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What is "419" fraud?
Advance fee fraud or '419' fraud (named after the relevant section of the Nigerian Criminal Code) is a popular crime with the West African organised criminal networks. There are a myriad of schemes and scams - mail, faxed and telephone promises designed to facilitate victims parting with money. All involve requests to help move large sums of money with the promise of a substantial share of the cash in return.
This type of scam, originally known as the "Spanish Prisoner Letter", has been carried out since at least the sixteenth century via ordinary postal mail. These scams have come to be associated in the public mind with Nigeria due to the massive proliferation of such confidence tricks from that country since the mid-eighties, although they are often also carried out in other African nations, and increasingly from European cities with large Nigerian populations, notably London and Amsterdam.
The laws from Section 419 and laws in place in other jurisdictions criminalising the offences do not scare away the criminals who profit from these crimes. The stakes and profits are simply too high and many government officials are believed to be involved with the criminal gangs.
Victim's individual monetary losses can range from the low thousands into multi-millions. True figures are often impossible to ascertain, because many victims, embarrassed by their naiveté and feeling personally humiliated, do not report the crime to the authorities. Others, having lost so much themselves, become "part of the gang" recruiting more victims from their own country of residence. There are tragic cases of victims being unable to cope with the losses and committing suicide.
Advance Fee Fraud has been around, in various forms, for centuries. The basic technique is to convince a victim that they are going to receive a large reward in return for little or no effort on their part. Once the victim is 'hooked', the fraudster(s) will gradually reveal various fees that must be paid before the victim can access the fortune that they believe is waiting for them. These fees may be in the form of bribes to officials, duties, taxes, account fees, etc. As each charge is paid by the gullible victim, a new fee arises. Naturally, there is never any reward, and this process continues until the victim realises what is happening, or simply runs out of money.
In modern times this form of fraud has become a major 'industry' in Nigeria, so much so that it is now commonly referred to as "Nigerian Fraud", even when perpetrated by citizens of other countries. Another common name is "419 fraud" after Section 419 of the Nigerian Penal code, the section that specifically prohibits this type of crime. Whereas they originally sent handwritten letters with forged postage stamps, they now make use of the Internet to reach their victims.
This type of fraud is carried out in a number of different ways. One very common scheme is to convince a victim that the criminal has a very large amount of money trapped in a bank or security company, and for some reason cannot retrieve it. The victim is promised a large percentage of the fortune in return for essentially 'laundering' the money through their own bank account. This is an important feature of the scam: the victim is lured into agreeing to an unlawful enterprise, so that they will feel reluctant later to contact the authorities.
The criminals operating these schemes often try to encourage the victim to travel to meet them in a foreign country; sometimes Nigeria or a neighbouring country, but often European cities such as Amsterdam or Madrid. Once again, the intention in getting the victim away from their home is to make them feel vulnerable, and reluctant to contact the police. In rare instances, victims who meet with the criminals are actually threatened, kidnapped, or even murdered.
How the fraud works
The most common scam begins with a letter bearing a Nigerian postage stamp or frank mark (often forgeries) being sent to a potential victim. E-mails are increasingly being used as they are harder for Law Enforcement agencies to intercept. The writer, usually bearing the title of Doctor, Chief or General, will explain that a 'mutual business associate' has suggested that the writer confidentially contact the addressee.
The letter goes on to explain one of the many scenarios. However, certain aspects are usually constant:
The letters are often littered with spelling mistakes and bad grammar. This is a deliberate ploy by the fraudsters to induce the potential victim to believe that he is dealing with uneducated people who would not have the ability to defraud him/her. Nothing could be further from the truth! The majority of victims prove to be professional business people, doctors and lawyers.
The scam is so simple that it can be stated to be "please help me spirit US $35 million from Nigeria through your bank account and I will give you about US $10 million for your mere participation!"
Those who contact the fraudsters are about to participate in a "hurdle" race with each hurdle increasing in size as the victim is thwarted each time he is close to the end. By the time the victim has overcome all the hurdles he is in such a state of involvement that he is practically throwing his money at the fraudsters just to finish the course.
