419 Reasons to Like Nigeria and Nigerians - Finale - Chika Uwazie

This was originally published on forbes.com on September 5, 2011 

The Tax Connection

There is a lot of wisdom in the body of original source tax material.  I dredged up a case from 1952, when I was just born and dinosaurs roamed the earth, to show that so-called Nigerian 419 scams were ancient even then, being a variation on a scam known as the "Spanish Prisoner".  That led to several pieces.  The whole thing as it relates to this blog is summarized here.  For the final piece I have invited Chika Uwazie, who did a  video response to Fraud Has No Nationality.  I came up with 150,000 reasons to like Nigeria without even counting Chika, but she should be on my list too.   I think Dr. Muncie, who was the victim of what would have been called the Mexican 386 Fraud, if the internet service in Mexico had been better in 1947 and the scammers hadn't had to use snail-mail, has done enough.  I'm supposed to be blogging about taxes for Forbes so I am moving further discussion of the good name of Nigeria to my bizzarro blog.

Enough about me.  Here is what Ms. Uwazie has to say:

I am Nigerian

When someone mentions Nigeria, what words automatically pop into mind? As a Nigerian, it is frustrating that when I Google search “Nigeria and money” Google instant graciously completes my search terms with “laundering” before i can type the letter “m”. Apparently, it is not uncommon to see the word “Nigerian” associated with the words “corruption”, “scandal”, or “scam”. These associations between these practices and Nigerians are at best and completely unrepresentative of the true nature of Nigerians. Today, I want these words to become but fleeting thoughts as I reveal the unadulterated truth about the Nigerian people. 

We are represented in all facets of life. How can we forget people like Fela, who used art and music to tastefully fight for Nigerian rights? Then there is  Chimamanda Adichie a young talented writer that paints the true beauty of Nigeria through her pen. We have savvy business men such as the likes of Adebayo Ogunlesi who bought one of the busiest airpots, the London Gatwick airport. Our ingenuity has  turned simple home videos into the thriving industry known as Nollywood. Nollywood has captured the hearts of viewers all over the world and is now worth an estimated 250 million dollars. It  has joined the ranks of Hollywood and its films have become some of the most distributed in the world. These instances are only snippets of the creativity and innovation produced in my country, Nigeria. 

Despite an uncertain economy, corrupt political leaders, and high prevalence of poverty, Nigeria is the home of a generally content population. According to a gallup poll among 53 countries, Nigeria rated 70 points for optimism. The hope that instilled in us for a better tomorrow pushes us to get through today. We work hard to get more out of life. No matter where you are from or where you may rank in the societal ladder, we all share the same mindset. We envision ourselves at the top, and the work we do for to improve ourselves every day in our developing nation inches each of us that most closer to the peak of our individual potentials. Recently, as I was driving through the crowded streets of Victoria Island, I encountered a young man selling magazines. As I declined his offer, I observed his tattered disposition in the heat of the Lagos sun as he moved to the next patron. Many would look at his poverty with sadness, but I was uplifted by his entrepreneurial spirit in a land where there is a dearth of opportunities. I was practically in the midst of an entrepreneurial convention. On the streets of Lagos, there are people selling everything from food, to magazines, even watches. In the markets at Yaba you will witness hundreds of women with barely with a sewing machine ready to cater to your tailoring needs. In Ikeja, we even have our own Silicon Valley called Computer village, where people are selling the latest software, computer gadgets or IT needs. Did you know that 67% of Nigerians have thought of starting a business and 45% of them have said to have started one? In a country of 154.7 million people, that is a lot of opportunities created for individual progress. 

 There is a certain type of energy that runs through the blood of a Nigerian that gives them ambition to persevere. Nigeria has it challenges, but what country doesn’t? We are some of the hardiest of individuals, and as our country continues to change by force or otherwise, we will adapt to it. When it comes to Nigeria, let us look past the few negatively biased stories and focus on the truth. We are a nation of people collectively moving forward, and I am proud to be one of them.

419 Reasons to Like Nigeria and Nigerians - Part 3- Cherish Your Diaspora

You'll have to go back into the previous posts if you want the connection that this has to taxes fully explained.  It is a tax court decision from 1952 that sent me down this path. This is the final post in this series, unless I decide to do more.  Earlier in the series I proposed that people start making lists of 419 reasons to like Nigeria and Nigerians.  

