The Nigerian government and Microsoft signed an agreement Friday calling for the software giant to help law enforcement break up crime rings that use the Internet for fraud and theft. It"s the first-ever agreement Microsoft has signed with an African country to aid law enforcement efforts, said Neil Holloway, Microsoft"s president for Europe, Middle East, and Africa. Holloway spoke with Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, executive chairman of Nigeria"s Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), and Ambassador M.K. Ndanusa at the Nigerian High Commission in London.
Scams originating in Nigeria such as those called "419," which often seek to coax gullible e-mail users into revealing sensitive financial data, have done "unquestionable damage to our country"s image," Ribadu said. The EFCC was created two years ago to address Internet crime, money laundering, and corruption.