evolving. Protect yourself online.
- The Nigerian prince scam is a type of email scam that has been around for many years. In fact, it dates back to the 18th century.
- The scam typically involves a message from a Nigerian prince who promises to share his wealth with the recipient, if only they will send him a small advance.
- The scam is still relevant today, although scammers have refined their methods and moved on to additional platforms.
- To protect yourself from this and similar scams, be careful about who you trust online and never send money to someone you don’t know.
How to recognize a Nigerian prince scammer?
If you have an email address, then at some stage in your life you’ve probably received a Nigerian prince email.
In many respects, email is the perfect format for a Nigerian prince scammer.
It’s relatively cheap, easy, and convenient to send out a spam email.
Prince of Nigeria scam isn’t just about email. Other electronic forms of communication like SMS and fax machines are also just as convenient for crooks. And that’s before we even mention popular social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter.
All of these platforms make it relatively simple for one person to contact huge numbers of potential victims.
By now, most of us are wise to the tactics used by Nigerian prince scammers and can see them coming a mile off.
Here’s a list of some of the more obvious red flags:
- The original email, tweet, SMS, or contact is unsolicited
- The sender has a royal title or claims to be a foreign dignitary. More recently, this has evolved to include Middle Eastern bankers, US soldiers fighting overseas, lottery winners, rich orphans, and sons of Russian Oligarchs
- The scam is usually linked to a country or region where there’s corruption, confusion – and plenty of money!
- The sender says they’ll share a huge amount of money with you, but only after you’ve sent them funds or your bank details
Key characteristics of the Nigerian prince email
- An emotional appeal to your better nature: this may take the form of a seemingly small request for help, and is often designed to tug at your heartstrings. The language used may be personal and emotionally-charged
- A small initial request: the scammer may ask an apparently innocent and innocuous question in order to establish contact with you. Only later on will the true motive appear
- Poor English and grammatical errors: this may appear obvious after the event, but ask yourself this question: if someone was a prominent member of a royal family or a top international banker, wouldn’t they be able to spell correctly?
- The promise of unreal returns: whilst some of the content may be designed to engage with your higher nature, there’s also an appeal to your baser instincts – namely, the chance to make big money for a small investment
- A request for personal information: you can only help the person – and secure your returns – if you share private information, like your bank details
- Increasing demands: once you’ve been hooked, you may find yourself facing additional requests for more and more funds
- The trail suddenly goes cold: this is typically accompanied by unusual activity in your bank account, alongside the sickening realization that you’ve been conned
How to protect yourself from Nigerian prince scams?
Be careful online, and if you’ve been scammed, Reclaimexpert can help.
Here is a more detailed explanation:
- It’s important to be careful online, as there are many scams out there.
- If you’ve been scammed, don’t give up hope, as Reclaimexpert may be able to help you get your money back.
- Reclaimexpert has a team of experts who have a track record of recovering stolen funds.
- If you’ve been scammed, contact Reclaimexpert today to see if you qualify for help.
So if you’ve been scammed on the internet, call us now .