Kant Can’t Get No... Contradiction

According to Kant, the universalization of the maxim of false promising leads to a contradiction, namely, to everyone adopting the maxim of false promising which would in effect make promising impossible. I first propose a reconstruction of Kant’s reasoning in four steps and then show that each of these steps is highly problematic. In the second part I argue that attempts by several prominent contemporary philosophers to defend Kant fail because they encounter similar difficulties

Deceiving the Deceived: An analysis of the United Nations Compensation Scam

The world today is full of deception by fellowman that can go on deceiving the other neither feeling guilt for the act nor sympathy for the victim. Even the “already deceived” can be lured in another trap in the name of compensation. This research wanted to expose the linguistic and nonlinguistic characteristics of the United Nations Compensation Scam which is one of the World Fund Recovery scam. It is a scam which is meant to deceive the scam victims in the name of compensation by the so-called United Nations organization. The research used a Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) method, a research tool that views language usage as a social practice activity in society, to analyze a randomly selected scam vignettes extracted from the scam data base. CDA seeks to understand the intention of the communicator through linguistic and nonlinguistic means as well as the possible impact of the communication to the receiver. The three phased Fairclough’s Model and Analytical Framework (1995), that is, text analysis (description), processing analysis (interpretation) and social analysis (explanation) was used. Findings revealed errors of all kinds including: Redundant sentences, wrong spellings, wrong words, poor punctuation, wrong plurals and wrong capitalization as United Nations Compensation Scam linguistic features while exaggeration, persuasive and flattering language, raising of false hopes and false chains being nonlinguistic features of a scam. Keywords: scam; deception; linguistic features; non-linguistic feature

Nigerian scam e-mails and the charms of capital

So-called '419' or 'advance-fee' e-mail frauds have proved remarkably successful. Global losses to these scams are believed to run to billions of dollars. Although it can be assumed that the promise of personal gain which these e-mails hold out is part of what motivates victims, there is more than greed at issue here. How is it that the seemingly incredible offers given in these unsolicited messages can find an audience willing to treat them as credible? The essay offers a speculative thesis in answer to this question. Firstly, it is argued, these scams are adept at exploiting common presuppositions in British and American culture regarding Africa and the relationships that are assumed to exist between their nations and those in the global south. Secondly, part of the appeal of these e-mails lies in the fact that they appear to reveal the processes by which wealth is created and distributed in the global economy. They thus speak to their readers’ attempts to map or conceptualise the otherwise inscrutable processes of that economy. In the conclusion the essay looks at the contradictions in the official state response to this phenomena

Toward a Rational Choice Process Theory of Internet Scamming: The Offender’s Perspective

Internet fraud scam is a crime enabled by the Internet to swindle Internet users. The global costs of these scams are in the billions of US dollars. Existing research suggests that scammers maximize their economic gain. Although this is a plausible explanation, since the idea of the scam is to fool people to send money, this explanation alone, cannot explain why individuals become Internet scammers. An equally important, albeit unexplored riddle, is the question of what strategies Internet scammers adopt to perform the act. As a first step to address these gaps, we interviewed five Internet scammers in order to develop a rational choice process theory of Internet scammers’ behavior. The initial results suggest that an interplay of socioeconomic and dynamic thinking processes explains why individuals drift into Internet scamming. Once an individual drifts into Internet scamming, a successful scam involves two processes: persuasive strategy and advance fee strategy

Australasian Consumer Fraud Taskforce: results of the 2012 online consumer fraud survey

