Results of the writing competition about “Scammers”. My commentaries and impressions
Thank you everyone who joined the writing competition with 25 steem prize.
Overall the quality of the blogs was very high. There were some really interesting stories and I learned alot. These will save me from being scammed in the future. I could have awarded the first prize ten-times over.
The number one thing which struck me was the large number of entries from Nigeria. Is Nigeria the scam capital of the world? Several people writing from Nigeria told me that scamming is very common in Nigeria.
The scams came from all over the world. I learned about inheritance scams, romance scams, advance fee scams, job scams, switch scams, internet scams, lottery scams, car purchase scams and many more. I learned what “Yahoo Boys” are. I had never heard this term before. I learned about the “419ers”, another term I did not know.
Some of the stories were so touching, I will remeber them forever. Here is a small selection of those I will never forget.
@hartfloe wrote a gripping story - called “Dan the man with the master-plan”. She hired a web-designer to start an online alternative music business. He filled the young girl’s head with dreams, and she fell for his stories, borrowing money from her poor mother to lend to Dan. Then he dissappeard with her money. She got in big trouble with her mother and sister.
@eonwarped wrote about Sally and an IRS gift -card scam. Sally was a young immigrant to the USA, applying for US status. She got a call from the IRS to say that she had not filed her taxes correctly. The scammer persuaded her to pay her taxes by buying Target gift cards and telling him the secret scratch-off codes.
@levitated-mind thought he and some friends were applying for an airline job with a Nigerian airline. They were told they needed a medical report, so they went to Lagos hospital to get it. There a “Hospital employee” took the fee for the report. That was the last they ever saw of their money or the fake employee.
@herberholes sent us an Extremely funny text conversation with a scammer after he advertised that he was looking for work on Craigslist.
@svetozernaya met a man on the internet. He was working abroad. She fell in love with him. She sent him money by Western Union to pay the shipping charges on a fake package he was sending her containing an engagement ring.
These are just some examples of the great stories. There were many others that I should be mentioning here.
First prize of 25 steem goes to @svetozernaya met a man on the internet.
The runner up prizes have been paid as has the main prize winner. runners up are as below. There were many more stories which are equally excellent. I just don't have time to pay everyone who deserved it.
Runners up are below
Transfer 1.000 STEEM toluisveco88 Runner up prize in Scammers competition for https://steemit.com/scammers/@luisveco88/my-story-of-scammers-from-hunter-to-hunted
Transfer 1.000 STEEM tomaverickinvictus Runner up prize in Scammers competition for https://steemit.com/scammers/@maverickinvictus/online-paluwagan-mlm-and-the-lure-of-easy-money
Transfer 1.000 STEEM topaigegirl Runner up prize in scammers competition for https://steemit.com/scammers/@paigegirl/my-scam-story-welcome-to-lagos
Transfer 1.000 STEEM topetoz Runner up prize in scammers competition for https://steemit.com/scammers/@petoz/i-almost-turned-a-yahoo-boy-a3b10f9ba6141
Transfer 1.000 STEEM tosamueloption Runner up prize in Scammers competition for https://steemit.com/scammers/@samueloption/how-i-witnessed-a-scammer-beaten-to-comatose
Transfer 1.000 STEEM todee-y Runner up prize in scammers competition for https://steemit.com/scammers/@dee-y/dagger-of-betrayal
Transfer 1.000 STEEM toderonke Runner-up prize for https://steemit.com/scammers/@deronke/how-i-got-scammed-of-my-earings-contest-by-swissclive
Transfer 25.000 STEEM tosvetozarnaya First Prize in the competition "Scammers"
Update Tuesday 6th March.
There are still some more runner up prizes = 1 steem, and some joint second place prizes to give out = 2 steem. Please check back tonight.
Update Tuesday evening.
Today I added some winners as follows:
3 hours ago Transfer 2.000 STEEM to herbertholmes second prize in scammers competition for https://steemit.com/scammers/@herbertholmes/how-i-handle-craigslist-scammers-scammers-contest-entry#@swissclive/re-herbertholmes-how-i-handle-craigslist-scammers-scammers-contest-entry-20180304t075844761z
3 hours ago Transfer 2.000 STEEM to levitated-mind Joint 2nd prize in the competition “scammers” for https://steemit.com/scammers/@levitated-mind/how-i-got-scammed-in-my-quest-to-get-a-job
4 hours ago Transfer 2.000 STEEM to eonwarped Joint 2nd prize in competition « scammers » for https://steemit.com/scammers/@eonwarped/the-irs-gift-cards
4 hours ago Transfer 2.000 STEEM to hartfloe Joint 2nd prize for writing competition «scammers » for https://steemit.com/scammers/@hartfloe/everybody-meet-dan-the-man-with-the-master-plan
Congratulations to all the winners, and especially to you dear friend.
continues to reap successes and promote new activities at Steemit. we are in contact
Thank you for your kind heart. Not so many are givers like you. Givers can only give and receive more. The world is surely a better place with people like you in it and for scammers, they play a foul game on people to take from them. Scammers are takers and they have nothing to offer to make the world a better place. I want to be a giver and not a taker. So help me God, amen.
