Countries With The Highest Number of scammers: This has been evident to almost everyone since the birth of the internet age. The fact that the scam world has grown in size, with numerous fraudsters being able to target a huge number of gullible victims from the comfort of their own homes, emphasizes this. Prior to the invention of modern-day fraudsters, scammers went out to meet their targets or used other misleading ways to swindle people of their money and property. While this is still an important component of the game in many countries, it has been entirely modified in others.

Scamming has naturally evolved into a global issue over time. Because so much money is passing hands through the internet, the usage of e-commerce platforms has been one of the ways utilized in defrauding people and companies around the world for millions of dollars. In this article, I’ll discuss the top nations where fraudsters and the danger of getting scammed are most prevalent.
What countries have the highest number of scammers?

The countries that are listed below in no particular order of priority have been confirmed to be greatly involved in the game of scamming more than most countries of the world.

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Top 19 Countries with the Highest number of Internet Scammers and Fraudsters 2024

1. Pakistan: Scammers impersonating military authorities to deceive people is not only a game-changer but also humorous. Many crime-fighting groups are issuing an alarm because military frauds have grown so frequent. Scammers utilize high-ranking authorities and masquerade as military members on online dating sites and social media sites, and engage in relationships with the sole purpose of using people’s pictures to deceive others.

Scammers posing as troops now deployed in Pakistan are well-known in Pakistan, and they will use any means necessary to get you to transfer money to them. Criminals also infect your computer with a virus that allows them to take everything on it while blackmailing you into sending them money.

2. Brazil: Brazil has earned the moniker “scam capital of the world.” It has been noted how Brazilian fraudsters disguise themselves as attractive women in order to persuade and deceive the unsuspecting and ignorant people who may fall prey to their scams.

It’s a pity that pickpocketing, which was more prevalent during the 2016 Olympics, has tarnished the country’s reputation. Express kidnappings have also been reported at foreign money exchange institutions.

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3. South-Africa: Scammers in this country had no choice but to go straight to the big fish – the financial system. According to data from the University of Johannesburg’s Centre for Cyber Security, banking-related frauds harmed South Africans the most in 2015.

Phishing, visiting phony financial websites, and receiving false SMS warnings of bank withdrawals or payments were all recorded in Gauteng province.

4. Romania: Despite its European privileges, Romania has been named among the top countries with the most fraudsters. When communism toppled, Romania descended into poverty and corruption. Over the years, Romania has earned a reputation for clever internet frauds.

Scammers have deceived unwary people via online dating, phishing, and the sale of non-existent things. Romanian internet con artists rob you using tried and reliable methods; they aren’t always on the A-list, but they always work.

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5. Venezuela: It is only logical for any random person to assume or infer that the vast examples of scamming ranging from online dating to bogus government bonds have occurred since the Venezuelan national economy collapsed into crisis. To illustrate the severity of the country’s economic downturn, the street value of greenbacks has risen to 7 times the government’s rate of VEF6.3 per dollar.

In 2016, consumer prices rose by 800 percent while the economy fell by 18.6%. This resulted in widespread unemployment and empty shelves at local stores. These factors, when combined with others, led to massive fraud schemes.

6. Indonesia: Scammers come from every corner of the globe, and Indonesia is no exception. Because of their sometimes-deplorable living conditions, some, but by no means all, of the women who live there will begin to con susceptible males.

Scammers in Indonesia are able to deceive individuals without their knowledge. Since the year 2000, the number of bank clients who have been defrauded by syndicates using illegally installed data-capture devices in bank machines has skyrocketed.

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7. Nigeria: Nigerians are becoming well-known for their participation in dating and romance frauds. By acting as possible mates, scammers prey on individuals searching for love connections, usually through dating websites, apps, or social media. To encourage individuals to donate money, gifts, or personal information, they utilize emotional manipulation. Nigeria uses a single deception tactic to fool the naive.

