THE Book The Tricks of Financial Terrorists (Charleston, U.S.; 2011) is an expose of the advance fee fraud in Nigeria. It reveals local frauds and international scams from Nigeria. By exposing these tricks, the author Raymond Akinfolarin hopes to bring the perpetrators to book, thereby sanitising the local business terrain.

Emphasising that Nigeria isn’t the only country where scams are perpetuated, Akinfolarin hopes Nigeria’s name will gradually disappear from the global list of fraudsters. In the last 20 years, many Nigerians have fallen victim to the scourge of fraudsters. This book provides a compendium of the intrigues employed by criminals to deprive victims of their finances or valuables.

According to Akinfolarin, the scope of intrigues is quite elaborate, extending from card games, fake currency to palm reading, fortune telling and the sale of bogus products. Other areas of advance fee fraud include orders for sale or rent of real estate, use of other people’s property as loan security, employment, school and visa scams. The thrift fraud also known as wonder banks also constitute avenues of fraud. Sale of other people’s shares, internet fraud and other forms of obtaining preferment under false pretences are other ways of defrauding the public rampant in the Nigerian Federation.

Thus, this book serves the dual purpose of providing knowledge and insight into the fraud image of Nigerians thereby alerting the people of the wiles of fraudsters. However, this book also offers signals to fraudsters that their nefarious activities have been uncovered.

But why do Nigerians obtain things under false pretences? In today’s rat race, it is greed, the greed to build mountains of wealth. Our culture of celebrating wealth does not help matters, either, because it causes many to believe that the end justifies the means. Well-known 419 kingpins are being honoured by chiefs and universities. They even enjoy opulence openly at the expense of their victims.

It is a pity that the powers that be relegate genuine success to the background while celebrating thieves and vagabonds who make it to the top by fraudulent means. That is the cause of 419 and why it is increasing in leaps and bounds.

Unfortunately, we cannot rebrand Nigeria successfully without taming this monstrous 419 image we have so unconscionably acquired. Indeed, it is the collective attitudes of Nigerians not slogans that can correct the country’s image problem. 419 image isn’t only disturbing, it is eroding the economy, scaring away investors and rendering economic policies ineffective. Which is why poverty has driven some into the fold of Boko Haram insurgents.