Inside Nigeria's 'Yahoo Boys': How Poverty Fuels Online Romance Scams

Carlos Barragán’s book examines four Lagos youths—Chibuike, Biggy, Richie and Azeez—who become "Yahoo Boys" by deceiving foreign women into sending money through romance scams. Growing up in the impoverished Ikotun district, they cycle through low-pay jobs, drug use and unstable housing before turning to fraud as a perceived shortcut to wealth. Their schemes, which involve impersonating figures like American wrestler Cody Rhodes and offering bogus crypto investments, exploit loneliness among victims in the United States, the United Kingdom and elsewhere.

Barragán traces the roots of such scams to colonial-era corruption, the 1970s oil boom, and recent pandemic-driven economic strain, arguing that both Nigerian poverty and Western isolation feed the market. The scammers rationalize their actions as reparations or community support, distributing cash to friends, schools and local shops. The book also highlights the hidden supply chain that moves stolen gift-card funds through Chinese contacts, illustrating how digital globalization sustains the illicit trade. Ultimately, the work portrays the Yahoo Boys as both victims of systemic inequality and perpetrators of transnational crime.