You just received an email from somebody - perhaps a barrister, a relative of a deposed head of state, or a widow in distress - asking for your help. The email may seem almost comical, containing childish spelling and grammatical errors. The person who sent you the email claims to have an enormous amount of cash - millions of dollars - but they can't get it out of the country in which it is situated. If only you will assist them, they will give you a considerable commission amounting to millions of dollars. All they need is a good hearted person with a bank accnt, and...

It sounds "way too good to be true".... But it is also awfully tempting. Isn't it? What's the possible harm if you reply....

How Does This Email Fraud Work?

Nigerian email fraud is a type of "advance fee" fraud, with an associated possibility of identity theft. Sometimes this type of fraud is called "419" fraud, after the underenforced section of the Nigerian criminal code which makes it illegal. In short, a criminal sends out thousands of spam emails, hoping that an unsuspecting soul will reply. Once contact is made, and it appears that the response is from somebody who may fall for the scam, the criminal will repeatedly make promises to send the promised cash, but problem after problem will arise. These problems can only be resolved, the criminal will swear, if the target sends them money to pay certain fees or bribe various officials. (The term "advance fee" refers to the money they get from you - and despite their promises of riches, you never get a cent in return.)

Sometimes, the fees and bribes these people describe will seem small, particularly in comparison to the riches they offer. But there is no upside - even if you are only "risking" $30 or $40, you'll lose that money forever. And some people have literally been cheated out of hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Please note that these criminals often run multiple scams, including false promises of inheritance or lottery winning.

But The Letter I Received Is From A Different Country

Please do not make the mistake of assuming that the same type of offer from another country, such as South Africa, Zimbabwe, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Kenya, Senegal, Zaire, the Congo, the United Arab Emirates, or Sierra Leone, or even European nations such as England or Spain, is legitimate. There are people who operate the same type of fraud from a wide range of nations. Also, some scammers who are located in Nigeria will lie about their location.

Please remember that this type of email is always fraudulent, no matter who sends it or where they claim to be from.

How Did They Find Me?

Most people who have an email address for any significant amount of time receive so-called "spam email" (more politely known as "unsolicited commercial email.") Spammers create lists of email addresses by collecting them from websites, buying them from other businesses, and even by guessing possible names on popular email hosts such as Yahoo! mail and Hotmail. It is possible to buy large email lists for relatively small amounts of money. Most people who are running these scams get spam mailing lists in this manner, or buy them from spammers.

I Got The Same Type Of Letter, But By Fax - Is That Different?

Prior to the rise of email, it was common for this type of scammer to approach people by fax or even by regular mail. I am sure they are working on a way to reach people by instant messenger. However they reach you, they are trying to cheat you.

What Harm Is There In Contacting Them, "Just In Case"?

First, there is no point in contacting them "just in case" - of the thousands upon thousands of people who have been cheated in this manner, not one has received the promised money. You won't, either.

Second, you may inadvertently provide the scammer with information that they can use to fake your identity and commit credit card fraud or bank fraud. Even providing them with your name and bank accnt number can provide them with the basis to try to forge a bank draft or obtain a fraudulent money transfer from your account. If you give them any information, they will try to use it to cheat you.

Third, some of these scammers will actively try to lure you to Africa with the intention of holding you for ransom.

You may have seen sites where people turned the tables on the scammers, making them do foolish things or stringing them along. But it's safer just to delete their emails and forget them.

A Sample Letter

The following is a sample spam letter from this particular scam:

 

Who Are The People Named In The Emails?

In order to make these spam emails seem more real, the scammers will use the names of real people, including lawyers, priests, former heads of state and politicians, as well as a wide assortment of fake names. The following list of names may seem huge, but it reflects only a small percentage of the fake names used in this scam

What Can I Do About Spam Email?

The best approach to avoiding spam is ordinarily to be very careful about the distribution of your email address. Once you start to receive spam at a particular email address, you will usually end up receiving increasing amounts of spam at that address no matter what you do. There is filtering technology which some find helpful, which helps to screen out spam email from legitimate email.

When I first got into the area of international legal service, I often received letters of this kind, saying a rich king, general, president died of air crash or something similar, and a big sum of money is there, if I can help I can get 30%. I even replied one of them but I do not believe there is such good luck without any reason.

Later, one client of mine from Bahrain was cheated half a million USD by this kind of fraud. It was more well organized, fraudsters called his family phone! The victim my client is same age as I am. And now the case is hopelessly investigated by China and HK police.

Lust without thinking is the origin of tragedy.

1.In India we too receive such mail from West African countries. Normally we don't trust any country that is economically below us.


2. No business man will write in chaste English not even a native of Britain will write in chaste English. But these fellows will use chaste English that Oxford University English professor even won't use or write.


