I be confirm Gee...and beyond conning?

The glorified unwholesome internet fraud act that has become quite rife in the Nigerian society did not just start today. In fact, it spans as far back as three decades ago but today, it appears that almost the entire citizenry are indulging in the activity that is referred to by the Gees as 'hustling'.

Statistics have shown that, one out of four Nigerians is an internet fraudster. 'Hustling' became overblown when the country rammed in on economic recession in 2013, leaving several thousand jobless and the country's currency devalued. Perhaps in bid to find a way out of the mess, many resorted to 'hustling'.

Hustling, according to findings, is just like a profession that has its own ethics and technical requirements. It is a profession that requires communication devices either a smartphone of a computer system. Not only that but it also has different specialization: Dating, Carting, Credit Card(CC)/ Debit Card (DC) hacking, Fund Diversion, Housing, Puppies, etc. Each of the specialization is peculiar to certain level. For example, entrants are often advised to go for dating or puppies as they require low level of expertise. Only a few number of people indulge in fund transfer and Cards hacking due to the huge sum involved.

Dating, as innocuous as it seems, accounts for over 30 per cent of the United State of America's present day artificial poverty. Victims exhaust life's savings on lubricating virtual relationship and most of the time, forced to sell off landed properties.

According to a report on the www.usatoday.com, several states have been worse hit by the fraud activity which is done through the use of social media sites, Facebook, Instagram, Tinder, Badoo, Meetme, flikr, etc and elder citizens constitute a chunk of them. It went further to give the details of one of the worse affected areas by x-raying Florida,
> Complaints per 100,000 population: 997.8
> Total complaints: 195,103 (2nd most)
> Identity theft complaints per 100,000: 192.9 (the most)
> 2007-2012 home value change: -35.7% (3rd worst)
Stealing Social Security numbers to collect phony tax returns is on the rise in the United States, but nowhere more than in Florida. Of the nearly 40,000 complaints of identity theft in Florida last year, more than half were related to government documents and benefits. The housing market may also be placing residents at greater risk. Florida was among the hardest hit by the housing crisis, with home values plummeting more than 35% between 2007 and 2012. Last year, one out of every 33 homes was in foreclosure, the worst rate in the nation.

The heinous act of self enrichment being perpetrated by the Gees always starts off with the creation of a phantom email - fake location, combination of foreign names, capable of turning the minds of their targets.

According to findings, USA used to be the target area of many intending Gee, with particular attention on densely populated states, like Ohio, Florida, Michigan, Chicago, Massachusetts, etc. However, in recent times, and due to the heavy fraudulent activities detonated in these area by them, they have become less porous but not totally immuned from the preying eyes of the Gees as the government of that country has embarked on an aggressive campaign, similar to that of HIV and AIDS,  against internet fraud that there is hardly any household that is not aware of how to singlehandedly detect and report fraud attempt.

Consequent upon this, 'hustlers' have now shifted attention to Middle-east Asian countries, like, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, etc and also Italy, Australia, Canada, etc for better market.

In a chat with a staunch 'hustler', whose name withheld for security reasons, it was understood that, due to differences in time zones of the aforementioned countries and Nigeria, most of their theatrics are exhibited during odd hours. Just like most music artistes do say, 'time ti eyin fin sun ni time ta fin hustle', all for the dollars.

Of course, we have several well to do young Nigerians who have riches enough to cater for the upkeep of their families and friends but not stinkingly rich than the country talking in terms of how much they realise from transactions. In emphasis, Gees can be milionaires but not multi-millionaires.

I think I quickly have to chip this in before bringing forth, my next point, it has happened times without number in our locality that certain people, who are affluent, suddenly becomes indigent. They keep faith with the situation, believing God who had given them in abundance in the past would someday lead them into a corner in the sky. Nowadays, this is no longer obtainable for the rich wants to remain wealthy or even wealthier and wouldn't settle for anything less. The Gees are not also left out - they see their peers as competitors and want to outlive them at all cost.

Hustling once again is just like a game of football, where the formations you may have worked do not win the match for you. The way they earn their money is not steady. For some, it is once in every three months, while others could be twice in a week, depending on the luck. For the fact that many Gees could not keep up with the interregnum, they have resorted to rituals that can be likened to money rituals.

