January 1996 Abidjan, Ivory Coast Walking to my hotel room, I ran into a young African fellow who was staying a couple doors down from me. We exchanged pleasantries - his name was Frank; native of Liberia, Frank was passing through Abidjan on business. As he seemed like a friendly fellow, I told him maybe we could get together for a drink in the next evening or two. He smiled and nodded his head.

The following night, I heard a knock on the door. It was Frank, my neighbor down the hallway. He asked me if I wanted to join him and a friend for a drink in the hotel’s cocktail bar. He hinted that his friend, who was an officer in Nigerian Army, had a little business proposition for me. As I had nothing better to do, I told him – OK, Why not? but a little voice in my head said, “be careful about this business thing”. Following Frank downstairs to the cocktail bar, we were joined shortly by a very stout, husky and dark gentleman dressed in khaki attire. He had a very dangerous and ominous look about him. Putting aside my apprehension about the situation, we sat down at table and ordered a round of Guinness.

We engaged in a little chitchat before the army officer artfully segued into the business proposition. In a hushed voice, he told me that he had a substantial amount of monies in Nigeria that he was trying to get out of the country, and he was looking for someone from the US or Europe to place the monies into their bank account in return for a healthy cut of the action. Sound familiar? While listening to him, the little voice in my head was cautioning me that this guy is up to no good-be careful! Instead of saying NO, I hesitated and said I have to think about it. He asked me if he could call or write me about this matter? Being polite, I gave him my business card. Of course, there was no way I would fall for this scam. I think he knew that I was on to his little Nigerian two-step, as I never heard from him again.

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