Email Fraud
Nigerian Email Fraud
Nigerian
email riches - With the
anonymity of email, comes the conman. He can make an
approach to the prospect via email and even if you report the
issue to the authorities, he's often gone before anything can be
done. Such cons are common enough in the United States, but
there have been many recent frauds that are coming from outside
U.S. jurisdiction. Unless the government of the country of
origin is willing to find and prosecute the perpetrators, there is
little that can be done.
There are many
types of fraud but some of the most lucrative ones are in medical
and investment fields. One more common one is often referred
to as the "Nigerian Fraud" because it originates in and
purports to handle transactions based in Nigeria.
The approach
The conman
sends an email to you, first asking for your absolute
secrecy. He then begins to tell you a story about how there
is hidden money in the politically unstable country of Nigeria
that nobody knows about. It was ill-gotten in the first
place and the writer wants to get it out of the country.
Even your
research will bear out the conman's story. The domain that
the email was sent from is in Nigeria, and they back it up with
other information that you can independently verify, even the bank
account number and the name of their contact at the Nigerian bank.
The con
The conman
tells you that there are millions of dollars involved and that he
needs your help claiming it. In exchange for your help, you
get a share of the loot, usually between 30-40%. It's
simple. They will need some money to get the ball rolling,
maybe $10,000 to get the paperwork filed. According to the
con, this is only a percentage of the total costs and of course,
they will pay the rest.
The second
phase is that they will need even more money. This money is
to pay bribes or some other costs. This may happen several
times until you just give up.
The rub
There is no
money in Nigeria for you and there never will be. Thousands
of people have gotten the same email and though only a few
respond, it's still pretty good cash for a Nigerian conman.
The contact at
the Nigerian bank is in on it and will verify everything that the
conman has told you. In some cases, the con has been so effective
that American's have even gone overseas to personally work out
some financial details.
Though few
cases have gone that far, those Americans who have gone to Nigeria
are often threatened, kidnapped, and have even been
murdered.
Though there
are numerous state department inquiries and requests for
assistance, there has been little effort in Nigeria to stop the
con or to catch the perpetrators.
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