China: 9 Cameroonians Arrested for Fraud

Shenzhen Daily

A GROUP of nine Cameroonians have been arrested for cheating a Chinese woman out of more than 267,000 yuan (US$39,265) in a "black money scam," Shenzhen police said yesterday.

The nine people persuaded the woman, surnamed He from Fuzhou, Fujiang Province, into paying more than 267,000 yuan to purchase a "magic" chemical fluid that would restore US$5 million in bank notes that had been dyed black so they could be smuggled into China, police said.

The woman came to know a Cameroonian, identified by police only as Dennis, through an online chat on the "Date in Asia" networking Web site last December, police said. He told her that he had inherited US$5 million from one of his relatives, a banker who died in a civil war. Dennis pursuaded He into coming to Shenzhen to help him bring the fortune safely to China to establish a company, promising her a handsome profit.

In Shenzhen, Dennis told her that he had dyed the U.S. bank notes in order to pass through customs. He used a "magic fluid" to restore the black note to a U.S. bank note.

After confirming the bank note's authenticity at a bank, she began to trust the man and his accomplices. She paid them more than 267,000 yuan to buy the fluid, police said. The group promised to pay her a decent dividend.

The woman reported to police in February after they all disappeared. At the same time, the Shenzhen police Internet supervision unit received a report from Microsoft, which said suspected criminals were using the "Date in Asia" Web site to defraud large sums of money.

Two of the nine men had admitted to defrauding He, police said, without disclosing details of their identities and roles. The pPolice investigation is continuing.

Police said that all cases of Internet fraud reported in Chinese cities in recent months involved foreigners who were active in social networking Web sites.

The black money scam, sometimes also known as the "wash wash scam," is one where con artists attempt to fraudulently obtain money from a victim by persuading him or her that piles of bank note-sized paper in a trunk or a safe is really money that has been dyed black to avoid detection by customs. The victim is persuaded to pay for chemicals to wash the "money" with a promise that he will share in the proceeds.

The scam has been around since 2000, but despite many warnings, it continues to lurre many victims.

Caption: Several members of the suspected Cameroonian fraud gang after they were arrested in this undated photo from Shenzhen police.

Police said that all cases of Internet fraud reported in Chinese cities in recent months involved foreigners who were active in social networking Web sites.

The black money scam, sometimes also known as the "wash wash scam," is one where con artists attempt to fraudulently obtain money from a victim by persuading him or her that piles of bank note-sized paper in a trunk or a safe is really money that has been dyed black to avoid detection by customs. The victim is persuaded to pay for chemicals to wash the "money" with a promise that he will share in the proceeds.

The scam has been around since 2000, but despite many warnings, it continues to lurre many victims

Comments

[Facter]

Very old Nigerian scam, much older than Year 2000.

[lawrence]

Go scammers. Get a piece of what the chinese are plundering from Sudan and Africa

[Eric Nsemanyu]

These Cameroonians are not criminals, they are just trying to survive the Chinese resist society. The real criminals is the chinese buisness people or frauds who think they can multiply their money in a single transaction.
Buisness people should stop encouraging people to defraud them and the sosiety.
Just a thought

[Eric Nsemanyu]

This is not an old Nigerian fraud. What do you mean when you say old? A news is new to anyone hearing it for the first time.
This type of scam pre dates Shakespear, and during the Shakespear's time, there was no Nigeria.
Thus we should stop relating any Internete scam to an African country.
Nonsense, especially when we consider the fact that internet existed for many years before African coutnries could be part of it.

Erin Nsemanyu USA

[Monik A]

I hope they could be treated according to the law because they acted as individuals, not as a group representing other cameroonians. These are the same guys who laugh at us for accepting and devoting ourselves to teaching English in China. See how they laugh at us! Lazy, useless cheats! May they get it hot where they belong!

[AYUK OJ]

These guys should be treated with respect, course it's not a criminal act or frauds, but just a GAME.

[AYUK OJ]

These guys should be treated with respect, course it's not a criminal act or frauds, but just a GAME. From Ayuk Oj Holland

[facter]

Is that so, OJ? Wait until they do it to you.

[P.R.]

thou internet scamming is not good but I will not blame only the Cameroonians. The lady was paying less to get more. She doesn't want to work. rules on the internet is very simple, donot pay money to anyone you do not know.

[facter]

The fact that a woman wears a short dress is not a justification for rape. Do not blame the victim. Do not make excuses.

