Misleading Claims About Nigerian Scammer Targeting Trump

• Recent social media posts falsely claim Donald Trump was scammed.
• The actual victim was a donor to Trump’s Inaugural Committee.
• A Nigerian scammer impersonated committee officials to execute the scheme.
• Official records confirm the fraud amounted to over $250,000 in cryptocurrency.
• The FBI is actively investigating a suspect associated with the scam.

False Claims About Trump Being Scammed

Posts circulating on social media and Nigerian news sites have suggested that a Nigerian fraudster, often referred to as a ‘Yahoo boy’, scammed United States President Donald Trump out of a staggering $250,000. However, it turns out this claim is not accurate; the money was actually lost by a donor who intended to contribute to the Trump-Vance Inaugural Committee, having fallen victim to a scammer whose trail leads back to Nigeria. On July 4, 2025, a post on X from an account named “Shola”, which labels itself as a life coach and boasts over 373,000 followers, states, “A Yahoo boy scammed a whole Donald Trump, the President of US 250,000 dollars. Some of you are really audacious”.

Public Reaction and Misinterpretation

The term ‘Yahoo boy’ refers to internet fraud in Nigeria and, while these posts have caught the attention of many, they are misleading. The post has been shared over 3,000 times, garnering comments that illustrate the general disbelief and bemusement surrounding the claim. For example, one commenter remarked, “Scammed a whole Donald Trump? Bro playing fraud on Hall of Fame difficulty.” This reflects a culture of cynicism, as many are skeptical about the audacity of such scams, even if they don’t quite grasp the full truth behind the situation. The spread of these funny yet factually incorrect statements ends up misleading the public and promoting sensationalism.

Details of the Cryptocurrency Scam

A deeper dive into the claim reveals that official documents from the United States Department of Justice confirm the existence of a crypto scam involving more than $250,000, but Donald Trump himself was not the direct target of this fraudulent activity. Instead, the funds were misappropriated from a donor contributing to the Trump-Vance Inaugural Committee, who was tricked by scammers impersonating committee officials. The perpetrators would send emails from a domain designed to mimic the official communication addresses, which caused significant confusion; merging an “L” in the wrong place to masquerade as a legitimate account. This manipulation allowed the fraudsters to solicit vast amounts of cryptocurrency, with funds rapidly siphoned through various wallets, including one tied to a Nigerian user named Ehiremen Aigbokhan.

In summary, while sensational posts about a Nigerian scammer conning Trump may capture attention, the facts reveal that the scam primarily affected a donor associated with the inaugural committee. Misleading narratives can spread quickly on social media, where humor often masks the underlying truths. Authorities are now pursuing the suspect linked to this fraud, illustrating the ongoing challenges of cybercrime in today’s digital age.