A new book is pulling back the curtain on how online romance scams actually operate, after journalist and researcher Carlos Barragán spent time embedded with a group of young scammers in Lagos, Nigeria. The result, described as both darkly funny and deeply unsettling, traces how the internet has become fertile ground for elaborate heartbreak schemes.
Living Among The Scammers
Barragán, who works as a reporter and researcher for The New York Times based in Madrid, traveled to Lagos to embed himself directly with a group of young, desperate grifters running online romance scams. His firsthand account captures the day-to-day reality of the scam operations, from the emotional manipulation involved to the financial desperation driving the young men who run them.
From Newsroom To First Book
Before joining The New York Times, Barragán worked as a reporter at El Confidencial. He later earned an MFA in nonfiction writing from Columbia University. The resulting book, titled The Yahoo Boys, a reference to the term used for the young online scammers, marks his first published book.
A Live Discussion With Readers
To mark the book's release, a live question and answer session has been scheduled for July 16 at 12pm ET / 9am PT, where readers can put their questions to Barragán directly. Ahead of the event, readers are being invited to submit their questions in the comments section, with the discussion set to be moderated by journalist Kate Knibbs, who covers prediction markets, the future of media, and how artificial intelligence is reshaping the internet, and who also leads a recurring book discussion series.
The session will be streamed live, with a replay made available afterward for those unable to attend in person.
