Manchester United Imposters Conning African Kids Out Of Money

Scribe Written on July 18, 2008

An undercover BBC investigation has exposed how African footballers are being conned out of thousands of dollars by Nigerian fraudsters.

Thousands of amateur players post their details online to draw attention from European scouts, only to be taken advantage of by thieves posing as the proverbial white knight.

One group, confronted by the BBC, pretended to be Manchester United officials working on behalf of Alex Ferguson. Another conman was caught impersonating the chief talent scout for Chelsea, tricking naïve teenagers into wiring him cash.

Allegedly, victims are often duped into sending money in the false belief that they are paying official registration fees to have trials with an English club. The fraudsters simply pocket the money, and the players never hear another word.

It begs the question: how much is this happening across Africa?

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written on July 18, 2008 Opinion

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