I am writing as a concerned african living in guinea bissau for the last six months. My desire to write has been due to the wicked work of some nigerians who have found this country as heaven for their evil deeds.

I chose to write to ghanaweb because the painstaken and risky investigation that led me to infiltrate their midst has revealed that ghanaians are the most numerous of their victims.

About 60% of the Nigerian community have fund GUINEA BISSAU as a safe heaven for Internet crime. Some are full time burglars whereas others have engaged Guinean boys to take care of their shops for them as they return from the cyber caf? from time to time.

Visit any cyber caf? in Guinea Bissau at any time from 8 am to 8pm and you will find the place filled to capacity; in any case one will count about 85% of the occupants being Nigerian Internet burglars. Some ride in cars and live a flamboyant lifestyles here out of someone’s sweet and lifetime savings.

The Internet crime thrives well in BISSAU because the economy is in shambles, as corruption has become a cancer in the nation, with the police not being in exception.Also the English language is a greek to the good people of Guinea Bissau and so these miscreants operate comfortably.

The police know this but unable to act as these gangs use money to influence them . (There have been several instances of their victims travelling from other parts of Africa to cause the arrest of some of these thieves, with the help of the police in the western union premises. In each case, the thieves confers their crime but by the next day one will find them comfortably in front of the computer doing the same thing.)

An immigration officer told me these internet thieves have the blessings of some top police officers as they have benefited from car gifts among others from these Nigerians .

They also take advantage of the English language which the few enlightened people of Guinea who visit the Internet caf? don’t understand even when sitting beside them at the caf? (Guinea Bissau is a Portuguese speaking) It is very sad that this is no more a secret in BISSAU the capital of Guinea Bissau. Just ask anyone ,the new found job of the Nigerians and you would rightly be told .

THEIR MODUS OPERANDI

They select several addresses and write; using European or American female names to quern their Internet address (example carolinewhite@yahoo.com)

They falsely introduce themselves to their victims (new found ‘friend ’?) as white ladies living in America or Europe and offer to take you as a pen friend. Through communications ‘she’ becomes a lover of his victim and offer to help him (the victim) join ‘her’. In the white man’s land.

The cyber thief tells the victim that there is a conference that is to be held in America and that ‘she’ could help him to come over to where ‘she’ is, using the conference.

They then introduce the conference organizers to their victim, by way of sending them their email address. Example, youthanddrugs2003@yahoo.com.

NOTE: this very cyber thief who has impersonated as a white lady made this address, and so when the victim writes, it comes to the same Nigerian cyber thief.

When the victim writes to express interest in the conference, a conference forms is sent to him.

The thieves go to the Internet; on genuine conference pages they download conference forms and begin to edit the forms by removing and replacing information to suit their lies. Example, where the conference is to take place is changed from say Toronto, Canada to Bissau, Guinea Bissau. The theme is changed, dates are changed, name of the conference is changed, and sometime the victim is asked to be one of the speakers.

These neatly edited forms are sent via the net to the victim to fill and return it via the same means. NOTE: The ‘organizers ‘make it mandatory that one can only attend the conference in groups of five persons and above.

There are only three neat hotels in Bissau (hotel 24th setembro, Bissau hotel, and Lobato) but the thieves download pictures of hotels on the internet and create names (EXP. hotel continental) saying that is where the ‘conference ‘ is to take place. They create address and ask the victims involved to make reservations. Example Bissau.continental@hotmail.com the post box # they give through out are all non existent .The same person (supposed hotel) replies to tell you a room is reserved for you

This is how in summary the programme appears

The international conference on youth and drugs 2003 is to be held in two phases

The first part is scheduled for Guinea Bissau. (With a given date)

The second phase is slated for Texas in USA (date is given)

Participants will be flown direct to Texas, USA after the Bissau programme .

Monies ranging from $3,000 to $5,000 (USA) might have been spent by each victim by the time one realised he or she has been duped .This money, the Nigerians tell their victims ,include their airfare from Bissau to the USA and back

All monies involving this theft are transferred to the thieves by their victims through the WESTERN UNION money transfer.

They issualy ask their victims to send their money together as group . Soon as they receive the money from the western union, they write their victims to tell them the programme has been postponed and that the new date would be communicated to them. That closes the chapter ! Any contact with the victims stops from here.

One of them recently boasted that even a Ghanain living in the UK has fallen to him. Conversations amongs them indicates Ghanaians are the easiest to get.

This is a warning to all and sundry notably people who are found of looking for penpal friends on the internet.

Letter Fro Ghanaian in Egypt