What do readers think of The Yahoo Boys by Carlos Barragán? Write your own review.

I had a special interest in The Yahoo Boys, a nonfiction book about romance scams. My mother was the victim of one and lost thousands. As the book states at one point, white men pay fast, but white women pay long. And she did. The scam continued for years and no amount of talking to her could convince her that “Lonnie” wasn’t real.

Carlos Barragan became interested in the Nigerian romance scam industry after his own mother fell victim. As a journalist, he decided to investigate and ended up spending a year in Lagos. He spent time with four different scammers, young men able to pretend to be either sex and string multiple people along at a time. He does a good job of delving deep into their lives and what propelled them to take up scams as a “job”. He explains the economy of Nigeria, especially the ferocious inflation that makes most jobs too low paying to afford essentials.

Barragan definitely feels a sense of compassion for these young men. And I might have, too, if they were maybe helping their families and not wasting the money on liquor, drugs, hotels and jewelry. Plus, I know first hand the anguish of families dealing with someone giving their money to these criminals. But Barragan also gave the most complete and understandable explanation of why the victims fall for the stories and often hang in even when they have to know in their hearts that they’re being scammed. It’s a testament to the loneliness created by today’s society, which was exasperated by Covid.

Be aware this is a look at just one small component to the romance scam field. Barragan says it’s not an attempt to be an academic study. His efforts were limited due to funding.
I listened to this. Nathan Luwa was just an ok narrator.