Nigerian Scams - 419 Scam Information
Nigerian, or "419", scams are one of the most common types of fraudulent email currently hitting inboxes. Nigerian scam messages can also arrive via fax or letter.
The messages generally claim that your help is needed to access a large sum of money, usually many millions of dollars. In fact, this money does not exist. The messages are an opening gambit designed to draw potential victims deeper into the scam. Those who initiate a dialogue with the scammers by replying to a Nigerian scam message will eventually be asked for advance fees supposedly required to allow the deal to proceed. They may also become the victims of identity theft.
Nigerian Scam Resources
Nigerian Scam Examples
How Nigerian Loan Scams Work
The so-called "Nigerian scam" is one of the longest running that
I know about. In fact, it predates the Internet and email. The
scams are also known as "419 scams" after the appropriate part of
the Nigerian criminal code. The scammers still use surface mail
and faxes as well as email. There are a great many versions of
this scam. Although many originate out of Nigeria, hence the
generic term "Nigerian scam", it is certainly not only Nigerian
based criminals that send them. In spite of the longevity of
this type of scam and the large amounts of publicity that it has
received, many people around the world are still being conned out
of substantial sums of money. I regularly receive enquiries from
Internet users who have received Nigerian scam emails and do not
know what they are about.
Basically, the scam works like this. You receive an unsolicited
message that masquerades as some manner of business proposition,
request for assistance, notice of a potential inheritance, or
opportunity to help a charity. In fact, there is a seemingly
endless array of cover stories that the scammers use in order to
draw potential victims into the con. In spite of this diversity,
virtually all of the scam messages share a common theme. The
messages all claim that your help is needed to access a large sum
of money, usually many millions of dollars.
The scammers use a variety of stories to explain why they need
your help to access the funds.
For example:
- They may claim that political climate or legal issues
preclude them from accessing funds in a foreign bank account.
- They may claim that your last name is the same as that of the
deceased person who owned the account and suggest that you act as
the Next of Kin of this person in order to gain access to the
funds.
- They may claim that a rich businessman, who has a terminal
illness, needs your help to distribute his wealth to charity.
The messages offer to let you keep a significant percentage of
the funds in question in exchange for your assistance. This
percentage is the bait that the scammers use to entice potential
victims deeper into the scam. Once a recipient has taken the bait,
and initiated a dialogue with the scammers, he or she will soon
receive requests for "fees" that the scammer claims are necessary
for processing costs, tax and legal fees, or bribes to local
officials.
The scammers will warn the victim that these advance fees need to
be paid before the funds can be procured. In reality, the
supposed funds do not exist. The major purpose of these scam
messages is to trick recipients into parting with their money in
the form of these advance fees. Fraudulent requests for fees will
usually continue until the victim realizes he or she is being
conned and stops sending money. In some cases, the scammers gain
enough information to access the victim's bank account directly
or steal the victim's identity.
What To Do If You Receive a Nigerian Scam Message
If you receive one of these scam emails, it is important that you do not respond to it in any way.
The scammers are likely to act upon any response from those they see as potential victims. Although it can be educational and even entertaining to "bait" these scammers, such endeavours should only be attempted under controlled conditions. The people who run these scams are criminals and could even resort to violence and intimidation to meet their aims. Before you delete the message, you might like to report the scam by forwarding the email to the address supplied on the
FraudWatch International website.
What To Do If You Have Submitted Information to Nigerian Scammers
If you have supplied banking details, a large amount of personal information, and copies of your driver's licence and passport to the scammers, then you may become a victim of identity theft. For details on what to do, read the
information about identity theft published by the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC).
What To Do If You Have Already Given Money To Nigerian Scammers
Unfortunately, there is probably very little you can do to recover any money you have already supplied. However, you should inform your local law enforcement agency as soon as possible. Also, take steps to protect your identity by accessing
information about identity theft published by the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC).
Other Websites That Focus on Nigerian Scams
