One of the nation's longest-running scams is taking on new twists. Known as Nigerian Letter Scams, these "fund transfer" frauds reach intended victims by fax, letter or e-mail. The sender, who claims to be a government official or member of a royal family, requests assistance in transferring millions of dollars of excess money out of Nigeria and promises to pay the person for his or her help.
The message is always of an "urgent, private" nature.
Those willing to assist are asked to provide their banking account number (for "safekeeping" the funds) and Social Security number, birth date, or other personal information. Or they are asked to send money to the letter-sender for taxes and various fees. Victims never see their money again, and the con artist obtains the ability to empty their bank account and/or steal their identity.
Folks laugh at the insanity of falling for such a fraud, but the FBI reports annual losses of millions of dollars to these schemes. Some victims have actually been lured to Nigeria, where they were imprisoned.
Variations of this con are attracting the attention of a new batch of victims. BBB of Central California, advises people to be leery of the following:
- Beneficiary of a will: An e-mail claims that you are the named beneficiary in a will, to inherit an estate worth a million or more. Your personal financial information is needed to "prove" that you are the beneficiary and to speed the transfer of your inheritance.
- Bogus cashier checks: People who have advertised an item for sale on the Internet are contacted by an interested buyer from Africa or another country, who sends a counterfeit cashier check or international money order for an amount much larger than the asking price. The explanation varies as to why the amount is that large. Nonetheless, the seller is asked to deposit the check into their banking account, and wire the difference to the purchaser. Those victims that do not wait for the bank to verify the legitimacy of the check, and wire the money as requested, can end up losing thousands of dollars. Be aware that it can take a week or more for banks to receive word that a check is fake.
- Fake web sites: The scam artist sets up a fake online bank and "deposits" the millions of dollars referenced in his pitch. When the victim starts expressing doubt about the existence or size of the fund transfer that is to take place, he is directed to the site, which shows a multi-million dollar deposit.
Consumers can take steps to protect themselves against the Nigerian Letter Scam and its variations.
- If you receive a letter from Nigeria, or any other country, asking you to send personal or banking information, do not reply! The BBB suggests you immediately delete or throw away any such correspondence.
- If you have already responded to such a plea, or if you know someone who is corresponding in this scheme, contact the U.S. Secret Service as soon as possible (phone: 202.406.5572 or e-mail 419.fcd@usss.treas.gov)
- Ignore individuals representing themselves as foreign government officials asking for your help in placing large sums of money in overseas bank accounts.
- Be leery when strangers are eager to place unexpected, large amounts of money at your disposal, in exchange for your bank account number or other personal or financial information.
- Cashier checks and money orders can be counterfeit. When a stranger sends a check or money offer to purchase a product or service from you, consult with your bank about the time it will take to verify the check, and wait for the funds to clear.
The second scam involves the BBB across the nation.
Several businesses across the US - including banks, law firms, advertising agencies and architecture firms - have reported receiving a suspicious e-mail from the address seatac@bbb.org with the subject line "BBB Complaint Case #" followed by a nine-digit number. Both BBB Accredited and non-Accredited Businesses have been targeted.
The body of the e-mail claims that the company did not respond to a complaint and includes a link to a page at www.bbb.org where the business can supposedly review the complaint.
Because the message is fraudulent, the BBB advises any business that receives this e-mail to take the following steps:
- Do not click on any links or reply to the message,
- Forward the message to phishing@council.bbb.org
- Completely delete the message from your inbox,
- Run a full virus scan on your computer if you did click on any links.
If you receive an e-mail from the Better Business Bureau about a complaint filed against your business and need assistance in determining whether or not it is legitimate, contact the BBB at 800-675-8118 or info@cencal.bbb.org.
