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<\/a><\/p>\nIf You\u2019re Over 20 and Have Never Received an Email from Internet Fraudsters, You Must Have Been Living on Mars!<\/strong><\/h3>\nVictor Oladokun, presenter of the Turning Point TV show once remarked, that there is hardly anyone on the planet who uses the Internet that has not received an email scam letter from Nigerian Internet fraudsters.<\/p>\n
They break through virtually every conceivable barrier to invade people's email privacy regardless of efforts to keep them out.<\/p>\n
Thankfully, efforts to stop them \u2013 by educating potential targets\/victims and increasing security monitoring \u2013 are now yielding fruits. People are smarter in dealing with them.<\/p>\n
An Interesting Cyber Caf\u00e9 Encounter With a \u201cSuspected\u201d Online Scam Artist<\/strong><\/h3>\nMonday 2nd January 2006, at about 9.00a.m. I\u2019m in a cyber cafe somewhere in Shomolu area of Lagos state in Nigeria, uploading updated web pages to my website<\/a>. I\u2019ve been at it for over thirty minutes, but despite it being a new year, it appears the poor internet connection speeds from 2005, have been carried over.<\/p>\nAnother thirty minutes later, I give up, and decide to call the attention of the friendly cafe engineer to my need for speedier access, if possible. He expresses surprise, saying other customers are not complaining.<\/p>\n
I point out that they are mostly either checking their emails or chatting online \u2013 those being activities requiring little bandwidth compared to mine, which involve uploads of over 80 files - some of which are up to2 MB in size.<\/p>\n
He takes me to another PC, logs in using his administrator password and does some checks. Nodding in satisfaction, he tells me this system has more RAM than the other \u2013 apparently suggesting the other PC\u2019s lower RAM was the problem. I say \u201cOh, great :-)\u201d.<\/p>\n
Quick Tip: <\/em><\/strong>When you\u2019re paying for a service and not getting what you want, don\u2019t keep quiet. Ask for help. No reasonable provider will call you a trouble maker for demanding good value for your money. And like it happened above, they might have a solution!<\/em><\/h3>\nSo he asks me to login using my purchased ticket ID and password<\/strong>. I try to do that, but all I get is a message \"This ticket is already in use!<\/em>\" Not believing my eyes, I try again, this time checking to be sure no typo errors are made. The same message appears!!<\/p>\nSuddenly, the operator - who is still with me- taps me on the arm, puts his finger to his lips and motions for me to follow him. We get back to his desk and using the caf\u00e9 management software on his PC, and my unique ticket batch number, he identifies the PC on which it\u2019s being used! Then he walks over to the guy (mid-twenties), crouched over a terminal in a corner of the room.<\/p>\n
To cut the long story short, we establish that the young man used some creative process to capture my ticket ID and password while I was working on my terminal. He quietly accepts to logout, and leaves the caf\u00e9. As the operator proceeded to reboot the PC, I noticed multiple chat windows open, with different profile photos \u2013 and names like \u201cJanice\u201d(a guy bearing a gal\u2019s name \u2013 complete with photo too)!<\/p>\n
A closer look confirmed my suspicion about what he was doing. He\u2019d apparently tapped into my ticket time to continue his conversations with about 4 different people \u2013 ALL abroad. If I had left the caf\u00e9 instead of asking for help from the operator, I would have returned to find my browsing time used up!<\/p>\n
Why (and What) I Believe We Can Learn from Internet Fraudsters<\/strong><\/h3>\nOkay. Let\u2019s get a few things clear. This is not an expos\u00e9 on inside operations of an Internet Fraudsters\u2019 network.<\/strong><\/p>\nSo don\u2019t expect me to read details of how they operate here \ud83d\ude42 Having said that, at the end of this article, I do offer a VERY simple, yet powerfully effective tip for immunizing yourself against internet scams - of ANY kind. So you might learn something \u2013 still!<\/em><\/p>\nFrom years of casually observing this group of people, and also being on the receiving end of their \u201cmarketing\u201d campaigns, I\u2019ve noticed a consistent pattern. And in my estimation, it reflects the fact that they have developed a system that works for them.<\/p>\n
