A shame. I really enjoyed the chat with him (some parts have been edited out for length) - and at some point when he was telling me about life over there (wherever there actually was) I felt sorry for him - he was very, very good at his job and had a good sense of humour about him.
This reminds me of some of the kids I knew i college - nice guys, personable, not too sharp, now making good salaries in sales or management. Would these guys turn to "crime" if it didn't involve violence or threats, just persuasion, and it was their only chance at making money? Sure, why not...
These 419 scammers operate in the culture that is very tolerant to scammers.
That's another reason why they chose such a bad line of business.
BTW, I don't think scammers are making big $$$. Scam doesn't pay well in long term.
-most of them make nothing by U.S. standards ,but are rolling in dough by local standards. Many times the scamming 14 year old, makes more cash than his father.
-The big guys who recruit the teenagers, and provide computers + internet access, are rolling in dough even by U.S. standards.
Most of these kids use net cafes by the hour or quarter hour, so if they don't achieve a net-positive scam, they take a loss. Not sure the 'big guys' are making money from crime, just operating an internet access business.
This reminds me of some of the kids I knew i college - nice guys, personable, not too sharp, now making good salaries in sales or management. Would these guys turn to "crime" if it didn't involve violence or threats, just persuasion, and it was their only chance at making money? Sure, why not...