« Curfew clamped on 6 more Anambra towns * Gov Obi summons stakeholders' security meeting | Main | Filipino oilmen seized in Nigeria »
June 21, 2006
Nigerians warned of UK fraudsters
Nigeria has warned its citizens to be wary of fraudsters when they travel to the United Kingdom.
The information ministry said there had been an increase in robberies and other crimes suffered by Nigerians in the UK.
The ministry said the tricks included "pouring tomato juice or other substances upon their victim's dress, and then offer to help remove it".
Nigeria is known for its "419 scams" in which gullible businessmen are tricked out of large amounts of money.
Nigeria's information ministry said it was making a statement based on warnings received from Nigeria's High Commission in London.
"There is no evidence that Nigerians are being specifically targeted but ostentatious dressing [and] spending... may identify a target," it said.
"They may also feign to pick an object which had fallen under their victim's seat" in order to distract attention, the statement said.
It warned Nigerians that "major flashpoints" for these crimes included airports, hotels and restaurants, high streets, shopping centres, markets, tube stations, bus stops and even inside buses.
"The occurrences have been particularly high at Heathrow Airport, Oxford Street, Piccadilly and Charing Cross," the ministry warned.
The British Tourist Authority declined to comment.
The 419 scams, named after an article in Nigeria's penal code, usually involve e-mails making promises of a share in millions of dollars, which is to follow an up-front payment.
Posted by Publisher at June 21, 2006 11:44 AM
Comments
Post a comment
Thanks for signing in, . Now you can comment. (sign out)
(If you haven't left a comment here before, you may need to be approved by the site owner before your comment will appear. Until then, it won't appear on the entry. Thanks for waiting.)