What makes Nigerian scammers skilled at impersonating people? Is their success a result of intelligence or other factors?

Little does it matter that their grammar is far from perfect. These words in themselves are sufficient to activate a frame of idealized romantic love, a beautiful tapestry of lies, which is exactly what their victims yearn for, and which is nothing more than a commercial transaction in disguise.

This narrative is an attractive web of words with terms such as honor, love, and cherish. It also includes trust and a forever relationship filled with intimate moments, long walks on the beach, and moonlight strolls. The fraudsters call the victim their beautiful angel, my queen, beloved princess, and darling wife. They claim that destiny brought them together as they make tender promises of marriage that they do not plan to keep.

Their relative success, despite their lack of skill, can only mean that their victims do not wish to see. Victims ignore the red flags and willingly enter a state of suspended disbelief, which allows them to enjoy the fraudster’s fictional narrative and accept it as plausible.

Ive been pretending to be okay and acting as normal as possible, but Im actually completely heartbroken after a recent breakup. Its painful and really affecting me, to the point where I cant concentrate at work, Ive lost my appetite, I cant sleep, and It feels as if my whole world has been turned upside down. I loved him so much. He said so many cruel things to me and it made me realize he must not have loved me the way I loved him, or he wouldnt have said such horrible things. How do I handle the heartbreak and why cant I accept that he didnt love me and just forget about him?

In my opinion, Nigerian scammers are not skilled at impersonating people. I have a long list of reasons why, ranging from their utter lack of world knowledge and cultural information to their texts in English that make grammar books weep. But in the end, nothing of this really matters. The undeniable truth is that they impersonate doctors, generals, oilriggers, and celebrities, and manage to get away with it… as they laugh all the way to the bank.