The Australasian Consumer Fraud Task Force has conducted a range of fraud prevention and awareness raising activities since 2006. This report presents the results of the 2012 online consumer fraud survey. Foreword Each year, since 2007, the Australian Institute of Criminology (AIC) has collected information on consumer scams by conducting an online survey of Australians who have received scam invitations during the preceding 12 months. The research is conducted on behalf of the Australasian Consumer Fraud Taskforce (ACFT), which is comprised of 22 government regulatory agencies and departments in Australia and New Zealand who work alongside private sector, community and non-government partners to prevent fraud of this nature. In order to understand the dynamics of consumer fraud victimisation, the ACFT has conducted a range of fraud prevention and awareness-raising activities over the last eight years. The annual survey seeks to obtain a snapshot of the public’s exposure to consumer scams, to assess the range of ways in which scams can affect victims and their families, to determine how victims respond and to identify emerging typologies and issues that could be used to inform fraud prevention initiatives. Survey respondents are not representative of the whole Australian population, as the sample is made up of those individuals who choose to participate, although in 2012, over 1,500 people completed the survey with good levels of representation from all states and territories, and other demographic categories. This report presents the results of the survey conducted in conjunction with the 2012 campaign, Slam scams! Press ‘delete’, throw it out, shut the door or just hang up. The campaign theme was concerned with scam delivery methods that focused on raising awareness about the many ways in which scammers try to deliver scam invitations. A phone call, SMS, mobile application, house visit, letter, email, fax, blog, online chat or dating service—scammers will use any of these means to target victims. The primary message was simple—stop the contact at the point of delivery; if you don’t engage with a scammer in the first place, you can avoid being scammed. As in previous years, a high proportion of respondents had received a scam invitation (95%), with almost a quarter responding to the scam in some way. Unfortunately, eight percent reported having lost money—approximately $8,000 per person or almost$850,000 in total. The most prevalent scam type involved fraudulent lotteries, while this year, the second-most prevalent scam concerned computer support scams, which are sometimes a means of extracting payments for non-existent services from victims or, on other occasions, a means of installing malicious software that can be used to extract personal information at a later time. In terms of delivery methods, although email continued to be the most common method by which scams were delivered, the use of landline and mobile telephones (including SMS) to target potential scam victims increased. This report also includes some additional information on online shopping scams—the subject of the consumer fraud awareness week in June 2013. The prevalence of scams targeting those who sell or buy high-value items online, such as motor vehicles, was high in 2012, indicating a need for enhanced awareness of the risks involved in this form of consumer activity

The '419 Scam': An Unacceptable 'Power of the False'?

One of the more virulent manifestations of a burgeoning virtual world is the very physical waste that underwrites its proliferation. Illegal e-waste dumping in Western Africa not only wreaks havoc on the ecosystems of its destination countries, but also bolsters the arsenal of the "419 scammers" and 'data miners,' in turn. As the pernicious nature of such online fraud is protested by Western media, and the global economic inequalities that foster such deception is conveniently ignored, the material vestiges of Western privilege are unwittingly recycled into the war machines of the '419 scam.' Wilfully blind to the global conditions that perpetuate the fraud, '419'" vigilantes or 'scambaiters' take it upon themselves to hunt the scammers as a way of 'turning the tables' on their operations. An online sport steeped in colonial tradition, the redoubtable scambaiters proudly display their "trophy" catches on online forums such 419eater.com and 419baiter.com. In contradistinction to the issues of morality that pervade the commentary on methods of the 419 scammers and scambaiters alike, this paper will focus instead, on the multiple creative possibilities, that are actualised by these encounters. It is argued, that such exchanges, even in their current lamentable state, at least facilitate unforeseen connections between parts of the world that had never once spoken at all. That the successful facilitation of these scams, whether on the part of scammer or scambaiter, require a level of research into their respective subjects, that brings Africa and the West into an unprecedented 'intimacy,' Even if the outcomes are ultimately antagonistic, and the relations produced "false" ones, this paper asks whether they might be identified as the nascent stages of a more productive 'powers of the false.' to make use of a concept by philosopher, Gilles Deleuze. That the forgery and fantasy used to negotiate the scams might actually have the effect of furthering conversation about the global iniquity that inspire them in the first place

