

Inside the world of the Yahoo Boys, Africa's most infamous romance scammers
FeatureDid you hear about the woman who thought she was going out with Brad Pitt? That was them. In Nigeria, online romance scams have become a multimillion-dollar industry − and an easy way to get rich.
For half a second, it was unclear if the interview was veering off course. Ben's voice (those interviewed requested anonymity) suddenly became warm and persuasive. "I need a girlfriend that I can trust. Like, I need you. Can you be my girlfriend?" The man was explaining how, from a working-class neighborhood in Lagos, he subtly manages to win over the hearts of his "clients" – as Nigerian scammers call their victims – thousands of kilometers away.
Ben used to repair generators for a living. But since his income was too low, he turned to romance scams two years ago – one of the most widespread online frauds in Nigeria. "When I wake up in the morning, I try to see that you're up, check you over, see how you're doing here, I get to know everything about you," he continued, sitting on a plastic chair amid a maze of metal shacks. In the stifling heat, two men lay on the ground less than a meter away. The most important thing, Ben went on, unfazed, is to "build trust."
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