In business marketing, a system that works, is one that generates the leads and sales you need. It is in that sense that I feel we can learn at least Five (5) lessons<\/strong> from these guys.<\/p>\n1. Identify Your Target Audience\u2019s Hot Buttons<\/strong><\/h3>\nWhen exchanging emails or chatting with their \"targets\", these guys use subtle questioning, to learn what to say to get their target more interested. This is a very powerful concept \u2013 and it helps them decide whether or not a \u201ctarget\u201d is worth pursuing or not i.e. via the answers s\/he gives.<\/p>\n
The visitor reading your article or web copy will often be a stranger. And when he sends you an email (or calls you), you will know little or nothing about him.<\/p>\n
But you want to develop effective question asking techniques to uncover his\/her hot buttons. And that\u2019s what you weave your offer around, to close the sale. Once you do that, most times the prospect ends up becoming a buyer.<\/p>\n
So, we must learn to use questions to unearth the deeper motivation of our prospects. Jason Leister<\/a> teaches this art of asking questions quite well. He has an ebook that has received rave reviews from thought leaders in marketing. He used to sell it, but now offers it FREE \u2013 as I explained in this past issue of my speaking IDEAS newsletter<\/a>.<\/p>\n2. Develop Methods That Save Time & Effort<\/strong><\/h3>\nMost times these fraudsters know little or nothing about the person(s) they exchange emails - or chat - with. But they are determined, persistent, very quick thinking and intelligent.<\/p>\n
Those are very useful qualities to have \u2013 but for us \u201cgood guys\u201d those qualities must be put to positive and productive (not negative and destructive) use. <\/em><\/p>\nThese bad guys use aliases of all kinds. We won\u2019t do that \u2013 because we\u2019re good guys, and duplicity would do us more harm than good. They prepare photos and profiles to meet the expectations of their target audience e.g. the guy who used a pretty girl\u2019s name and photo.<\/p>\n
We can learn from that - our online presence deserves similar treatment e.g our websites, social media profiles etc. <\/em><\/p>\nThey often use blocks of text copied from (e.g. dating) websites to express emotions that win the confidence of a target. I imagine poor English writing competence makes them do this to avoid giving themselves away. And they do it well enough to get believed!<\/p>\n
We can have boiler plate templates for responding to enquiries from potential buyers. I use them \u2013 in my auto responders and in direct emails as well.<\/p>\n
It saves time, and helps us come across as consistent and professional. That can inspire a prospect to buy from us. If you don\u2019t already use them, I suggest you start doing so.<\/p>\n
3. Don\u2019t Fool Around\u2026Ask for the Money!<\/strong><\/h3>\nEventually, at some point in their \u201cdiscussions\u201d scam artists begin asking for the money<\/strong>. And they are rarely shy about it. Plus they ask as often as they consider necessary \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\nBut they often do so by telling lies (e.g. a relative is dying and they need money to take her to the hospital). They succeed in spite of their lies, because they successfully identify the \u201ctarget\u2019s hot button. And so they push it, till they get what they want.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s where we (as good guys) - again - differ.<\/strong><\/p>\nWe\u2019ll be asking for the money <\/strong>based on the value we\u2019ve shown the \u201cprospect\u201d we can deliver i.e. we\u2019ll do the same thing, but with good intentions \u2013 to close our sales.<\/p>\nThe problem is that many of us discuss with people our marketing has brought to us, but perpetually avoid (or neglect)<\/strong> trying to close the sale! Funny isn\u2019t it, how what we want scares us so much we\u2019re unable to take it, when we see it?<\/p>\nIf you have that problem, get over it as fast as possible. I used to. But not anymore.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\nA True Story: <\/strong>Just yesterday I was in a meeting with a self-employed professional here in Benin Republic, to discuss my new MS Excel-VB driven audio, video and photo language guide<\/a>.<\/p>\nSuddenly (after seeing my Excel application\u2019s graphic user interface, and my website where I displayed promotional videos and screenshots of it), he said \u201cMr. Tayo, I think my website is long over due, and from what I\u2019ve seen here, you can help me build it. How do we get started?<\/em>\u201d.<\/p>\nNote that I\u2019d gone there to discuss a partnership proposal to market my guide to students in his institution. But in the process a selling opportunity came up.<\/p>\n
Within 15 minutes of discussion, I provided him answers to his questions and also got answers to mine -\u00a0 including agreeing a fee I was comfortable with, and a start date.<\/p>\n
