Update December 24, 2020
Using an almost identical trick, the Jesus follower tried the same story on Twitter.
Europeans’ willingness to donate is completely cannibalized at Christmas. But Highspeed Internet everyone can afford in The Gambia.
It is the Brikama trick, which even the US Embassy in the Gambia warns against.
We print the chat, which is exchanged via private messages, below.
Simply block and no longer have any contact with the perpetrators. Report the accounts of the alleged “believers” to the social network providers.
Chat:
“its very sad I’m living with my little siblings at home and am the first son of our parents we lost our.we are an orphan I do take care of my little siblings at home but all this week life is treating us with a hard labour do to the conditions we are starving for hunger at home and I do crying in heart when I see my little once crying gir hunger its very sad, really I fell shame to ask you this but we will appreciated a help from you if you can help us to buy a bag of rice we will appreciated”
“A bag of rice please so that we can have food to eat at home for a while
Yes I have tried that but I could not get any support please
You can use http://baluwo.com please since yesterday we have no food to eat at home please
I am from Brikama
The Gambia
+220 3015173
Oh ok so will you help me with the rice
Well I’m not a scammer I’m really I can swear on anything I am really”
Even this story has been brought to the US Embassy:
“One of the most common scams we currently see claims that a Gambian has lost his parents, is caring for younger siblings, and does not have money for school fees. The story is always extremely similar. The common elements are: Online soliciting of friend in developed country, parents supposedly dead, caring for younger siblings, has to drop out of school for lack of funds. These elements exploit the Western value of education, trustful nature, and sympathy for orphans. There is very little variation on the theme. It may be wise to ask why someone who has no funds for school and is allegedly caring for younger siblings can apparently spend a large amount of time and money in internet cafes searching for “friends” from wealthy countries online. Family networks in the region are usually extensive, so if a child’s parents die, then the many aunts, uncles, grandparents, cousins, and other extended family members take them in and provide for them.”
United States Embassy in Banjul, Kairaba Avenue, Fajara The Gambia
They come via the social networks and have nothing else to do on Twitter but beg.
The excuse is a four-month lockdown in the Gambia, the wicked president has announced it. The crux of the story is, the last one came just half an hour earlier and told us the same sad orphan story with heart-warming pictures.
The horrible thing about this situation is that this story has been told dozens of times before. They all come from BRIKAMA. It’s their story. The victims of life are always orphans and have a whole family to care for. In the course of the short and according to the same plan, the “beggars” working from Paris or London, try to put their victims under such moral pressure that the victim pays. The president would have ordered the lockdown; they would starve because of it.
Like a whole swarm, the perpetrators attack the victims. They hardly tweet at all but search for victims by private contact. They pretend to be children and immediately want to communicate via WhatsApp.
Because MoneyGram and Western Union are too well known, the perpetrators use the platform of another organization with the reference that they owe rent. It is almost impossible to get rid of these people on the respective timeline because they are pushy. Never give data about yourself, the perpetrators want a picture to blackmail the victim later. Twitter is powerless against such machinations. And the consequence of this is that the willingness of Europeans to donate for real need is declining. As an example, here the chat, shortened by us.
Hello
“Hello
Nice to hear from you How are you doing
5:23 My name is alpha from west Africa the Gambia and you
This is all about me my friend and is nice reading from you— surly i am 18 years old and i am living with my siblings i live in the Gambia in west Africa in a town called BRIKAMA’. I am living orphan with my siblings. Hence i loose my both parents and we are definitely not living in our own compound but kept in someone’s home with suffering because the person never make us happy there is no love for us and care..What we have is what we eat and my dear I will like if you can support us with some food please
Can we do video call, so that you can trust me and you can see how we are living you have WhatsApp you see now how we are living so that you can trust me I will do anything to make you to trust me.
Ok.This is my number +2202308688
Please help us with some food hear http://baluwo.com Please you can buy us some food hear so that we can eat please and I will teak a picture of the food with my family and I send you please help us with this linke http://baluwo.com
Just anything from your heat So that we can eat please I am begging you just food with need bag of rich with some vegetables please
My friend You don understand how life hear is
If there is work anything I will do to feed my family. But everywhere is lockdown
And I use to go and sell wood to feed my family But they say we all stay in the room
And even to pay the rent we don have And the landlord is asking every day and night
Please I am begging u just try and understand me please help us with food I am even selling my phone but no costumer Landlord is asking rent every day and night
We don’t pay his rent for 4 month now. Just look at Please my friend am not joking if u see I am begging u is just that I don’t have that’s why if not j will not beg you, please
Please life is all abaut understand just try and understand me please
Please “
Another example of an orphan from Brikama on twitter
yayabah100@yayabah100
Ohh lord save me from this Infection which disturb me my teeths are really giving me a terrible. Life it’s Hard for me and my siblings since we loss our parents life is hard still cannot care this because am poor from a poor family lord please save me from this sickness
— yayabah100 (@yayabah100) November 27, 2020
