How to Identify a Scammer

My Fake Parcel from the UK

Someone presenting himself as a white woman from the UK sent me a friendship request on Facebook. I just told myself, “Here come the scammers again.” But I was curious to see how it goes –it could be legit.

She told me she would want us to become friends. That her husband was involved in a road accident was rushed to India and failed to make it. So, she wants someone to share her life with, someone to be the father of her kids. She asked if I was married or single. I said I was divorced.

The first reason to be suspicious: she has only one friend on Facebook and I am the second.

The second reason to be suspicious: my cover photo on Facebook is of myself and my wife on our wedding day and the profile photo is of me and my daughter. Why was she asking if I were single?

She said she wanted us to be chatting via i-chat on an Apple computer and asked if I had an Apple computer. I told her the computer I have is a Toshiba laptop. She said she would send me an Apple computer if I promised to chat with her so we could get to know each other better.

The third reason to be suspicious: it doesn’t matter what computer is used for chatting.

I told her I wouldn’t mind if she sent me that computer. She requested my trust again. I assured her. As our conversation progressed, she informed me that she had sent the computer together with the iPhone 12 and 3000 pounds to pay for the delivery when it arrived. After doing my conversion to naira, I saw that I was going to be a millionaire. At that point, I became afraid for my life. These things could be delivered truly. But it could get complicated with me ending up with the police. Long-throat couldn’t let me. So, I followed along.

She messaged me, giving details of what she had sent including a photo of the parcel. She informed me of the need to call Customer Care to tell them I was expecting my parcel. She sent me the number to call. That was in the night at about 9PM. But I didn’t call because it was late. Early in the morning, someone called, speaking in decent English, albeit with a mild Yoruba accent, as would be expected of a Lagosian who is educated. He also demonstrated an understanding of how couriers are handled. He asked where I live. I told him that I live in Jos. So, he told me to come to Lagos and get my parcel. But I told him that Lagos is too far and asked if it wasn’t possible for them to send it to Jos. He said it would cost me N35500 and that he was going to send me the Kuda account number to which I would send the money. My delivery will come at about 10 AM, about four hours later. But the situation was so urgent and I felt I was being rushed, not giving adequate time to think. Truecaller revealed the identity of the line as “Nigerian Airways.”

There were questions in my mind: does the Nigerian Airways still exist? If it does, does it handle couriers?

The fourth reason to be suspicious: he asked to confirm if my parcel was made up of an Apple computer and iPhone 12. Is he supposed to know the contents of the parcel? The only way would be if he opened it. The person sending the delivery said he included 3000 pounds and I shouldn’t tell them. So, if he opened the parcel to know its contents, he must have also seen the money. So, I wouldn’t be a millionaire, after all.

So, I asked myself some questions that led me to understand that it was clearly a scam: Was the person sending the parcel someone I had known before? Why should I pay money to someone I have not met and who is far away in Lagos? If there is a problem, how would I meet the person to resolve the situation? In conclusion, I resolved not to pay the money until the parcel is delivered.

This was our last conversation that confirmed he is a rogue:

Me: “Can’t I pay the money on delivery?”

Him: “No, we accept payment before delivery.”

There was a break of about five seconds with neither me nor he speaking.

Me: “I am sorry. I can’t pay for something I have not seen. Sent it so that I pay when it comes.”

Him: “We don’t do that.”

Me: “OK. Forget it.”

Him: “OK, make half payment.”

“Make part payment! ” was clearly an act of desperation for someone trying not to lose all. Corporate policies are not easily bent that way. I immediately end the call.

 The bottom line on how to identify a scammer: IT SOUNDS TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE, YOU DON’T KNOW THE PERSON, BUT YOU WILL HAVE TO BE THE FIRST TO PART WITH MONEY. 

 

Plateau the Mecca of Solid Minerals

Solid Mineral Collection

If you have never heard, Plateau State is a theatre of sorts, boasting of diversity in a couple of areas that stretch from tribes, vegetables and mineral deposits. It is the Mecca of solid minerals and, potentially, oil and gas close to its border with Taraba State. Thus, Plateau is a colourful theatre of mineral wealth.  

Before the last twenty years, Plateau has been known largely for tin and columbite, leading to its epithet of the Tin City. While tin mining lasted, other minerals drew no attention, since they had no economic value. However, with increased research and innovations, the economic significance of these minerals has soared, especially with the rise of monsters of technology like China. The need for wind turbines, electric vehicles, solar panels, medical devices, lights, lasers, satellites, fibre optics, batteries, better telescopes, as well as mobile phones, computers, etc, has been the impetus propelling the commercial values of the other minerals to the clouds. Thus, the breadth of the minerals that Plateau State can supply to the world has widened significantly. A large chunk of these minerals embraces cassiterite, columbite, pumice, garnet, rutile, wolframite, galena, sphalerite, fluorite, feldspar, aquamarine, mica, ilmenite, sapphire, quartz, amethyst, lithium, zircon, beryl, monazite, granite, etc.

Now, here is the ugly side of the Plateau story: it is one state with modest subventions, a situation that frightens anyone who knows what Plateau’s subterranean resources are. Just as oil-producing states get 13% derivation for oil taken from their land every month, solid mineral-producing states are also entitled to 13% derivation for any mineral taken from their lands. By comparison, 13% derivation to solid mineral states is trivial and changes nothing, ensuring that the economic plights of the affected states remain what it has always been. Take the Plateau-approved budget of N294 billion for 2024, translating to an average of N24 billion per month. This is inclusive of 13% derivation. It is miserable compared to what goes into the coffers of a small, albeit oil-producing state like Bayelsa, whose budget for the year 2024 stands at N489 billion, translating to an average of N40 billion per month.  

The huge gap between oil-producing states and solid mineral-producing states comes from the little attention the Federal Government has paid to solid minerals since the discovery of oil. The oil industry is so organized that only huge corporations like Shell, Mobil and Chevron carry out explorations, drilling and production. It makes transparency easy since the Federal Government is a partner in all these corporations and knows exactly the “country” share of the profits. In the solid mineral industry, though, this organization is absent. Companies simply pay for leases and get down to mining, paying paltry royalties to locals and taxes to the Federal Government. Whatever remains belongs to the company. What makes matters even hazier is the inability of the Federal Government to properly police the industry to prevent illegal mining, a category that falls below the tax radar. Thus, while the minerals are going, all tiers of government, including the Federal Government are getting robbed. This absence of transparency ensures that the 13% derivation paid doesn’t reflect the degree of mining activities taking place in the states.

In 2023, the Minister of Solid Minerals, Dele Alake, was quoted as saying that the solid mineral industry can contribute 50% of Nigeria’s GDP. Though third parties estimate that the value of Nigeria’s solid minerals reservoir stands at $750 billion, Mr Alake believes that this is conservative and with deeper investigation, it should run into trillions of dollars. Thus, proper organization of the industry will ensure that states with solid mineral wealth, including Plateau, begin to have enough revenue to deal with the economic challenges they face.