My Scam Story #40

A Romance Scam Victim/Survivor’s Story

Survivor’s Origin: USA

This is the original victim’s story, enhanced by the SCARS Institute Editorial Team to improve comprehension, readability, and continuity.

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My Scam Story

I’d like to share something important—an eye-opening interview I had with a young African man about West African scammers. I want everyone reading this to truly understand just how far these scammers are willing to go, what they’re capable of, and how dangerous their tactics can be.

In parts of Africa, particularly West Africa, these scammers are commonly known as G-boys or Yahoo boys. Among local youth, it’s often seen as a fast and easy way to make money. It’s glamorized in music, culture, and peer groups. Many of these scammers start by asking their victims for iTunes cards. There’s a reason for that: those cards are bought and sold at a high rate.

For example, a $50 iTunes card in the U.S. might be sold for the equivalent of $10,000 in value through certain networks. The buyer takes a cut—usually around $2,000—and the scammer keeps the rest. In Nigeria, where the currency is Naira, and where $1 USD is worth around ₦360, this is a massive profit. Scammers use iTunes cards not just for profit but to access services that help them carry out more scams.

They use iTunes cards to pay for premium access to U.S.-based dating websites, becoming VIP members to appear more credible to potential victims. They use apps like TextPlus, TextNow, and NexPlus to generate U.S. and Canadian mobile numbers for free. This gives the illusion they’re living in the U.S. or Canada. To hide their real location, they connect through strong VPNs that make them appear as if they’re logging in from anywhere they choose. This is why, when someone tries to trace them, the location comes up as false.

Let’s talk about bank accounts. If a scammer ever asks for your banking information and you give it to them, they immediately pass it along to a hacker. That hacker can simulate deposits of fake money into your account—$2,000 per minute for hours at a time. When you check your balance, it looks real. Then the scammer will ask you to withdraw a small amount and send it to their “friend” in Africa. That’s how they move stolen funds. Once converted, $20,000 USD becomes an enormous sum in Naira—more than even most African government officials would carry in cash. This is how some scammers become multi-millionaires.

The most disturbing part of my conversation was about what happens to the victims, whom scammers refer to as Mega—a slang term that means “fool.” If victims send personal photos, many scammers will print those images and take them to a herbalist—also known as a voodoo priest or shrine keeper. The scammers believe that by using voodoo rituals, they can invoke dark spirits to manipulate their victims.

The herbalist is said to “wake up” these spirits through sacrifices that often involve blood—like slaughtering an animal. The belief is that this awakens demonic forces that can control a victim’s thoughts and actions. Scammers will ask the herbalist to cast spells that make victims more obedient, more emotionally attached, and more willing to give money. In extreme cases, victims may be spiritually manipulated into doing things they would never normally do—even harming themselves—because they are believed to be under a powerful spell.

This young man expressed genuine pity for the women who fall in love with men they’ve never met or touched. He told me that almost 80% of the money these scammers get from victims ends up at the shrine or with the herbalist. He said, very seriously, that the best thing I could do with this knowledge is to educate others—especially women and men who use social media and dating apps—to stay alert, stay skeptical, and if possible, stay off these platforms entirely when it comes to seeking relationships.

I’m deeply grateful to this young man for his honesty and for trusting me enough to share this information. It’s disturbing, yes—but it’s also important. The more we understand about the systems and tactics behind these scams, the better we can protect ourselves and others.

I hope to learn more in the future, and when I do, I promise I’ll share it. We need to keep educating, keep spreading awareness, and keep standing up to these forms of manipulation. No one deserves to be fooled, drained, or emotionally destroyed by someone hiding behind a screen.

SCARS Institute Notes:

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