How Cyber Sleuths Tracked Down a Nigerian Scammer
Summary
Host Erin West and scam expert Paul Raphael discuss their investigative trip to Nigeria to track down sexortion scammers. They detail how they created fake profiles to get targeted, used OSINT tools to identify a suspect, and confronted him in his village. The episode also covers the scammers' use of spiritual rituals and calls for greater accountability from social media platforms.
Topics discussed
Intro and 404 Media subscription details
Guests Erin West and Paul Raphael introduced
Origin of the Nigeria fact-finding mission
Creating fake profiles to attract scammers
How quickly the fake accounts were targeted
The sexortion scam process and threats
Using a fake Bitcoin site to track IPs
Arriving in Nigeria and the time pressure
Identifying the scammer via phone number
Confirming identity through social media evidence
Security concerns and armed protection in Lagos
Locating the suspect's village and home
Confronting the scammer on the phone
Interviews with other scammers and the economy
Witnessing a Yahoo Plus spiritual ritual
Social acceptance of scams and rituals
Key takeaway: Need for more arrests
Platform responsibility for preventing abuse
Advice for victims and podcast outro
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