• • • An advance-fee scam is a form of and one of the most common types of. The scam typically involves promising the victim a significant share of a large sum of money, in return for a small up-front payment, which the fraudster requires in order to obtain the large sum. If a victim makes the payment, the fraudster either invents a series of further fees for the victim, or simply disappears. While Nigeria is most often the nation referred to in these scams, they originate in other nations as well.

There are many variations on this type of, including the 419 scam, the, the, Fifo's Fraud and the Detroit-Buffalo scam. The scam has been used with fax and traditional mail, and is now prevalent in online communications like. The number '419' refers to the section of the Nigerian Criminal Code dealing with fraud, the charges and penalties for offenders. Contents • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • History [ ] The modern scam is similar to the scam dating back to the late 18th century. In that con, businessmen were contacted by an individual allegedly trying to smuggle someone connected to a wealthy family out of a in. In exchange for assistance, the scammer promised to share money with the victim in exchange for a small amount of money to bribe prison guards.

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One variant of the scam may date back to the 18th or 19th centuries, as a very similar letter, entitled 'The Letter from Jerusalem', is seen in the memoirs of, a former French criminal and. Another variant of the scam, dating back to circa 1830, appears very similar to what is passed via email today: 'Sir, you will doubtlessly be astonished to be receiving a letter from a person unknown to you, who is about to ask a favour from you.' , and goes on to talk of a casket containing 16,000 francs in gold and the diamonds of a late marchioness. The modern day transnational scam can be traced back to Germany in 1922, and became popular during the 1980s. There are many variants of the letters sent. One of these, sent via postal mail, was addressed to a woman's husband, and inquired about his health.

It then asked what to do with profits from a $24.6 million investment, and ended with a telephone number. Other official-looking letters were sent from a writer who said he was a director of the state-owned Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation. He said he wanted to transfer $20 million to the recipient’s bank account – money that was budgeted but never spent. In exchange for transferring the funds out of, the recipient would keep 30% of the total. To get the process started, the scammer asked for a few sheets of the company’s letterhead, bank account numbers, and other personal information. Yet other variants have involved mention of a or other member of a royal family seeking to transfer large sums of money out of the country—thus, these scams are sometimes called 'Nigerian Prince emails'.

The spread of and software significantly lowered the cost of sending scam letters by using the Internet. While Nigeria is most often the nation referred to in these scams, they may originate in other nations as well. For example, in 2006, 61% of Internet criminals were traced to locations in the, while 16% were traced to the and 6% to locations in. Other nations known to have a high incidence of advance-fee fraud include,,, the, and. One reason Nigeria may have been singled out is the apparently comical, almost ludicrous nature of the promise of West African riches from a Nigerian prince. According to Cormac Herley, a researcher for, 'By sending an email that repels all but the most gullible, the scammer gets the most promising marks to self-select.'

Nevertheless, Nigeria has earned a reputation as being at the center of email scammers, and the number 419 refers to the article of the Nigerian Criminal Code (part of Chapter 38: 'Obtaining property by; ') dealing with fraud. In Nigeria, scammers use computers in to send mass emails promising potential victims riches or romance, and to trawl for replies. Eberle Pls 508 Manual Dexterity there. They refer to their targets as mugus, developed from a word meaning 'fool'. Some scammers have accomplices in the United States and abroad that move in to finish the deal once the initial contact has been made. Implementation [ ].

Screenshot of a suspicious site warning in the browser In recent years, efforts have been made by governments, internet companies and individuals to combat scammers involved in advance-fee fraud and 419 scams. In 2004, the Nigerian government formed the (EFCC) to combat economic and financial crimes, such as advanced fee fraud. In 2009, Nigeria's EFCC announced that they have adopted smart technology developed by to track down fraudulent emails. They hoped to have the service, dubbed 'Eagle Claw', running at full capacity to warn a quarter of a million potential victims. Some individuals participate in a practice known as, in which they pose as potential targets and engage the scammers in lengthy dialogue so as to waste their time and decrease the time they have available for real victims.

Details on the practice of scam baiting, and ideas, are chronicled on a website,, launched in 2003 by Michael Berry. One particularly notable case of scam baiting involved an American who identified himself to a Nigerian scammer as. When the scammer — who apparently had never heard of the television series — asked for his passport details, 'Kirk' sent a copy of a fake passport with a photo of Star Trek 's Captain Kirk, hoping the scammer would attempt to use it and get arrested. Common elements [ ] Fake checks [ ].