Why 419 ? Well if you don't know you're not going to find out in this post.  As I noted in my last post, I don't know that I have anything worthwhile to offer beyond the original idea, assuming for the sake of argument that the original idea was worthwhile.   Regardless, I observed that there are, probably among other reasons, two reasons that Americans form an affection for other lands and their peoples - neighbors and American history.  I discussed neighbors in the last post and this one is dedicated to American history.  

I should mention here that I have two intellectual passions.  Title 26 of the United States Code and the history of the United States from 1830 - 1870.  Since I am a professional in the first and an amateur in the latter, I don't hold myself to exacting standards of scholarly citation.  Besides this is blogging not peer reviewed publication.  Go check out the William and Mary Quarterly or something like that if that's what you want.

Nation of Immigrants - Not Exactly

The large influx of immigrants into the United States commenced around 1830 and continued at an increasing pace until the early 20th century.  It's a complicated story.  Here are some numbers if you want that.  There are plenty more resources if you poke around.  The immigrants of course changed American culture in many ways, but I don't think it is fair to say that they transformed it.  If you read Democracy in America you see that many of the elements of American culture and governance were fully formed by then.  The Declaration of Independence was almost as old then, as I am now.  We still number our presidents in the same sequence.   Although if we were going to drop one number 7 who is on the 20 dollar bill wouldn't be a bad choice.

Three Major Groups in the Formation

The nation that the immigrants started coming to in droves in the mid-nineteenth century had been formed by the encounter between three major groups.  The indigenous peoples of North America, the descendentsof European settlers, predominantly English speaking Protestants, many of whom could trace their ancestors in America back over a century and descendants of Africans taken in captivity to America, most of whom were held in bondage.  The immigrants, not being idiots, figured out which group they wanted to be part of right off but the culture they were joining up with had been shaped by all three groups such that even the descendants of the Europeans were not European anymore.  That's another complicated story too big for blogging

What in the World Does That Have to do with Nigeria ?

For that I have to divert a little.  Several years ago I visited Antietam with my daughter.  Antietam is the site of the deadliest day in American history September 17, 1862.  It is a very important day because Abraham Lincoln had decided that he would only issue the Emancipation Proclamation after a victory.  The proclamation, by itself, did not free anybody, but after it went in effect on January 1, 1863 it meant that the men in blue suits brought freedom wherever they went.  One of the monuments at Antietam which I just had to see with my daughter was dedicated to the Irish Brigade.  The Irish Brigade is another long story.  Suffice it to say they were probably mostly famine refugees commanded by Thomas Francis Meagher, who barely missed being executed for his participation in an abortive uprising in Ireland.  One of the things that I noted was an acknowledgement of their courage by the Republic Ireland.  The men were soldiers in the  service of the United States of America on the bloodiest day in the country's history.  At the dedication ceremony one of the speakers said:

 "They showed by their record that they brought with them a true endowment of riches. They added a glorious new chapter to the history of the Irish soldier."

That was the Irish Ambassador to the United States, Sean O'Huiginn. This is not an isolated incident.  Here is what Mary Robinson, former President of Ireland has to say:

At my inauguration I spoke of the seventy million people worldwide who can claim Irish descent. I also committed my Presidency to cherishing them - even though at the time I was thinking of doing so in a purely symbolic way. Nevertheless the simple emblem of a light in the window, for me, and I hope for them, signifies the inextinguishable nature of our love and remembrance on this island those who leave it behind.

Over 100 years since the last of my immigrant ancestors came to America and the president of Ireland has the light on for me.  To put the seventy million in context, the current population of Ireland is just over six million roughly 75% in the Republic and the balance in Northern Ireland, part of the U.K.   Ireland had a population of about eight million in 1840.  From1845 to 1852, Ireland lost two million people, half to starvation and disease and half to emigration.  High rates of emigration afterwards prevented Ireland from ever recovering to its pre-Famine population.

My Favorite Civil War Monument

My favorite Civil War monument is not the one to the Irish Brigade at Antietam or the even more impressive one at Gettysburg.  It is in Boston.  It is called the Shaw monument in honor of Robert Gould Shaw colonel of the 54th Massachusetts.  As the inscription shows the monument is really in honor of the whole regiment. I first saw it when I was eighteen and coming at it from behind so I read the inscription before I saw the Augustus Saint-Gaudens sculpture:

THE WHITE OFFICERS
TAKING LIFE AND HONOR IN THEIR HANDS CAST IN THEIR LOT
WITH MEN OF DESPISED RACE UNPROVED IN WAR AND
RISKED DEATH AS INCITERS OF SERVILE INSURRECTION
IF TAKEN PRISONERS BESIDES ENCOUNTERING ALL THE
COMMON PERILS OF CAMP MARCH AND BATTLE.

