Sony changes advert after complaints from Nigerian government

[snopes]

The Nigerian federal government has criticised Sony for a PlayStation 3 advert in which it implied that Nigerians are fraudsters.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technolog...overnment.html

[Rebochan]

If the Nigerian government actually *cared* to do something about it, I'd feel a drop of sympathy for them.

[snopes]

A blockbuster sci-fi movie which caricatures Nigerians as gangsters and cannibals and a Sony PlayStation advert which implies they are fraudsters have infuriated a government battling to improve the country's image.

http://www.reuters.com/article/oddly...58N3PB20090924

[Ms. K]

Huh, so Nigeria's officials are pissed off that Nigerians are portrayed as scam artists.....

And?

How many scam letters have originated out of Nigeria now? Yeah. Has the Nigerian government done anything about it? No. So, do I give a NFBSK what the Nigerian government thinks about this commercial?

Uhh, no. Nope. No caring here. My give a damn's busted.

[snapdragonfly]

Originally Posted by Rebochan

If the Nigerian government actually *cared* to do something about it, I'd feel a drop of sympathy for them.

Didn't they not only not care to do anything about it, but threaten to prosecute Americans who fell for the scams too, at one time?


I'm all broke up about this grave injustice to Nigeria, myself.

I wonder how much business Sony does in Nigeria. It would have been funny if they'd told the Nigerian government they'd be glad to apologize and all they have to do to recieve their apology is just cash this big huge apology cashier's check which they get to keep half of and they can send the rest back to Sony.

[Silas Sparkhammer]

Is there anything the Nigerian government could do to stop the flood of "Spanish Treasure" scams sent out in the name of "Nigerian Officials?"

Recently, I got the "secret shopper" scam in the mail, where I was supposed to cash a large check, then send much of the money back, and then become a shopper at Wal-Mart. Is there anything Wal-Mart (the real company) could do to combat that scam?

Seems to me that these guys are sidestream victims, and no so much to be blamed. Successful scammers (may they die of loathesome diseases!) rely on their good (or bad) reputation.

Silas

[snopes]

Originally Posted by Silas Sparkhammer

Is there anything the Nigerian government could do to stop the flood of "Spanish Treasure" scams sent out in the name of "Nigerian Officials?"

Yes -- arresting, prosecuting, and convicting scammers, freezing their bank accounts, and seizing their assets.

[Ms. K]

Originally Posted by snopes

Yes -- arresting, prosecuting, and convicting scammers, freezing their bank accounts, and seizing their assets.

*envisioning the arrest, prosecution, and conviction of scammers, along with freezing bank accounts and seizing their assets*

*has a ridiculously gleeful smile on face*

*realizes this is a pipe dream....smile dies a painful death*

Dammit, snopes, why did you get my hopes up? Why?

Seriously, they *could* do all this. Nigerian officials choose not to do so.

[lord_feldon]

Originally Posted by Silas Sparkhammer

Recently, I got the "secret shopper" scam in the mail, where I was supposed to cash a large check, then send much of the money back, and then become a shopper at Wal-Mart. Is there anything Wal-Mart (the real company) could do to combat that scam?

Wal-Mart is not a country with police forces and a judiciary (yet). Nigeria is.

[snopes]

Originally Posted by lord_feldon

Wal-Mart is not a country with police forces and a judiciary (yet). Nigeria is.

The typical WalMart greeter probably has greater law enforcement powers than the average Nigerian prosecutor, however.

[Eddylizard]

Seriously Nigera has been Fraudland for as long as I can remember. 25 odd years ago (before most people had internet access) we got an entirely handwritten cheque for something like $2.7 million in the post from a Nigerian gentleman. He respectfully requested that we open an account in his name and deposit it, and he would fly over in a couple of weeks to withdraw the funds. Unfortunately for him it failed the first security check (which was howls of laughter) and we never actually saw him.

We also had a branch near Lagos where the manager and staff were falsifying the travellers cheque records and splitting the proceeds. Apart from all finding themselves queuing up at whatever the Nigerian equivalent is of the job centre, I don't know if they faced any legal ramifications.

If the Nigerian Government was actually making some sort of serious attempt to clean up the country - by which I don't mean passing article 419 of the penal code then simply not enforcing it, then they might have a point.

Having said that, is it just me or does the reworked line

You can't believe everything you read on the internet, that's how WWI got started

make no sense whatsoever?

[effo5231]

Originally Posted by Eddylizard

Having said that, is it just me or does the reworked line make no sense whatsoever?

Meh... I laughed the first time I heard it.

[Il-Mari]

I liked The Onion's 'man on the street'-style commentary on this:

"Because the Nigerian government's vast oil wealth is always generously and transparently passed down to its grateful citizens, you can see why the information minister would chafe at a film that portrays Nigerians as corrupt thugs."

http://www.theonion.com/content/amvo...s_try_to_block

- Il-Mari

[Jay Temple]

Originally Posted by Ms. K

Huh, so Nigeria's officials are pissed off that Nigerians are portrayed as scam artists.....

And?

How many scam letters have originated out of Nigeria now? Yeah. Has the Nigerian government done anything about it? No. So, do I give a NFBSK what the Nigerian government thinks about this commercial?

Uhh, no. Nope. No caring here. My give a damn's busted.

Wait, you mean they really do originate in Nigeria? I just assumed that the Nigerian part was as made-up as the rest of the scam.

[Tarquin Farquart]

Originally Posted by Jay Temple

Wait, you mean they really do originate in Nigeria? I just assumed that the Nigerian part was as made-up as the rest of the scam.

A lot of them are from Nigeria, though not all.

[Silas Sparkhammer]

Originally Posted by Jay Temple

Wait, you mean they really do originate in Nigeria? I just assumed that the Nigerian part was as made-up as the rest of the scam.

Me too! It seemed so very much more likely that the perp was in Eastern Europe, home to so many virus attacks, and not in Nigeria proper. Also, I've received comparable scams purporting to be from lots of other locations: Asian countries, former Soviet Republics, Caribbean Island nations, etc.

If they actually are operating out of Nigeria, then, yes, that country ought to do what it can to prosecute. But my question remains: what can they do? The most technologically advanced, powerful, and rich nations can't do a lot against these attacks; what can Nigeria be expected to do?

Silas