Do you see yourself as a friendly Nigerian? Spendthrift? Financially sophisticated? If the answer to this is “Yes”, then you are more likely to be scammed by Yahoo Boys. The reason for this is that you give strangers a benefit of doubt, and maybe because you are into business, you are enticed by bargains. In the course of this article, we would be looking at 10 Signs that indicate that you might be the next victim of cybercriminals in Nigeria also known as Yahoo Boys. Without further mouthing, let us delve in.
1. They are Requesting For Your Personal Information
Most cyber criminals do not need your money directly in order to if it has something to do with your personal life. With personal information about your business, they can offer you a deal that seems too good to be true. Do not enter your personal details on a website that is designed to look like a financial or government institution in Nigeria.
2. You are Getting Offers You Did Not Apply For
Have you ever received an email on a lottery you won, and deep within you, you know you have never played one in your life. Well, that is it! You are about to be scammed by Yahoo boys. It could be an offer to buy a property, an offer to invest in a business, an offer about getting an inheritance that was left out for you. If you look up the Organizations sending you these offers, you would find out that they lack accountability. No matter how sweet the offer is, please if you never made such a move in the past, don’t buy into the scheme.
3. Grammatical Errors in Official Documents Sent To You
One of the easiest ways to spot a scheme that Yahoo boys are cooking is grammatical errors. The reason is that the majority of the cybercriminals are not educated, and have zero self-development. Most cybercriminals in Nigeria abandon education in pursuit of money through illegal means. Although there are scammers that brush up their grammar, so that they appear legit, the vast majority of fraudsters are crude in communication style. Government and financial institutions take their time to package emails sent to their customers. On the flip side, Yahoo boys who are sending bulk emails looking for the weakest of minds to fall for their scheme, don’t have time to check for errors in official documents they pose with.
4. Methods of Payments That are Untraceable
Did you know that it is most difficult to trace money that is wired via MoneyGram or Netteller? In fact, this institution has nothing to do with fraud but is mostly used by scammers to request money. The only time you should use Moneygram, or any other kind of financial service for wiring money is when you want to receive or send money to a loved one in another part of the world. However, if an organization insists on receiving funds via a payment gateway that is untraceable, then you are in for a treat with Nigerian Yahoo boys. No Nigerian scammer wants EFCC or the DSS breathing down their neck. They all want a less accountable way to do away with your hard-earned money.
5. Suspicious Addresses in Emails Sent To You
If you get an email, and you have a nudge about the email addresses’ authenticity, then you might be in for a treat with Yahoo boys. This does not only apply to physical addresses, but also to the physical addresses related to the scheme. Just like using an untraceable means of sending money, nobody wants anybody at their doorstep because of the scams they committed. That is why in order to avoid getting caught by enforcement agents, Yahoo boys use email addresses or physical addresses that call for compromise.
6. Honorary Organizations That are Questionable
Most of the schemes pulled by Yahoo boys are fronted with organizations that are highly questionable. Some are not registered with the CAC (Corporate Affairs Commission) of Nigeria. Although most scammers go as far as registering their businesses in order to gain the trust of unsuspecting Nigerians. All in all, you should be able to identify if an honorary organization is what they acclaim to be by doing some research.
7. The Request is Urgent
A typical business would take time to flesh out their marketing strategy, and wait for you to opt for their merchandise. However, with Yahoo boys the request is urgent. That is one way to know if you are about to be scammed by Yahoo boys. If you receive unsolicited offers that have a tight deadline to fulfill, better contact the EFCC or the DSS.
8. They Want To Verify Sensitive Information Over The Phone
Scammers hate physical communication, they prefer to do things over contactless media. It is either they use emails, phone calls, or online platforms, to demand verification of sensitive information. Imagine a Yahoo boy pulling a scheme on you, and asking for your ATM card details over the phone while masquerading as your bank. Your financial institution does not work that way. Never send over your personal details to cybercriminals over the phone.
9. They Ask For Advance Payment
Cybercriminals usually ask for an up-front cost. Some will find one scheme to pull through to make you believe in the authenticity of the offer and then send a down payment. A legit business does not run like that. For instance, scammers might want to sell something to you, but rather than give you the option for local pickup, they would request an upfront. You should be wary of this kind of approach from Yahoo boys.
10. You Cannot Confirm Who the Offer is from
One of the ways to know that you are about to be scammed by yahoo boys is that the email of the sender is not authentic in any way. If you take your time to look up the domain name of the email (that is, the part of the email that comes after the @symbol), you would know that it is not real.
