http://abclocal.go.com/wabc/story?section=news/investigators&id=7617743
I just came across this article and honestly I am stunned. I feel so very sorry for the deceased and his family if it is indeed true that he committed suicide due to this internet scam but I am also shocked that he was involved in such a thing. I mean in this day and age who still falls for these wire/send/transfer money to West Africa scams? They are so common place and so obvious that they’ve become comedic material. Seriously, I’ve heard comedians making fun of these scams. Who hasn’t received an email from someone claiming to be a Nigerian business man with a business idea requiring $10,000 wired to an account? Shoot, even on eBay I’ve seen sellers state “WILL NOT SHIP TO WEST AFRICA” on their eBay auctions. Not to mention that the embassy websites warn their citizens about romantic relationship and business ventures when traveling to foreign countries. Here it seems that the deceased never even traveled to Ghana and was instead just sending money to some woman that he had never met. I can’t imagine how lonely and desperate he must have been to fall for this.
What’s really sad is that had he just used the money for a plane ticket to Ghana he could have easily met a female here. Come on, who here in Ghana hasn’t seen an older foreign man with a young, pretty Ghanaian girl???
So my cousin got scammed recently...it wall started from someone calling him expressing interest in the car he was selling....that's another story for another day. Can you hit me up on hollatainment@gmail.com and you can catch me on http://hollatainment.wordpress.com.
ReplyDeletegreat blog!
Morena523, I like the new look of your blog. I took time to watch the video. The pictures the scammer sent the guy were right out of a Victoria's secret catalogue. The chic in the pictures looks like a hot bikini-clad Brazilian model. That should've been his cue that it was a scam but how would he know if he knew nothing about Ghana.
ReplyDeleteHollatainment,I like your blog and thank you for checking out mine. You are my trotro sibling from another mother. LOL. Sorry to hear about your cousin, these scammers are relentless. We have to keep our guards up.
ReplyDeleteBoatemaa, thanks! I agree the photos are so obviously fake and hear what you are saying about him not knowing about Ghana but am still thinking that the average person wouldn't fall for such a scam. I would love to read one of their email exchanges. I am so tight with money especially now that I am in Ghana, I can't imagine what kind of Shakespearian Voodoo love poem one would have to send me for me to even think about wiring them one ghana cedi much less 50 thousand dollars!
I didn't believe people still fell for these scams either but they do. Despite the publicity.
ReplyDeleteAn acquaintance got taken for $3K a few months ago. I feel bad for the ones who get taken just because they trusted too much. The ones that are victims due to greed I pity too but not as much.
It is a sad story but his greed did that. He was a selfish old man and it's his son that I feel bad for.
ReplyDelete