Scamming, Yahoo Yahoo, online fraud, whatever it’s been called has been the norm in our society today, a lot of scandalous activities occur on a daily basis, which affects the tech ecosystem in many countries, Nigeria as a case study.
Although it is common in every country, the level of growth witnessed in the Nigerian scamming community is alarming, and it continues to grow as the day goes by. A few days ago, a popular Nigerian celebrity was arrested in a foreign country for internet fraud worth $35million and is currently facing trial.
That is just one out of numerous scammers online, the truth is that due to the actions of a few fraudsters, the overall image of Nigerians operating as freelancers trying to earn a legitimate income has been tarnished. Most foreign investors and companies are now reluctant to work with citizens from Nigeria. 

Online Fraud Impact of Online Scamming on Technology ecosystem

Technology continues to advance and the resources needed to build a skill are readily available for anyone to gain tech skills in no time. Some use these tools to build systems solving real-world problems while others exploit the knowledge and use it to defraud others of their resources. Here are some of the negative impacts of online scamming on the technology Ecosystem in Nigeria.

1. Loss of trust from foreign companies/clients

 If you’re a web developer or you offer any tech-related services you’d notice the decline in trust from foreign companies. Some would rather work with a less qualified candidate than with a country with a tarnished image such as Nigeria.

2. Encouraging Laziness

Seeing how successful scammers are, it will raise some kind of motivation on the minds of youths starting out, making them believe that’s the best and quickest way to become successful online. That’s a wrong notion, but we cannot really control what others think, and I bet some are still considering joining the fraudsters despite the fact they know they’ll still be caught one day.

3. Difficulty in securing Gigs as a freelancer

Working as a freelancer is challenging as it is, coupled with the fact that you’ll have to explain rigorously to most foreign employers before you can secure a gig. No wonder most freelancers from this part of the world make use of a Virtual Private Network (VPN) to hide their original location. Not for any reason, but because of the stigma caused by online scammers.

Conclusion

The list goes on and on, if we continue listing out the negative impacts of online scamming on a country’s tech Ecosystem, we will have to turn this post into a series. Point being that the impacts are numerous and affect heavily. There are a lot of ways to make money both online and offline without having to defraud others of their money. Most of these scammers are skilled software guys, that can channel their pain and skills in technology to building applications that solve human problems as opposed to creating a problem.