Written by DL Garren
 
This article is to educate and protect you and your loved ones from online scammers during this holiday season and beyond. Please be sure to pass this information forward.
 
The Internet is like the wild wild west. It is uncontrolled and where scammers lurk to make their fortune with one of the most profitable scams today, called the “ Romance Scam .” The busiest time of the year for scammers is during the holiday season because this is when people are the loneliest and wishing they had someone who loved them and would spend the holidays with them. Once a victim sends money, it is gone forever with no recourse to retrieve it because law enforcement is generally powerless to help retrieve your money.

The “Romance Scam” causes:

  • Hearts to be broken;
  • Money to be stolen;
  • Individuals to commit suicide;
  • Innocent people being sent to prison;
  • The identity of innocent people being taken;
  • Billions of dollars leaving our country, thus weakening our economy.
 
Who are these romance scammers, and how do they successfully get away with this scam? They are usually Nigerian’s and Ghanan’s between the ages of 10 and 29. In Nigeria, they are called the Yahoo Boys, and in Ghana, they are called the Sakawa Boys. Many times they are recruited from Universities. They are educated and practice their trade and accents. They work in groups and are part of a worldwide network - a new kind of mafia that was started in Nigeria - called the “Black Axe.” Everyone in their group has different skill sets. They are narcissistic, manipulative, ruthless criminals that have no remorse. All they care about is how much money they can get from their victims. Their Black Ax worldwide connections launder the money they scam. The Black Axe is also known as the Neo Black Movement, originated at the University of Benin in the late 1970s. They are known to be a “cult” and to also commit sex trafficking, rape, and movement of illegal drugs. They now have their roots set firmly in every country. In the U.S., they like to set their primary roots in Atlanta, GA, Houston, TX, New York City, NY, and Miami, Florida.

Their favorite drinks are $1,000 bottles of champagne and Hennessy. They drive expensive cars, wear designer clothes and sneakers, and are dripping in gold. When they first get a victim to talk to them, they call their victim a client. Once they get money from their victim, they then call them either a Maga, which in Nigerian Pidgin English means “idiot easily fooled by trickery” or a Mugu, which in Nigerian Pidgin English means “big fool.” They use stolen identities and fake names. They take pictures and videos from social media sites of everyday men, women, children, and men and women from the armed services then hide behind them, pretending to be who they are not.

The Romance Scam is their job, and they are very skilled at what they do. They get away with this scam because they are untouchable in Africa. Why would the African government want to stop the scammers when they are bringing in over a trillion dollars a year to the African economy. Furthermore, in all parts of the world where the scammers steal from their citizens, the authorities consider this scam to be civil and not criminal because the victims freely give their money. They somehow overlook the fact that the victim gave their money under false pretense, and it is an advance fee fraud. The more authorities look the other way; the more innocent citizens will be scammed.   Read more …