3. We normally mark these mails as SPAM.


4. Mostly these kind of mails are coming to Alibaba Inbox and yahoo.com accounts,


5. Greater Chennai Metropolitan police has issued public warning on these mails.


6. There are some people who have fallen pray to these scams.


7. Once, I sent some documents for a supply contract thinking that the importer is legitimate. I tried to call them on phone I found it was a mobile number (most of these people use only mobile phones) but I got their land line number, it was attended by a lady (seems a setup to fool the exporter). But I was in a impression they were genuine, so sent the requested documents by DHL, after sending only I found the true colour of these people:


a. The addressee itself came to courier office and collected the packet of photocopies of our incorporation certificates (off course nothing can be done with those)

b. Next day after collecting, the so called importer asked me to send some 6000 Euros as registration fee I declined and countered that lady but the packet was collected by different individual (offcoucrse this cannot be said as illegimate) but they stoped mailing as soon as I questioned.


Before I sent those documents I warned them : I won't pay a single pie and told that so called importer We normally don't export to Africa. My doubt started when she didn't ask for sample, I kept insisting her that I'll send sample or SGS report, but she didn't talk about that.


All these increased my doubt but what made me to send the requested copies y DHL still I am wondering.


and kindly check the telephone numbers here: https://www.numberingplans.com//?page=analysis


This link will just say whether the given number is a landline or a mobile line and its parented location.


I hope this information is useful.


Dhinakar Rajaram Iyer

Every every day the scammers try this.

Quoting from [Anshu]:

You just received an email from somebody - perhaps a barrister, a relative of a deposed head of state, or a widow in distress - asking for your help. The email may seem almost comical, containing childish spelling and grammatical errors. The person who sent you the email claims to have an enormous amount of cash - millions of dollars - but they can't get it out of the country in which it is situated. If only you will assist them, they will give you a considerable commission amounting to millions of dollars. All they need is a good hearted person with a bank accnt, and...

It sounds "way too good to be true".... But it is also awfully tempting. Isn't it? What's the possible harm if you reply....

How Does This Email Fraud Work?

Nigerian email fraud is a type of "advance fee" fraud, with an associated possibility of identity theft. Sometimes this type of fraud is called "419" fraud, after the underenforced section of the Nigerian criminal code which makes it illegal. In short, a criminal sends out thousands of spam emails, hoping that an unsuspecting soul will reply. Once contact is made, and it appears that the response is from somebody who may fall for the scam, the criminal will repeatedly make promises to send the promised cash, but problem after problem will arise. These problems can only be resolved, the criminal will swear, if the target sends them money to pay certain fees or bribe various officials. (The term "advance fee" refers to the money they get from you - and despite their promises of riches, you never get a cent in return.)

Yes,i have got that kind email sevral weeks ago,they usually cheat your money by ask you to pay all kinds of fee so that he can divide a heritant property or got some millionnare`account who was dead already.And they promise if you can can help them to get the big volume money ,they will divide 50% to you .

To this kind fraud email,the best way to avoid to be cheated,or you ignore it or insist one thing is you did`nt get money to your personal account ,never send any fee to them ,otherwise you will be frauded by them absorlutely !!!

Another thing i want to say is there`s no free lunch in the world from yestoday to now ! Want to earn money  through the correct way is the safest ,leagly and the most real choice for everybody forever !!!!

I was cheated seven years ago. that time,I just graduated from the colleague and work in the sunglasses manufacturer.A negeria client send us one email telling us how big the quantity they order sunglasses.at first,we don't believe him at all,but later,we discover that he is professional in sunglasses and telling all of the informations email by emails.I started to believe and send samples to him and also help him to apply a visa to China.We spend a lot of money and time on him and applying visa for him.after the Visa finished,We can never find him,no more information from him however much emails we tried to send him. Big cheater. I expienced a lot in those Negeria people,noW,I never reply to any email sent from Negeria.It is a waste of time! Cindy ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Xiamen Langxue Spectacles Co.,Ltd 3-4/F, Side of 29# factory building,Fanghu Indus Zone,Huli District.Xiamen,China. Tel:+86-592-6688-212 Fax: +86-592-6688-211 MSN: cindy_optical@hotmail.com Skype: cindy_manolis www.lxoptical.com

Hi
Ovce one from benin contactem and offer $2,000,000.He asked me to make money trasfer via legal into your account we need to make documents.He told me for document need $350 when I gave he asked me now need $950.and I sent also.
I tell eachone of you from Benin,Nageria and ather .They are fraud .I don't like benin people and other.who lives from another omney.
Never,Never and Never don't answer email from Benin.
Thanks