GUN VIOLENCE IN AMERICA: FOR WHO THE BELL TOLLS NEXT.

Just five people shy of Sandy Hook elementary school mass shooting incident that claimed 26 lives, the Uvalde Texas Robb elementary school mass shooting at 21 victims, now ranks among the highest grossing gun carnage in America. It is sad that such frequent blood spilling has tragically become part of our culture as a society. May the souls of the killed now rest.

25th AMENDMENT: ITS NOW ALL CRICKET.

Madam Speaker Nancy Pelosi once questioned former President Donald John Trump's fitness to remain in office due to what she claimed was his declining mental capacity. Does anyone know what Madam Speaker presently thinks about the incontrovertible case which America is now saddled with? Just curious!

WHO WILL REBUILD UKRAINE?

The West should convert frozen Russian assets, both state's and oligarchs' owned, into a full seizure and set them aside for the future rebuilding of Ukraine. Like the Marshal Plan, call it the Putin Plan.

A HERO IS BORN.

I am staying put. I will not run away and abandon my people. The fight is here in Ukraine. What I need are weapons and ammunitions, not a ride out of town like former Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani - President Volodymyr Zelensky.

IT IS WHAT IT IS.

"There is too much hate in America because there is too much anger in America." - Trevor Noah.

WORD!

A life without challenges is not a life lived at all. A life lived is a life that has problems, confronts problems, solves problems and then learns from problems. - Tunde Fashola.

NOW, YOU KNOW.

When fishing for love, bait with your heart and not your brain, because you cannot rationalize love. - Mark Twain.

JUST THE FACT.

In our country, you can shoot and kill a nigger, but you better not hurt a gay person’s feelings - Dave Chappelle

DO YOU?.

“What you believe in can only be defined by what you’re willing to risk for it." - Stuart Scheller.

HEDGE YOUR CRISIS.

Never get in bed with a woman whose problems are worse than yours. - Chicago PD.

PROBLEM SOLVED.

'The best way to keep peace is to be ready to destroy evil. If you Pearl Harbor me, I Nagasaki you.' - Ted Nugent.

OUR SHARED HUMANITY.

Empathy is at the heart of who we are as human beings. - Cardinal Matthew Kukah.

WORDS ON MARBLE.

"Birth is agony. Life is hard. Death is cruel." - Japanese pithy.

REPENT OR PERISH - POPE.

Homosexuality is a sin. It is not ordained by God, therefore same sex marriage cannot be blessed by the church - Pope Francis.

CANCEL CULTURE IS CORROSIVE.


FOR SAKE OF COUNTRY.


MAGA LIVES ON: NO RETREAT, NO SURRENDER!

TWITTER IS BORING WITHOUT HIS TWEETS. #RestorePresidentTrump'sTwitterHandle.


WORD.

"If you cannot speak the truth when it matters, then nothing else you says matters.” - Tucker Carlson.

#MeToo MOVEMENT: A BAD NEWS GONE CRAZY.

"To all the women who testified, we may have different truth, but I have a great remorse for all of you. I have great remorse for all of the men and women going through this crisis right now in our country. You know, the movement started basically with me, and I think what happened, you know, I was the first example, and now there are thousands of men who are being accused and a regeneration of things that I think none of us understood. I’m not going to say these aren’t great people. I had wonderful times with these people. I’m just genuinely confused. Men are confused about this issue. We are going through this #MeToo movement crisis right now in this country." - Harvey Weinstein.


RON DELLUMS: UNAPOLOGETICALLY RADICAL.

"If it’s radical to oppose the insanity and cruelty of the Vietnam War, if it’s radical to oppose racism and sexism and all other forms of oppression, if it’s radical to want to alleviate poverty, hunger, disease, homelessness, and other forms of human misery, then I’m proud to be called a radical.” - Ron Vernie Dellums.


WHAT REALLY MATTERS IN LIFE - STEVE JOBS

“I reached the pinnacle of success in the business world. In others’ eyes, my life is an epitome of success. However, aside from work, I have little joy. Non-stop pursuing of wealth will only turn a person into a twisted being, just like me. God gave us the senses to let us feel the love in everyone’s heart, not the illusions brought about by wealth. Memories precipitated by love is the only true riches which will follow you, accompany you, giving you strength and light to go on. The most expensive bed in the world is the sick bed. You can employ someone to drive the car for you, make money for you but you cannot have someone to bear sickness for you. Material things lost can be found. But there is one thing that can never be found when it is lost – Life. Treasure Love for your family, love for your spouse, love for your friends. Treat yourself well. Cherish others.” - SJ

EVIL CANNOT BE TRULY DESTROYED.

