Hustlers' Schools and Scammers in Nigeria and Ghana: An Examination of Cybercrime and Informal Education, 2015-2024
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.63084/cognexus.v2i2.200Keywords:
Cybercrime, Hustlers' Schools, Scammers, Nigeria, Ghana, Online FraudAbstract
This study investigated the nexus between hustlers' schools and scammers in Nigeria and Ghana from 2015 to 2024. The research explores how informal education systems, known as hustlers' schools, cultivate cybercrime skills, perpetuating online fraud and scams. The research employed a qualitative method, Interviews with former scammers, hustlers' school instructors, and law enforcement officials and online ethnography and social media analysis. The paper identified that hustlers' schools teach advanced cybercrime techniques and that informal education networks perpetuate cybercrime culture that normalizes illicit activities. It further revealed that economic hardship, unemployment and social pressure drive youths into scamming. This research exposes the alarming relationship between hustlers' schools and cybercrime in Nigeria and Ghana. The study highlights the need for enhanced cybersecurity measures targeted at addressing economic drivers of scamming and collaborative law enforcement efforts and that alternative education programs promoting digital literacy and ethics should be constitutionalized. The paper finally recommends that policy reforms addressing cybercrime and online fraud should be taken seriously at all levels of government while Research on effective rehabilitation programs for former scammers should be encouraged.
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