Don't be surprised, your eyes have not failed you. Beyond the conning on parade known with them is a latent money ritual, proudly called 'yahoo plus' for which girlfriends, siblings, friends and even parents are ingredients.

To garner the following information, I had to hobnob with some 'hustlers' and I'm telling you it is a year-long effort. The society is well dotted with ritualists' den that are hugely patronised by youths and politicians, who are hell bent on becoming rich, with no tangible academic qualification or vocation and power drunk respectively.

While recounting his ordeal, a young man simply called Goalgetter, who is in his early 20s, said, he could be rich if he chose to because making money through rituals have become so stress free.

" I have had the opportunity of meeting a man from the Tapa tribe, who resides in Oshogbo. He is into anything spiritual and on our way to his shrine, I quarried the guys taking me to the place on whether we were going to an exotic club or to a spiritualist? Because much to my chagrin, cars, which values cannot be less than five million naira are parked on both sides of the road. The man operates the place like an organization with elaborate departments to say less. I was able to meet him and he made me understood that, to use any part of my body, like toes, flesh, etc would only cost me an additional N10,000 and the result of such ritual would start surfacing in two days but with the condition of deduction of 10 years from the years I have left for every money received, " he narrated.

Another person also spoke on how girls are often used by just giving them a lift in their cars. Nonso said it was not advisable for girls to just jump in every car that parked by them, saying there is often a calabash well concealed under the sits of those cars that serve as receptor. they collect the better part of such girl for the owner and this is in terms of life span, fortunes, etc.
He added that, "most of the girls out there already have an expiry date on their lives. That is, they have limited time to spend on earth just because of their being gluttonous. You don't know the nature of what a guy is doing, just because he looks good, you allowed him and huge money goes into your pocket after that. The implication is that the money he has given you will go back to him in multiple folds and he is not at lost. But your existence is thereafter reduced. Is he the son of Dangote to buy you a 25 million diamond-plated chain?

" This present generation of guys are damn wealthier than most senators and notable business tycoons of this world due to the number of girls that have fallen victim to them. They give girls good life; take them on tour; enrich their parents and even to the length of picking a wedding date for they the marriage is so impossible because such girl would not last to the appointed date," Nonso enthused.

Truth to the revelations above, there have been several reports about yahoo boys leading security operatives to kidnappers and ritualists' den. The rate at which people are being killed and kidnapped in this country is of course a testament to the statements obtained in the previous paragraphs.

According to a report on informationng.com dated July 13, 2017 with the headline: Yahoo boys expose ritualist den, give police information, some yahoo boys in Benin, Edo state, who were frustrated by their current situation paid some ritualist to help them kill people. Afterwards, they were arrested and led the police to the headquarter of their evils.

Also in another news by the same website, dated: January 23, 2018, titled: Slay Queen rains curses on yahoo boys for using fellow slay queen for money ritual, a slay queen, Camila Carly, reportedly took to the facebook social media to register her displeasure over how a fellow slay queen, simply called Classic White, was allegedly used by yahoo guys for rituals. That post actually sent the internet ablaze with a lot of comments greeting the post.

The post read, "Chai! Yahoo boys have destroyed a lot of souls, guys why can't the devil you guys call native doctors give you people another option of doing your shit than sending innocent souls to their early grave...imagine this pretty girl killed by yahoo boys for rituals."

Carly however went further to ask all the yahoo boys on her friends list to unfriend her immediately before comments poured in from her facebook friends on that post.

According to one Godwin Ikechukwu, "what you girls call yahoo in this country is not actually different from blood money...when you see this real guy who looks very much young with flashy car, iPhone 8 and all that, knowing full well that this guy has no tangible job..."

Another friend of Carly, Loveth Onyeachonam, also commented, "so sad but trust me we ladies should learn to be contented with whatever we have. It does not always have to be about flashy cars, money, the latest phone. Learn not to always want to be amongst peers who are bad influence. The fact that you have life is enough to take you to higher positions even without the hell of any yahoo boy or what have you. Focus on your future and abilities...RIP really its sad."

The Economic and Financial Crimes and other related offences' Commission have been on a massive onslaught on yahoo boys lurking in every nook and crannies of this country in order to purge the society of the immoral act but how do the government combat the spate of soul-destroying Gees, that have seen killing of ladies for money as commonplace? It only remains to be seen what measure would be employed by the government if at all they are able to wake up from their slumber.