At the heart of the scam is the advanced fee aspect. This means that just when the money is about to be transferred some unforeseen difficulty suddenly occurs and fees from the victim are necessary to overcome the problem. There can be a variety of fees sought: a bribe to a Government Official, local attorney fees, VAT, insurance, National Economy recovery fund, customs clearance - the list and invention is immense.
The larger sums are often extorted from the victim when for example he is told that the money has been transferred to a facility out of Nigeria, often in London and it will be released to the victim and his 'Nigerian partner', as soon as a 1% or 2% handling fee is paid. This sum can of course be enormous and can come as a shock to a victim who probably still wishes to continue the transaction as he has already paid some advance fee or fees and is now hooked. Think of the word GREED.
If the victim cannot or refuses to pay he is worked on with a series of faxes and phone calls and invariably ends up apologising profusely to the criminals for his inability to proceed as quickly as they want. Victims, some of whom cannot afford to pay any more, at this stage, often borrow large sums from family, friends and by way of loans. Very often they do not tell the true reasons for borrowing and when later interviewed by police cannot give any reason for this other than remaining loyal to the criminals and remembering the confidential aspect.
How they find victims
How do they get details of the recipients?
Using any source available! Telephone directories, Yellow pages, White pages and Trade directories are the most common methods followed by stolen mailing lists. With the advent of the Internet and the availability of "people finders" on CD, the traditional methods will undoubtedly decline and be superceded by electronic ones. The main source nowadays are website guest books, where you leave your email address. They often have programs that will run through a site and copy all the email addresses it comes across.
Where are the victims from?
Anywhere in the world! A police operation in Leytonstone, London, by SCD6 Economic and Specialist Crime OCU officers led to the arrest of a suspect who had just finished defrauding two victims who had traveled to London. One of the victims was from the outback of Northwest Australia, the other from Sitka, Alaska!
With the availability of modern telecommunication equipment both victims thought they were speaking to the Central Bank of Nigeria in Lagos rather than the occupant of a bedsit in East London.
What to do if...
...You receive a 419 letter or e-mail
DO NOT REPLY UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES !
If you receive a 419 letter, throw it in the bin where it deserves to be. The fraudsters have not targeted you personally, 1000’s of these letters are sent out daily to people worldwide whose details have been taken at random from telephone directories etc.
If you receive a 419 letter by e-mail, do not reply, again they have not targeted you personally. Cause them some inconvenience by forwarding a copy of the e-mail to the Internet Service Provider from where the e-mail originated in the following format.
For example:-
abuse@hotmail.com
abuse@yahoo.com
abuse@compuserve.com
If your letter/e-mail contains details of the fraudsters bank accounts/addresses/telephone numbers please Contact Me or Email London Metropolitan Police (details below).
If you live outside the United Kingdom please send your e-mail/letter to your own National Police Unit that deals with Fraud. If there is a London connection they can pass the matter onto Interpol London for action.
If you have already become embroiled in this scam, contact your own police department or your local embassy if you are abroad.
Help! I think I'm being scammed! I lost money in a scam!
If you have already given money to a scammer, or suspect a scam, there are a number of sites that can help you.
Please be aware that the scammers will not rest: they will attempt to keep drawing money from you, using a variety of stories and tricks, including claiming that they can recover your lost funds. Scam victims are typically passed from gang member to gang member as each tries to work a new angle. The best thing you can do is stop all communication with them immediately.
Basically, the UK has decentralized 419 reporting and does not want to hear from people unless there has been a loss or a UK bank account or phone number is given by the 419ers. The complete instructions can be seen at the London Metropolitan Police website section concerning Nigerian 419 Advance Fee Fraud: http://www.met.police.uk/fraudalert/419.htm
Advance fee fraud or '419' fraud (named after the relevant section of the Nigerian Criminal Code) is a popular crime with the West African organised criminal networks. There are a myriad of schemes and scams - mail, faxed and telephone promises designed to facilitate victims parting with money. All involve requests to help move large sums of money with the promise of a substantial share of the cash in return.
