A few days ago I started a blog post with this: At the RSA SF Conference in 2010 my mother and I presented a talk called “There’s No Patch for Social Engineering”. One of the key findings revealed in the talk (also explained in other blog posts and our 2006 paper) is that intelligence is … Continue reading Why do Nigerian Scammers Say They are from Nigeria?
As I prepare for my upcoming presentation “False Harmony: Racial, Ethnic, and Religious Stereotypes on the Internet”, together with Dr. Harriet Ottenheimer, I am looking forward to discussing some remarkable new methods used by the Nigerian Scam artists since we started this project over four years ago. We have noticed important changes since we began … Continue reading Preparing for another presentation on Nigerian Scams
The BBC reports on changes in Nigeria that are meant to help fight 419 fraud: Virtually anyone with an email account will be familiar with this crime, which involves sending emails or faxes to potential victims around the world, sucking them into a highly attractive but utterly false financial deal. Back in Nigeria, the rewards … Continue reading Nigerian ISPs now liable for 419ers
It always bothered me that the 419 scams in Nigeria seem to be linked to people who say that they are just playing the game of open markets. In other words, attackers ask why they should be blamed if they simply prey on others’ greed. A new story appeared last Thursday in the Guardian that … Continue reading The 419 Attack