Also known as "419 Fraud" after its corresponding section of the Nigerian Criminal Code, the scam begins when you receive
an unsolicited fax, email, or letter asking for your assistance concerning a business proposal in Nigeria or some other
African nation. These proposals usually deal with "overinvoiced contract funds" but may also include a bequest left to you
in a will, a non-existent bank where there is money in your account, or a request for helping to "clean money."
View an
e-mail sent to the Financial Crimes Task Force
by someone attempting to perpetrate this scam (Requires Adobe Acrobate Reader).
At some point, you are asked to pay an upfront advance fee, extend credit, or send back "change" on a cashier's check or money order.
If you pay the fee, there are often "complications" which require still more payments until you either quit, or run out of money.
In recent months, this scam has begun to target sellers of items on Internet auction sites. An individual will contact you to inform
you that they would like to purchase your item for more than what you are selling it for. When you receive their payment, usually in the form
of a money order or cashier's check, you are to return the difference to the buyer. Ultimately the check or money order will
turn out to be counterfeit.
The 419 Coalition
maintains a website to educate the public about this scam which generates billions of dollars a year. Also check out Les Henderson's
Crimes-of-Persuasion, an informative resource for this and other frauds.
August 6, 2005 - Associated Press writer Dulue Mbachu's story on the ongoing work of
Internet scammers in Nigeria.
July 28, 2005 - Read the MSNBC article by Bob Sullivan entitled:
"Seduced into scams; Online lovers often duped. Dating site, singles chat rooms latest target of Nigerian scams."
June 10, 2005 - Read the MSNBC article by Bob Sullivan entitled:
"Nigerian scams keep evolving; How to spot the latest variations and avoid being duped."
