{"product_id":"the-yahoo-boys-love-deception","title":"The Yahoo Boys: Love, Deception, and the Real Lives of Nigeria's Romance Scammers - Hardcover","description":"\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: right;\"\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/reportcopyrightinfringement.com\/\" rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eReport copyright infringement\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eCarlos Barragán\u003c\/b\u003e (Author)\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eA \u003ci\u003eNew York Times \u003c\/i\u003eMost Anticipated Nonfiction Book of 2026 - \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003eNamed a Most Anticipated Summer Read by \u003ci\u003eUSA Today \u003c\/i\u003eand \u003ci\u003ePeople\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e\"What [Barragán has] produced feels miraculous: journalism that is simultaneously funny, devastating, wildly intimate, and righteous without veering into moralism.\" --Kate Knibbs, \u003ci\u003eWired \u003c\/i\u003e(Book Club Pick) \u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e\"I have found few books lately as immediately compelling as Barragán's, and as a reader, I could not put it down . . . \u003ci\u003eThe Yahoo Boys\u003c\/i\u003e is a tour-de-force.\" --Jon Lee Anderson\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAn astonishing work of immersion journalism about four young romance scammers in Lagos, Nigeria, exploring how and why they scam, and the moral dilemmas they face \u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eWhen journalist Carlos Barragán discovered that his mother was exchanging messages with a supposed American soldier promising to send gold bars to her apartment in Madrid, online romance fraud stopped being an abstract crime. It became painfully personal.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAfter tracing the messages to Nigeria, Barragán traveled to Lagos hoping to find the person behind the deception. Instead, he encountered a much larger underground economy populated by young men who call themselves “Yahoo Boys”—romance scammers who create false identities, cultivate emotional relationships online, and manipulate victims living thousands of miles away.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThrough immersive reporting, Barragán follows four young men navigating temptation, poverty, ambition, guilt, and the promise of fast money. Their stories reveal both the deliberate cruelty of romance fraud and the economic desperation, social pressures, and moral compromises that allow the practice to grow.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eKEY FEATURES\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eImmersive investigative journalism\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eExamines online romance fraud from inside Lagos\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eFollows four young men involved in scamming\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eExplores the emotional and financial harm experienced by victims\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eInvestigates the economic pressures surrounding cybercrime\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eExamines guilt, ambition, poverty, and moral responsibility\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eConnects loneliness in wealthier countries with inequality in Nigeria\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eWritten by journalist Carlos Barragán\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eHardcover edition\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eTHE PEOPLE AT THE CENTER\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eBiggy—struggling with the seduction of quick money\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eChibuike—navigating ambition, temptation, and consequence\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAzeez—a tailor’s apprentice caught between economic hardship and crime\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eRichie—haunted by the possible consequences of a long-running deception\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eVictims seeking love, companionship, and genuine human connection\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eFamilies and communities affected by the economy surrounding online fraud\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eTHEMES \u0026amp; SUBJECTS\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eRomance scams and online impersonation\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eEmotional manipulation and financial fraud\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003ePoverty, unemployment, and economic inequality\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eLoneliness and digital relationships\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eCybercrime as a local underground economy\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eMasculinity, status, and social pressure\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eGuilt, addiction, and personal responsibility\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe moral limits of empathy\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eLife in contemporary Lagos\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eABOUT THE AUTHOR\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eCarlos Barragán is a reporter and researcher for The New York Times based in Madrid. He previously worked as a reporter for El Confidencial and earned an MFA in nonfiction writing from Columbia University. The Yahoo Boys is his first book.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003ePLEASE NOTE\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThis book discusses online fraud, emotional manipulation, financial loss, drug use, poverty, and death.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe reporting focuses on specific individuals and a particular criminal subculture; it should not be interpreted as representative of Nigerians or Nigerian communities generally.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eEconomic hardship provides important context but does not excuse fraud or the harm inflicted upon victims.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThis book examines criminal methods for journalistic and educational purposes and is not an instructional guide.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eCover artwork and publisher markings may vary by edition.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eProduct colors may appear slightly different due to lighting and screen settings.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eReview the available edition and condition information before ordering.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eWHY YOU’LL WANT TO READ IT\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe Yahoo Boys moves beyond anonymous profiles and stolen photographs to examine the people on both sides of the screen. Empathetic without excusing the crime, Barragán’s investigation reveals how loneliness, inequality, technology, and human longing can become entangled in a global economy of deception.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003ePRODUCT TYPE\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eHardcover Investigative-Journalism and True-Crime Books\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 304\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 1.2 x 8.3 x 5.6 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e June 09, 2026\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"BooksCloud","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":53245614326071,"sku":"9780374609306","price":36.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0858\/0612\/1271\/files\/IWIvjxCvRQ9780374609306.webp?v=1791895079","url":"https:\/\/urbanoverlooked.com\/products\/the-yahoo-boys-love-deception","provider":"Urban Overlooked","version":"1.0","type":"link"}