Nigerian claiming to be a seniorcivil servant.
In the email, the Nigerian informs the recipient that he isseeking a reputable foreign company or individual into whoseaccount he can deposit funds ranging from $10 to $60 million,which the Nigerian government supposedly overpaid on aprocurement contract.
In return, the recipient gets to keep a share of the millions.
There are dozens of different variations of this emailoriginating from several countries, all involving a plea forhelp and a promise to share the riches.
But NOTE this clearly-
It doesn’t matter what the story is...
It doesn't matter what country is mentioned...
It doesn't matter how true it looks....
So far as you don't know the person before and he or she isoffering you such an 'opportunity of a lifetime' of gainingmillions of dollars within a short time for doing absolutelynothing...
Forget it...
... every single one is just a scam!
Laws passed in Nigeria outlaw the notorious Nigerianadvanced-fee fraud letters. Victims of these scams have alsoincluded Nigerians... to show that not all Nigerians areinvolved in the scams.
In short, these scams started in Nigeria and has led tothousands of Nigerians losing their entire fortunes to thesescammers. Many have been known to commit suicide for losing allthey own.
Yes, even Nigerians themselves are victims!
The scams are perpertuated by just a few bad eggs from among themillions of honest Nigerians worldwide.
Such honest Nigerians have suffered in 2 ways from their few badeggs in their midst.
One- by losing millions to the scammers themselves, Two- bybeing blacklisted by other people worldwide.
It is therefore important not to look at 'Nigerians' as theproblem, but to look at the 'scammers' as the problem.
**********The use of the Internet for the scams********** SinceApril 1998, U.S. Postal Inspectors have seized and destroyedover 4 million Nigerian advance-fee fraud mails, resulting in an80 percent decrease in the number of related complaints receivedby the Postal Service, law enforcement agencies, and consumergroups.
But with the Internet, these artists are now using emailsto trap unsuspecting people, especially those with emailaddresses and websites...
... People doing their businesses on the Internet are more atdanger of falling for these scams. These con artists do nottarget a single company or individual, but rather send out massmailings, e-mails or faxes to as many people as possible.
Even Nigerians receive dozens of such emails on a daily basis...many still fall for the tricks.
The goal of the scammer is to delude the target into thinking heor she is being included in a very lucrative, althoughquestionable, arrangement.
************Some Characteristics of the Scam************** . Anurgent email from an alleged Nigerian government official offersto transfer millions of dollars in "over- invoiced contractfunds" into the victim's bank account. . The victim is asked toprovide blank company letterhead, bank account information, andtelephone and fax numbers. . The confidentiality of thetransactions is emphasized. . Numerous documents with officiallooking stamps, seals, and logos appear to suggest theauthenticity of the proposal. . Up-front or advance fees arerequested for various taxes, attorney fees, transaction fees, orbribes. . Travel to overseas locations is encouraged to completethe transaction. . Imposters posing as real occupants orofficials may use offices in legitimate government buildings inNigeria to meet with the potential victims. . A problem with thetransaction is staged, and the victim is urged to provide alarge sum of money to save the venture.
It is easy to fall victim to this scam. Sometimes, it isimpossible to tell a legitimate deal from an outright scam,especially if you do not seek outside help.
****************How to protect yourself***************** . Learnhow to avoid the bad deals by educating yourself and followingsome basic, common sense principles as outlined in ebooks likehttp://www.nigerianscambuster.com
. Always keep your private information private. Do not give yourfinancial account numbers to strangers or companies with whichyou are not familiar. A artist can use this information tosteal money from you just as easily as mugging you at gunpointor in a darkened alley.
. Avoid being the next victim - if you receive an offer in themail or via fax that sounds too good to be true - throw it away!
If you get an email offer - delete it ...
DO NOT RESPOND!
. Don't be of the opinion that the name 'Nigeria' must bementioned before you are convinced it is a Nigerian Scam. Thesedays, the sophisticated ones no longer mention the name-Nigeria. Also, other local criminals from other countries arenow using the same tactics to dupe their own people. . Learn allyou can about the so as to avoid falling for the newervariations and twists of the scams.
Better still, visit http://www.nigerianscambuster.com so thatyou will be entitled to the bi-monthly newsletter which willkeep you continually updated on the latest moves and tricks ofthese Nigerian scammers in particular and other Internet relatedscams in general.
Remember, it is a wild wild west out there... scammers arehaving a field day at YOUR expense.
Don't let them!
About the author:*******************About The Author*********************** JoseyTeby is an expert on the Nigerian scams in paritcular and otherInternet scams in general. To learn more about the Nigerian scamand other Internet scams, download his ebook and 7 bonuses inhis website: www.nigerianscambuster.com The ebook also showsordinary Internet users as well as webmasters how to avoidcredit card fraud and chargebacks.***********************************************************
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