[busta]

I LOVE WHEN PEOPLE DO CHEAT CHINESE PEOPLE BECUASE THEY ARE VERY WICKED PEOPLE AND I PRAY I DO SO FOR AS LONG AS THEY ARE STILL ALIVE.FOOLISH CHINESE PEOPLE MAY THEY ALL PERISH AND KEEP ON PAYING US THIS MONEY AS LONG AS WE ALSO LIVE FOR ALL THE FRAUDS AND CHEATS THEY DO TO FOREIGNERS IN THEIR COUNTRY ,FOOLS ,GOOD I LOVE THIS IT MAKES ME VERY HAPPY,I WISH I COULD HAVE A TIME AND IDEAS TO DO THE SAME EVEN TO THE PRESIDENCY

[olabi]

this is a game and the lady too is a victim ,she wanted quick money for a day without sweating for 'an unexmanined life is not worth living man know thyself" 'make my people chop them use na thier mup and hand for survire" make man use e head .
Olabi

[Dede Sopp, Pittsburgh Pa]

When are you going to stop complaining about racism. Man those guys are Thieves, can a Chinese man try that in Cameroon

[George]

It is a pity we are missing the point. While i strongly condemn the activities of these scammers,you may call them "feymen",i think the lady's source of revenue should be closely investigated upon. I believe in the adage that says "easy come, easy go", that can be the sole justification for someone to fall prey to scamming, which to the best of my knowledge is not typical of Cameroonians alone.I think it is a global malaise and should be considered as such.

[Lyonga]

Pending a complete investigation, we should for now assume these nine men are innnocent. However, we have to also acknowledge a very simple fact, that some Cameroonians are criminals. Money doubling has been practiced in Cameroon for years and continues to date. Cameroonians have been arrested in many countries for same crimes, including spreading aids. When you go to a country and don't respect the laws of your host country, you have to pay a price. Criminality must stop.

[AYUK OJ]

Do u guys know what this chinese,Europeans etc, are doing to u? mann Damn. If u wanna be a pope or pastor go and live in the church and stop making uneccessary comments brothers . Let the guys eat, if they have the means to. AYUK OJ In Holland.

[Bobor]

If woman sleep open yi lass yi no mean say you get right for sleep am, even if na ya woman. You go go Ngata for dat one. If person do bad ting, even if na sting operation, na still bad ting and yi go go for court jus case. Dis people di do bad ting for china. You tink say dem go stop when dem cam back for dem own contri. Na lie. Dem go cam fool ya gramami.

[Ateba]

Some of you guys post comments without knowing the way the Chinese society operates. In china,if you are hardworking, you can make it. Many guys out there are frustrated by language barrier. But learn a little bit of it, and then things can change. You can find a teaching job in China,if you really look for it. SOme of these guys, especially those who loiter in Guangzhou are lazy and don't want to teach. They laugh of those who accept teaching jobs in the villages of China, they want fast money. They are lazy and improvident guys who live by cheating people. The chinese government will use this as an opportunity to crack down on other cameroonians. The Chinese don't look at situations from individual perspectives. This is not good for Cameroonians living in CHina. I can tell you this.
And for those of you encouraging acts like this - I am shocked. These guys have choices - they just have chosen to go this way. And let the Chinese police give them no mercy. There are already so many Cameroonians in Chinese prisons and we need to think about what this does to the reputation of this country. And we are just 16 million inhabitants. Disgraceful.

[Ngwa]

If they actually did some thing like that!
they should be kill right away.

[FEYISM]

Anyone greedy enough to fall for this obvious scam doesn't deserve any sympathy. If someone approaches you with millions of dollars saying they had to blacken it to get it through customs, alarm bells should start ringing in your head. If it doesn't, then you are just as much a crook - you want something for nothing. Something from nothing leaves nothing duhhhh!!!! This lady was ready to partake in money that was ill gotten. She in my opinion is the worst thief of them all... viva feymania!!!LMAO

[kissob]

hello to you all out there,i have been living in china for more than five years.i can tell you that,our cameroonian brothers really do disgrace our country.they are more than lazy,and don't want to spend hours to work.i had very hard times in china,i stayed for more than 5 months without finding a job.but yet i didn't fail to keep on fighting to having a job.many of those type of cheats asked me to help introduce some of my rich chinese friends to them and they will give 40 percent of any deal they will have out of it.i stood and said how evil are these guys,?inthe catholic church my priest never taught me of such such evils.i then called my embassy in beijing but they said it's none of their business and said they guess it's none of mine too.so i was shocked and decided to inform the chinese police where they caught someof the guys who went behind me and got some of my friends contacts and was caught in the deal.chinese are very friendly people and not racist as people think.just that they are careful,when they appraoch someone for the first time which i see it normal.now i have a better live in china and i bought a house.and if i tell one of my rich chinese friend borrow me more than 400,000 yuan to buy the house.you won't belief.where is the racism in this.one needs to show respect to have respect.i have paid back the money and own a house tittle in china due to a help of a chinese.if i had ways to help the chinese police to clear this bandits i will do it.first to have good names with them but to give more respect to my country .for i love cameroon so much.those surporting such act simply means they are part of the net work and i bet you,you will be the next victim.

[UnitedstatesofAfrica]

Some of you are shockingly narrow-minded. You are vocally praising these scam dealers not knowing that their shady dealings have a negative impact on the hundreads and millions of honest hardworking Cameroonians living and working hard in China to put food on their tables...and send money back home to carter to the needs of their parents and battalion of relatives whose needs never seem to end.