What\u2019s the worst thing that can happen if you ask for the money? <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\nThe prospect can only say NO. But then at least you would not have to punish yourself wondering what could have been!<\/p>\n
So, I\u2019m going to say it again<\/strong><\/p>\nLearn to ask for the money, preferably as early as possible \u2013 so you don\u2019t end up wasting time with someone who\u2019s looking for a free ride in a fancy car (thanks to Will Smith and the Fresh Prince of Bel Air).<\/em><\/p>\n4. Team Up Where Possible <\/strong>- and When Necessary<\/h3>\nIt\u2019s always amazing to see how these scam artists can readily come up with other resource persons as and when needed. <\/p>\n
I once read a detailed series of emails exchanged with scam artists. At various stages, they readily supplied names, addresses, and phone numbers (including scanned copies of certificates) of a lawyer and medical doctor when asked.<\/p>\n
To put it simply, they had done their thinking and were prepared for any eventualities. So each time the \u201ctarget\u201d asked, they simply made it happen. <\/strong><\/p>\nWhat they did not know was that the individual they were dealing with was simply playing with them right from the beginning: He was smart enough to sniff them out. Many others have fallen for it!<\/p>\n
How about you? Do you have everything you need to respond to a prospect ready? If no, why not do that? And if you don\u2019t have it all, why not team up with others who do?<\/em><\/p>\nFor us, joint ventures and other partnerships can yield useful financial rewards and returns via increased sales, if we carefully evaluate those we adopt.<\/p>\n
5. Play the Numbers Game<\/strong><\/h3>\nLastly, scam artists are so proficient in using the internet to propagate their messages. <\/p>\n
These guys successfully clone entire websites of financial institutions to defraud unsuspecting users. <\/p>\n
They are often highly skilled in web design and development, and this enables them put their works on autopilot. This is what makes them appear so relentless<\/em>.<\/p>\nAs online entrepreneurs, to make our marketing more successful, we can harness technology and internet in the same way.<\/p>\n
For instance, newsletter management systems (like Aweber, Mailchimp, Constant Contact etc) will enable you reliably build a mailing list of potential buyers. Add to that the use of RSS technology to propagate your marketing content from your website and emails across to various social media platforms at the click of a button.<\/p>\n
This way you increase your marketing reach and get yourself noticed by more people than you could do by yourself. And like the old marketing rule says, for every 100 people you \u201cspeak\u201d to, expect probably just 1 to 3 to respond. <\/p>\n
Monday 2nd January 2006, at about 9.00a.m. I\u2019m in a cyber cafe somewhere in Shomolu area of Lagos state in Nigeria, uploading updated web pages to my website<\/a>. I\u2019ve been at it for over thirty minutes, but despite it being a new year, it appears the poor internet connection speeds from 2005, have been carried over.<\/p>\n Another thirty minutes later, I give up, and decide to call the attention of the friendly cafe engineer to my need for speedier access, if possible. He expresses surprise, saying other customers are not complaining.<\/p>\n I point out that they are mostly either checking their emails or chatting online \u2013 those being activities requiring little bandwidth compared to mine, which involve uploads of over 80 files - some of which are up to2 MB in size.<\/p>\n He takes me to another PC, logs in using his administrator password and does some checks. Nodding in satisfaction, he tells me this system has more RAM than the other \u2013 apparently suggesting the other PC\u2019s lower RAM was the problem. I say \u201cOh, great :-)\u201d.<\/p>\n So he asks me to login using my purchased ticket ID and password<\/strong>. I try to do that, but all I get is a message \"This ticket is already in use!<\/em>\" Not believing my eyes, I try again, this time checking to be sure no typo errors are made. The same message appears!!<\/p>\n Suddenly, the operator - who is still with me- taps me on the arm, puts his finger to his lips and motions for me to follow him. We get back to his desk and using the caf\u00e9 management software on his PC, and my unique ticket batch number, he identifies the PC on which it\u2019s being used! Then he walks over to the guy (mid-twenties), crouched over a terminal in a corner of the room.