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nairaland.net • View topic - Microsoft, Nigeria Fight E-Mail Scammers

Microsoft, Nigeria Fight E-Mail Scammers

Microsoft, Nigeria Fight E-Mail Scammers

Postby Richard Akindele » Mon Apr 03, 2006 8:29 pm

LONDON (Reuters)—Microsoft has announced an anti-fraud partnership with Nigeria, the country of origin for some of the Internet's most notorious e-mail scams.

Microsoft, which has been working to improve security and reliability amid an onslaught of malicious software targeting weakness in Windows and other Microsoft software, signed a memorandum of understanding with the Nigerian Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Friday.

The agreement is designed to foster cooperation to combat issues such as spam, phishing, spyware, viruses and counterfeiting.

The e-mail scam, known as a 419 scheme after the relevant section of the Nigerian Criminal Code, is a computer age version of a con game that goes back hundreds of years and is sometimes called "The Spanish Prisoner."

Victims are contacted by a stranger who claims to have access to large sums of money. They are told that the money can only be accessed if they disclose the details of their bank account or put up an advance fee, but the promised funds never materialize.

The EFCC said its Advance Fee Fraud Section "is currently investigating hundreds of suspects and prosecuting over 50 cases, involving close to 100 accused persons, in courts throughout Nigeria."

Under terms of the pact, "Microsoft and the EFCC will work together to combat the problem of Internet crime through information sharing and training on Microsoft's technical expertise in this area," the parties said.

Copyright © 2005 Ziff Davis Media Inc. All Rights Reserved. Originally appearing in PC Magazine.
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Postby Richard Akindele » Wed Aug 02, 2006 6:06 pm

What makes Microsoft think it can tackle this problem in Nigeria, if it hasn't done anything about it in America?

How does Microsoft want to combat spam, phishing, spyware, viruses and counterfeiting?

First of all, Microsoft's own Internet Explorer is known to have a lot of security issues that makes it an easy target for spreading spyware, and viruses. The problem has been in existence for a very long time, and Microsoft has done absolutely nothing about it that is effective.

Because of Internet Explorer's security problems which they don't seem to know the solution to, many people have moved to a more secure browser - http://www.firefox.com/.

Given this poor record by Microsoft, why then would Nigeria contact Microsoft for help in combating these same problems? It makes absolutely no sense to me.

I guess it's a case of the blind leading the blind.

Nigeria is not serious about getting rid of 419. Period.

I could single-handedly solve the problem of 419 for Nigeria if approached to do so, or at least reduce it significantly. But does Nigeria have the will to do it, or is it all just smoke and mirrors to make it look like the nation is actually doing something about it by contacting impotent Microsoft?
Richard Akindele
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