Nigerian Fraudsters Target International Managers

If you have an email address, then you’ll no doubt have heard from the wealthy Nigerian diplomat/doctor/member of royalty offering to cut you in on their $30 million fortune. All you have to supply in return is a few thousand up front for administrative fees. It’s called “419″ advance fee fraud.

The ever-inventive fraudsters now have a new trick involving the Nigerian national team.

The con artists have posted a letter on the internet inviting international coaches to apply for the position of Nigerian national team manager. The letter requests all applicants pay $2,000 up front to cover application and processing fees, then an interview will be arranged.

The letter even contains the signature of Ibrahim Galadima, chairman of the Nigerian Football Association, but he insists it’s a forgery. “We have not asked anyone to help us look for a coach and it is simply an impersonating and criminal act by the individual involved,” Galadima told BBC Sport. “We did not advertise for any foreign coach and we don’t have any link with the fraudulent advertisers of the coaching job of Nigeria. I urge coaches and agents to disregard the advert since there is no such vacancy in Nigerian football for now. We shall place an advert if the need arises, but for now anybody that applies does so at his own risk.”

It’s doubtful that any international managers would fall for this scam (especially as the job is currently filled by Augustine Eguavoen) but someone should warn Sven-Goran Eriksson, just in case.