Scammers in My DMs: Why Young Nigerians Keep Asking Me to Teach Them Fraud
Over the past month, young men have been messaging me on WhatsApp asking to be taught how to scam, and Google Search Console shows the same hunger for "fake alert" shortcuts. Sir Brown AD explains what he refused, why fraud is not a skill, and how sellers can protect themselves.
Over the past month, my WhatsApp inbox has changed. Alongside the usual questions about websites and apps, I have been receiving repeated messages from young men asking me to teach them how to scam. Some offered to pay for training. Others asked whether I had an application they could use.
One person even said he wanted to deceive his own brother through the brother's business products.
That message disturbed me, not only because of the intended fraud, but because it showed how easily trust, family, technology, and business can be turned into tools for deception.
Fraud is increasingly being treated by some young people as a business opportunity, not as a crime that destroys trust, families, and livelihoods.
The Messages I Received
The requests were different, but the intention was similar. Some people wanted to know:
How to begin online fraud
Which applications could help them
Whether I could teach them privately
How much they would need to pay for training
How to use technology to deceive other people
How to make money quickly through fraudulent activities
I did not teach them how to scam. I did not provide an application, method, account, or contact that could help anyone defraud another person. I also did not accept payment to help someone commit a crime.
Technology should be used to build useful products, protect people, improve businesses, and solve problems. It should not be used to steal from others.
My Inbox Is Not the Only Place This Shows Up
After those messages, I opened Google Search Console for this blog, and the pattern looked familiar. Search Console shows the exact phrases people typed into Google before landing on this site. This is what the top of that list looks like:
Here are the top ten queries, which are only 10 of the 395 queries in that report:
"opay fake alert app": 258 clicks, 6,535 impressions
"opay fake alert": 94 clicks, 4,912 impressions
"opay fake alert 2021": 87 clicks, 3,642 impressions
"opay fake alert website": 62 clicks, 1,465 impressions
"palmpay fake alert link nigeria": 57 clicks, 197 impressions
"opay fake alert 2026": 50 clicks, 1,039 impressions
"opay fake transfer": 32 clicks, 1,469 impressions
"fake opay app": 21 clicks, 398 impressions
"fake transfer alert opay": 20 clicks, 787 impressions
"how to do opay fake alert in nigeria": 20 clicks, 288 impressions
Together, those ten phrases brought 701 clicks and 20,732 impressions.
I want to be fair about what this data does and does not prove. Some of these searchers are almost certainly sellers, POS agents, and business owners trying to learn what a fake alert looks like so they can protect themselves. I cannot tell from Search Console which person is which, and I am not claiming that the people in my WhatsApp inbox typed these searches.
But a phrase like "how to do opay fake alert in nigeria" is not a defensive question. It asks for a method. Put next to my inbox, it tells me the same thing from two directions: a real number of young people are looking for a shortcut to money, and they are asking for it in the open.
What a Fake Alert Really Is
New Updates
A fake alert is a deception. It is a screenshot, a message, or a screen inside an app made to look like a bank credit when no money has moved into your account. The victim is usually someone who works hard for small margins: a market trader, a POS agent, a dispatch rider, a small online seller, or a freelancer who delivered work before payment.
The person who releases goods because of a fake alert does not lose "a bit of money". They lose stock they paid for, rent money, or money borrowed to run the business. One person's "quick opportunity" becomes someone else's lost month.
A warning for anyone tempted by those search results: many of the "fake alert apps" and websites advertised online are traps themselves. Some ask the would-be scammer for payment first, and some are built to collect your data or install unwanted software. Even from a purely selfish point of view, the shortcut often costs the person taking it.
When the Target Is Your Own Brother
The most troubling request was from the person who wanted to scam his own brother using the brother's business products.
A family business holds information that strangers do not have. A relative may know what products are available, who the regular customers are, how payments are received, when the owner is usually busy, and which weaknesses exist in the business.
That information can make a fraudulent message look genuine. A customer may trust it because it contains details that only the owner or someone close to the business should know.
When a family member abuses that knowledge, the damage goes beyond money. The victim begins asking painful questions: Who else knew about this transaction? Who had access to the business account? Can I trust my own family again?
That is why insider fraud is so dangerous. The criminal does not always come from outside. Sometimes the danger comes from someone who already has access and trust.
Why Young People Are Being Attracted
There is no single explanation, but several pressures repeat:
Online pressure: Social media makes it look like everyone is getting rich quickly. People display luxury without showing where the money came from or who paid for it.
