Internet has done wonderful things to mankind. From instant messaging to online dating, it was anonymity it offered that caught the fancy of many. That included the people who discovered new ways dupe. Indian Internet subscribers have become latest targets of the Nigerian 419 Scam or advance fee fraud after lottery notification and business proposal scams.

We in India have been lured for over two years by fake/fraudulent e-mails from various countries of Africa offering instant-rich schemes. Recently several Nigerians were arrested in Delhi for cheating through the world famous Nigerian 419 Scam. This scam involves letters, faxes or e-mails inviting individuals to participate in a scheme that eventually turns out to be non-existent. Many versions claim the communication to be from a government official who needs help distributing millions of dollars from their country in return for a percentage of the money.

Recipients are requested to provide bank account details and to forward money to pay for advance fee, documentation, and administration expenses. The Nigerian scam is called Nigerian 419 scam because it originates in Nigeria and Section 419 is the provision against fraud in the Nigerian Criminal Code. According to a survey, Americans reported lost an all time high of $180 million in a year.

This scam include ”over-invoiced” or “ double-invoiced” oil or other supply and service contracts where the sender wants to get the overage out of Nigeria (Classic 419); crude oil and other commodity deals (a form of Goods and Services 419); a ‘‘bequest” left you in a Will (Will Scam 419); “money cleaning” where the sender claims to have lot of currency that needs to be “chemically cleaned” before it can be used and the needs the cost of the chemicals (Black Currency 419); “spoof banks” where there is supposedly money in your name already on deposit; “paying” for a purchase with a cheque larger than the amount required and asking for change to be advanced (Cashier’s Cheque and Money Order 419); Fake Lottery 419; Chat Room and Romance 419 (usually coupled with one of the other forms of 419); Employment 419 (including Secret Shopper 419); and ordering items and commodities off “trading” and “auction” sites on the web and then cheating the seller.

Prior to this, there was a foreign lottery scam ’with the victim being congratulated that he has just won an important prize in a foreign lottery he doesn’t remember entering. Only when he tries to collect the money he is asked for payment of facilitation fee to get his winnings to him. The gullible victim is asked to give details of his bank account so that money can be transferred to his account. Details divulged and the conman is off with the hard-earned money.

In another scam, a business proposal is send asking the receiver for a business association with the nature of business being transfer of funds from Nigeria to India. The charges/professional fee for this is a percentage of the transferred funds. The business starts with signed letterheads, copies of balance sheets/accounts, invoices and bank account details. There is no doubt as to how these papers are likely to be misused. Once the details reach the sender, the bank account is operated and money siphoned off. Internet auction frauds accounted for 62 per cent of the Internet fraud complaints that the Internet Crime Complaint Center in the US referred to law enforcement agencies in 2005.

Precautions

Always treat unsolicited mail with suspicion. Mail fraud can take on several forms, from official and legitimate-looking letters to offers that seem too good to be true. Never send your personal information through the mail, without first verifying that the source requesting it is legitimate. Be on guard for emails informing you that you’ve won a prize. Source, it may be free, but victims are asked to pay for shipping and handling. Depending on the size of the item, the shipping can run up to hundreds and even thousands of dollars. Shipping and handling is paid, but the prize never comes.

Help line in Nigerian e-mail scams

You may file a complaint with the Nigerian economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) or with he Central Bank of Nigeria, Anti-corruption Unit at anticorruptionunit@cenbank,org. The victim can also approach the local police for registration of the case under section 420 of the IPC read with section 75(2) of the Information Technology (IT) Act 200. The first case of Nigeria 419 scam was registered in Kolkata in 2003.

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