Urban Legends: Single Scammer [UPDATED]
In Today’s World Scammers Work In Teams!
A typical scammer team can be from 3 to 18, sometimes much more
The Lone Scammer – Almost No Such Thing
Online Scamming Has Changed A Lot Over The Decades That It Has Existed
Originally published December 2017, Updated February 2021
Online scamming started with the old Compuserve and America Online, and then other services of that type before the web really got started. It came into play in chat rooms and messaging on these services.
As The Web Came Into Its Own, And Dating Websites Came About Starting In 1995 – Scammers Switched Their Tactics
Of course, at that time, the number of scammers was less than 200 in Africa, and about the same number in Russia/Ukraine.
As the years went by, the number and professionalism of scammers increased, but they were still predominantly individuals that worked in “Collectives” that gave them access to computers and the Internet (mostly through Internet Cafes). These were the precursors to the Gangs.
Fast forward to about 2010 – scamming is now dominated by Gangs and their associates. They used Internet Cafes and Safe Houses that they owned with Internet Access. The Gangs are making serious money, and have developed management hierarchies.
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