Remember Joel, the Liberian scammer-turned-photographer? Well, it’s happened again. This time, Adam Grumbo, a Texas-based photographer, was contacted by a “hot American girl from Denver” who turned out to be a Nigerian named Tobi. Grumbo, who is also a professional photographer and was inspired by the “By D Grace of God” story that played out on YouTube a couple of months back, decided to turn the tables on Tobi.
Grumbo assigned Tobi to shoot photos and videos of the food, marketplace, other homes and his village, and wired him $100 on spec, disregarding warnings.
“Immediately, he starts sending me dozens and dozens of pictures, of his house, outside of his house, his neighborhood,” says Grumbo. “When I talked to him again, I said, ‘Tobi, let’s do this: I’ll send you $100 via Moneygram for you to go to the local market and take pictures of the food and the people.”
Grumbo also told Tobi to buy some food for his favorite meal and shoot a video of him preparing the food. “I’ll share it with my friends and see what they think.” The next day, Grumbo woke to find “amazing photos and videos from Tobi.” In an introductory video, Tobi described how they have different ways of eating, working, and living, from how people live in the United States. “Some of this stuff is absolutely fascinating” Grumbo exhuded. “The food, the marketplace—it’s crazy!”
Grumbo set up a Gofundme page which has raised over $1,600 to hire Tobi for freelance photography and video gigs documenting daily life in Nigeria, and to buy a generator. Donations will also cover the cost of his data service since he has no WiFi or Internet in his village.
“No matter how you slice it, me and most of the people watching this video are much more fortunate than [Tobi] is. I have to give him the benefit of the doubt. If you listen to him he says that if you’re patient, God will provide. Whether or not he truly believes that, our paths did cross, and I’m going to try to help in any way that I can because that’s what people do for each other.”
For his part, Tobi spoke of plans to find work when he completes school, where he’s studying electronics, and believes a divine hand is at play. “I believe God knows me better than I do and has big plans for me,” he concludes. “I have to keep praying for better things. As of two weeks ago, I never thought I’d be in this position, sharing videos with Americans. It’s a very big privilege for me.”
Bottom line? If you get a suspicious email from a Nigerian prince, perhaps there’s a great photographer and humanitarian story lurking behind the scam.
Watch the complete video:
This is Tobi’s thank-you video.
