to think this is not genuine?

[ValerieCupcake]

Tried to do a reverse google search for this. Nothing coming up.

People saw Nigeria and instantly thought 1) poor and 2) scammer. Have to laugh

@ValerieCupcake you say you want to mention scams etc to her but want to do it in a subtle way...... your post made me think of a book i recent read, it's all about Nigerian Internet Scams and how the peope found out etc.

www.panmacmillan.com/authors/peter-james/dead-at-first-sight/9781509816415

Could you do a 'Oh I'm reading this great book, you should read it' type thing ?

Sorry this is happening to your Aunt, there really are some shitty people in the world.

@dollydimple123 going on someone’s facebook and coming to post the pictures on a public forum. What was the need?

@Regularsizedrudy

Yes she obviously being scammed but the medal is totally irrelevant why are you focused on that?

How is she obviously being scammed?

@babywalker56

People saw Nigeria and instantly thought 1) poor and 2) scammer. Have to laugh

Why would a man in his 20’s from Nigeria be speaking on Facebook to a much older widowed woman from a western country if he wasn’t trying to scam her?

Completely agree with another poster re this being the start of a romance scam. You are completely correct to be alert and concerned. He will build trust, sometimes over a long period of time before starting to ask for money for some sort of emergency situation. By that point your relative will be completely invested in the relationship. Very likely she will get defensive if you try to raise with her.

Going back to the medal, a quick google shows Abulesowo is a Nigerian estate agency (with Abulesowo meaning “literally turn earth (real estate /property) into wealth” in Yoruba). Could be they sponsor a local league or something.

@babywalker56

People saw Nigeria and instantly thought 1) poor and 2) scammer. Have to laugh

Ok. So an unknown a young man in his 20s from an overseas country befriends a widow in her 60s from uk on the internet
Doesn't look good whatever country it's from🤷🏼‍♀️
But the Nigerian scams are well known and many people have been duped

Classic romance scam.

But I don't think you'll convince your aunt by pointing out the cheapness/fakeness of the medal. Talk to her about an episode of Rip Off Britain that you saw, where a recently widowed woman was targeted by scammers on the internet, and lost her life savings.

It is weird given the respective ages that they've struck up a friendship perhaps but they do play sports in Nigeria you know...not surprised nothing came up on a search, things don't get onto the Internet as universally in Nigeria as they do in the UK. Looks like just a little local competition or something, why would there be pictures online?

I mean by that that you need to address the relationship with her not the medal.

Can you block him for her?
I agree - scam.

The medal is probably real but that's not the problem here.
It's the fact that a 20something man is sniffing around a widow in her 60s

@babywalker56

People saw Nigeria and instantly thought 1) poor and 2) scammer. Have to laugh

Come on. Nobody is accusing all Nigerians of being scammers. The fact is it is a young man from overseas befriending a vulnerable older woman online who he doesn't seem to have any real life connection to. And all of a sudden he's being referred to as 'someone special'. This isn't having a go at Nigerians. The OP is concerned about a vulnerable relative.

@FlissyPaps there could be loads of reasons but you already have your agenda so why would I explain them?

@CuddlyCactus but if a 60 year old woman from the UK befriends a 20 year old overseas then I guess that’s okay and no need for suspicion then right?

@Snoopfroggyfrogg absolutely nothing wrong with the OP being concerned about a relative. What’s wrong is people automatically assuming she MUST be being scammed because said person is from Nigeria. The comments are very interesting and very telling indeed

I couldn’t find a match on Etsy.com, but there were several shops there where you could custom order one.

@babywalker56 reasons like what? Please explain. Don’t be naive here, it’s not an agenda.

PPic of him and another guy with a tiger. The tiger is Photoshopped.

How can you tell?

Of course she’s being scammed. She is vulnerable and therefore the perfect mark.
@CuddlyCactus Vulnerability does not just apply to learning disability and mental health issues. There are numerous events that can make anyone susceptible to being taken advantage of. Bereavement is a major one. As are physical illness, debts, gambling addiction, abusive relationships and many more.
She needs someone in real life to talk to her about it.

Of course she is being scammed. The romance scam is almost as well known as the one run by people who loiter outside bus stations asking for money because they've lost their bus pass. I have a feeling it's probably more lucrative than the lost bus pass scam though.

@babywalker56

People saw Nigeria and instantly thought 1) poor and 2) scammer. Have to laugh

Have to laugh do you? More fool you.

Looks like some of us are more Internet safety savvy than you are.

The Nigerian scammers come in many disguises. They target vulnerable people both women and men. If your aunt had a public Facebook and has changed her status to say that she is a widow then that is why she has been contacted.

I hope you manage to speak to your aunt before she loses huge sums of money to pay for his flights to come to the uk etc.

but if a 60 year old woman from the UK befriends a 20 year old overseas then I guess that’s okay and no need for suspicion then right?

Are there any romance scams played by older women on unsuspecting younger men that you know of? Because there have been many, many cases the other way round.

@Snoopfroggyfrogg

but if a 60 year old woman from the UK befriends a 20 year old overseas then I guess that’s okay and no need for suspicion then right?

Are there any romance scams played by older women on unsuspecting younger men that you know of? Because there have been many, many cases the other way round.

I know a man who was almost fooled by what he thought was a younger woman. She said that she was staying in a hotel in Nigeria and had to get home to the uk. She needed money to pay for the hotel as the hotel manager had taken her passport until she paid up. 🙄

He was falling for the story and it was hard to convince him that it most likely wasn't a woman but a man who had stolen the photos from the internet and was scamming him.

He was vulnerable as he desperately wanted a relationship and in real life was very shy.

In the end he thankfully didn't pay her/them!