I was thinking of participating on this contest,but later I refrained from it after reading few 'SCAMMERS'..I'm so inexperienced when it comes to scam!
I had read that 'Yahoo boys' story ..It was one of the first response to your contest..Even I had dropped a comment on that post..I'm eagerly waiting for your next announcement about any contest..I hope if you will,it would also be as interesting as 'SCAMMING'.
What a pity you missed this competition! I would have loved it if you were here to share a great story with us. If you have a good story to tell, you should write it anyway. Don’t wait for a contest on your pet topic.
All the story will help and guide us against scammers in the future. Thanks for organising this contest. It really an avenue to learn different techniques of scamming.
Scammers are in others countries as they are in Nigeria. Only that we have different name for them like yahoo boys, 419, etc which make it more pronounced. Despite that, nigeria is a great place with great people
Congratulations to the winners in advance. Am just seeing this now, wish to participate in the next contest.
If you have a good story to tell, you should write it anyway. Don’t wait for a contest on your pet topic.
I really missed this opportunity but I'll go through all the blogs you've mentioned and also learn from their experience
If you have a good story to tell, you should write it anyway. Don’t wait for a contest on your pet topic.
Too bad i missed but i will read the old post to learn more. Waiting for this opportunity again
If you have a good story to tell, you should write it anyway. Don’t wait for a contest on your pet topic.
its quite sad these stories, but its also very informing, its a quite common fact that scamming in Nigeria is a big deal, but according to research Nigeria is still learning from the original scammers, however i hope this contest not just bring people to write and create stories about these scams but also learn in a lot of ways about what is happening out there and be aware to take best security measures to ensure they don't happen again. Thank you for this informative contest, i hope people who have been scammed get up from it and move on with their life. Congrats to the winners in advance
@swissclive thanks for a contest as this.
I am @fuhreresu from Nigeria.
Scam is really a bad thing eating up many societies of the world and it is becoming more of a norm than it is conceived a problem.
To many of those who indulge in it, it is more or less a game of survival as those who are in positions of authority have failed to do something about it as they are responsible for the mess themselves.
Corrupt practices are deeply entrenched in such societies where you find scam.
It is also important to know how scam came to be by first understanding that
The governments that control the resources and at the same time fails to carry out their duties have a major stake in the blame as they responsible for putting the people in the helpless situation of providing security and social amenities for themselves. Now very many citizens are forced to living their life without the government which is a total a deviation from what is suppose to be in a manner that is reminiscent of the state of nature as stated by Thomas Hobbes.
Those at the point of authority are in fact lawless to the point that they steal the common wealth of the nation for themselves alone leaving the masses to look up to an imaginary messiah that will save them. In fact this explain why even though Nigeria ranks high in corrupt practices, they are many religious organisations here and there.
It have been an easy task to get rid of these corrupt politicians by way of a free and fair elections but it isn't so as these governments do not emerge out of fair contest in an elections but by riggings that occur in elections and are in favour of the few elites who highjack the nation and put it in their pockets further making the government to serve their interest and not to be answerable to the people but to them alone.
Many of the individuals you find indulge in scam are educated persons that ought to have had something doing if the government had been responsible enough and not stolen the common wealth.
With a population of over 160 million Nigerians and thousands of graduates graduating each year from various educational institutions, the government seems to have no plan for the teaming population of graduates and this has made a lot of persons resort to various forms of illegality.
I am thankful to steemit for giving me an opportunity to making something out of something. I am very optimistic that very many Nigerians and people in the 3rd world enclave will make something from steem and taking a conscious leap towards development and leaving behind scam or depending governments that serves no purpose.
Once again thanks @swissclive for organising a contest as this. I think that creating more awareness as this will expose the various forms through which scam manifest and further guarding against it.
@fuhreresu
Some countries are making great efforts to clamp down on global corruption. Hopefully Nigeria will find its way to do that as well.
Wow!! Congrats to all those that won. Your entries were touching and I learnt alot too..
And you are so funny@swissclive where you said
Lol I dnt knw if to answer yes or no.. But I think it just happened that Nigerians submitted more entries.. Hehe.. I think thats just it.
And again, Does your contest continue indefinitely or its just a one time thing..
Because I have my own story to write oo
Sadly, this contest is over, but if you have a story to tell you should definitely write it, and then interact with as many people as possible.