Many people desperate for love and affection especially in Europe and North America have had their fingers badly burnt with the Nigerian internet fraudsters feasting on them.
One of the leading scammers from that part of the world is 24-year-old Abayomi Aje who made over $80,000 in his four-year stint. Abayomi, now a repentant scammer, said peer pressure and his desire to go to school at all cost made him a scammer.
�I was a scammer for close to four years and made well over $80,000. I have heard guys making as much as a half a million dollars.� Explaining their modus operandi to Daily Mail, Abayomi who now runs an internet business in Nigeria said, �Each person has as many as six women at a time.
We would search through dating websites such as Yahoo! personals, match.com and singlesnet.com and create an account, usually with stolen credit cards.
�The woman is, in most cases, desperate to get a man in her life. For those who are being a little difficult, you send a gift on a weekend with some nicely worded card. Once the victim has fallen in love, the next thing is to tell her you are going on a short business trip to any part of the world. You call the victim and be romantic with her on the phone.
Then, after some days, you ask her for money giving her some sob story, like you were robbed or forgot your money. �She will either agree to send the money or, if she is really gullible, she will clear fake cheques or money orders for you.
She may also be asked to receive wire transfers into her bank account.�
Talking about what led him to such a heartless way of life, he said: �I wanted to go to London Metropolitan University. I am sorry about everything that happened. I was a young boy who was misled by my peer group and under pressure from wanting to go to school at all costs.�
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