Persuasion strategies: use of negative forces in scam e-mails

The 21st century globalisation strongly influences the world as a result of highly improved technology and communications which made it possible for everyone involved to have equal access to a global market and information exchange via English. As a result, electronic communication has become part of the present-day multinational professionals of all fields who work daily in front of their digital monitors. At times, these professionals may receive Nigerian 419 scam e-mails in which fraudsters target victims to make advance payments for financial gains that do not materialise. In these e-mails, situations in which persuasion techniques are intertwined are well crafted. As a result, the victim who is susceptible to the offer is more likely to respond and be lured into losing money eventually. The present study, consequently, analysed a corpus of 50 Nigerian 419 scam e-mails through a textual analysis to examine language aspects in terms of persuasion strategies fraudsters used as a compelling force to achieve their communicative purposes of lures and deceits. The study has revealed two major types of deceptive techniques which are used in combination, namely framing-rhetoric triggers, disguised as the traditional genre of electronic communications and human weakness-exploiting triggers, intended as incitement of recipients' emotions. Finally, the paper includes not only pedagogical suggestions for business English teachers when implementing classroom activities, but also warnings for either pre-experienced or experienced business professionals in relation to interpreting the unknown e-mails' messages they receive with great caution

The diaspora Nigerians’ image problem of drug and fraud: A case study of the Malaysian-Indonesian experience through newspaper reports

It is no longer news that the economic and social problems in Nigeria have led to mass migration of Nigerians to other parts of the world for better job opportunities and/or education.South-East Asia has had its fair intake of some of these Nigerians especially in recent times.However, some unscrupulous Nigerians in their bid to make quick money have used the opportunity afforded by some of their host nations to commit crimes ranging from drug trafficking to internet fraud.The negative activities of these few have had a bad impact on the image of the entire citizenry of Nigeria in diaspora and this has led to stereotyping and prejudices-at times with dire consequences.Using the textual analysis method, this paper looks at the activities of some of these criminal minded Nigerians in diaspora through newspaper reports in Malaysia and Indonesia with a view to pinpointing the problems they are creating in these societies, their negative effect on other Nigerians and what solution(s) could possibly be implemented in curbing their activities

Targeting scams: report of the ACCC on scam activity 2014

Explains key trends in scam activity and highlights the impact of scams on the community. Snapshot of 2014 Overall contacts levels and financial losses  In 2014 the ACCC continued to observe a high level of scams activity in Australia, with 91 637 scam- related contacts received from consumers and businesses compared with 91 927 in 2013. Scam losses reported to the ACCC totalled $81 832 793, continuing a slight downward trend with an 8 per cent decrease from 2013 ($89 136 975). This is a continuation of a reversal in the trend from 2010 through to 2012 where large annual increases in reported losses were observed. However, actual losses are likely to be higher as many scams go unreported and the ACCC is only one of several agencies that receive scam reports Most significant scams Similar to previous years, the majority of people contacting the ACCC about scam-related activities in 2014 (almost 88 per cent) reported no financial loss. Over one third of people who lost money reported losing between $100 and$499, which indicates scammers continue to prefer ‘high volume low value scams’—that is, scams that are delivered to large numbers of recipients but cause smaller amounts of loss per victim At the same time, the ACCC continued to receive reports of individuals suffering significant losses. Over 10 per cent of scam contacts reported losing above $10 000 and there were 14 instances where losses exceeded$500 000. There were no losses above $1 million reported in 2014 The most damaging scams in terms of monetary loss continue to be those scams previously categorised as advance fee fraud and dating and romance scams which often evolve into advance fee fraud. In 2014 dating and romance scams remained in the number one position in terms of financial losses, with$27 904 562 reported lost which accounts for 34 per cent of all reported losses. For the fourth consecutive year the ACCC has observed a decrease in the conversion rate of people who responded to an approach by a scam admirer and subsequently lost money—from 48 per cent in 2011 to 41 per cent in 2014. However, financial losses continue to remain substantially disproportionate to contacts, with dating and romance scams making up only 3 per cent of all scam-related contacts in 2014. &nbsp