<\/p>\n To cut the long story short, we establish that the young man used some creative process to capture my ticket ID and password while I was working on my terminal. He quietly accepts to logout, and leaves the caf\u00e9. As the operator proceeded to reboot the PC, I noticed multiple chat windows open, with different profile photos \u2013 and names like \u201cJanice\u201d(a guy bearing a gal\u2019s name \u2013 complete with photo too)!<\/p>\n A closer look confirmed my suspicion about what he was doing. He\u2019d apparently tapped into my ticket time to continue his conversations with about 4 different people \u2013 ALL abroad. If I had left the caf\u00e9 instead of asking for help from the operator, I would have returned to find my browsing time used up!<\/p>\n Okay. Let\u2019s get a few things clear. This is not an expos\u00e9 on inside operations of an Internet Fraudsters\u2019 network.<\/strong><\/p>\n So don\u2019t expect me to read details of how they operate here \ud83d\ude42 Having said that, at the end of this article, I do offer a VERY simple, yet powerfully effective tip for immunizing yourself against internet scams - of ANY kind. So you might learn something \u2013 still!<\/em><\/p>\n From years of casually observing this group of people, and also being on the receiving end of their \u201cmarketing\u201d campaigns, I\u2019ve noticed a consistent pattern. And in my estimation, it reflects the fact that they have developed a system that works for them.<\/p>\n In business marketing, a system that works, is one that generates the leads and sales you need. It is in that sense that I feel we can learn at least Five (5) lessons<\/strong> from these guys.<\/p>\n When exchanging emails or chatting with their \"targets\", these guys use subtle questioning, to learn what to say to get their target more interested. This is a very powerful concept \u2013 and it helps them decide whether or not a \u201ctarget\u201d is worth pursuing or not i.e. via the answers s\/he gives.<\/p>\n The visitor reading your article or web copy will often be a stranger. And when he sends you an email (or calls you), you will know little or nothing about him.<\/p>\n But you want to develop effective question asking techniques to uncover his\/her hot buttons. And that\u2019s what you weave your offer around, to close the sale. Once you do that, most times the prospect ends up becoming a buyer.<\/p>\n So, we must learn to use questions to unearth the deeper motivation of our prospects. Jason Leister<\/a> teaches this art of asking questions quite well. He has an ebook that has received rave reviews from thought leaders in marketing. He used to sell it, but now offers it FREE \u2013 as I explained in this past issue of my speaking IDEAS newsletter<\/a>.<\/p>\n Most times these fraudsters know little or nothing about the person(s) they exchange emails - or chat - with. But they are determined, persistent, very quick thinking and intelligent.<\/p>\n Those are very useful qualities to have \u2013 but for us \u201cgood guys\u201d those qualities must be put to positive and productive (not negative and destructive) use. <\/em><\/p>\n These bad guys use aliases of all kinds. We won\u2019t do that \u2013 because we\u2019re good guys, and duplicity would do us more harm than good. They prepare photos and profiles to meet the expectations of their target audience e.g. the guy who used a pretty girl\u2019s name and photo.<\/p>\n We can learn from that - our online presence deserves similar treatment e.g our websites, social media profiles etc. <\/em><\/p>\n They often use blocks of text copied from (e.g. dating) websites to express emotions that win the confidence of a target. I imagine poor English writing competence makes them do this to avoid giving themselves away. And they do it well enough to get believed!<\/p>\n We can have boiler plate templates for responding to enquiries from potential buyers. I use them \u2013 in my auto responders and in direct emails as well.<\/p>\n It saves time, and helps us come across as consistent and professional. That can inspire a prospect to buy from us. If you don\u2019t already use them, I suggest you start doing so.<\/p>\n Eventually, at some point in their \u201cdiscussions\u201d scam artists begin asking for the money<\/strong>. And they are rarely shy about it. Plus they ask as often as they consider necessary \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n But they often do so by telling lies (e.g. a relative is dying and they need money to take her to the hospital). They succeed in spite of their lies, because they successfully identify the \u201ctarget\u2019s hot button. And so they push it, till they get what they want.<\/p>\n That\u2019s where we (as good guys) - again - differ.<\/strong><\/p>\n We\u2019ll be asking for the money <\/strong>based on the value we\u2019ve shown the \u201cprospect\u201d we can deliver i.e. we\u2019ll do the same thing, but with good intentions \u2013 to close our sales.