2007年VOA标准英语-Nigerian Police Clamp Down on Fraud Scam

By Gilbert da Costa
Abuja
06 September 2007

Nigeria's anti-fraud police, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, says it has intercepted¹ more than 15,000 fake checks in a covert² operation at the main mail sorting center in Lagos. For VOA, Gilbert da Costa in Abuja reports that U.S and British investigators³ were involved in the month-long crackdown.

 

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission says more than half of the 15,000 fake checks were drawn⁴ for sums in the region of $146 million, 200 million Euros, more than two million British pounds and $120,000 (Canadian).

 

The EFCC says U.S. and British security officials were involved in the screening of tons of outward bound mail in search of fraudulent documents sent by Nigerian conmen.

 

Commission spokesman Osita Nwajah says the crackdown was a huge success and the partnership⁵ with Western law enforcement agencies will continue.

 

"This is just one level of co-operation we have with major law enforcement agencies around the world. We have been partnering with them on money laundering⁶ issues, on cyber crimes; the regular 419 issues, terrorism financing," he said. "And so this is just one layer of co-operation and this particular one will continue."

 

The so-called 419 fraudsters, named after the relevant section of Nigeria's criminal law, send people e-mails seeking to trick them into handing over bank details or making advance payments for non-existent money-making schemes.

 

Nwajah says the EFCC, which was created in 2003 has made the country very uncomfortable for conmen, who are now shifting operations to neighboring countries.

 

"One of the challenges is that some of these people have fled the physical space of Nigeria," added Nwajah. "You now find them in neighboring countries that do not have a strict regime, as we have in Nigeria, of enforcement. So, there is this tendency for them [fraudsters] to settle in. We are pursuing them across the border by co-operating with law enforcement agencies in neighboring West African states."

 

President Umaru Yar'Adua who took power in April has pledged to clean up the reputation of Africa's largest democracy, which is tarnished⁷ by endemic corruption⁸ and fraud.

1 intercepted   

拦截( intercept的过去式和过去分词 )； 截住； 截击； 拦阻

参考例句：

• Reporters intercepted him as he tried to leave the hotel. 他正要离开旅馆，记者们把他拦截住了。
• Reporters intercepted him as he tried to leave by the rear entrance. 他想从后门溜走，记者把他截住了。

2 covert   

adj.隐藏的；暗地里的

参考例句：

• We should learn to fight with enemy in an overt and covert way.我们应学会同敌人做公开和隐蔽的斗争。
• The army carried out covert surveillance of the building for several months.军队对这座建筑物进行了数月的秘密监视。

3 investigators   

n.调查者，审查者( investigator的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• This memo could be the smoking gun that investigators have been looking for. 这份备忘录可能是调查人员一直在寻找的证据。
• The team consisted of six investigators and two secretaries. 这个团队由六个调查人员和两个秘书组成。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 drawn   

v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的

参考例句：

• All the characters in the story are drawn from life.故事中的所有人物都取材于生活。
• Her gaze was drawn irresistibly to the scene outside.她的目光禁不住被外面的风景所吸引。

5 partnership   

n.合作关系，伙伴关系

参考例句：

• The company has gone into partnership with Swiss Bank Corporation.这家公司已经和瑞士银行公司建立合作关系。
• Martin has taken him into general partnership in his company.马丁已让他成为公司的普通合伙人。

6 laundering   

n.洗涤（衣等），洗烫（衣等）；洗（钱）v.洗（衣服等），洗烫（衣服等）( launder的现在分词 )；洗（黑钱）（把非法收入改头换面，变为貌似合法的收入）

参考例句：

• Separate the white clothes from the dark clothes before laundering. 洗衣前应当把浅色衣服和深色衣服分开。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He was charged with laundering money. 他被指控洗钱。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 tarnished   

（通常指金属）（使）失去光泽，（使）变灰暗( tarnish的过去式和过去分词 )； 玷污，败坏

参考例句：

• The mirrors had tarnished with age. 这些镜子因年深日久而照影不清楚。
• His bad behaviour has tarnished the good name of the school. 他行为不轨，败坏了学校的声誉。

8 corruption   

n.腐败，堕落，贪污

参考例句：

• The people asked the government to hit out against corruption and theft.人民要求政府严惩贪污盗窃。
• The old man reviled against corruption.那老人痛斥了贪污舞弊。