THE BLACK RANK AND FILE
VOLUNTEERED WHEN DISASTER CLOUDED THE UNION CAUSE
SERVED WITHOUT PAY FOR EIGHTEEN MONTHS TILL GIVEN
THAT OF WHITE TROOPS FACED THREATENED ENSLAVE-
MENT IF CAPTURED WERE BRAVE IN ACTION PATIENT
UNDER HEAVY AND DANGEROUS LABORS AND CHEERFUL
AMONG HARDSHIPS AND PRIVATIONS.

TOGETHER
THEY GAVE TO THE NATION AND THE WORLD UNDYING PROOF
THAT AMERICANS OF AFRICAN DESCENT POSSESS THE
PRIDE COURAGE AND DEVOTION OF THE PATRIOT SOLDIER.
ONE HUNDRED AND EIGHTY THOUSAND SUCH AMERICANS
ENLISTED UNDER THE UNION FLAG IN
MDCCCLXIII MDCCCLXV.

CHARLES W. ELIOT.

I KNOW NOT MR. COMMANDER WHERE IN ALL HUMAN HISTORY
TO ANY GIVEN THOUSAND MEN IN ARMS THERE HAS
BEEN COMMITTED A WORK AT ONCE SO PROUD SO PRECIOUS
SO FULL OF HOPE AND GLORY AS THE WORK COMMITTED
TO YOU.

JOHN A. ANDREW, GOVERNOR

The math isn't all that hard to do.  About 30% of the persons taken in captivity from Africa were from Nigeria.  That means 70% weren't.   The African people in America were pretty intermingled so you could infer that after a generation about 51% would be partially of Nigerian descent (1- (.7 x .7)).  Run that out 8 generations and you are well into the nineties.  So let's be conservative and say that 150,000 of the Americans of African descent who wore blue suits in the mid eighteen sixties were partially of Nigerian descent.   Now since the Americans of African descent were one of the three primary groups that created the United States, I could start naming names of other heroes, but I only promised you 419 and I'm already at 150,000 and I'm just a tax blogger and have other things I need to be writing about.

Some things I have read in other places lead me to believe I may have stepped into another controversy in which I don't really belong, so I should clarify that this is something of a personal idiosyncratic viewpoint t.   The men of the 54th Mass and the less well known but earlier formed First South Carolina Volunteers, who as mostly Gullah speakers from isolated areas were more distinctively African than their cousins recruited in the North, are American heroes.  They did not think of themselves as Nigerian and their descendants probably don't either.  And maybe Nigerians don't think of them as Nigerian.  But they are American heroes, which makes them my heroes.  And they are of Nigerian descent, so they make me like Nigeria.  As I said in a previous post, I am very ignorant about Nigeria.  Maybe Goodluck Jonathan keeps a light on for them in his house, but if he doesn't it might not be such a bad idea.  He could give Mary Robinson a call.

For more on the topic of the participation Americans of African descent in the Civil War check out the African American Civil War Memorial and Museum.

419 Reasons to Like Nigeria and Nigerians - Part 2 - Snooki is Not the Way

What the heck does this have to do with taxes ?

I find that original source tax material has relevance beyond taxation.  One of the things I look for in reading it is "matter for reflection".  In my last post  on this topic,I discussed the case that sent me down this path.  It is one of those situations where the wisdom of a tax court judge over 50 years ago sheds light on a current day problem.  The problems is that Nigeria, a nation of 150 million people, is being maligned for the actions of a relatively small number of people.  Now I know some dumb and gullible people, but I really don't think there are enough of them, with resources, to support an entire country by falling for stories of millions of dollars in a secret account somewhere that some stranger has picked you to be his partner in recovering.  

Furthermore, although I have no doubt there there must be people of great creativity in Nigeria, they were not required to create the scam.  It has been run by fraudsters for centuries and was once know as the "Spanish Prisoner" fraud.  That was the comment of the Tax Court judge on the case of a New York physician who had been taken to the cleaners by some Mexicans, who had to rely on snail-mail to run the scheme.  The decision which came down in 1952 is almost as old as I am.  I'm not knocking Mexicans here either.  