<\/p>\n The problem is that many of us discuss with people our marketing has brought to us, but perpetually avoid (or neglect)<\/strong> trying to close the sale! Funny isn\u2019t it, how what we want scares us so much we\u2019re unable to take it, when we see it?<\/p>\n If you have that problem, get over it as fast as possible. I used to. But not anymore.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n A True Story: <\/strong>Just yesterday I was in a meeting with a self-employed professional here in Benin Republic, to discuss my new MS Excel-VB driven audio, video and photo language guide<\/a>.<\/p>\n Suddenly (after seeing my Excel application\u2019s graphic user interface, and my website where I displayed promotional videos and screenshots of it), he said \u201cMr. Tayo, I think my website is long over due, and from what I\u2019ve seen here, you can help me build it. How do we get started?<\/em>\u201d.<\/p>\n Note that I\u2019d gone there to discuss a partnership proposal to market my guide to students in his institution. But in the process a selling opportunity came up.<\/p>\n Within 15 minutes of discussion, I provided him answers to his questions and also got answers to mine -\u00a0 including agreeing a fee I was comfortable with, and a start date.<\/p>\n What\u2019s the worst thing that can happen if you ask for the money? <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n The prospect can only say NO. But then at least you would not have to punish yourself wondering what could have been!<\/p>\n So, I\u2019m going to say it again<\/strong><\/p>\n Learn to ask for the money, preferably as early as possible \u2013 so you don\u2019t end up wasting time with someone who\u2019s looking for a free ride in a fancy car (thanks to Will Smith and the Fresh Prince of Bel Air).<\/em><\/p>\n It\u2019s always amazing to see how these scam artists can readily come up with other resource persons as and when needed. <\/p>\n I once read a detailed series of emails exchanged with scam artists. At various stages, they readily supplied names, addresses, and phone numbers (including scanned copies of certificates) of a lawyer and medical doctor when asked.<\/p>\n To put it simply, they had done their thinking and were prepared for any eventualities. So each time the \u201ctarget\u201d asked, they simply made it happen. <\/strong><\/p>\n What they did not know was that the individual they were dealing with was simply playing with them right from the beginning: He was smart enough to sniff them out. Many others have fallen for it!<\/p>\n How about you? Do you have everything you need to respond to a prospect ready? If no, why not do that? And if you don\u2019t have it all, why not team up with others who do?<\/em><\/p>\n For us, joint ventures and other partnerships can yield useful financial rewards and returns via increased sales, if we carefully evaluate those we adopt.<\/p>\n Lastly, scam artists are so proficient in using the internet to propagate their messages. <\/p>\n These guys successfully clone entire websites of financial institutions to defraud unsuspecting users. <\/p>\n They are often highly skilled in web design and development, and this enables them put their works on autopilot. This is what makes them appear so relentless<\/em>.<\/p>\n As online entrepreneurs, to make our marketing more successful, we can harness technology and internet in the same way.<\/p>\n For instance, newsletter management systems (like Aweber, Mailchimp, Constant Contact etc) will enable you reliably build a mailing list of potential buyers. Add to that the use of RSS technology to propagate your marketing content from your website and emails across to various social media platforms at the click of a button.<\/p>\n This way you increase your marketing reach and get yourself noticed by more people than you could do by yourself. And like the old marketing rule says, for every 100 people you \u201cspeak\u201d to, expect probably just 1 to 3 to respond. <\/p>\nQuick Tip: <\/em><\/strong>When you\u2019re paying for a service and not getting what you want, don\u2019t keep quiet. Ask for help. No reasonable provider will call you a trouble maker for demanding good value for your money. And like it happened above, they might have a solution!<\/em><\/h3>\n
Why (and What) I Believe We Can Learn from Internet Fraudsters<\/strong><\/h3>\n
1. Identify Your Target Audience\u2019s Hot Buttons<\/strong><\/h3>\n
2. Develop Methods That Save Time & Effort<\/strong><\/h3>\n
3. Don\u2019t Fool Around\u2026Ask for the Money!<\/strong><\/h3>\n
4. Team Up Where Possible <\/strong>- and When Necessary<\/h3>\n
5. Play the Numbers Game<\/strong><\/h3>\n