Nigerian minister reveals what they do with “princes” who write to foreigners

The Nigerian authorities are fighting the so-called “Nigerian princes” - notorious scammers who promise large inheritances to foreigners, Kingsley Tochukwu Ude, Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology of the African country, told RIA Novosti.

“First, with the help of the Commission for Combating Financial and Economic Crimes, we track down those who are involved in this. Then we arrest and judge them,” the minister said on the sidelines of the II Global Digital Forum.

According to him, Nigerian security forces have become more effective in identifying the locations from which such scammers operate.

The fight against swindlers who have become widely known outside the country is important for the state from an image point of view, the agency’s interlocutor emphasized.

"We know how important this is for our image," he added.

“Nigerian princes” is a collective name for scammers who have been attacking Internet users around the world for decades. According to the scenario of this scam, the victim receives a message from a certain representative of an aristocratic or even royal family in Africa. In the message, the addressee is offered to receive family wealth of this family in exchange for a little help. The victim is asked to send his money, ostensibly to pay expenses associated with financial transactions.

The scam can drag on for a long time, and the deceived person will be asked for new money transfers, but not shared with him the promised money. Although this type of fraud is primarily associated with Nigeria, it is also used by criminals in many other countries.