Often referred to as advance fee fraud or “419 Scam” the Nigerian letter scam is a scheme in which the sender asks for assistance in facilitating an illicit money transfer. Email is the most popular option.Usually identifies themselves as a bank officer, corporate executive, or government or military person, explains that in order to send money outside of Nigeria, they require access to a foreign account.
The 419 scam, which is named for the breach of Section 419 of the Nigerian Criminal Code, combines the risk of impersonation fraud with a variant of an advance fee scheme where the potential victim receives a letter, email, or fax.
Using the facsimile number included in the letter, the recipient is urged to furnish the scammer with information, including blank letterhead stationery, bank name and account numbers, and other identifying details. For a number of reasons, the plan depends on persuading a willing victim to give money to the letter’s author in multiple installments of escalating sums.Once the victim divulges private details or sends the money, scammers just disappear.
Don’t respond to this kind of mail, don’t click on any links, and delete it right away.You should be aware that this is a Nigerian email scam if someone asks you to pay a charge in advance. Never consent to pay someone you don’t know via bitcoin, wire transfers, prepaid gift cards, or any other way.
