The History of Nigerian Facebook Scams
Nigerian Facebook scams have evolved from the old Nigerian Prince scheme. They are now known as 419 frauds and are very common.
Here is a more detailed explanation:
- Nigerian Facebook scams are a type of online scam that involves using the popular social media platform to trick people into giving up their personal information or money.
- The scams have evolved from the old Nigerian Prince scheme, which involved sending spam emails promising vast sums of cash in exchange for personal information.
- These scams are now known as 419 frauds, named after the Nigerian penal code section that deals with such offenses.
- It is estimated that more than 50% of these types of scams the world over now originate in Nigeria
How do Nigerian Scammers on Facebook Operate?
Nigerian scammers on Facebook use sophisticated tactics to target vulnerable people. They impersonate trusted friends, comment on posts, and build relationships to gain your trust.
Here is a more detailed explanation:
- They may impersonate trusted friends or family members, or they may create fake profiles that look like real people.
- They may comment on your posts, or they may send you friend requests.
- They may even try to build a relationship with you, in order to gain your trust.
- Once they have your trust, they may ask you for money or personal information.
It is important to be aware of these tactics and to protect yourself from Nigerian scammers on Facebook.
Here are some tips for protecting yourself:
- Do not accept friend requests from people you do not know.
- Be suspicious of people who ask you for money or personal information.
- Do not click on links in messages from people you do not know.
- If you think you have been contacted by a Nigerian scammer, report the message to Facebook.
Common Nigerian Scams on Facebook
Nigerian Military Scams
- Nigerian military scammers on Facebook often use stolen photos of real soldiers to create fake profiles.
- They then target lonely women in their late 30s to late 70s who have a connection to the armed forces or are looking for love.
- After building up a level of trust, the scammers will start to ask for money to be sent via wire transfer.
- These requests will usually start small and then gradually increase in size.
Nigerian Romance Scams
Romance scammers on Facebook use fake profiles to target lonely people. They ask for money for various expenses, but never meet in person.
- Romance scammers on Facebook often use fake profiles to target lonely people.
- They will send friend requests to people who are single or have recently become single.
- Once they have been accepted as friends, they will start to build a relationship with the victim.
- They may send messages, chat online, or even talk on the phone.
- Eventually, they will start to ask for money for various expenses.
- These expenses may be for travel, medical bills, or anything else that the scammer can think of.
- The victim is often led to believe that they will meet in person eventually, but this never happens.
Inheritance Scams
Nigerian scammers on Facebook target elderly people with inheritance scams. They pose as family members and ask for money to release funds.
- Nigerian scammers on Facebook often target elderly people with inheritance scams.
- They will send messages claiming to be holding on to an inheritance and that the victim needs to send a ‘verification payment’ in order to release the funds.
- The scammers may also set up fake profiles of family members of the intended victim in order to make the scam more believable.
The Friend In Need Scam
This is one of the newer Nigerian scams on FB and involves the perpetrator setting up a dummy account from a victim’s friends list. This includes copying pictures and posts to make them look legitimate. The scammer then emails their ‘friend’ claiming they’ve got in some financial hot water and need bailing out.
The fraudsters work to script and often look for people on vacation, with a common claim being they were robbed in a foreign country and need their friend to bail them out. The best way to deal with this type of scam is to make your account completely private.
Blackmail Scams
In a step up from the romance scam, malicious parties are now drawing victims into compromising situations via Facebook. While users think they might have found a new long distance love interest via Facebook, they’ll instead be tricked into adult video messaging chats that will be recorded by the scammer.
The victim will then be threatened with exposure to their friends and family unless they pay up. This particularly vicious scam has seen a sharp rise in recent years and is definitely one to watch out for.
How Can You Protect Yourself From Facebook Scams from Nigeria?
- Never send money to those you haven’t met in person – While this seems like obvious advice, you’d be surprised at just how manipulative scammers can be and how often people will do this
- Change your privacy settings – Make sure your Facebook account is completely private, and is set up to block anyone outside of your friend group from commenting or messaging
- Watch out for spelling and grammar issues – These are usually a sure sign something is wrong, and you should be especially suspicious of poor spelling on accounts that claim to be from people you know
- Someone wants to take the conversation off Facebook – This is another major red flag. Never contact someone outside of the platform unless you’re 100% sure of their identity
- Never accept friend requests from people you don’t know – This is probably the most sensible advice to stay safe. If the scammers can’t contact you, they can’t con you
However, no matter how many measures you take to protect yourself, there’s always a chance you’ll fall victim to a Nigerian Facebook scam. It’s certainly possible to get your money back and, at Reclaimexpert, our experts have years of experience in hunting down perpetrators and recovering funds that have been lost to fraud. If you’ve sent cash via wire transfer, there’s a chance we can recover your stolen money via chargeback, but we’ll leave no stone unturned during our investigation to ensure justice is served.