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Prevent
Nigerian Scam Letters
/ 419
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If
you're tempted to respond to an offer, the FTC suggests you stop
and ask yourself two important questions: Why would a perfect
stranger pick you — also a perfect stranger — to share a fortune
with, and why would you share your personal or business
information, including your bank account numbers or your company
letterhead, with someone you don't know? And the U.S. Department
of State cautions against traveling to the destination mentioned
in the letters. According to State Department reports, people who
have responded to these "advance-fee" solicitations have been
beaten, subjected to threats and extortion, and in some cases,
murdered.
The following characteristics
are usually found in letters sent by Nigerian fraudsters. Postal
Inspectors note that the stamps on the letters are often
counterfeit, as are any meter impressions or meter strips used,
since postage meters aren’t used in Nigeria!
 The envelopes
are white, brown, or white with a red-and-blue border.
The envelopes
are often handwritten and have no return address.
The envelopes
are all about the same size: 9 inches long and 4 inches wide.
Many envelopes
are addressed to "president" or "CEO," rather than a specific
name.
The letters are
typed and photocopied.
The letters are
usually marked "urgent" and "confidential."
The scheme is
presented as a business proposal, and the sender alleges to be an
auditor or accountant, with the title of "doctor."
The letter
offers a commission of at least $10 million for assistance in
transferring funds to the United States from Nigeria.
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Reporting
Nigerian Scam Letters
/ 419 |
The
United States Secret Service
continues to be tasked as the primary US law enforcement agency in
dealing with Advance Fee Fraud (419) matters. US Citizens or
Residents with No Financial Loss may email 419er documents to the
United States Secret Service at
419.fcd@usss.treas.gov
where they are archived for future datamining. Only No Loss
reports are to be sent to this email address. Due to the sheer
volume of materials received, USSS does not respond to submissions
to this address.
United States
Citizens and Residents who HAVE suffered a Financial Loss are
instructed to contact the nearest
Field Office
of the
United States Secret Service (USSS)
by telephone.
You may also
file a Financial Loss complaint online with the
Internet Fraud Complaint Center (IFCC),
which is being renamed the
Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3).
This organization is a partnership of the
National White Collar Crime Center (NW3C)
and the
Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
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Nigerian Advance Fee Fraud
United States
Department of State
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The Nigerian Scam
Costly Compassion
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Advance Fee Fraud and
Banks
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Prosecuting Nigerian Fraud
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The Truth
About
Advance-Fee
Loan Scams
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Investigating
and Prosecuting
Nigerian
Fraud
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Advance Fee Fraud
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Law
Enforcement Weighs In
Against Nigerian Criminal
Gangs
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Nigerian Scam Letters
/ 419
News |
Major Global
Effort Under Way to Counter Fraud Scam
http://allafrica.com/stories/200210010408.html
Nigerian Scam
Uses Fake SA Banking Websites
http://allafrica.com/stories/200210010402.html
'419' Con Men
Sell Off Assets to Repay Their Victims
http://allafrica.com/stories/200303180509.html
Ghana: Defrauded Investors Commend President
http://allafrica.com/stories/200302260611.html
South Africa: Mines Minister Used As Fraud Decoy
http://allafrica.com/stories/200302130447.html
How America Businessman Was Duped $5.5m
http://allafrica.com/stories/200301270295.html
How to Curb 419, By Leading Business Analyst
http://allafrica.com/stories/200211260223.html
Nigeria's Central Bank Vows to Sanction Banks Over 419 Scams
http://allafrica.com/stories/200209190190.html
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