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Nigerian Letter Fraud or "419" Fraud: Nigerian
letter fraud is a scheme in which a letter, or email, that
originated in Nigeria offers the recipient the
"opportunity" to share in a percentage of millions of
dollars that the author, a self proclaimed government official, is
trying to transfer out of Nigeria. The victim is given a "sob
story" and is asked to send the author their bank account
numbers and other identifying information via facsimile (or return
email) to the address provided in the letter. The scheme relies
playing of the victim's sympathy thus convincing the victim to
send money to the author (in Nigeria) in several installments of
increasing amounts for a various reasons such as they need to pay
taxes, bribe government officials, and pay legal fees. The author
promises that all expenses will be reimbursed as soon as the funds
are spirited out of Nigeria.
Once the victim stops sending money, the perpetrators use the
victims personal information to drain the victims bank accounts and
opening credit accounts using the victim's identity.
While most people consider this a laughable hoax, millions of
dollars have been lost by these schemes annually. Some victims
have actually been lured to Nigeria where they have been
imprisoned. The Nigerian government is not sympathetic to victims
of these schemes since the victim is actually conspiring to remove
illegally move move funds from Nigeria in violation of Nigerian
criminal code "419" Thus the name.
Some tips to avoid becoming a victim of Nigerian Letter or 419
Fraud:
If you receive such a letter, contact your local FBI office or the
U.S. Postal Inspection Service. Do not respond in anyway. If you
receive an email from someone you do not know, don't even open
it, delete it. This is the only way to avoid becoming a
victim.
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