Internet fraud or cyber crime, specifically the method known as “419 fraud” has taken a lot of victims. Today there is another article in the news about a woman who is so blinded by greed that she ultimately lost $ 400,000 from fraud. She was convinced by fake official documents and she parted away with her savings.
By reading this article, you may know what kind of cyber crime “419 fraud” is (also known as Advance Fee Fraud or advance fraud), and you will certainly not step into the same hole.
Where does the 419 fraud come from?
The name of this fraud method comes from the Nigerian law article 4.1.9. dealing with fraud. It is also named the “Advance Fee Fraud” or advance payment fraud. This form of fraud is mostly committed by West African gangs, which Nigeria is especially known for.
How is the method of the 419-fraud?
They send millions of emails around, hoping that someone would read them. The mails come in different variations, there is a proposal for a business deal or a lottery prize. It may also look as if it was sent by a family. The fraud consists of a promised forthcoming amount of money, but preliminary payments are requested, such as transaction costs.
Danger! Money loss is not the only risk
Do not liaise with these fraudsters! Even if you think it’s just a “game” to play, because you know that it is a fraud, it can be dangerous. A Greek man, George Makronalli (29 years) thought he had a good business deal to close, but was ultimately kidnapped and later murdered by the crooks. If the fraudsters still arouse your interest and you want to test them first look at the link to the source of this article. You can read an example of someone who has also tested the fraudsters. You can use these for consideration.
What are the signs of a 419-fraud?
If you receive e-mails with proposals that seem too good to be true, it is actually a direct indicator light. It could be a response to an ad you clicked somewhere on the internet or an e-mail from someone you do not know with a business proposal. The e-mails are usually written in poor grammar and suggest a sense of urgency in the writing. The e-mail address may be similar to a spam address and Yahoo addresses are mainly in large numbers used for this form of cyber crime. If you recognize any of the above features, remove the mail! If it seems too good to be true, then it is. A scam e-mail may not meet all the above characteristics, because the crooks have various considerations.
When people have agreed to the proposals, they often receive official documents which gives the victim confidence in the counterparty (the scammers). Further analysis of the documents may quickly show that is fake: the lacking of a watermark, signature or official stamp and even a fake check.
CAUTION! If you by this or any other way have ever received a check that you are not familiar with, then go to the bank and ask if the check is real. Do not just check whether you can recover, because then you can be accused of fraud!
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