"The threat of evil is ever present. We can contain it as long as we stay vigilant, but it can never truly be destroyed. - Lorraine Warren (Annabelle, the movie)


ONLY THE POOR WISH THEY HAD STUFF?

“I’m not that interested in material things. As long as I find a good bed that I can sleep in, that’s enough.” - Nicolas Berggruem, the homeless billionaire.

Wednesday, June 10, 2009

NIGERIAN SCAM, WHAT YOU MUST KNOW! - an article by Rose Alexander.

The Nigerian Advance Fee scam, better known as the '419' Letter scam has been around since the early 80s. Millions have fallen for this scam and the count just keeps getting bigger. Victims of the Nigerian 419 letter scam lose USD $3000 on the average, according to reports. Hundreds have also died chasing the 419 scheme dream? '419' is that section of Nigeria's penal code that prohibits and punishes the fraud of obtaining by false pretence.
The accompanying photographs are real 419 operators who were tricked into sending their photgraphs across with their name tags, just to verify that they are the real beneficiaries of the money being transfered? Notice particularly the guy below left whose name is Hajia Mariam Abacha and he is a man? Then you have Evangelist Ojukwa Damisa? Lucas Kabongo? Joseph Otumba? Dr. Ahmed Ibrahim? Icheoku says, what a group of dopes, these fraudulent criminals are?
On how the scam works, now read the following expose` by a commentator:-
Nigerian scams usually begin with an urgent e-mail from a foreign country in the name of a government leader or ex-leader, and possibly from a family scion or heir. The Nigerian e-mail scam earned its name because so many of the messages were from Nigerian addresses or named the Central Bank of Nigeria as the financial institution through which funds would be transferred if the recipient of the e-mail decided to fall for the scam. Although not the first or only of its kind, the Nigerian scam has bilked millions from Americans who were duped into participating, as well as similar sums from residents in countries like Great Britain. Here’s how it works: - It starts with a plea for assistance The present-day scam is actually an updated version of a classic con called “The Spanish Prisoner” that dates back to the 1920s. Early versions of the con involved letters promised to reward anyone who would help a prominent Spanish family free their imprisoned son by advancing funds for taxes, bribes, and other fees that could result in the boy’s release. Of course, there was no prisoner. And anyone who “lent” money to help the imaginary prisoner with the prospect of gaining a sizable reward in return simply lost all funds advanced to the cause. Later years involved faxes or e-mails rather than letters, but still in an attempt to draw unsuspecting people into the scam of earning easy cash by aiding a hapless victim in a foreign country. Thus, the first assault is to play on the recipient’s emotions. All of us want to help others, especially in less-developed countries—and especially when a sizable price tag to be paid to us is involved.

The second characteristic of this scam is the promise of earning thousands or even millions of dollars for doing nothing, or almost nothing, except to facilitate the proposed transfer of funds into an American (or British, etc.) bank account. The victim will be asked to open an account and simply wait for the funds to arrive, usually promised within seven to ten days. Typically, the American or European recipient will be told that he or she can expect a sizable percentage of the total transfer amount, perhaps ten or twenty percent. Just as people keep buying lottery tickets in hopes of winning “the big one” someday, they don’t realize that buying tickets is a long shot toward big winnings. The same is true of this scam—people feel that paying one fee after another brings them that much closer to receiving their funds, which, in fact, do not exist. Red flags appear after a short time, perhaps a few days, the victim is advised of a snare in the transfer plans and asked to contribute a “small amount” toward an unexpected but critical expense. This can be an unpaid debt on the property in question, a tax bill, and a bribe for officials with jurisdiction over the issue or person, or any number of other questionable factors. Thinking that an advance of perhaps $5,000 is a small amount to pay in anticipation of $100,000, many people fall for the scam and send their own money to facilitate the imaginary transfer that will never take place. A few days later, another message arrives, asking the victim to send another “small” amount of maybe $2,000, and the victim complies with the hope of speeding his reward along. In this manner, the scammers take advantage of numerous victims by teasing them with the prospect of easy money that never materializes. Unfortunately, although we ought to know better, many of us still give in to the temptation of easy money. In 1997, one newspaper account reported that $15 million had been taken from Americans by Nigerian scam artists over a period of 15 months according to snopes.com. Check it out the Nigerian money scam sounds too good to be true—and it is. Sadly, there are many such confidence tricks being played on innocent and unknowing persons who want to help others and make a quick buck. Here are some tips to keep in mind when evaluating money-making schemes that reach you by telephone, mail or e-mail:- If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Think through any startling claims and look for logical fallacies.

