10. “Princes” Purposely Use Bad Grammar
To garner sympathy (and try to make themselves more believable to people who are unaware of the realities of life in Nigeria), the so-called “princes” frequently use poor grammar in the emails that they send out to try to get money. Think of it like this: if you get a letter that uses the level of English that a five-year-old might use, you are probably much more inclined to feel sympathy and want to help that person than if you get a letter that sounds like someone holding a doctorate wrote it.
What many people don’t realize is that English is one of the official languages of Nigeria, and many Nigerians speak it as their native language. People who are aware of how these hucksters are trying to play them will immediately delete the email without even reading beyond the first line (or put it in the trash before they even open it). Those who are already vulnerable – especially seniors, but other populations, as well – and are more likely to fall for the scam will feel sorry for the poor incompetent bloke whose email has so many typos, odd phrases, and basic grammatical mistakes that it is almost unreadable. When in doubt, delete that email.