Online Scammers Target Interpreters ("The Prince Bishop from Ghana")

By now, many people (though unfortunately not everyone) have become aware of the tactics used by the so-called "419" or "Nigerian" scammers. The victim is lured by the promise of a percentage of a huge fortune that has to be secretely transfered out of some African country. Variations of the scam include supposedly winning "internet lotteries" or having a relative that you never heard of die and allegedly leave you millions. In each case, the scammer tries to get the victim to send money for various "fees".

Over the years, these scams, which were once easy to distinguish by their combination of purple prose and bad grammar, have become more sophisticated. One of the latest variations targets a specific professional group, namely interpreters.

Recently, there was a scam in which a bishop (sometimes a "prince", or even a "prince bishop") supposedly from Ghana wrote interpreters, asking for their services, as he was visiting the US, and his wife only spoke (insert language interpreter works with). This is how the scam then would proceed:

  • Bishop sends generous check to pay in advance for interpreter's services.

  • Soon afterwards, bishop decides to stay only half the planned time and asks interpreter to wire refund.

  • Bishop never shows up. By now, the interpreter has found out that the check was forged. The money wired back to the bishop is lost.

    The American Translators Association put out a specific warning against this scam at http://www.atanet.org/internet_scams_2005.htm

    This indicates that the scammers are focusing on narrower targets and their stories are becoming more believable. Of course, one wonders how Mr. and Mrs. Bishop can communicate without a shared language. Yet this should serve as a warning that the scammers are not sitting still and are constantly revising their mode of operation.

    Pamela Bruce lives in Austin, TX. She is the owner of Love Beads Unlimited and sells the sterling silver and Swarovski crystal bead jewelry she designs and creates both in her eBay store (http://stores.ebay.com/LOVE-BEADS-UNLIMITED) and on her website at http://www.lovebeadsunlimited.com. She gets scam e-mails several times a week.