Access to internet did not come to my country( Nigeria ) until the late 90s. Even then, its use were restricted to multinational companies and government agencies. But by around 2001 when some companies decided to go commercial with access to internet use, the idea was quite welcomed by the teaming youth who are ever inquisitive of any new innovation.
The acceptance of the Internet in Nigeria was clearly manifested in the way youths spends hours at cyber shops at the expense of their Schools. In fact, the period between 2002 and 2005 witnessed a boom for those operating Cyber Shops.
While exploring the wonders that come with Internet, Nigerian Youths, perhaps due to biting poverty, discovered that fortunes could be made of the new development both by legitimate means and fraudulent means. While they see the legitimate means as the exclusive preserve of the rich and the corporate bodies, they opted for the fraudulent means which is today referred to as '419'. The term 419 actually referred to a section of the criminal code spelling stiff penalties for whoever is convicted of advanced fee fraud.
It is saddening however that, the use of Internet has to come to the level where innocent people are being defrauded of their hard-earned money. But to be sincere, the victims, have made the fraud possible in some ways:
One. They place too much trust on the seemingly 'Fraud-Proof' nature of the Internet. For instance, with the fact that without a password, they believed it is impossible for anybody to have access either to one's mail box or to another person's. But the inquisitive mind of the under-privileged youth, who is determined to break the yoke of poverty by all means, was able to break the rule. The more the time they spend at the Cyber shops, the more they learn new tricks they can subject the Internet to in order to achieve their own aims.
Another way the victims made the fraud possible was their belief that those living in Africa here, are not wise. I am sorry to say this but the truth has to be tabled so as to arrest the situation before it assumes uncontrollable dimension. When a young boy writes an unsuspecting man that he has an amount that runs into millions of Dollars which he hopes to transfer to a foreign account and he needs someone whose account can effect that transfer, the man believes him. He is after the 40 per cent or 50 per cent promised him by the youngster and not the source or legitimacy of the deal. So, by the time he is asked to send ten thousand Dollars to process the transfer, he gladly yields and ten thousand Dollars in a country where the value of the local currency in comparison to the Dollar is nothing to write home about, runs into millions.
Because some have done this and made themselves good fortune, peers started joining and in a population that is one-fifth the population of the entire continent, where more than 90 per cent live below one Dollar per day, one can just imagine the rush.
I was deeply touched about four or five years ago when Transparency International came up with a list of Most-Corrupt Nations in the world and Nigeria was in the second position after Bangladesh . This assertion set Nigeria back before international communities and anywhere a Nigerian goes, he or she is subjected to series of scrutinies.
Although the government of Nigeria has taken decisive steps at arresting the situation with establishment of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission whose actions have put a sharp decline in internet fraud, I personally have been looking for ways of creating awareness that Internet fraud is bad through youth group discussion and symposia among fellow youth. This has taken me to many High schools and colleges in the city of Lagos .
One disturbing development now is the fact that internet Fraudsters are now prevalent in other countries and given the opportunity to visit any other country, part of my mission would be to continue the crusade against Internet fraud so that the positive benefits of Internet could be savored by all.
Biodun Uthman
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