This type of scam, originally known as the "Spanish Prisoner Letter", has been carried out since at least the sixteenth century via ordinary postal mail. These scams have come to be associated in the public mind with Nigeria due to the massive proliferation of such confidence tricks from that country since the mid-eighties, although they are often also carried out in other African nations, and increasingly from European cities with large Nigerian populations, notably London and Amsterdam.
The laws from Section 419 and laws in place in other jurisdictions criminalising the offences do not scare away the criminals who profit from these crimes. The stakes and profits are simply too high and many government officials are believed to be involved with the criminal gangs.
Victim's individual monetary losses can range from the low thousands into multi-millions. True figures are often impossible to ascertain, because many victims, embarrassed by their naiveté and feeling personally humiliated, do not report the crime to the authorities. Others, having lost so much themselves, become "part of the gang" recruiting more victims from their own country of residence. There are tragic cases of victims being unable to cope with the losses and committing suicide.
Advance Fee Fraud has been around, in various forms, for centuries. The basic technique is to convince a victim that they are going to receive a large reward in return for little or no effort on their part. Once the victim is 'hooked', the fraudster(s) will gradually reveal various fees that must be paid before the victim can access the fortune that they believe is waiting for them. These fees may be in the form of bribes to officials, duties, taxes, account fees, etc. As each charge is paid by the gullible victim, a new fee arises. Naturally, there is never any reward, and this process continues until the victim realises what is happening, or simply runs out of money.
In modern times this form of fraud has become a major 'industry' in Nigeria, so much so that it is now commonly referred to as "Nigerian Fraud", even when perpetrated by citizens of other countries. Another common name is "419 fraud" after Section 419 of the Nigerian Penal code, the section that specifically prohibits this type of crime. Whereas they originally sent handwritten letters with forged postage stamps, they now make use of the Internet to reach their victims.
This type of fraud is carried out in a number of different ways. One very common scheme is to convince a victim that the criminal has a very large amount of money trapped in a bank or security company, and for some reason cannot retrieve it. The victim is promised a large percentage of the fortune in return for essentially 'laundering' the money through their own bank account. This is an important feature of the scam: the victim is lured into agreeing to an unlawful enterprise, so that they will feel reluctant later to contact the authorities.
The criminals operating these schemes often try to encourage the victim to travel to meet them in a foreign country; sometimes Nigeria or a neighbouring country, but often European cities such as Amsterdam or Madrid. Once again, the intention in getting the victim away from their home is to make them feel vulnerable, and reluctant to contact the police. In rare instances, victims who meet with the criminals are actually threatened, kidnapped, or even murdered.
How the fraud works
The most common scam begins with a letter bearing a Nigerian postage stamp or frank mark (often forgeries) being sent to a potential victim. E-mails are increasingly being used as they are harder for Law Enforcement agencies to intercept. The writer, usually bearing the title of Doctor, Chief or General, will explain that a 'mutual business associate' has suggested that the writer confidentially contact the addressee.
The letter goes on to explain one of the many scenarios. However, certain aspects are usually constant:
- There is a large sum of money waiting to be paid out of Nigerian Government coffers for a contract that has been completed;
- The writer purports to be a Government Official or acting on behalf of or with the knowledge of a top Government Official;
- The writer is willing to share the sizeable proceeds (usually in excess of $35 million) initially only for supplying a foreign bank account number to be used for the transfer of funds;
- Secrecy is an absolute must to protect all concerned parties from corrupt government officials who would seize the money if they knew of its existence.
- More often than not, the name of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) figures prominently in the transaction although they are not involved in any manner. Most victims in outlying countries envisage a large bank, complete with lines of customers applying for loans, making deposits and withdrawals. In reality the CBN is a government repository for all national monetary reserves in a similar manner to the Bank of England. The Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) is also often mentioned lending an air of credibility to the woven story again without their knowledge.
The letters are often littered with spelling mistakes and bad grammar. This is a deliberate ploy by the fraudsters to induce the potential victim to believe that he is dealing with uneducated people who would not have the ability to defraud him/her. Nothing could be further from the truth! The majority of victims prove to be professional business people, doctors and lawyers.
