A while ago I was surfing the internet, that great information super highway, when I stumbled on something interesting. I found a certain website called www.419eaters.com. My first impression was that it was a site that detailed the escapades of 419ers (or fraudsters) and their victims.
419 is that section of the Nigerian Criminal Code that prescribe punishment for Criminals who extort money from people by false pretences. That section had gained world wide notoriety because of the atrocious practices of many Nigerians who trick often gullible and greedy people around the world into parting with large sums of money on the false pretence that the money was to be used to secure a Government patronage that would result in the release of tens of millions of US Dollars.
Ridiculous, baseless. stupid and spurious as these claims are, thousands of Europeans and Americans have fallen and are still falling prey to these Fraudsters.
My curiosity was aroused and I decided to explore the site further. To my pleasant surprise, I found out it was actually a site that chronicled the adventures of “wannabe” con-artists who had tried to coax and sweet-talk people abroad with the aim of defrauding them, but ended up being the deceived ones. That definitely had my attention because everyone wants to see a fraudster defrauded. As the saying goes, the Thief may steal from the farm everyday, BUT ONE DAY, he will be “caught in the act” by the farmer
As I looked further through the website I noticed a link, 419 hall of fame, and in a bid to satisfy my curiosity I clicked on it. The page that followed had various stories of different wannabe fraudsters and how they too were deceived.
Poor Nigerians and their poor victims, when are they going to stop. It is heart warming to note that the activities of the Nigerian anti fraud organisation, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, (EFCC) has led to a sharp decline in the activities of these fraudsters.
I even read that the European Union recently commended the EFCC for their forthrightness and even donated some money to the selfless staff of the Commission to assist their operations.
On our own part, we in UNILAGfaces say “kudos” to the young, indefatigable, simple and unassuming but highly effective Boss of the Commission, Alhaji Nuhu Ribadu. “More grease to your elbows Sir and to that of all your Staff.
To the 419 wannabes, we say, “Men, retrace your steps, that’s not the only road to success”. As a matter of fact, we in UNILAGfaces can show you a better BUT LEGITIMATE way to succeed outside of 419. Send us a mail or comment on this post and we will show you how. Cheers !!!
Leave Your Comments Below