Author from Nigeria - Is this a scam??

[copycat]

Hi, I have a strange situation. I have been reading all these posts about scammers from Nigeria, and I think I might be getting scammed too. Here is what happened, in a nutshell...

I'm a copy editor, and I was contacted by an author from Nigeria. He and I have talked back and forth about terms, he sent me 50 pages of his manuscript to check out, and everything seemed ok. He told me he needed 12 hours of editing and would pay in installments. I sent him a request for payment for the first installment, so that I could get started on his manuscript. He wrote back saying... 

"I tried crediting you through PayPal but unfortunately, for some bizarre reason, my country is not on the list! And there's no 'Other' on the country list. Is there another way I can credit you if this wont work?"

I wrote back to him, giving him instructions on how to a) make a PayPal account, b) enter his VISA info into the account and c) send the money from his account to my account. So, today I get this:

"Tried it. No dice. Apparently I just discovered that there is no paypal service in Nigeria. As an alternative, I suggest doing an electronic transfer to your company account. I will need the name of your bank, its address, your account number and routing number to enable me to deal. Thanks."

Apparently he discovered there is no paypal service in Nigeria? He's got the internet, right? That's fishy, isn't it? And then this thing about doing an electronic transfer... which I would be skeptical about anyway. And then, after all, he's from Nigeria. Is this a scam? It doesn't look like the normal scams I've been seeing. And, he has given me his name, and he has a facebook account, and there is another webpage that has some of his writing on it. 

Is this guy for real, or is he just really clever?

Thanks for your help.

The Copy Cat

www.copycateditor.com

[BigKahuna97]

Just the fact he is in Nigeria would be a red flag to me and I would end all communication with him.  While some Nigerians are honest people......most are not.  Why so many scams originate from that country is simply a question of how much the scammers are aware their local police don't care about the problem.

Once again....I would urge you to not do business with this man.

[copycat]

Thanks BigKahuna, I think you may be right. It's strange because he isn't following the usual pattern for this kind of thing. He has certainly put in a lot of effort, if it's true. I am not sure what to say to him now. Should I just tell him "I think you're a scammer!" or just stop emailing? What do you think? 

[nottingham10]

I would end buisness with this man right now!  Just the fact that he cannot get a paypal account, thats a bunch of bull!  and secondly...why would he need all of that bank info...especially your account number...PLEASE DON'T FALL FOR THIS!

[PayPal_Andy]

copycat- Actually, the person from Nigeria is correct.  We do not provide service in Nigeria.  You can probably guess some of the reasons we might not allow service there.  You can actually check where and what services by clicking on our Worldwide link.  Just choose the country you're checking on and it'll tell you what's available.

That being said, asking for the account number and routing number? That concerns me greatly.  With that info, there wouldn't be a whole lot stopping them from pulling money out of your account.  You may want to check with your bank and see if there are any other options for them to send you the money that wouldn't potentially open your account up.  If it is a scam, it's certainly a more...natural...version than others I've seen (i.e. 'oceanographer', 'oil rig driller').  Or they may be completely legitimate and just trying to get your services.

There's my two cents, take it for what it's worth. 🙂

Andy

[Olie52]

It is hard to trust people when dealing with them on the internet.  I just cancelled a sale because the buyer couldn't arrange transportation for the purchased item.  Instead he wanted to add the estimated shipping costs to his Paypal payment and for me to pay the shipper via Western Union.  - RED FLAG -  I Googled the buyers email address and found several hits from various classified ad sites flagging this emial as a scam.  I also found a link showing this email address linked to Nigeria and a site where the person had an account claiming to be a contractor.  He told me he was an oceanographer and was at sea.  He did a good job of convincing me to sale my item.  Everyone should do some research on sellers and buyers.  Remember, some of the information could be out of spite. 

[gumtreescam]

i am sure that is a scam, these dogs are very commited and i am currently finding out about another scam first hand, im selling a motor bike and i recieved an offer and agreed to an amount, then they supposedly credited  my pay pal account with the agreed amount plus 2100 extra for shipping costs, i checked my paypal account and the balance is zero, the email i recieved looks authentic from paypal, it says that the amount has been deducted from the buyers account and cant be refunded to the buyer, it says the payment to me is pending and will befinalised once i pay the "transport compant " in turkey via western union, what i dont understand is why international law enforcement cant o a sting on scammers like this and bring them to justice, make it so that its not viable for them to continue their scams, they just say, tough luck if you gullible enough to fall for the scam, whatever you do, dont spend a penny

[gumtreescam]

ps, the scammer contacted me initially via my mobile phone which i had advertised on gumtree with my add, when i tried to respond via text message i was unable to,  this is the second time this has happened to me from the one add on gumtree in the text that the scammer sent to me they provided an email address  but used text for @ and . instead of symbols, if you see this maybe it means its not legit.

[nme00108]

I agree with all the prior posts, many people from there go on sites like facebook, ebay, craigslist and others looking for someone they can trick into helping them out. I wouldn't follow up anymore with this "author" and like others posted cut off any contact you  have with him or her.