Victims still fall for Internet scam, BBB reports
|
The scam, known in some circles as the “Nigerian Advance Fee Scam,” promises hundreds of thousands – if not millions of dollars – for participation in a business transaction. The scam usually begins with an e-mail saying there are millions of dollars in an overseas account and your help is needed to secure the funds. For your assistance, you are promised a large fee.
The scam, which is on the BBB’s top 10 most inquired about con games, has been around for years. Prior to the days of the Internet, the victims were sent letters via ground mail. With its resurrection, BBB officials say thousands of people have reported receiving such e-mails over the past few months.
“This scam is not anything new. In fact it’s been around for decades,” said Beth Furbush who represents our local BBB. “We still see so many cases of it because people still fall for it. The average loss, per victim, is $6,000.”
Those who answer the e-mail can expect future contacts by phone, fax and e-mail, as the perpetrator seeks to convince them the deal is legitimate. In some cases, the person may even be afforded illegal entry into a foreign country to oversee the transfer of money.
However, those going overseas find themselves trapped in the country, having to pay their own way back. In some extreme cases, those traveling overseas as part of the scam have never been heard from again.
Those who opt into the scam are normally asked to provide personal information. They are then told they need to pay an up-front fee to bribe a public official overseas. Once the fee is paid, the perpetrator disappears with the victim’s money.
Some such e-mails being sent to unsuspecting victims, begin with this greeting:
“I am Mr. Alex Abosi, the director in charge of auditing and accounting for ECOBANK LOME-TOGO, in west Africa with due respect and regards. I have decided to contact you on a business transaction that will be very beneficial to both of us. During our investigation and auditing, this bank department came across a very huge sum of money belonging to a deceased person who died on November 1997 in a plane crash and the claim of the fund has been dormant in his account with this bank without any claim.”
The BBB says there are several variations of this e-mail and numerous scammers using the same con. Those receiving such e-mails or letters are asked to forward them to [email protected].