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A very important businessman in Nigeria just called

Discussion in 'General Chat' started by sarahk, Apr 12, 2014.

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  1. #1
    My husband couldn't understand what he was saying but gleaned that much. VOIP must be cheaper than email these days. and 9pm at night. Honestly! worst cold call ever.

    We have lots of members from Nigeria - it must be bloody tough being seen as credible and honest when you have people pulling stunts like that.
     
    sarahk, Apr 12, 2014 IP
  2. TIEro

    TIEro Active Member

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    #2
    One of my ongoing plugin development projects (the WLE one in my sig) was originally designed for Nigerians and I feel really sorry for them, to be honest. Nigeria is still seen as the scam capital of the world, so building a legitimate online business - as freelance writers, in this case - is horribly difficult. No one takes them seriously, at all. It's 100 times easier for WLE's owner to sell their content, simply because he's in the UK.

    The funny thing is that, like any stereotype, it only really applies to a small percentage of people who live there... but those people are so active that the stereotype persists! The never-ending story...
     
    TIEro, Apr 12, 2014 IP
  3. sarahk

    sarahk iTamer Staff

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    #3
    I'm sure thats the case. It is interesting when countries make a big leap in their internet availability because we get lots of unsophisticated, newbie spam here - in the last 6 months that would be Nigeria and Bangladesh. I wonder if that change, whatever it was, is behind the change in tactic from random emails and forum private messages etc to personal calls - it's much harder to say no to a person, especially for the elderly.
     
    sarahk, Apr 12, 2014 IP
  4. jrbiz

    jrbiz Acclaimed Member

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    #4
    I cannot imagine being a legitimate Nigerian businessperson and trying to sell a product or service here. The term "Nigerian scam" is part of the lexicon here in the U.S. and has been for many years. I would recommend to any such businessperson that s/he open a satellite office in another country and promote the company from that location.

    I suppose that Nigerian businesses could form a Chamber of Commerce type of organization and it could embark on a PR campaign to point out the obvious: the vast majority of businesses in Nigeria are legitimate and honest just like anywhere else. But it would have to be a very well-funded and long-term campaign to have any chance of success in the near to medium term.

    Quite honestly, the Nigerian business brand has been absolutely destroyed and it will take a lot of effort and a lot of time for it to recover.
     
    jrbiz, Apr 12, 2014 IP
    sarahk likes this.
  5. TIEro

    TIEro Active Member

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    #5
    Or find someone who'll market your work from another location and partner with them.

    Eventually, the "Nigerian scam" term will die down (probably to be replaced by another country, much like the Eastern European Mail-Order Brides thing), but as you say, it's going to be very hard for Nigerian businesspeople to do well outside their own borders for a long, long time. It's unfair, but that's life, I guess. :(
     
    TIEro, Apr 13, 2014 IP
  6. Mr Lee

    Mr Lee Greenhorn

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    #6
    They've been calling for years already. I remember getting calls in 2006. The scammers there have been very successful turning their country into an island on the internet. Most of my associates either block or sandbox them.
     
    Mr Lee, Apr 14, 2014 IP
  7. sarahk

    sarahk iTamer Staff

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    #7
    That's fascinating, nobody I've spoken to in NZ has had a call before. We're all totally over the Windows Support calls and the lonely hearts scams get initiated through the dating sites but I've never had a cold call before. I bet people have some fun with them.
     
    sarahk, Apr 14, 2014 IP
  8. sarahk

    sarahk iTamer Staff

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    #8
    Well I have to eat my words on this one - and I guess it just highlights the problems Nigerians face

    Our caller called back since we hadn't called him and it turned out he wanted to buy some software we used to sell and still support. When we told him we no longer sell it he asked if we could recommend anything else. Poor man! I feel really bad for him now.
     
    sarahk, Apr 14, 2014 IP
  9. Mr Lee

    Mr Lee Greenhorn

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    #9
    I have a friend that was able to outsmart a nigerian scammer. They sent him $500. It was the wierdest. But he walked away $500 richer.
     
    Mr Lee, Apr 14, 2014 IP
  10. tenkeys

    tenkeys Well-Known Member

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    How did that happen? :D
     
    tenkeys, Apr 17, 2014 IP
  11. mark ginn

    mark ginn Active Member

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    #11
    [​IMG]
     
    mark ginn, Apr 17, 2014 IP
  12. jrbiz

    jrbiz Acclaimed Member

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    #12
    I wonder if, in fact, this was a legitimate Nigerian business that sent the $500. I cannot imagine a scammer sending anyone that sum of money.
     
    jrbiz, Apr 17, 2014 IP