New anti-419 strategy: Jail the Victims!
Posted: Sun Aug 24, 2008 6:21 pm
From an Australian newspaper,
http://www.smh.com.au/news/web/jail-the ... 3059.html/
http://www.smh.com.au/news/web/jail-the ... 3059.html/
THE Nigerian high commissioner says people who are ripped off by so-called Nigerian scams are just as guilty as the fraudsters and should be jailed.
Responding to a story in yesterday's (Sydney Morning) Herald, which revealed Australians lose at least $36 million a year to the online scams, Sunday Olu Agbi said Australians had failed to heed repeated warnings not to deal with shady characters on the internet.
He said media coverage of fraudulent activity stemming from Nigeria had given the country "a bad image" and "those who want to transact business with us are always very suspicious".
"The Nigerian Government frowns very seriously on these scams … and every day tries to track down those who are involved," he said. "It is not in the character of Nigerians to be engaged in this kind of scam."
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Professor Olu Agbi said "greedy" Australians who tried to partake in these crimes - even though they are scams - should be arrested as well.
"People who send their money are as guilty as those who are asking them to send the money," he said.
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He likened victims to gambling addicts. People were in denial about the scams even after being warned because the thrill of a possible windfall at the end raised their excitement and they became emotionally involved.