I actually have a certain guilty admiration for scammers particularly if they are creative.  It happens that probably the best one of all time was Portuguese.  Alves dos Reis convinced a British bank note company that he represented the Bank of Portugal and the company, which had the contract to print Portuguese escudos, printed money for him. Reis used the money to buy stock in the Bank of Portugal, which was the only authority that could prosecute a counterfeiter.  He got caught, but it is a great story.  Read the book, The Man Who Stole Portugal sometime.

The Project

Of the various response to my post Fraud Has No Nationality, the best was probably the video response by Chika Uwazie.  Ms. Uwazie suggested that what Nigeria needs is positive branding.  I couldn't agree more.  You will not break a negative stereotype by pointing out that it is the actions of a minority that is being projected on the whole group and that your group is not even the worst offender.  This may be true and accurate information, but repeating it can reinforce the stereotype since it maintains the association even though it is in the form of a denial. So my idea is for people to put lists on the internet of 419 reasons to like Nigeria and Nigerians and not even mention internet fraud.  That way when someone puts "Nigeria 419" in a search engine they will be swamped by positive images.

The Foolishness of Me Continuing

I am a very parochial person.  I only speak one language and live about 200 miles from where I grew up.  I have only taken one trip in my life that required a passport.  I have difficulty believing that there can be a part of the world with more natural beauty than New England or a city better than New York.  If I were a hobbit, there is no doubt that I would stay in the Shire.  My knowledge of Nigeria in particular and Africa in general is abysmal. 

 If you read the rest of this post and the next one and are upset that I haven't said anything useful, you have been warned.  Regardless, I have two ideas for positive branding as it relates to Americans, who are something of a parochial bunch.  The very name indicates it.  There are two continents.  North America and South America.  Part of one of them is the United States of America (I know there's more to it than that), but when we say Americans we mean the people of the United States of America, not Mexicans or Canadians, etc. It would be like Nigerians calling themselves Africans as if nobody else was.  It's the common usage, though, and I will continue it.

For What it is Worth

There are two main ways that I can think of (I'm sure that there are others) whereby Americans develop a fondness for other lands - not necessarily a desire to actually go there or anything, just a generalized good feeling about the land and its people.  The two that I have in mind are neighbors and history - American history.  History is what I will address in the next post, which will be the finale where I give my 419 reasons.  Neighbors is farily simple.  According to the infallible  source about 1,000,000 Nigerians have immigrated to the United States.  Americans will get to know Nigerians this way and some of them will develop the same fondness for Nigeria and Nigerians that a kid growing up in Fariview. NJ, regardless of his ancestry, would develop for Italy and Italians.  Three years of Saturdays helping Tony Genaro deliver Italian bread reinforced it, but just being in Fairview was enough.

I'm not sure what it is about, but it strikes me that people are less neighborly now than when I was a kid.  Sometimes, thoughts like that will send me down research paths that can distract me for days or longer.  Other times I paraphrase Leonard McCoy and say to myself "Dammit I'm a tax blogger, not a sociologist" and just move on. Also the neighbor thing can take a long time.  The one thing I will offer in this regard - and this is a joke by the way - is that if you meet an American and right away he brings up 419 send him to me and I will slap him for you.   I'll then ask him if he thinks all Italians are part of the Mafia.  If he says yes I will slap him again.  I will then ask him if thinks all Irish people are alcoholics.  If he says yes I will refer him to San Patricios Against Hunger.  On the spot he will write a check to a hunger fighting charity or - I don't have to tell you what I will do if he refuses.  I use the masculine pronoun deliberately as I would not slap a woman.

A Dangerous Way to Fight a Stereotype

I will address using history in my next post, but I thought I should mention one other way some people fight stereotypes, which I don't entirely approve.  As I mentioned I am very ignorant about Nigeria, so I don't know how knowledgeable you are apt to be about the USA.  Americans love our various ethnicities.  One of the tropes of World War II movies is the ethnic, though not racial, diversity of a random collection of American soldiers.  There is a comic book Sgt. Fury and His Howling Commandos which executes the trope very well going to the extra length of including an American of African descent.  On the other hand we are plagued by ethnic stereotypes.  The one that is closest to Nigerians and 419 is Italians and the Mafia.  There are ways in which the Mafia one is worse.  Most of us don't live in fear of being defrauded by someone who tells us there is trunk of gold in a locker in a bus terminal in Kansas City that he has the key to and he has picked us of all the people in the world to retrieve it and take a share of the proceeds.  We do fear other types of crime

.