The scam is so simple that it can be stated to be "please help me spirit US $35 million from Nigeria through your bank account and I will give you about US $10 million for your mere participation!"
Those who contact the fraudsters are about to participate in a "hurdle" race with each hurdle increasing in size as the victim is thwarted each time he is close to the end. By the time the victim has overcome all the hurdles he is in such a state of involvement that he is practically throwing his money at the fraudsters just to finish the course.
At the heart of the scam is the advanced fee aspect. This means that just when the money is about to be transferred some unforeseen difficulty suddenly occurs and fees from the victim are necessary to overcome the problem. There can be a variety of fees sought: a bribe to a Government Official, local attorney fees, VAT, insurance, National Economy recovery fund, customs clearance - the list and invention is immense.
The larger sums are often extorted from the victim when for example he is told that the money has been transferred to a facility out of Nigeria, often in London and it will be released to the victim and his 'Nigerian partner', as soon as a 1% or 2% handling fee is paid. This sum can of course be enormous and can come as a shock to a victim who probably still wishes to continue the transaction as he has already paid some advance fee or fees and is now hooked. Think of the word GREED.
If the victim cannot or refuses to pay he is worked on with a series of faxes and phone calls and invariably ends up apologising profusely to the criminals for his inability to proceed as quickly as they want. Victims, some of whom cannot afford to pay any more, at this stage, often borrow large sums from family, friends and by way of loans. Very often they do not tell the true reasons for borrowing and when later interviewed by police cannot give any reason for this other than remaining loyal to the criminals and remembering the confidential aspect.
How they find victims
How do they get details of the recipients?
Using any source available! Telephone directories, Yellow pages, White pages and Trade directories are the most common methods followed by stolen mailing lists. With the advent of the Internet and the availability of "people finders" on CD, the traditional methods will undoubtedly decline and be superceded by electronic ones. The main source nowadays are website guest books, where you leave your email address. They often have programs that will run through a site and copy all the email addresses it comes across.
Where are the victims from?
Anywhere in the world! A police operation in Leytonstone, London, by SCD6 Economic and Specialist Crime OCU officers led to the arrest of a suspect who had just finished defrauding two victims who had traveled to London. One of the victims was from the outback of Northwest Australia, the other from Sitka, Alaska!
With the availability of modern telecommunication equipment both victims thought they were speaking to the Central Bank of Nigeria in Lagos rather than the occupant of a bedsit in East London.
What to do if...
...You receive a 419 letter or e-mail
DO NOT REPLY UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES !
If you receive a 419 letter, throw it in the bin where it deserves to be. The fraudsters have not targeted you personally, 1000’s of these letters are sent out daily to people worldwide whose details have been taken at random from telephone directories etc.
If you receive a 419 letter by e-mail, do not reply, again they have not targeted you personally. Cause them some inconvenience by forwarding a copy of the e-mail to the Internet Service Provider from where the e-mail originated in the following format.
For example:-
abuse@hotmail.com
abuse@yahoo.com
abuse@compuserve.com
If your letter/e-mail contains details of the fraudsters bank accounts/addresses/telephone numbers please Contact Me or Email London Metropolitan Police (details below).
If you live outside the United Kingdom please send your e-mail/letter to your own National Police Unit that deals with Fraud. If there is a London connection they can pass the matter onto Interpol London for action.
If you have already become embroiled in this scam, contact your own police department or your local embassy if you are abroad.
Help! I think I'm being scammed! I lost money in a scam!
If you have already given money to a scammer, or suspect a scam, there are a number of sites that can help you.
Please be aware that the scammers will not rest: they will attempt to keep drawing money from you, using a variety of stories and tricks, including claiming that they can recover your lost funds. Scam victims are typically passed from gang member to gang member as each tries to work a new angle. The best thing you can do is stop all communication with them immediately.
Basically, the UK has decentralized 419 reporting and does not want to hear from people unless there has been a loss or a UK bank account or phone number is given by the 419ers. The complete instructions can be seen at the London Metropolitan Police website section concerning Nigerian 419 Advance Fee Fraud: http://www.met.police.uk/fraudalert/419.htm
