Scam

by Hla Min

Updated : May 2025

It is used by dishonest people to cheat unwary folks.

Nigerian Scam

• It is one of the oldest scams.
• Typically, one gets an e-mail supposedly from a friend asking for help (e.g. need money desperately to buy a return ticket home) and to follow instructions (e.g. transfer money) to get him out of the trouble. There is a promise to repay the debt.
• Some get emotional & forget logic and the importance of verifying (double checking). They rush off to write a check.

Why Scam?

• It does not need much effort to scam.
• Even if a tiny fraction of the recipients fall into a scam, the scammers get rich.
• Even if they are caught (possibly after a long time), the resources needed to get back the money (extradition, law suit) are too much and not cost-effective.

Variations

• Someone claiming that he / she had inherited millions of dollars
• A company claiming that you had won a big prize
• Some scenario suggesting “It’s too good to be true”.

Scammers

• Some are sloppy copy cats (with typos and errors in the message). If you are careful, you can easily confirm their scams.
• Some simply change the settings (Edinburgh, Scotland instead of Nigeria). It’s not difficult to confirm such scams.
• Some may use malware to take over computers and send scams from the hacked account.

Right actions to beat scams

• Call your friend and his/her family to verify
• Use nick names or sensitive information to check if the sender is a hacker
• Warn friends and families about the attack