At any rate what some people do is embrace the stereotype and defuse it with self-deprecating humor.  I don't recommend that course.  Probably the worst instance is the way Americans of Irish descent celebrate St. Patrick's Day by drinking to excess and encouraging all others to join them.  Some people of Italian descent will joke about the Mafia thing and imply that they are "connected".  The Mafia stereotype has faded a little bit and been replaced by another one that is expressed in a "reality" TV show called Jersey Shore.  This is an awful phenomenon as far as I can tell.  One of the cast named Snooki was paid $32,000 to speak at Rutgers University (The public university of the state of New Jersey).  Her advice to students was to "Study hard, but party harder"

Enough on what not to do.  The next post will discuss using history.

Nigerians I Need a Little Help Here

This was originally published on forbes.com  on August 29, 2011.

___________________________________________________________________________

This is an interlude in my series on 419 Reasons to Like Nigeria and Nigerians.  As part of my efforts, I've been looking for sites that made the same error I made, which started me off on defending the good name of Nigeria.  I hate to give this guy traffic, so I'll just give you the title - It's Time To Crack The Whip On These Nigerian Crooks!  .  Google it if you want to read it.  You are not getting the link from me. 

Anyway, I e-mailed the author.  If you study my posts, you will know that I am a lousy typist and try as I might errors creep in and resist my best efforts at proof-reading.  As you might expect I am even worse with e-mails, but I am going to give you the exchange as it was typed, warts and all:

From me:

http://www.forbes.com/sites/peterjreilly/2011/08/10/fraud-has-no-nationality-apology-to-nigeria/ 

I doubt that your post It's Time To Crack The Whip On These Nigerian Crooks! Is the best way to make a better a world.

Not very good at all, but I think it made the point, particularly if he followed the link.

From kofi Akyeampong:

Hi,

First of all, learn how to write standard English before attempting to contend with a exceptionally intelligent individual like me!

Your e-mail :"I doubt that your post It's Time To Crack The Whip On These Nigerian Crooks! Is the best way to make a better a world."  makes absolutely no sense at all.

Apart from the obvious fact that it falls short of quality grammar, it is completely meaningless! 

Thanks, anyway.

Fair enough.  I find myself frequently having to clarify my confused thoughts.

From me:

Thanks for the grammar assistance.  I am sometimes too hasty when I type e-mails and your advice will help me do better.  I see that “Is” should be “is”.  My point was that I think you are maligning Nigerians based on the actions of a minority.  You might want to comment on the Forbes post I linked to which probably has other deficiencies. 

Can I quote you in any follow up I do on my blog on forbes.com ?

From Prince Kofi Akyeampong:

Mr Reilly,

Thanks for your e-mail.  Let me assure you that my purpose for writing that article was not motivated by malicious intentions.  My article was based on reality.  Obviously, it may not have gone down well with some people, especially Nigerians; but again, for those of you who are not conversant with the crime situation in Nigeria, my article should serve as an eye-opener.

Nigeria is arguably the most corrupt nation in Africa; and that explains why a nation blessed with so much oil deposits is still in financial doldrums - a result of persistent corruption and misappropriation of state funds by successive leaders.  In addition to this, it's widely known in the sub-region (and worldwide), that the average Nigerian's propensity to commit violent crimes or engage in fraudulent acts is high.

There have been so many instances where Nigerians fraudsters have tried to use forged Ghanaian passports.  For your information, Nigerians are adepts when it comes to internet fraud; the US state department would confirm this.  The popular term for fraud in Nigeria is - 419.

Like I stated in my article, armed robbery is now on the increase in Ghana, thanks to the influx of Nigerian immigrants.

I'm not saying that all Nigerians are crooks; but one definitely has to be careful when dealing with a Nigerian.  They are not to be trusted.

Yes, you can quote me on your blog.

Thanks.

