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Have you been approached by someone in Nigeria to help you move money out of the country? If so, you are one of thousands of people around the world, including doctors, lawyers, engineers and professors, who are sometimes called the “Nigerian letter scam” or the “Nigerian advance fee fraud”. Although it has a “Nigerian” name, this scam is international. A letter or email you receive may also pretend to be from another country.
It is estimated that Australians lose up to $2.5 million a month to Nigerian scams!
how the scam works Scams vary, but usually you will receive a letter, or more often, a fax or email offering you a business “proposal” or transaction.
Nigerian scams usually involve a letter or email from a foreign individual claiming he needs assistance transferring a large sum of money. They usually offer to hand over a significant portion of that money in exchange for bank account details.
Once you are hooked, you will be asked to pay all kinds of “upfront fees” (eg customs duties, taxes, kickbacks, legal fees) to facilitate the transfer.
Of course, there is no money to transfer and they use your bank account details to swipe your hard earned money from your account.
New versions of infamous Nigerian scam circulating via email Nigerian scam paper everywhere using different names and different con stories. No matter what name is used, the position they say they have, or what story they spin, these offers of quick money are frauds and will only lose time and money, and the awful feeling of knowing that that you have been fooled.
Below we have listed some recent versions of the Nigerian scam in vogue:
- Request access to a bank account to make a large deposit. The scam requests victims to allow them to use their bank accounts to deposit large sums of money. Initial contact with the victim is made by mass manufactured email. The money offered could be from a secret bank account, unexpected inheritance, high-paying government contract or ‘forgotten money’ left in a Nigerian bank. In each instance, a series of fees and charges need to be paid before the money is released, for example, before the money is put into the victim’s bank account. Taxes, legal fees etc. Despite several payments being made by the victim to individuals in different countries, there are always delays that prevent the money from being sent and require further payments. A key component of this scam is that the victim is required to keep the money transfer a secret.
- business opportunity. A business may receive a solicitation from a Nigerian individual posing as a public official offering an opportunity to join a larger commercial operation being conducted in Nigeria. The most common examples include projects in the Nigerian oil industry, although other examples have been identified in the telecommunications industry. The offer would involve huge financial returns and would require the victim to finance a portion of the Nigerian contract. All payments in the amount between $5,000.00 and $10,000.00 will need to be forwarded through money transfer agencies such as Western Union. Examples of requests for money include: legal fees, taxes, money transfer fees, etc. In each instance, the money would need to be sent to a number of individuals in different countries such as Benin, Togo, the United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom.
- online relationship. The scam targets victims who meet through Internet dating sites, chat rooms, or instant messenger services. The fraudster may present a variety of scenarios including: * Australian national in Nigerian hospital A typical scenario begins with the victim chatting online with an Australian citizen living in Nigeria. Communication suddenly stops until he is contacted by a ‘Nigerian doctor’ saying that his friend has had a car accident and needs money to pay for an urgent surgery. Victims wanting to help their friend begin sending money to Nigeria through a money transfer facility such as Western Union and as each amount is sent further, another request is made for more money. , internet romance – With internet dating scams, the fraudsters represent that they want to travel to Australia but need help paying for airfare, visa fees or passports. Once these costs are paid, the fraudster requests more money to pay for his local taxes, the family’s hospital bills, and other costs. In each instance, the fraudster pretends to have missed their flight to Australia and requests to send more money to Nigeria to pay for onward airfare. The scammer continues the scam until the victim runs out of money or refuses to send it to Nigeria.
- Fraudulent check/credit card scam. This scam targets small business owners and individuals caught in Internet dating scams. In this example, the fraudster requests goods to be shipped to Nigeria and sends a bank check to pay for the goods. The check is usually from a foreign bank and is for an amount greater than the value of the goods plus freight forwarding charges. The victim also pays all freight forwarding charges and sends the remaining amount to the fraudster using a money transfer system such as Western Union. When the check is deposited into the victim’s bank account in Australia, it may initially clear, depending on the quality of the forgery. This assures the victim that the check is of good value as represented and they purchase the goods and ship them to Nigeria. Several weeks later, the check is identified as fraudulent and the victim bears the cost of the entire transaction. Credit card scams involve fraudsters contacting Australian businesses and requesting the purchase of goods or services. The orders are often much larger than what the business usually receives and appear to be a financial windfall for the business owner.
- Donation scam. Charity scams differ from other Nigerian scams because the victims are not asking for anything in return. The fraudsters seek victims through church-related web sites and chat rooms, demanding regular donations to themselves in order to run a specific charity. The fraudster poses as a ‘Reverend’ or ‘Pastor’ who runs an orphanage or church and is making desperate demands of money. No means is provided to identify whether the charity actually exists or whether the person seeking the money is who they represent themselves to be.
Accommodation providers are regularly asked to provide quotes for Nigerian delegates who wish to attend in Queensland for business reasons and wish to book accommodation and conference facilities. Once the bid is provided, the fraudster offers a series of credit cards to make payments. If no card is active, alternate credit card numbers are provided. Once payment is made, the fraudster cancels the accommodation and conference and requests the money back through a money transfer service such as Western Union. Once the money is returned by the business, they may be informed by the credit card company that the transaction was fraudulent and the business must return the money.
what can you do?
- Never answer.
- Throw the offer in the bin or delete the email.
- Don’t forward them to your friends as they tell you, because you will be causing trouble for them too.
- Never give your bank account number or other personal details to unauthorized people.
- If you are caught yourself, or if you find any evidence of Australian involvement in this scam, contact your state or territory police.
Don’t Be the Latest Victim of These Scams
They are not only illegal, but they can be deadly as there have been unverified reports in the past that people with healthy bank accounts were flown first class overseas to meet scammers, only to be kidnapped immediately upon arrival And they were held for ransom. ,
When scams happen overseas it is outside our jurisdiction so the Office of Fair Trading cannot investigate or assist if you find you have lost your money.
Consumers are also warned to beware of other scams, including fake requests for donations, fake bank emails, fake lotteries, chain letters, pyramid schemes, envelope stuffing schemes and invoice fraud.
Remember that if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
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