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We have discussed Tips and Tricks in last few
issues. Let us examine the dark side of Internet
scams in this issue.
What happens if someone offers
you US Dollar 5 million free ? All you need to
do is to forward your bank details to a civil
servant or descendant of a presidential/royal
family so that a huge unaccounted sum lying in
govt exchequer / bank vault can be deposited in
your bank account. You get a cut of 5 million
dollars just for allowing these guys to make use
of your bank account.
It sounds crazy and perhaps 99%
people, when presented with the offer, will laugh
away or remark “hey ! one more trickster’. However,
there is 1% who doesn’t think so. So, watch out
!
What
is Nigerian Scam ?
A Five Billion US$ (as of 1996,
much more now) worldwide Scam which has run since
the early 1980's under successive governments
of Nigeria. It is also referred to as "Advance
Fee Fraud", "419 Fraud" (Four-One-Nine) after
the relevant section of the Criminal Code of Nigeria,
and "The Nigerian Connection" (mostly in Europe).
However, it is usually called plain old "419"
even by the Nigerians themselves. The Nigerian
Scam is, according to published reports, the third
to fifth largest industry in Nigeria.
How
Does the Scam Operate ?
The beginning of the scam is an
e-mail, fax or letter. The target receives an
unsolicited fax, email, or letter from Nigeria
containing either a money laundering or other
illegal proposal OR may receive a legal and legitimate
business proposal by normal means. Common variations
of the scam include "over invoiced" or "double
invoiced" oil or other supply and service contracts
where the Nigerian operators want to get the overage
out of Nigeria; crude oil and other commodity
deals; a "bequest" left in a will etc ..the variations
are very creative and virtually endless. You will
be asked to forward your bank details and office
stationery to the contact in Nigeria for preparing
the legal documents for money transfer.
Sweeten
the Deal... Slowly
Once the gullible falls for the
story, correspondence starts and an impression
is created that everything is in order and the
target is about to pocket his lifetime deal. The
goal of the scam artist is to delude the victim
into thinking that he or she has been singled
out to participate in a very lucrative although
questionable -- arrangement. The intended victim
is reassured of the authenticity of the arrangement
by forged or false documents bearing apparently
official Nigerian government letterhead, seals,
as well as false letters of credit, payment schedules
and bank drafts. The scam artist may even establish
the credibility of his contacts, and thereby his
influence, by arranging a meeting between the
victim and "government officials" in real or fake
government offices.
The
Screw Tightens !
Then suddenly the victim is asked
to pay up front an Advance Fee of some sort, be
it an "Advance Fee", "Transfer Tax", "Performance
Bond", or to extend credit, grant COD privileges,
whatever. If the victim pays the Fee, there are
many "Complications" which require still more
advance payments until the victim either quits,
runs out of money, or both. If the victim extends
credit etc. he may also pay such fees ("nerfund"
etc.), and then he is stiffed with NO Effective
Recourse.
Finance
risk extends to Life Risk
If it goes still further and they
get you over to Nigeria (or wherever), you are
in serious danger that may even be fatal. Many
Americans and Europeans are said to have ‘disappeared’
once in Nigeria. Victims are almost always requested
to travel to Nigeria or a border country to complete
a transaction. Victims are often told that a visa
will not be necessary to enter the country. The
Nigerian scam artists may then bribe airport officials
to pass the victims through Immigration and Customs.
Because it is a serious offense in Nigeria to
enter without a valid visa, the victim's illegal
entry may be used by the scam artists as leverage
to coerce the victims into releasing funds. Violence
and threats of physical harm may be employed to
further pressure victims. In June of 1995, an
American was murdered in Lagos, Nigeria, while
pursuing a 4-1-9 scam, and numerous other foreign
nationals have been reported as missing.
Conclusion
Avoid these scams like the plague!
Don't let promises of large amounts impair your
judgment. If you are already a victim or looking
for legal remedies, check the websites listed
below. It contains information on whom to contact
for reporting the scam and lots more.
More
Information
Nigeria - The 419 Coalition - dedicated
to exposing a worldwide scam which has run for
the last ten years under successive governments
of Nigeria. http://home.rica.net/alphae/419coal/
Scam o Rama: featuring The Lads
From Lagos http://www.smokefreeworld.com/lads/scam.shtml
A free award winning e-zine: Internet
ScamBusters Internet ScamBusters is an award winning
free electronic newsletter (e-zine) to help people
protect themselves from Internet scams, misinformation...
http://www.scambusters.com/.
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