Prince Kofi Akyeampong

Wow.  The popular term in Nigeria is 419.  Who knew ? I don't know what his highness is the prince of.  According to wikipedia Ghana is a republic, but my knowledge of Africa is abysmal.   Anyway, I could use your help in contending with such an exceptionally intelligent individual.  One thing I'm asking you, though.  No, let's say I'm begging you.  Don't start knocking Ghana.  I took accounting classes with a guy from Ghana over thirty year ago and he tried to help me get my first job in the business. 

419 Reasons To Like Nigeria And Nigerians - Part 1

This was originally published on forbes.com  on August 28, 2011. 

____________________________________________________________________________

I cover a pretty wide variety of tax issues.  I am driven by the raw material that the system feeds me.  I try to at least look at most federal original source material and have taken to poking around in the states a bit more, where I find somebody suing Rite Aid over a twelve cent sales tax overcharge, who coincidentally works for a law firm specializing in class action law suits.  I find in the process that I start feeling responsible for certain issues.  Like the tax implications of marriage equality.  

Frankly, Patricia Cain covers that issue better than I do, but I don't think she is as funny as I am.  At any rate my concern for the good name of Nigerians did not spring out of review of original source tax material.  I wrote a fairly silly postabout an e-mail I received.  It got me a few sharp comments, which I reflected on.  I changed the post a bit including the title, but I felt I owed them a bit more. So I wrote a post which is sumarized here:

Fraud Has No Nationality

The body of original source tax material is rich in matter for reflection.  I was able to quickly lay my hands on a case that I had noted some time ago.  The case is almost as old as I am.  It concerned a New York physician, named Curtis H. Muncie who went to Mexico with several thousand dollars which he exchanged for a  receipt and a check, both of which turned out to be bogus.  The events took place in 1947 and the case was decided in 1952.  The tax issue  was somewhat interesting but the point of the case relative to Nigerians was this comment by the judge:

Dr. Muncie was the victim of the ancient "Spanish prisoner" swindle and under the laws of Mexico, Mexican Penal Code, sections 386 and 387, dealing with fraud, the facts set forth above constitute a theft of the petitioner's money.

 So you might ask why we talk about Nigerian 419 fraud rather than Mexican 386 fraud.  Good question.  You see in 1947, the internet service in Mexico was really lousy.  I think they must have been on dial-up.  Anyway the internet service was so lousy that they actually ran the scam using snail-mail.  Even with stamps at three cents, the costs would add up.  You had to really qualify your prospects as they say in marketing  so it was only a select few that were solicited rather than just about everybody.

The Response

I seem to have struck a nerve.  There has been quite a bit of commentary on my piece, which is an indication of how bad the maligning of Nigerians has been.  It is bad enough that when someone mentions internet fraud, the next thing that pops into people's minds is Nigeria.  What is much worse is that when someone mentions Nigeria, the next thing that pops into many people's minds is internet fraud.  I recall being in a cab with a friend of mine.  We started chatting with the driver who mentioned he was from Nigeria.  Right away my friend starts talking about 419.  At any rate here is an example of the response. In a post titled Nigeria: The Need for Improved English Education, Akin Akintayo wrote:

When Peter Reilly who contributes to Forbes.com first wrote about the letter, he noticed a subtle change in the tone of a 419 letter from that of persuasion preying in the greed of the victim to fearful threats and is was only normal for him to default to stereotype with the headline Nigerians Switching From Greed to Fear [3].

It took one well-placed comment by a Nigerian resident in Nigeria to get Peter Reilly to change the title of his blog though the underlying URL still registers the original title; he then went one step further offering insightful research about the original of fraudulent scams and the resolution of some interesting cases.

In the comments under his first blog he engaged the commenters and it appeared he was contrite enough to write the follow-up blog Fraud Has No Nationality- Apology to Nigeria[4] in what I felt was a display of maturity and interesting raconteuring, you had to hear him out.

There was even a video response. In the video, Chika Uwazie talks about the need for Nigerians to do positive branding, which is what gave me an idea.

The Idea

It is very hard to directly combat a negative stereotype.  One of the problems with directly combatting a negative stereotype is that in the process you reinforce it as our late President may have done in 1973, when he said "I am not a crook".  Pointing out that other people engage in the stereotypical activity, as Ms. Uwazie does in her video is a valid argument, but it also may be counter-productive.  The game of nationality maligning is not like the game of tag we played as kids.  The way we played whoever was "it" would tag someone else who was then "it".  There was a rule against "tag backs" so that the former "it" could not be immediatly tagged.  There is no such rule in the game of nationaltiy maligning. 

