Confessions of a romance scammer: Inside the 39-page guidebook to conning desperate women out of thousands of dollars
A self-confessed reformed scammer has given a new insight into a shady industry that preys on vulnerable women. Chris*, originally from Nigeria, was a professional romance scammer for five years. When he first became involved in scamming, he described the con as “thrilling”. Watch the latest news and stream for free on 7plus >> “It was kind of fun ... you know, it was a lot of money to be getting” he told 7NEWS.com.au. “I was in my second year of school and I needed a way to look after myself, so I had to improvise.” He says it is not uncommon for young Nigerian men to be “trapped” in the scheme. “We have quite a bad government here, so I think that’s one of the reasons people scam,” he said. An inside look A “manual” is distributed to scammer s and used as a playbook to con victims, predominantly women . The 39-page document, dubbed the “scammer bible”, seen by 7NEWS.com.au, details pick-up lines, tactics to keep conversations flowing and, finally, how to ask for money. “It’s...