Some of us have likely seen this somewhere, whether in an email or on social media, where they will tell you an extravagant fake story about large sums of money in the banking system or a large inheritance that they are unable to access due to government restrictions or taxes in their country, and then they will ask for your bank account information so that they can transfer the funds to you.

8. India: The number of scams and fraudsters has increased to the point that it is virtually impossible to visit India without encountering at least one scam or someone attempting to swindle you. Given the population of the country, this is not surprising. One way taxi drivers swindle your money is by pretending they don’t know how to get to your hotel. They’ll offer to transport you to a more costly hotel.

Another con is importing gems duty-free, which is particularly prevalent in the Jaipur region. Tourists are contacted by a gem merchant who persuades them to purchase some worthless jewels. You’ll be instructed to bring them in under their duty-free allowance, then sell them to one of his fictional willing partners in their home nation for a considerably higher price than they paid.

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9. China: It should come as no surprise that the digital powerhouse country, China is also engaged in the internet fraud plan. The Chinese are great at this, and they’ve even defrauded the general people using technology. They deceive parents by convincing them that their child can get into college despite poor grades, for example. She declares, “I’m Your Husband’s Mistress.”

Another method is to contact the men’s spouses with a link to see images of herself (mistress) with her spouse, which the woman quickly click on, causing her phone to be infected with a Trojan virus, allowing them to collect passwords and photos that they use to blackmail the families.

Tourists are contacted by a gem merchant who persuades them to purchase some worthless jewels. You’ll be instructed to bring them in under their duty-free allowance, then sell them to one of his fictional willing partners in their home nation for a considerably higher price than they paid.

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10. Philippines: The Philippines, behind Ghana and Nigeria, is the most common source of dating or romance scams. Worst of all, they are actual people with genuine images and profiles. They merely want your support and will tell you anything to gain your money, but it’s always based largely on the truth, making it more difficult to detect.

The Philippines have perfected their deception strategy. They devised a new strategy that involves the employment of a well-known face. This new scam is one of the most common types of deception. Someone approaches you and claims you seem familiar, prompting them to give you a tour of the area before duping you out of your money.

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11. Mexico: In addition to the rise in recorded cases of online fraud, alarming trends are developing in unexpected directions. According to the trends, e-commerce fraud in Mexico is becoming more sophisticated. Online thieves and customers wanting to take advantage of merchants have reacted similarly as companies have stepped up their fraud protection defenses.

The banks that handle online payments are becoming more cautious when authorizing orders as a result of the intense pressure from fraud and the wide range of attack vectors.

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12. Russia: Despite its aggressiveness towards Ukraine, Russia remains one of the most corrupt countries in the world. The development of financial pyramid schemes is one of the most pervasive forms of financial market fraud.

In contrast to consumer and mortgage financing, these programs present themselves as alternatives. An iconic illustration of these pyramid scams is the MMM project.

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13. Hungary: When visiting from abroad, you should always take additional care to handle your money responsibly. In any other case, you risk falling victim to a trap and being made to pay dearly for this nation’s ostensibly kind hospitality.

A landline phone is often found in hotels in Hungary. This is the rationale used by con artists to phone hotel customers and ask for their credit card information. The somnambulant customer provides the information to the con artist posing as a receptionist. His funds could have vanished completely by the time he woke up.

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14. The USA: These frauds are attempts by con artists to persuade you to pay them money by creating an online friendship, romance, or business partnership, then taking advantage of that association to solicit money.

The most typical scam we come across is calls, texts, or messages sent over social media (Facebook, WhatsApp, Viber, Kik, dating apps, etc.) from someone posing as an old friend. The majority of these con artists have, however, relocated to the cryptocurrency industry, where they are now defrauding large numbers of individuals. Fortunately, you can check the criminal records of a person using online tools like Infromation.com if you suspect of scam and stay safe.

