| By now, many people (though unfortunately not | | | | for their services, as he was visiting the US, and his |
| everyone) have become aware of the tactics used | | | | wife only spoke (insert language interpreter works |
| by the so-called "419" or "Nigerian" scammers. The | | | | with). This is how the scam then would proceed: |
| victim is lured by the promise of a percentage of a | | | | Bishop sends generous check to pay in advance for |
| huge fortune that has to be secretely transfered out | | | | interpreter's services. |
| of some African country. Variations of the scam | | | | Soon afterwards, bishop decides to stay only half |
| include supposedly winning "internet lotteries" or | | | | the planned time and asks interpreter to wire refund. |
| having a relative that you never heard of die and | | | | Bishop never shows up. By now, the interpreter has |
| allegedly leave you millions. In each case, the | | | | found out that the check was forged. The money |
| scammer tries to get the victim to send money for | | | | wired back to the bishop is lost. |
| various "fees". | | | | The American Translators Association put out a |
| Over the years, these scams, which were once easy | | | | specific warning against this scam at |
| to distinguish by their combination of purple prose | | | | This indicates that the scammers are focusing on |
| and bad grammar, have become more sophisticated. | | | | narrower targets and their stories are becoming |
| One of the latest variations targets a specific | | | | more believable. Of course, one wonders how Mr. |
| professional group, namely interpreters. | | | | and Mrs. Bishop can communicate without a shared |
| Recently, there was a scam in which a bishop | | | | language. Yet this should serve as a warning that the |
| (sometimes a "prince", or even a "prince bishop") | | | | scammers are not sitting still and are constantly |
| supposedly from Ghana wrote interpreters, asking | | | | revising their mode of operation. |