Think about how their actions affects others; don't just foolishly applaud them as if they are heroic figures. Yes! the China is known for their exploits in Africa but it is worth it to jeopardize the daily bread of millions of Cameroonians in China because of a few lazy thieves? I hope the Chinese government exacts justice on them.

[Frederic Nyongo]

The lady in question is also a dealer. if this deal turned out to be a good one, No body will hear outside. But Scaming is a very bad business guys, Try some else.

[wax-man]

hahahahaha..I wanna know the names of these guys please, pretty sure they are all Kumba boys.

Well wishing ya all luck in further scams

Wax-Man

[Fonvick]

Let justice fall on this guys i am a cameroonian and i am ashame of my Nationality because of this guys.fonvick

[Mr Bau julius]

Sir,
I will very much wish that you give me the names of the 9 Cameroonians who were arrested in Shenzhen for a scam issue with a chines woman. I am saking this details because my brother who lives in Beijing China was arrested and locked up and up till date, the family has not heard from him. Please help me to get this details.
Thanks,
Bau Julius/Cameroon.

[Denis]

I was so shocked when I read the news, being a Cameroonian teaching in China for 4years+ now and having the name Denis like one of the bandits. I got a few calls from friends verifying whether I was the Dennis mentioned. It's a shame and it's already affecting us. Cameroon has been blacklisted by the Chinese government: No working visas, it's even so difficult now to extend an F visa. Two weeks before the incident in Shenzhen Cameroonian English teachers with fake certificates had been uncovered in Chongqing and sacked. The Chinese education department now watches out for certificates owned by Cameroonians.

To those trying to support these acts with excuses that do nothing but tarnish our image more, I would like to draw your attention to the fact that these ruthless individuals do not target only Chinese. Their primary target is Cameroonians. Your narrow-minded excuses of Chinese plundering Africa, and people looking for fast money are meaningless in this issue. I am a Cameroonian here in China. The people I fear most even to say hello to are fellow Cameroonians living here. When I meet anyone of them I run as fast as I can for my dear life. When I arrived in Guangzhou in 2005 I was cheated by a fellow brother from Cameroon of everything I had and left on the streets. Was I a chinese plundering Africa? Was I looking for fast money? No I was simply looking for a job. There are countless stories like mine. Go watch the movie China Wahala and you will know what I am talking about. It's produced by a serious hard working Cameroonian in China.
If you ever arrive at the airport in China and a Cameroonian or any other African guy walks up to you claiming to be of help to you: RUN FOR YOUR DEAR LIFE or GOD HELP YOU!

[UnitedstatesofAfrica]

Denis
thanks for sharing your story. It is really startling that some idiots on this forum would overtly support bandits. Of course they would have been singing a different tune if they lived in China. I wish you all the best with work. The wickedness of the black man never seizes to amaze me. When I look at diaspora communities in the West from Asia, they are always looking out for each other or they mind their own business. With Africans, we shall stop at nothing to destroy each other. What a shame.

[Antoine]

The crimes are solely the responsible of the criminals. This type of lazy thief is by no mean indicative of Cameroon or Nigeria, scammers in Western countries are just as lazy and blame their criminal acts on various excuses. All criminals do that.
One excuse you often hear from these lazy thieves is that they are out of work and it's the only way to earn a living. That's just another excuse as usual. Many of these Internet scammers received the best education paid for by the Cameroon government, and this is the way they are repaying our society. Take the case of Achille Brice or Biniray Jr., who has been heavily involved in advance fee fraud and credit card fraud operating from right here in Molyko. He received an university education, grants from various organizations including one to study in Germany, and yet never stopped his criminal activities. Why? because of greed and laziness so typical of fraudsters no matter their nationality. http://antifraudintl.org/showthread.php?t=26675

Don't blame the victim
Don't blame the government
Don't blame other countries
Blame the criminal who commits the crime. Period. Otherwise, we'll never get our country back to the honorable reputation it deserves.

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[K.Town Finest]

Wax-Man,
Please do me a favour.Leave Kumba alone.Stop the name calling. Those guys are from Cameroon and is a shame to cameroonians in general..Stop picking on K.Town.. Do u mean we don't have feyman from Douala,Bamenda,Yaounde etc. Please stop all this down talking of K.Town.

[njimaforboy]

No NO No. These guys are frogs From Beti tribe. They all are students of Paul,Biya, the butcher of etoudi.

Mr. Paul Biya is busy looting Southern Cameroon and his tribesmen are busy scamming the planet earth. What a shame.

Do not be surprised to read in the news that Molua, Dipoko, Mallam Shehu or etrepreneur have been nabbed for tying to pull a fast one over there in the U.S.

La Republique, from Paul Biya to the lowest on the food chain are all thiefs.