Scourge of internet fraud

Internet fraud popularly called yahoo yahoo is a scourge afflicting all of us. Many hard working and genuine business men are now suffering from the vicarious liability from the activities of scammers globally.  We have been labeled and branded as people that cannot be trusted.  Imagine the over 80 scammers that just got arrested. This has given us a bad image which will take years to change.

There are honest, patriotic men and women in Nigeria but we are all paying for the negative acts of some leeches. This is a catastrophe; we breed and nurture them here at home and export them abroad to deploy heir expertise. Can we retool or rework our society? In many areas, towns, communities, you see young and energetic group drinking ogogoro in the morning. What do you expect from that generation? To the knowledge of everybody and all security agencies, we know those guys in our hoods engaging in these terrible acts. We never took action against them. They are recruiting our children and training them, giving them these incredible skills in manipulation, defrauding, cybercrime and internet fraud. Many parents never saw anything wrong in it any longer. So it is almost becoming a way of life.

Some bad eggs in our security agencies are in cahoots with these guys who use occultism to dominate the mental domain of the prey; some take advantage of access to information from bank officials. We have to be cautious and circumspect in our various dealings; your driver, security, cook, even kids may be one of them. It is seen as acts of bravery, exceptional brilliance and high intelligence. Your lawyer, watch out, could sell you out as he may be in possession of some valid documents from your transaction. Most of us tell our clergies our business performance and ask them to support us with prayers to hit one contract or the other, or to get paid for a contract we have executed. Many Pastors and Imams are involved nowadays. It’s like good, honest and hard working people are no more in existence.

We have gone international and made indelible imprints. My mother would say that we are smart in negativities.  This is alarming, it calls for concern. We need a new attitude and orientation. We need positive attributes, these we must put up in our actions and deeds. Let us say no to cyber fraud, let us expose them.

Let us educate our wards that fraud is not sustainable. It will not last. It will lead to a perilous end. Let us show them that a man with contented life will always be at peace with himself, the society and God. The society must fight them to a standstill. Enough of this bad image, it is stunting our economy as a nation and to our socio-stimulation as a race.

Wole Ajewole,

Osogbo.