Churches, Beware the Nigerian Scam

by   T. C. Pinckney                                                                                                                                                                        Vol. XV, No. 5, May 2002

Nigeria is well known as the home of numerous, elaborate scams which have cost many people thousands of dollars and hours of anguish. Now the thieves have apparently begun to target churches.

Recently, our pastor received a friendly e-mail from Nigeria. The sender identified himself as a Christian, a former Muslim, and a highly placed military or government official (it wasn’t quite clear which). And he mentioned plans to visit the United States. Other e-mails followed in which he described his family, his church activities, et cetera.

One of his later e-mails mentioned a gift he wanted to ship to our pastor. (Sometimes millions of dollars are mentioned.) And then the “gift” is shipped on “consignment”. The addressee is either instructed to call or is called by a “cargo and securities” company in the U.S.

About the same time the Nigerian e-mailed numbers needed for the consignment to be released, and there were official-looking attachments to the e-mail.

When (out of curiosity) our pastor contacted the “cargo and securities company”, he was told he would have to make a security deposit in order for the consignment to be released to him. Upon asking how much, the answer was $39,000.

Please note that the details are not what is important. Anyone clever enough to concoct a scam this elaborate is surely flexible enough to adapt it to different circumstances, different victims. If you want more information on these scams, search the Internet for “Nigerian Scam 419” and read the excellent information available there.

We are commanded to be as wise as serpents and innocent as doves. But remember, innocence doesn’t mean gullible. So, pass the word to others.