to think this is not genuine?

[ValerieCupcake]

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

It's Yoruba.

Well, Raheem isn't but plenty of Yoruba people have names associated with Islam.

Idowu means 'one born after twins', if anyone's interested. A pretty common name as there is a notably high prevalence of twin births amongst the Yorubas.

Abule sowo means 'one who makes money from the earth' I.e money from nothing. It could, I think, be quite an unusual name but also a nickname for someone who fancies themselves an entrepreneur. 'Hon' means honourable.

So it could be the sponsor/ namesake of the tournament or the recipient of the medal. The 'hon' could be jokey.

Funny if his nickname is Abulesowo though and he is a scammer as that's exactly what he's doing, trying to get money for nothing.

I would recommend becoming a Friends Against Scams and also suggest your aunt does it too www.friendsagainstscams.org.uk/

In brief, in 2012 I was contacted in Match com by a man who said he was American (no not the military although that's another scam) overseeing an oil exploration project in yep...Nigeria. At one point he said he'd love some of the biscuits his 'mom' used to make plus a handheld game thingy version X, something along the lines of a PS something or other - I'm not familiar with those gaming things. The biscuits had to be Danish butter cookies. 🙄 and were for his birthday.
Then came trouble at the oil well they were digging and he couldn't pay his staff. 😂🤣
He was going to fly to the UK if I paid the fare.
He needed money to pay the 'boys' who hadn't eaten for weeks as he himself wouldn't get paid until the work was signed off.
To someone susceptible to being conned or unknowledgeable about oil exploration projects, I can see how they might be sucked in but I had already emailed the British High Commission on Victoria Island in Lagos about the veracity of the claim re oil wells in the area.
No. There were none nor had there been any such suggestion mooted.
I'd never heard of these scams but that opened my eyes to the fact that the pictures on dating sites are taken from Facebook and other sites which were available at that time.
It was on Match.com. I subsequently met my British OH on that site a month later. I checked his home address and workplace and got him to send photos of him in his place of work and his home address. He lives a 10 minute drive from my home, we met and yes, he is exactly like the photo he posted on the site.
He sometimes rings me from work and asks me to send biscuits...a joke he'll never let me forget.

Looks like a normal medal. What a weird post.

RTFT

@LoisLane66 - read the full thread, or at least OP's posts.

@iklboo
Same kind of thing, different platform. Why would a 20 year old Nigerian be interested in what to him would be an old lady and why would a 63 year old woman be interested in a 20 year old from any country, especially the African continent where these scams are rife?
The aunt need to know facts and that daft 3rd medal thing isn't worth anything in terms of competitions.
They prob play barefoot on a square of hard baked earth in the back of beyond and live in a shack.
The aunt needs hard words or she'll lose money but one thing's for certain...you can't fix stupid.

@LoisLane66 - I'm so sorry I completely mistagged you! I'm blaming the cat trying to sit on my face at the time

Get your Aunt to read Saturday Telegraph magazine. Very good article , might make her think a bit .

[quote Harmonypuss]@Nelliephant1

I remember watching 90 Day Fiance, I also remember seeing one where there was a wealthy guy who was in contact with a model and he was sending her $000s, he would arrange to meet her in various places around the world, he'd turn up but she never did, and he just fell for her lies over and over again.
There was another guy who was a nail technique in a hairdresser's, earned minimum wage and he did the same, he kept buying airline tickets for this girl but every time she cashed the tickets in, he got into an enormous amount of debt over it.
I've not seen it for a few years either but it was one of those programmes like Jeremy Kyle where you'd sit and look at the TV and just ask "Why?", surely these Americans could find another American for a relationship, there are well over 150million people in the USA, why do they insist on looking elsewhere then have to go through such expensive processes to have that person move there?[/quote]
Oh I'd forgotten about those two men, but I remember them now. Wishful thinking perhaps. I think from memory a few relationships did work out but I think I they'd known each other well in advance of the programme.

Thank you for making me feel a little less along in my taste for chewing gum for the eyes tv!! 😄💞

@gunnersgold

Why do these women fall for this ? When you say she is vulnerable , has she learning difficulties? If so someone needs to tell her that a Nigerian man in his 20's is only after one thing and it's not love ! ..

Any man in his 20s after a woman is most likely after one thing, not just a Nigerian one.

OP, you seem to have jumped to quite a conclusion from a football medal and a liked post.

