Lads from Lagos target Facebook

The ever-resourceful Lads from Lagos have been hanging around Facebook hoping to extract a few bucks from the unwary, the Sydney Morning Herald reports. Aussie Karina Wells was last Friday targeted via the social networking site by a Nigerian scammer claiming to be her friend Adrian. His message said he was stuck in Lagos and …

[dreadful scathe]

scam messages

i have had 4 of these sent to me so far on facebook - i always reply to all with "this is not a legit message - do not download file" or words to that affect. I would hope that most of my friends are too mature to reply to ANY message that has LOL and far too many exclamation marks!!!!! in !! the !!!title!!

hmm are we sure yahoo!! are!!not!!responsible!?!!

[Martin H Watson]

Deserved?

Anyone who falls that deserves to have their PC taken away.

[Jimbob]

RE: TRANSFER OF ($19,780,000.00 USD)

Dear Friend,

I have the honor and confidence to introduce you to this business in view of the fact that you are trustworthy and reliable.

I am Mr.George Eze.

There is an account opened in our bank in 1990 but since 1996 nobody has operated on this account again. The amount contained in this account is US$19,780,000 USD.

...Mine is the one with the trojan horse in the pocket..

[Anonymous Coward]

ScamOn

...apply directly to a scammer. (Apologies to Oxhorn)

[Anonymous John]

Or

she got an email saying that her account would be suspended, unless she logged onto a (fake) site and confirmed her password, etc.

I've read of some hotmail users being caught this way, and the scammer then targets poeple in the address book.

I doubt that the scammer will be caught. He won't have given his real location, and WU payments can be withdrawn anywhere in the world.

[lglethal]

The biggest give away should have been...

That he claimed he could get from Lagos back to Aus for $500! Considering the complete decline in any value of the Australian dollar and the cost of airline tickets i doubt you could fly from Lagos to Spain for $500!

Actually im suprised they bothered targeting us Aussies considering that the Aussie dollars is so shite right now! $500 could probably only by a nice pair of shoes in Lagos! :P

[Anonymous Coward]

Like I say ...

This sort of thing demonstrates fully the mental acumen (or lack thereof) of FaceBook users generally. Don't confuse them with hard reality.

If you are dumb enough to be scammed out of a few hundred this easily then clearly you are not a fit person to be handling money.

Ask a responsible adult to give you some pocket money each week (say five quid) , then you'll be fine!

Maybe your social worker could arrange something.

[Anonymous Coward]

What more...

...does one expect if they use Fakebook?

[TeeCee]

Facebook lusers and Nigerian scammers.

Some relationships are just meant to be.

[Chris Young]

@ Martin H

I would alter that slightly to ...

"Anyone who uses Facebook deserves to have their PC taken away."