I found this in my mailbox this morning. I was tempted to ignore it since there was no indication as to where it originated from. On second thought, however, I realised that someone somewhere might actually need it. Here it goes:

“The Nigerian Police has alerted the general public on a new method fraudsters are using to defraud members of the public. The new method is based on 'fear formula', and takes advantage of the general insecurity in the country. The targets of this new method of attack are the middle and upper classes of society.

How it works

1) You get a phone call (without caller's identity or from call-pay centre) or an SMS on your mobile telling you that the caller/sender and his gang have been paid to kill you or a member of your family.
2) You are told that since you are a nice guy, the caller does not want to go ahead to kill you, hence the call or the message.
3) You are required to pay a certain amount of money either in cash (which should be dropped at a designated spot), or to an account, or by sending recharge cards of same amount to a particular GSM number.
4) You are told that if you do not pay as directed, your safety would not be guaranteed.
5) You are warned never to report to the police as every move you make is being watched by members of the gang.

This kind of crime may have been scripted from one of James Hadley Chase’s novels.

Action to take when you receive such call/message:

Option one: Ignore the caller and tell him he has picked the wrong person.
Option two: Do as if you are playing ball and get as much information as you can about the caller and report to the security department for further advice.
Option three: (If by SMS) Just delete the message.

Guide to optional response

1) Do you have any reason to believe that someone should be after your life or that of a member of your family?
2) Have you been involved in a failed business relationship with anybody in recent times that can lead to a death threat?
3) Have you had any serious disagreement/quarrel with an influential member of the public in recent times in which you were threatened by the other party?
4) Have you seriously offended any known person in recent times over which the offended party complained to some people?”

PS: I guess you can afford to ignore the call or just delete the SMS if your answer to each of the questions is No.

Robot  Villager

# 1 I found this in my mailbox this morning....Read the full article. Posted by Robot| 19.07.2007 14:44

WaleAkin  Villager

# 2 If the above is true, then we are in for a dangerous time in Nigeria once again. These boys will go to any lenght to make money, threats to life is a criminal offence that should be tackled by the NPF. Its very unnatural to ignore/delete SMS' that have been sent to threaten you. Just wondering how much they would have made by now? Are these acts perpetrated by the Yahoo Yahoo boys? Wale Posted by WaleAkin| 19.07.2007 14:57

tengallons  Villager

# 3 There's one more response option: When you answer the phone, tell the caller, "Oh, its a good thing you called, I was just about to call you to tell you that I am on my way to finish you off. Baga!" Make una see me see trouble O. This appetite for money is getting out of hand. With these kinds of developments, I am not surprised that today's Ghanaweb.com cites an article in the Nigerian newspaper Business Day that claims that oil companies in Nigeria are entertaining the idea of moving their administrative headquarters to Ghana. The companies, citing security fears for their expatriate staff, are said to have petitioned their HQ's over the matter. Indeed, they want such staff to live in neighbouring countries, but fly into Nigeria by helicopter for their work shifts. Bizarre. I have no doubt that if these companies could tap into Nigeria's reserves from outside the borders of Nigeria, they would. The aggregate cost of chronic deviance is heavy. It has a very insidious effect on economic development. I hope this new administration gives serious attention to the immediate and remote causes of crime. Posted by tengallons| 19.07.2007 15:25

tengallons  Villager

# 4 ...and of course, corruption in high places only encourages other kinds of crime, so the spotlight also has to be on all the thieves -- white collar, weda-man, politician, armed robber, etc. etc. Work plenti for Naija. Posted by tengallons| 19.07.2007 15:45

Ani  Villager

# 5 Action to take when you receive such call/message: Option Four : Tell the caller/assassin that you are waiting for them. Posted by Ani| 20.07.2007 05:20

calist  Villager

# 6 You tell the caller that you are aware, since you are right behind him. Posted by calist| 20.07.2007 07:17

Jah Guda  Villager

# 7 The best strategy will be to completely throw them, reply: Na wa o! wetin man pikin come do now...you know say you be fifth person wen don call me this week about this thing. I beg I tire, make una come kill.:biggrin: Posted by Jah Guda| 21.07.2007 19:34