People preying on other people

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The "Nigerian Scam" is a singularly clear example of people preying on other people. It is just like the perpetuators are lying in wait ready to pounce on their victims. Consider this: You are looking for a better-paying job on-line. You see this very attractive advertisement offering US$4,500.00 a month for an English tutor for a family of a Chilean engineer who is employed by an American Gas Company involved in the petroleum industry development in Nigeria. So that explains the big money, you say. The offer includes free furnished housing with car "for mobility" health insurance, vacation pay. So, you apply. The next day you receive a response! Wow! They must really need a tutor urgently, you think. Yes, you are told, the need is urgent: the wife has an interview scheduled in August and you are to prepare her for it. You are likewise to teach the 2 kids who know nothing more than "Come" and "Go." Give him time to prepare the contract he says. You ask him questions about the security situation in Nigeria, about the Muslim-Christian conflict, the Petrol Industry problems. You also ask him about the level of English proficiency of his wife and children. Do they speak only Spanish at home? No immediate answer. Okay, so maybe he is busy afterall. So you wait for two days. Then you get an answer. Wife and kids really need to be taught again. He didn't say anything about speaking Spanish. You speak Spanish and you indicated this in your CV so it is strange that he didn't say anything about it. You also now receive the contract with the stamp of approval from the Nigerian government! But it is a hurriedly written contract; not a well-drafted one. But you excuse this because it was drafted by the Chilean engineer. But it is also a strange contract because it included at the end a name of an Agency you are to contact so they can prepare your work documents. Anyway, you contact the said agency. The next day the agency writes you a letter. You are to pay some fees. They tell you your employer wanted to pay everything but this is not allowed by the Nigerian government. A new law, they tell you. Your employer paid a bigger amount and you are to pay US$ 535.00. You are told to send it ASAP through Western Union so that they can process your papers as your employer is in a hurry. You must travel to your duty station to start you job soon. You contact the Nigerian Embassy because as far as you know you have to get the visa from them. You also want to know if the procedure the agency informed you about is usual. They tell you this is not the correct procedure. You contact your embassy in Nigeria and they tell the same thing. So your "Miracle" quickly turns to "Scam". This is my story. Is it my greed that I should fear now? But I needed to find a better-paying job. What about those people who need a job badly? To what extent will they go to get that job offer? Will they pay? I read up on the scam. Many people all over the world tried to pay the fees. And they lost the money ... and so much more. There are many different forms of the Nigerian scam or "419 fraud" it is also called - inheritance, lottery, rental, puppy, e-bay, escort service, tutor, etc. Do you know of any more? The perpetuators are still lying in wait. We have to be cautious. This scam has led to many deaths of victims too. Those who got to Nigeria were kidnapped and used for negotiating ransom,(a Japanese victim excaped this), or were murdered. Others committed suicide due to despair. How much more hurt will they inflict on innocent people? Maybe they are not even all Nigerians. According to the reports I read there were arrests made in the Netherlands. What do you know about the "Nigerian Scam"? The "Vultures" are in different websites. I found the ad in an ESL job post.