Nigerian 419 scam takes a life

A Nigerian diplomat in the Czech Republic was murdered by a man who was fooled by the famous Nigerian email scam.

A notorious e-mail scam has resulted in the murder of a Nigerian diplomat in the Czech Republic.

Fifty-year-old Michael Lekara Wayid, Nigeria’s consul in the Czech Republic, was shot dead by an unidentified 72-year-old Czech at the Nigerian Embassy in Prague on Wednesday.

According to police reports, the suspect was a victim of the 419 scam, a thriving industry that employs thousands of people around the world. The scammers successfully manage to extort money from thousands of victims by promising them compensation for assistance in moving funds from foreign countries to banks in the United States.

The criminals typically make their money by extracting ever-escalating sums of money for bribes, bank fees and the like from their “business partners,” that is, the folks they scam. But according to early reports in Nigerian and Czech newspapers, the gunman’s bank account was drained after he gave the account number and other personal details to someone posing as a senior Nigerian official.

It is not known whether the suspect was contacted by e-mail or other means. The 419 scams were carried out by postal mail until the advent of e-mail, but, according to FBI reports, most 419 scams are now conducted, at least in the early stages, by e-mail.

According Nigerian newspaper reports, the suspect arrived at the embassy and said he needed to discuss a business matter. He was referred to Wayid. Soon afterward, an embassy receptionist heard raised voices followed by shots and went to investigate.

The killer has been arrested. The fool! First, he lost his money and now his liberty!