Unemployment and financial pressure: When legitimate opportunities feel limited, fraudulent promises become attractive. Hardship can explain desperation, but it does not make fraud acceptable. Many people face hardship without harming others.
Bad influence: Friends, online groups, and self-styled mentors tell young people that fraud is easy, that victims deserve it, or that everyone is doing it. These claims exist to remove guilt.
Misuse of skill: A person who can build a website, manage social media, or use digital payments can use that knowledge for good or for harm. The skill is not the problem. The decision is.
Fraud Is Not a Skill
Fraud is the use of deception to take money, property, information, access, or opportunities from another person. Calling it "business", "a plug", or "a quick opportunity" does not change the harm.
There are many real skills that young people can learn and earn from:
Web and mobile-app development
Cybersecurity and software testing
Graphic design and video editing
Digital marketing and e-commerce
Data analysis and technical writing
Online customer support
Someone who can build a tool for fraud can also build a payment platform, a business website, an inventory system, or a security solution. The difference is not technical ability. It is what you decide to do with it.
How Sellers Can Protect Themselves From Fake Alerts
If you sell goods or services in Nigeria, these habits protect you whether the scammer is a stranger or someone close to you:
Confirm the credit in your own bank app. Do not rely on a screenshot, a forwarded message, or a "successful" screen on the sender's phone.
Check the bank's own SMS or notification, and then your balance. An alert on the customer's side proves nothing about your account.
Do not release goods under pressure. "I am in a hurry" and "the dispatch rider is waiting" are common ways to rush you past the check.
Be careful with overpayments and refund requests. If someone "sends too much" and asks you to return the difference, wait until the original payment has settled.
Verify unusual requests through a second channel. Call the customer or supplier on a number you already trust.
Keep records. Save order details, payment times, and delivery information. They help if something goes wrong.
Limit access in your business. Give each worker only the access their role needs, do not share passwords, and use two-factor authentication on important accounts.
Security is not an accusation against your employees or relatives. It protects everyone from mistakes, temptation, and manipulation.
If Someone Asks You to Teach Them Scams
If a message like the ones I received reaches you:
Do not provide instructions or tools.
Do not sell or recommend applications for criminal activity.
Do not accept payment.
Do not help create fake accounts or identities.
Save the conversation if there is a credible threat.
Do not publicly expose private information about the person.
Block or report the account when appropriate.
Warn a potential victim if the threat is specific and credible.
Contact the relevant authorities if the threat is serious or immediate.
Do not respond with threats or insults, and do not try to punish the person yourself. Preserve evidence and handle it responsibly.
A Message to Parents and Mentors
Talk openly with young people about fraud, and do not only talk about the money criminals appear to make. Explain how victims suffer, how fraud damages families, how a criminal record affects employment, how online activity can be traced, and how dishonest income creates fear and instability.
Young people need correction, but they also need direction. Telling someone not to commit fraud is important. Showing them an honest alternative is just as necessary.
My Position
I will not teach anyone how to scam. I will not provide an application, method, or training that helps someone deceive another person, and I will not help anyone target a stranger, a customer, a business partner, a friend, or a family member.
Instead, I will keep writing about fraud so that people can recognize the warning signs, protect their businesses, and avoid becoming victims.
Conclusion
The messages in my inbox, and the searches in my dashboard, are a warning about how some young people have started to see fraud: as a skill to learn, a business to enter, or a shortcut to wealth.
Fraud is not success. It is not entrepreneurship. It is not intelligence. It is not a harmless online game. It destroys money, trust, businesses, families, and futures.
If you have digital ability, use it to build something useful. If you need money, look for an honest skill, opportunity, mentor, or business path. If someone is recruiting you into fraud, walk away before a temporary desire for money becomes a permanent problem.
Use technology to build, protect, and solve problems, not to destroy another person's life.
Sir-AD Blog: practical knowledge for protecting your money, business, identity, and digital life.
Get new Security & Fraud alerts
One email when a new security & fraud article like this one goes live. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
Join my WhatsApp channel
Get new articles, fraud alerts and web security tips straight to your phone.
Found this useful? Share it.
Someone you know may be about to fall for a scam or make a costly mistake. Send them this.
This article was originally written and published by Sir Brown AD.
Advertise with us
Sir Brown AD
Keep reading, or tell me about what you're building.
Discussion