The Nigerian Chess Scam - scaming the scammer

[The Straight Story]

http://www.chessbase.com/newsdetail.asp?newsid=2327

(This is too funny)

14.04.2005 Remember the Advance Fee Fraud involving chess teacher being promised a $150,000 a year salary for training the Nigerian chess team? Well, one chess trainer has applied for the job. Grandmaster Dr Martin Roland, number 19 on the world rankings (Elo 2698), successful Linares player and seven times Olympic gold medalist, has come close to clinching the deal.


After we published our article last week we received a lot of email, including one from Nigerian IM Odion Aikhoje, who was mentioned in the original scam letter. This stated that the Nigerian Chess Federation has set up the Nigerian Chess Trainers Committee (NCTC) "which is chaired by International Master Fola Akintola." The letter also mentioned legitimate names such as that of Odion Aikhoje, who wrote to us:

"I must say, it's quite disturbing to be used as a forerunner in scam such as this bogus issue about Nigerian Chess trainers, in fact to be mentioned in any scam at all is disheartening. Or maybe I should feel happy at the obvious reference to my popularity? (ha ha). Anyway, these things happen all the time, I feel that any chess player should immediately be able to spot the inconsistencies in the said article. e.g: the fact that the fax/phone no quoted for the Nigeria Chess Federation or whatever is a US no. Ridiculous. Besides, I'm sure the proper contact details for the Nigeria Chess Federation are listed on the FIDE web site, easy to cross-check. All said, it's quite annoying but I feel it's just another of those stray undesirable things running all over the internet, after all with issues like spyware and computer viruses, who gives such poor scams a second look? Rubbish."

One reader, Martin Roland of Ontario, Canada, wrote: "This article was very interesting to read, and I am glad you brought to the world's attention. I decided that I would have a bit of fun to see where this would lead, so I sent the Nigerian's my not very subtle dream biography. Attached is my correspondence so far."

[Jdemsindiana]

1. E-mail Fraud and nigeria

How many con artists in nigeria make a living sending out spam and bogus e-mails?

[sui generis]

2. I spent an entire summer scamming these guys back

last year. It was a hoot - greedy little monkeys.

The best one (I did a variation on it) was when I pretended to be an elderly gent named Barnabas with an intense allergy to sunlight.

My loyal manservant had to email the lawyers involved in the 300 million dollar deal to inform them that regretfully Barnabas had taken very ill when the curtains to his bedchamber were accidentally opened on a bright sunny morning and had expired on the spot.

[newyawker99]

3. Hi Jdemsindiana!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[iverglas]

4. don't click here

if you don't have a day to waste. ;)

http://www.scamorama.com/

The Lads from Lagos and their nemeses ... good for hours of hilarity any time.

[Twillig]

5. Heh, they're in trouble now:

Date: Wed, 13 Apr 2005 14:38:33 -0700 (PDT)
From: "nigerian chess federation"
To: "Martin Roland"

GM Martin that is not part of our contract you have not even started working and you already want to recieve payments,when you get here you would be paid.The funds for your salary are not coming from NCF but from our sponsors(coca cola nigeria,MTN communication,UNICEF)

And you know what this means. Like Colonel Batguano (if that really was his name) said in Dr. Stangelove, 'You're gonna have to answer to the Coca-Cola company!'