So here is my idea.  Make lists of 419 reasons to like Nigeria and Nigerians.  Do not even mention that the list is in any way a response to internet fraud.  Do not say anything about internet  fraud.  If enough people do this and it might not really be that many, then when someone puts "Nigeria 419" into a search engine he or she will be swamped with positive messages about Nigeria.  My woeful ignorance will probably make my own attempt in this regard quite unsatisfactory, but stay tuned for the next part of the series.

Fraud Has No Nationality- Apology to Nigeria

This post was first published on forbes.com on August 10, 2011.  It received quite a bit of notice and actually led to several Nigerian bloggers working on the idea of positive branding.

________________________________________________________________________

This post has been noticed by some Nigerians and prompted a discussion about positive branding for Nigeria.  Despite being ill-qualified, I have decided to enter into the discussion with a series of posts.  The first one appears here.

I did a short post earlier this week about an e-mail I recieved  with an attached letter purporting to be from the FBI and a government agency in Nigeria.  The writer was not telling me about a trunk full of gold in a warehouse somewhere that he had picked me to retrieve.  He was telling me that I need to e-mail him for directions to send in $350 to the Department of Homeland Security for a Clearance Certificate.  I speculated in my post that people running what are commonly called Nigerian 419 frauds were branching out and appealing to fear rather than greed.  I find scammers who appeal to fear or generosity much more despicable than those who appeal to greed.  Although I did not mention it, I am concerned that immigrants are the intended target of  this particular scam.  At any rate, I heard from some Nigerians who thought I was maligning their country.  I changed the title and put in a little up front apology, but I am doing this post by way of making further amends to them.  I realize it must be very hurtful to have your nationality constantly associated with some scammers.  And that is what has happened to Nigerians.  This is from the FBI website:

                                                        Nigerian Letter or “419” Fraud

Nigerian letter frauds combine the threat of impersonation fraud with a variation of an advance fee scheme in which a letter mailed from Nigeria offers the recipient the "opportunity" to share in a percentage of millions of dollars that the author—a self-proclaimed government official—is trying to transfer illegally out of Nigeria. The recipient is encouraged to send information to the author, such as blank letterhead stationery, bank name and account numbers, and other identifying information using a fax number provided in the letter. Some of these letters have also been received via e-mail through the Internet. The scheme relies on convincing a willing victim, who has demonstrated a "propensity for larceny" by responding to the invitation, to send money to the author of the letter in Nigeria in several installments of increasing amounts for a variety of reasons.

To get some perspective on this I would like to tell you about a tax court decision that is almost as old as I am.  Curtis Muncie was a physician in New York City.  He was in Tax Court in 1952 arguing that he was entitled to a theft loss deduction for 1947.  The IRS was denying it.  Here is what happened:

Dr. Muncie received a letter dated November 18, 1947, from Mexico City, Mexico, signed by one Julian Silva, stating that a party was imprisoned in Mexico City for bankruptcy and desired the petitioner's help in saving $375,000 in bills hidden in a secret compartment of a trunk checked in a custom house in the United States. It also stated that the party owned a suitcase containing the baggage check to the trunk and a certified bank check for $25,000 payable to bearer, which suitcase would be released upon payment of cost of trial, and that if the petitioner would help save the writer's fortune the writer would give petitioner one-third of the above-mentioned amounts.

Petitioner promptly replied by letter to the address given, stating that he would help if the details justified. He received a letter from Mexico City from Andres Diaz, dated December 2, 1947, stating the [pg. 850]fine and costs to be paid as $8,300 and that he had 35 days' time in which to pay them, at which time his suitcase would be returned to him, and urging the petitioner to come to Mexico City and pay the cost of trial and fine. To this the petitioner replied by letter dated December 7, 1947, stating that he would come to Mexico City as requested. 

On December 15, 1947, petitioner withdrew by two checks $9,000 from his bank account at the City National Bank of New York and went to Mexico City. There he met two men, one of whom posed as a prison guard acting for the man whom the petitioner intended to aid, who gave to him what purported to be a trunk check and a certified check for $25,000 purportedly drawn by the Bank of London and South America Limited on the Agency of National City Bank of New Orleans, Louisiana, United States of America, and accepted by it. Upon receipt of these documents the petitioner sent a telegram to New Orleans asking if check and baggage receipt were genuine and later was handed purported replies verifying the genuineness of the documents. He then, on December 22, 1947, handed the alleged guard $8,500 in bills, and on the same date flew to Laredo, Texas, and waited as instructed by letter.

