Beware of 419

So it is one month since Brian and I arrived safely in Lagos. I am happy to announce that finally I am starting my blog. I am also happy to announce that I haven't encountered any Nigerian scammers...well, until today. Just when I started to think, "does this scamming stuff really happen or are these just isolated internet-based incidents that prey on the less than intelligent," it almost happened to me.

We were told before arrival that changing money on the black market was the way to go. Basically, you find someone who knows a guy who can change your money for you at a much better rate than any of the banks around town. The guy looks like your Joe Schmoe off the street and carries around his wad of cash to change for US $100 bills on any given street corner in Lagos. Well, not feeling too comfortable changing $1,200 on a street corner, I went to the local bank to check how their rate compared. Pretty close! So I changed my money there, no incident.

I returned to the same bank today to collect more naira. The electronic marquis posted on the wall showed a USD exchange rate of 117.5...same as a couple weeks before and competitive with the black market rate of 118. I approached the counter, recognized the woman who had helped me before, and handed her 5 crisp $100 bills. She counted my money then left to speak with another bank teller. She returned and asked me if I was changing money for educational purposes. Educational purposes, I asked? Yes...the posted rate was only for use by schools. Huh? I must have looked a bit confused. Before I could assure her that I was a high school administrator changing my money for "educational purposes," she offered me 115. Yeah, right.

I turn to leave indicating that I was taking my business elsewhere. As I approached the rotating door, the guard on duty caught my attention and pointed back to the teller who had offered me the less than desirable exchange rate. She had a colleague (presumably one of her fellow tellers) who would like to buy my money at a rate of 116. You have got to be kidding me. It's not like I'm haggling for the lowest price on some beads at the local market. I am inside an established bank which sits directly across from Chevron's offices and which many of the Chevron employees use for their personal banking needs. I guess no place is really safe from the scam.

So 419 is the penal code for fraud in Nigeria. On the highway, we will see signs reading "Not for Sale. Beware 419." Apparently a common scam is for someone to sell (for cash of course) a plot of land or a building that they do not own. Could you imagine walking into the new home you just purchased and seeing another family seated at the dinner table?