Consult business reporting systems such as the Better Business Bureau and the National Fraud Information Center. You should also forward the scam information to the Secret Service Financial Crimes Division, 950 H Street, NW, Washington, DC, 20223, or telephone (202) 406-5850. These resource offices can give you information about specific scams, con artists, and possible fraud schemes that concern you. Your sharing information with them may contribute to the successful tracking of those involved with criminal activities.- Ask friends and family members if they have received similar offers. It is amazing how far and wide the Nigerian scam letters traveled—to all corners of the globe. There are many such schemes, such as the recent Lottery Prize Award announcement that tells victims they have won tens of thousands of dollars in a European lottery, and all they have to do is send a few dollars for processing fees. Another comes in the form of an offer to enrich a special church or charitable organization because the sender feels guilty or admires the work being done—but this, too, turns out to be a plea for your assets.- Explore resources. If an offer sounds especially realistic or appealing, contact the bank or individuals whose names are attached and ask for more information. Try to make telephone contact so you can get first-hand information, not just an email auto-response that can be part of the scam.

Chances are you will not be able to reach anyone by phone that can convince you of the validity of an e-mail offer of riches.- Don’t send money that you cannot afford to lose. Too often, victims surrender their monthly pension check, rent money, or other budget needs in an effort to cash in on their good luck via the Nigerian scam. It’s one thing to throw away money sitting in a savings account that you don’t plan on using anytime soon. It’s quite another to spend money you have allocated to more important needs, such as food, housing, medicine or transportation. Avoid trading funds for uncertain returns on your investment. In general, e-mail solicitations to make you rich are unlikely to be genuine. Usually they are con artist attempts to separate a fool and his money. While many people have avoided the lure of easy riches, many have not, which suggests that greater awareness of this problem is needed, particularly in isolated segments of our population, such as the uneducated, the illiterate, the home-bound, and the desperate poor. Don’t fall for a scheme that tries to take advantage of someone by offering a glittery deal while providing minimal information. Remember the example of the Nigerian scam and question every such offer that comes your way by any means.

1 comment:

  1. I am a Nigerian and I am indeed a proud one despite all the negativity being written about Nigerians by Nigerians and Non-Nigerians.
    What about these so called victims of these 419s, are they not criminals as well? If I asked you to give me some money in order to use the money to defraud my own government promising you some returns in the deal, and you oblige. Are you not a criminal yourself?
    The operators of 419s are criminals making use of the criminality in other people.Period.
    If these so called Victims of 419s are not thieves themselves, they would never have involved themselves in all these shady deals promising them unbelievable returns.
    When an African despot steal millions from his own country where does he hide the stolen millions?
    Answer- Europe,USA,Canada etc etc.
    If I steal money and keep the money in your house with your knowledge that the money was stolen, are you not a criminal yourself? Think about that. Do you want to tell me that these Europeans and Americans are so naive to the extent of not knowing that these billions of money being owned by these African despots are ill gotten wealth?
    If you aid and abbeit a criminal, are you not a criminal yourself.
    All these Europeans go around talking about donating 'aid' to Africa and 90% of this so called 'aid' will end up back in the various European banks overnight with the active knowledge and participation of all these Europeans.
    Who is deceiving who here? When next time they talk about 'aid' to Africa, you think 'aid' to African despots. Period.
    If these Europeans are not criminals themselves, why are they allowing their various countries to be used as conduits for stealing from Africa. Why cant the European Union make a law that bars banks in Europe from accepting these ill gotten wealth from all these African despots. And If indeed, there is such a law, how come it is not being enforced. Take for example, the last despot from Gabon, who just died. This despot had been stealing and keeping the stolen millions in France for decades. For decades the french government refuses to do anything about it; and all of a sudden when the French government realizes that this despot was seriously sick and his time was coming to an end, they started making noise that they were investigating this despot for embezzlement and that this despot will be arrested should he turn up in France anytime. Who is fooling who here?
    Same thing with our own Abacha. If late Gen. Abacha is alive today, he would still possibly be in power, siphoning his ill gotten wealth to Europe and America, with these Europeans and Americans looking the other way.
    I pray that well articulated and knowledgable Nigerians like you will use your writting skills to point out how these African despots and Western nations collaborates indirectly to defraud African countries rather than vest angers on ourselves.
    Embezzlement in Africa is like a snake. The head of the snake is Europe and America and the tail of the snake is made of African despots. If all we do is worry about the tail of a snake without paying attention to the head of the snake, we are just wasting time.
    This same theory applies to North Korea.
    North Korea is like a snake and the head of this snake is China while the tail of this snake is made up of the rulers of North Korea[not the people of North korea]. Unfortunately, the powers that be in America today are behaving as if they are not aware of this fact.
    oluwakkie.
    oluwakkie@yahoo.com

    ReplyDelete