by Barbara Brabec

In a series of e-mails with Janet LaCroix, President of Kids Coins Productions, Inc., I learned more about how Christians are being targeted by scammers, and how emotionally upsetting this can be.

"I am wondering if you can shed some light on a recent scam that aggressively targeted me from Nigeria?" Janet wrote. " I have been all over the Internet about scams, and I have not found any other situation that is even close to what has happened to me. This Nigerian scammer posed as a pastor and sent several long e-mail pages quoting scripture and ministering from the Word of God. Now, I am a Christian believer, and I am well versed in the Bible, and I do not know many Christians who can do this.

"Initially, I feel that this man might actually be a pastor–and a desperate one–because he spent several days writing e-mails that I couldn't even get through reading because they were so long. He never asked me for money or anything, but I believe he was getting ready to follow through with his scam when I began to back away from him.

"He wanted to call me on the phone. I was uncomfortable with that and told him I would look into calling him. At this point, I was completely taken in and vulnerable. I am in business for myself and I believed he was after my business, thinking I had great resources. I repeatedly told him, however, that my business had inventory only. He continued to send one long and involved e-mail after another, saying I needed to come to Nigeria with my business.

"All the while, I was just blowing it off because I thought he was just a simple pastor who didn't know any better and, since my business is an educational life skills program for children, I thought I was being called by God to do business in Nigeria for the sake of the children. He was familiar with my website and knew all about my business. Although I have a toll free number on my website, and list my city and state, I do not list my physical address.

"Though I was taken in, I wasn't about to give him any money. I did offer to send him one of my programs (worth $60 retail), for his so-called children, but he kept telling me he couldn't get a P.O. box at the post office and no one in Nigeria received mail to their homes. He told me he didn't have this and that, or a computer, a car, an income, etc., but never once did he ask me for anything. Instead, he was apparently grooming me for what he called ‘a big surprise.’ In the end, I was shocked that he would spend all this time for nothing. I guess he thought I was a big catch, but, in the end, he wasn't as sophisticated as he thought he was.

"When he finally realized I wasn’t going to give in anymore, he got angry. He was pushing me with constant long e-mails–and that’s what he did wrong. He waited too long to come in for the kill. It would have been interesting to see him actually try to get me to do what he wanted, but I am glad it ended the way it did because it would have devastated me even more had this correspondence continued."

However, just when Janet thought this whole thing had ended, she received a very disturbing e-mail, one that accused HER of being a scammer who wasn’t going to get away with scamming HIM. "He said because he was so special of a person to God that a curse was now on me for scamming him and he added, ‘NO ONE DOES THAT TO ME AND GETS AWAY WITH IT!’ He told me to mend my ways and that the curse would continue. That was the gist of it, but the terrible the way he said it was extremely frightening."

Later, Janet happened to meet a real Nigerian pastor from Orlando, Florida, who told her that this man’s name – Chris Emeka Ekueme--is a fake, and that one would not find that name anywhere in Nigeria. He also told Janet that nine out of ten so-called Christian ministries in Nigeria are fakes.

Because of the e-mail threat Janet had received, I suggested she notify the police and also the nearest office of the FB I, and then tell the scammer she had done this. (You can get the address of your local FBI office here.)

After receiving the e-mail with the curse, Janet didn’t hear from this man for awhile. But then he sent a second threatening e-mail, and that’s when she contacted the FBI and also sent an e-mail to the scammer telling him she had done this (see content of this message below). After speaking with an FBI agent, Janet learned that these scammers are after money and that they use scare tactics to get it. Usually the people who are targeted are those who have been sent money orders and then want their money back. Janet is still confused, however, because this scammer never asked her for money. After being cursed by this man, however, she was relieved to hear the FBI confirm that they had not heard of anyone in the U.S. who had actually been targeted physically in one of these e-mail scams. She was, however, advised to watch the activity around her home and contact the police if she saw anything unusual. (Fortunately, Janet currently lives across the street from a local police officer who also has her back.)

Once again, just when Janet thought this whole thing was finally over, she received a phone call from the scammer. "Our number is unlisted, and our toll-free number is not available outside the U.S., so what this tells us is that this character paid a public records database to obtain our information," Janet wrote. "And we still don’t know what he’s trying to get from us or why he is persisting in this contact. His phone message was largely inaudible, but we were able to pick up a few words here and there. He started out by saying 'this is real' and 'I don't have time for this and I want to see you on the web cam.' We could tell he was trying to convince us of something or other, but we weren't sure what."

Janet and her husband are currently in the process of moving to a small rural town that is inconspicuous, and they’re going to do everything possible now to keep their names and business out of public databases. "I am unresolved as to what to do with my Web customers," Janet adds, "but I may simply get a post office box in another town."

When I asked Janet if they were moving because of this scam, she replied with a few more thoughts on this situation. "We were moving anyway, but I am glad we are. As a Christian, I thought I was protected by knowing where the wolves are in sheep's clothing. I was once taken in by a cult in the 70s where my life was in danger. That was before I was born again.

"This latest experience has taught me that there are far more cunning and dangerous wolves out there in other countries than I could ever have imagined. As American Christians, we tend to not know anything about the poverty and despair in other countries that is the breeding ground for this kind of scam. These men are very educated. They would rather steal than work because there are not enough jobs in their country for them and they have no means of getting out of their country. Also, many are in gangs.

"I had NO IDEA I had to protect my identity to this point. I have always been a trusting person, regardless of my past. After the violence of the riots in Detroit where my father's business was targeted repeatedly by thieves, he moved us to a very small town of 2,000 in northern Michigan. After spending 25 years there, I became very naive. I was tougher when I was young, but now I feel I have to get tough, once again, and come out of my self-made comfort zone. I will be hiding away out of protection, but we are removing ourselves from the crime of the Orlando area which is rising. These kinds of things are only increasing. I hope my story helps someone."

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© 2007 by Barbara Brabec. Barbara is the author of several home-business books. Her personal domain includes information on her books and a wide variety of articles on business,  writing, publishing, computers, crafts, and personal interests. (Use the search box on this site to turn up several articles on other Nigerian scams against consumers and business owners on the Web.)