Those Annoying Scam Messages Everyone Hates Are Now Using Malta In Their Fictional Narratives
Remember the infamous ‘Nigerian prince’ letters and emails? The scams were very common a while back, and they typically required the victim to send money to the scammer so that the latter would reimburse them several times over (spoiler alert; the second part never happened). With the scam now being overly used and abused and modern technology making its way to our pockets, scammers have had to learn and change their stories. And of them is using Malta in their fictional narrative.
In a screenshot uploaded onto Facebook yesterday, a Maltese man recounted how his friend in Germany received a mysterious SMS from an unknown number. So far, so relatable; thousands of Maltese people have been receiving random messages and phone-calls from all over the world (most recently Somalia) which have all turned out to be scams. The message’s content, however, is where things get interesting.
“My name is Mr. Gatan,” the message started. Judging by the +44 extension, the number comes from a UK region. However, that’s not what Mr. Gatan followed his message with. “I work with Mediterranean Bank in Malta. Can I trust you with a business worth $21.3 million?”
Yeah, sure.
It didn’t take long for people to draw similarities between this latest message and the now legendary scams of the early internet age. “The Nigerian prince moved to Malta?” one person hilariously asked. “Maybe it’s just his cousin,” another replied.
Other people, on the other hand, took the opportunity to point out the worrying (and shady) implications of some Maltese banks’ credibility if they’re now being thrown in with these notorious unsolicited messages.
Tag someone who could do with $21.3 million right about now
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