The Nigerian Advance Fee Scam had been existed around
for quite a while, but despite many warnings it continues to draw
in many victims. In fact, the Financial Crimes Division of the Secret
Service receives about 100 telephone calls from victims/potential
victims and 300-500 letter pieces of related correspondence per
day about this 419 scam! 
Indications are that the advance fee fraud grabs
hundreds of millions of dollars yearly and the losses are continuing
to escalate.
The Nigerian Advance Fee Scheme also known as "4-1-9"
(scam) fraud after the section of the Nigerian penal code which
addresses fraud schemes is usually targeted at small and the medium
sized businesses, plus charities. This global scam (lately it is
seen in Russia, Southeast Asia, Australia, and New Zealand, also
in the US), which involves the receipt of an unwelcome letter claiming
to come from somebody who claims to work for the Nigerian Central
Bank or from the Nigerian government. The Central Bank of Nigeria
actually denies all connection to those who promote this spam scheme.
In the letter, a Nigerian claiming to be a senior
civil servant would inform the recipient that he is seeking a honest
foreign company into whose account he could deposit funds ranging
from $10-$60 million which the Nigerian government actually overpaid
on some procurement contract.
The goal of the 419
scammers is to delude the victim into thinking that he or she
has been singled out to take part in a very lucrative, although
questionable, arrangement. The intended victim is reassured of the
genuineness of the arrangement by fake or false documents manner
in fact official Nigerian government letterhead, seals, with false
letters of credit, payments schedules and the bank drafts. The 419
Scam mail senders might even establish the credibility of his contacts,
and thereby his influence, by arranging a meeting between the victim
and “government officials” in real or may be with fake
government offices.
Once the victim becomes confident of the ultimate
success of the deal and something goes wrong. The victim who trusted
this 419 scam
mail is then pressured or even threatened to provide one or
more large sums of money to save the existing venture. For example,
an official would demand a frank bribe or with an unforeseen tax
or fee to the Nigerian government would have to be paid before the
money could actually be transferred. Each fee paid is been described
as the very last fee required. The scheme might be prolonged out
over many months.
Be careful. These 419 scammers could be physically
dangerous as well as dangerous to your finances. Victims are roughly
always requested to travel to Nigeria or to the border country to
total a transaction. Victims are often told that a visa would not
be necessary to enter the country. The 419 Nigerian scam artists
could then try bribing airport officials to pass the victims through
Immigration and Customs. Because it is a very serious offense in
Nigeria to enter without a valid visa, the victim's illegal entry
might be used by the 419 Scam mailers as leverage to coerce the
victims into releasing funds. Violence and threats of physical harm
might be employed for further pressure to victims. In June of 1995,
an American was also murdered in Lagos, Nigeria, while pursuing
a 419 scam, and numerous other foreign nationals have been reported
as missing.
Recommendation:
Avoid these 419 scams like the disease! Don't let
promises of huge amounts of money impair your judgment?
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