Social Engineering as a Tool for Warfare

A Look at the 2022 Dollar Bill Rejection Hoax in Nigeria

Abstract

In November, 2022, a blog went viral in Nigeria which claimed the United States of America was going to reject Dollar bills printed before the year 2021 as a means of curbing corruption in African countries where criminals and corrupt politician hoard the currency. It turned out to be a false tale, but had resulted in a brief reduction in the exchange rate of the United States Dollar to the Nigerian Naira. This illustrated how fake news could influence events and attitudes in a country, in this case, there was an economic impact (positive for the country); however, other social engineering techniques have been used to manipulate citizenry of countries in recent times, like suspected Russian interference in the United States Presidential elections in 2016 which swayed public opinion in favor Donald Trump and his emergence as president. Social engineering can be managed and controlled by way of awareness training and programs.