Fraud Victims Lose More Than $1.2 Million to Nigerian Scam
US Department of Justice, 30 January 2008
Nigerian Scam - this is how it works:
The scammers sent “spam” e-mails to thousands of potential victims, in which they falsely claimed to control millions of dollars located abroad. Attempting to conceal their identities, they used a variety of aliases, phone numbers, and email addresses.
In one scenario, the scammers sent emails purporting to be from an individual suffering from terminal throat cancer who needed assistance distributing approximately $55 million to charity.
In exchange for a victim’s help, the scammers offered to give a 20% commission to the victim or a charity of his or her choice.
Subsequently, as part of the ruse, the scammers would send a variety of fraudulent documents, including a “Letter of Authority” or a “Certificate of Deposit,” making it appear that the promised funds were available, and pictures of an individual claiming to suffer from throat cancer.
One of the scammers also telephoned victims, disguising his voice to give the impression that he was suffering from throat cancer.
After obtaining their victims’ trust, the scammers asked them to wire-transfer payment for a variety of advance fees, ostensibly for legal representation, taxes, and additional documentation. In return, the victims received nothing.
In a variation of the scheme, if the victims said they could not afford to pay the advance fees, the scammers would send them counterfeit checks, supposedly from a cancer patient, to cover those fees. Many victims deposited the checks and then drew on them to wire-transfer the advance fees. Subsequently, when the checks did not clear, the victims suffered substantial losses.
http://www.usdoj.gov/opa/pr/2008/January/08_crm_075.html
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