On December 24 he received by mail an unsigned typewritten note to the effect that all was lost and instructed him to go home and await news there. The note closed with the advice, "Do not become impatient, as calm is the solution for every difficult thing." The petitioner went back to New York and upon presenting the alleged certified check to the National City Bank there on December 26, 1947, he was informed that such bank had no branch in New Orleans and learned from the New York branch of the Bank of London and South America Limited that the purported certified check was a forgery.

It's just like the 419  scams.  The only problem is that it would have been more expensive to execute so that the scammers could not afford to do the scatter-shot approach that the internet allows in finding victims.  Dr. Muncie was allowed his deduction, but that is not the reason I'm telling you about this case.  The reason is the commentary by the judge:

The petitioner was the victim of the ancient "Spanish prisoner" swindle and under the laws of Mexico, Mexican Penal Code, sections 386 and 387, dealing with fraud, the facts set forth above constitute a theft of the petitioner's money.

In other words there is nothing inherently Nigerian about Nigerian 419 scams.  To emphasize that point you could also look at this link  about a "Nigerian 419" scam where the money ends up in China.

CURTIS H. MUNCIE., 18 TC 849, Code Sec(s) 23.

Switching From Greed To Fear

This was published originally on forbes.com on August 8, 2011.  As noted the original title was slightly different.  I changed it because commenters pointed out to me that I had fallen into a pernicious ethnic stereotype.   I wrote a summary of what happened on this blog.

The rest of the Nigerian forbes posts will be coming over in the next several days.  After that I will do a post on the rather odd denouement to this whole matter.  A couple of months ago, I was interviewed by Maeyen Bassey for her documentary - 419: How Nigeria Was Scammed Out of its Rightful Identity

Among the people the documentary will address are:

This film is for the Non-Nigerians who have been misinformed either through receiving a 419/Nigerian Prince scam email or some other negative propaganda (real or falsified) about Nigeria as their only contact/source of information as to what Nigeria is and who Nigerians are.

That would be me over three years ago when I originally wrote this.  

_______________________________________________________________

I've changed the title to this piece out of respect for criticism I received from people who thought I was characterizing their entire country.  Also see this follow-up post.

I'm hoping to continue this blog, but I'm a little concerned about some e-mail I just received. It had a pdf attached with a joint letterhead from the FBI Headquarters and the  Economic and Financial Crimes Commission Lagos, Nigeria.  The thing is resisting cutting and pasting so I'll just give you the summary.

It tells me that I am to contact the US Department of Homeland Security to obtain my Clearance Certificate.  I'm supposed to contact their Principal Legal Advisor.  Here is his contact info :

revbob@blumail.org

It seems to be serious stuff:

Furthermore be advised that according to the United State Law together with the FBI rules and regulations, you are to obtain the document from the DHS.  Also  that you are to take care of the cost of the Clearance Certificate, which will be issued in your name. Due to the content of the Clearance Certificate and how important and secured the document is, you are the beneficiary and will send the DHS the sum of $350 Dollars only for the issuing of the Clearance Certificate.  That is the lay down rule for the DHS to release such sensitive document .......

You are hereby advised to Contact them through the email address above to make an enquiry concenring how you will send the official fee to them........

There's a warning that if I don't attend to this I will be arrested as soon as an international court issues a warrant.

We are charged with the responsibility of implementing legal norms and our authority is irrevocable so don't dare dispute our instruction.

The message is from Robert Mueller III, who I see is the actual director of the FBI.  It doesn't explain why he is using the revbob@blumail.org address.

I suppose this was predictable.  People are catching on to the fact that the stranger who wants to transfer a few millions dollars into your account that his great uncle earned while he was the defense minister of some African country is probably not on the up and up.  So they are giving greed a break and switching to fear.  The FBI has many graduates of Jesuit colleges and high schools working for it, so if they were sending out letters like this they could probably find someone fluent in US English to write them.  I'm not going to speculate on who it is that will be falling for this thing.

On the other hand you never know.  If you don't see any posts from me in the next week or so, please call the FBI and put in a good word for me.