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15. Malaysia: More Malaysians are using internet services for banking, investing, and conducting business with government agencies, which makes it simpler for con artists to swiftly access victims’ accounts and vanish with the money before being caught. Being the intended victim makes it difficult to recognize a scammer since they are so skilled at deceiving others.

The Covid-19 outbreak resulted in a sharp rise in internet fraud in Malaysia. 68% of all scams were committed online, with e-commerce frauds coming in second place. Scams involving loans, investments, and jobs are among the other categories.

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16. Ghana: This is one of the African countries that has become a hub for internet scamming in the world today. It has a large population of young people who are well-versed in technology. So, they use their knowledge to carry out different forms of scams such as: romance scams, employment scams, and lottery scams.

However, these scammers in Ghana have been popular for creating fake profiles on dating sites and platforms for social media in order to lure unsuspecting victims. As at 2024, it is reported that Ghana has the second-highest number of dating scammers in Africa and the sixth-highest number all over the world. Most recently, the nation has been the victim of over 530 cases of romance fraud. This has cost the economy a staggering $10 million.

17. Kenya: Today, kenya country is a significant tech hub in Africa. So, it has lots of internet scammers. As at 2023, the startups of Kenya (in 24 deals) raised about $350 million from Venture Capitalists. So, this makes it the most funded country among other three countries (Ghana, Nigeria, and South Africa) in terms of the value of investment.

However, Nigeria (which is the most populous nation in Africa) only surpassed Kenya regarding the number of deals done, 46, but trails in the worth of those deals is $160 million. So, an increase in the activity of startup investment indicates a vibrant ecosystem. But the positivity is tainted by the corresponding increase in the attempts of fraud. As at 2023, it is reported by Smile ID data that the attempts of fraud in Kenya jumped by 7% from about 10% to 17%.

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18. Morocco: Today, this country is the fifteenth richest country in Africa but has taken over £295,470 out of love-seekers pockets. This totals to an average loss of £949 per victim.

However, Morocco is responsible for the fourth highest number of dating scam cases in Africa.

Morocco is among the best countries for visitors and tourists but there are some concerns that these visitors or tourists to Morocco should be aware of. These concerns include the possibility of being duped or scammed by locals in the country. Today, some of these scammers in Morocco include: Henna Women, The human Google Maps, Taxi Drivers/ Scammers, Pricey Camel Rides, Fake Fossils and Minerals, Photoshoot Sessions, Fake meal prices among others.

19. Ukraine: As at 2023, this country has been linked to internet scamming. It has a large population of skilled hackers who are capable of carrying out sophisticated attacks of cyber.

Scammers in Ukraine are popular for carrying out different forms of scams such as: credit card scams and phishing scams.
These scammers seek to obtain money and personal details for supposedly legal services, but they want to receive benefits from the United Nations fraudulently.
So, the citizens, aid organizations, civil society organization and volunteer groups in Ukraine have been warned about these fraudulent activities and have been strongly recommended not to provide any personal details nor pay any fee for any unlawful organization. So, they have to be so careful.

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Conclusion

It is obvious that the majority of persons that engage in the business of defrauding others come from nations that are experiencing economic difficulties. People who are short on cash regularly turn to illicit methods of generating money. However, you should be aware that rushing is a waste of time and might lead to issues.

People employ new strategies to carry out fraudulent scams as the world expands or changes rapidly. Scamming has become a global problem in recent years. Scamming has grown into a multibillion-dollar industry as the E-Commerce sector has progressed. People are sending money through the Internet rather than giving it over.

Edeh Samuel Chukwuemeka ACMC

Edeh Samuel Chukwuemeka, ACMC, is a lawyer and a certified mediator/conciliator in Nigeria. He is also a developer with knowledge in various programming languages. Samuel is determined to leverage his skills in technology, SEO, and legal practice to revolutionize the legal profession worldwide by creating web and mobile applications that simplify legal research. Sam is also passionate about educating and providing valuable information to people.