[quote LoisLane66]@iklboo
Same kind of thing, different platform. Why would a 20 year old Nigerian be interested in what to him would be an old lady and why would a 63 year old woman be interested in a 20 year old from any country, especially the African continent where these scams are rife?
The aunt need to know facts and that daft 3rd medal thing isn't worth anything in terms of competitions.
They prob play barefoot on a square of hard baked earth in the back of beyond and live in a shack.
The aunt needs hard words or she'll lose money but one thing's for certain...you can't fix stupid.[/quote]
What a disgusting post. There’s a lot of wealth in Nigeria, as it is in many parts of Africa. You sound very ignorant. Broaden your horizons a bit.

Update on this. I looked around the guy's Facebook and liked a couple of his pictures. He immediately sent me messages via Messenger. I played along for a bit. This is the dialogue.

Me: I see that you like football?
Him: Yes baby
How are you feeling
Me: Very sunny today, what about you?
Do you play football?
I support Liverpool.
Him: Yes baby
Let chat on WhatsApp drop your number

This is what he will have said to my Aunt Susan. And she has fallen for it.

There is no picture of the medal on his Facebook. He will have sent it to her through Whatsapp. I bet she has given him her number.

I've also had three friend requests from Nigerian sounding names. I will have to block these.

@CoffeeCoffeeTea

Get your Aunt to read Saturday Telegraph magazine. Very good article , might make her think a bit .

Have you got a link to this please?

Your poor aunt. What a prick. Has he messaged you anything further?

@OrchardBlack

Your poor aunt. What a prick. Has he messaged you anything further?

Not as yet no. I will check tomorrow and think how I am going to handle this. I don't want to make her feel stupid. Though coincidentally I've heard today about another woman being targeted. She is a 42 year old teacher. She's the daughter of a friend's mum's friend. I only know her vaguely. She met this person on Plenty of Fish, though. Said he was Irish and worked on documentaries. They were messaging and he had to go to work away filming. The messages were all romantic. He said he worked in media. Then the day before he was due back she got a message saying all his equipment had been stolen. Asked her for money. She started quizzing him. Didn't answer her questions. She told him no I am not sending you money. He told her to fuck off and called her names. She blocked him. I think I will tell my aunt about this. Sort of awareness raising.

I notice there have been questions about how my aunt is vulnerable and is it learning difficulties. No. She is grieving and lonely.

“ I have a vulnerable relative. She is in contact with someone in Nigeria. I am concerned about it. I don't know what it is for other than a "footy medal". She posted the picture on her Facebook page with a comment "congratulations to someone special". I have concerns.”

In this context I think it’s a cheap, easily bought medal such as handed out at kids sports events. And the holder of this”award” wants your relative to sponsor him on a scholarship, pay fir medical treatment etc… That sort of scam?

Or she will get a marriage proposal….. and he “only” needs x thousand pounds to get to Britain.

@Xpologog

“ I have a vulnerable relative. She is in contact with someone in Nigeria. I am concerned about it. I don't know what it is for other than a "footy medal". She posted the picture on her Facebook page with a comment "congratulations to someone special". I have concerns.”

In this context I think it’s a cheap, easily bought medal such as handed out at kids sports events. And the holder of this”award” wants your relative to sponsor him on a scholarship, pay fir medical treatment etc… That sort of scam?

Well, I don't know yet as I havent had a conversation with her about it. But it is all a scam 100%,

It looks like a child has won it. What is it supposed to be?

A friend of mine has her age (60) and marital status (widow) public on her fb profile. She gets literally dozens of these types of messages daily. It's like cat nip to scammers. I've told her to change her settings but she actually likes talking to them even though she knows they are scammers. When they sooner or later ask for money she just blocks and picks another to talk to out of the hundreds in her inbox.

You should contact this persons family if you feel they are vulnerable. It sounds highly likely that this person is having an online ‘relationship’ with a Nigerian scammer. It’s extremely common especially with single elderly wealthy British women. I know one personally who gave her ‘finance’ £125k over a 4 year period until her family stepped in.

Well done for looking out for your aunt. I hope she listens to you.

It doesn't matter what the medal is for or whether it's genuine (FWIW I agree with PP that it's probably a genuine medal for amateur sports, I have plenty like it myself).

The issue is that a vulnerable person is potentially being targeted by someone who may not be who they claim, and who may be trying to scam her. This is the issue you can/should tackle. Talk to her, find out more about her relationship with this man, who he says he is etc., and that will help you determine how to best help her to protect herself. I think Age UK and similar charities have resources to help on this topic.

someone needs to tell her that a Nigerian man in his 20's is only after one thing and it's not love !

They prob play barefoot on a square of hard baked earth in the back of beyond and live in a shack.

Yeah, you see, I can completely understand why Nigerians would rightly take exception to comments like these. They’re really insulting. There are also a lot of scams, people trafficking etc. involving white Europeans.

They prob play barefoot on a square of hard baked earth in the back of beyond and live in a shack

There are houses, flats and playing fields in Nigeria, you know.