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(April 2017) () Fraudulent checks and money orders, initially credited by their bank to the victim's account, are key elements in many advance-fee scams, such as auction/classified listing overpayment, lottery scams, inheritance scams, etc., and can be used in almost any scam when a 'payment' to the victim is required to gain, regain or further solidify the victim's trust and confidence in the validity of the scheme. The use of checks in a scam hinges on the practice or law in many countries concerning checks: when an account holder presents a check for deposit, the bank will usually make the funds available to the account holder within 1–5 business days, although checks, particularly if international, may take longer than that to clear. The process may take 7–10 days, and can take up to a month when dealing with foreign banks. The time between the funds appearing as available to the account holder and the check clearing is known as the 'float', during which time the bank could technically be said to have floated a loan to the account holder to be covered with the funds from the bank clearing the check. Even after it has cleared, funds may be reclaimed much later if fraud is discovered. The check given to the victim is typically counterfeit but drawn on a real account with real funds in it. With correct banking information a check can be produced that looks genuine, passes all counterfeit tests, and may initially clear the paying account if the account information is accurate and the funds are available.

However, whether it clears or not, it eventually becomes apparent either to the bank or the account holder that the check is a forgery. This can be as little as three days after the funds are available if the bank supposedly covering the check discovers the check information is invalid, or it could take months for an account-holder to notice a fraudulent debit. It has been suggested that in some cases a genuine check, from the payer's account, is issued with intent to defraud: the issuer gets a contact at the paying bank to falsely claim it is a fake weeks or months later when the physical check arrives back at the paying bank, so that the issuer regains the funds initially debited. Regardless of the amount of time involved, subject to certain limits, once the cashing bank is alerted the check is fraudulent, the transaction is reversed and the victim's account debited; this may lead to it being put in.

Western Union and MoneyGram wire transfers [ ] A central element of advance-fee fraud is the transaction from the victim to the scammer must be untraceable and irreversible. Otherwise, the victim, once they become aware of the scam, can successfully retrieve their money and alert officials who can track the accounts used by the scammer.

Wire transfers via and are ideal for this purpose. International wire transfers cannot be cancelled or reversed, and the person receiving the money cannot be tracked. Other non-cancellable forms of payment include postal money orders and cashier's checks, but wire transfer via Western Union or MoneyGram is more common. Anonymous communication [ ] Since the scammer's operations must be untraceable to avoid identification, and because the scammer is often impersonating someone else, any communication between the scammer and his victim must be done through channels that hide the scammer's true identity.

The following options in particular are widely used. Web-based email [ ] Because many free email services do not require valid identifying information, and also allow communication with many victims in a short span of time, they are the preferred method of communication for scammers. Some services go so far as to mask the sender's source IP address ( being a common choice), making the scammer more difficult to trace to country of origin. While Gmail does indeed strip headers from emails, it is in fact possible to trace an IP address from such an email. Scammers can create as many accounts as they wish, and often have several at a time. In addition, if email providers are alerted to the scammer's activities and suspend the account, it is a trivial matter for the scammer to simply create a new account to resume scamming. Email hijacking/friend scams [ ] Some fraudsters hijack existing email accounts and use them for advance-fee fraud purposes.

The fraudster impersonates associates, friends, or family members of the legitimate account owner in an attempt to defraud them. A variety of techniques such as,, and are used to gain login information for the email address.

Fax transmissions [ ] are commonly used tools of business, whenever a client requires a hard copy of a document. They can also be simulated using web services, and made untraceable by the use of prepaid phones connected to mobile fax machines or by use of a public fax machine such as one owned by a document processing business like.

Thus, scammers posing as business entities often use fax transmissions as an anonymous form of communication. This is more expensive, as the prepaid phone and fax equipment cost more than email, but to a skeptical victim it can be more believable. SMS messages [ ]. This section needs additional citations for.

Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (April 2017) () Abusing bulk senders such as, scammers subscribe to these services using fraudulent registration details and paying either via cash or stolen credit card details.

They then send out masses of unsolicited SMSes to victims stating they have won a competition, lottery, reward, or like event, and they have to contact somebody to claim their prize. Typically the details of the party to be contacted will be an equally untraceable email address or a. These messages may be sent over a weekend when the staff at the service providers are not working, enabling the scammer to be able to abuse the services for a whole weekend. Even when traceable, they give out long and winding procedures for procuring the reward (real or unreal) and that too with the impending huge cost of transportation and tax or duty charges. The origin of such SMS messages are often from fake websites/addresses. A recent (mid-2011) innovation is the use of a Premium Rate 'call back' number (instead of a web site or email) in the SMS.

On calling the number, the victim is first reassured that 'they are a winner' and then subjected to a long series of instructions on how to collect their 'winnings'. During the message, there will be frequent instructions to 'ring back in the event of problems'. The call is always 'cut off' just before the victim has the chance to note all the details.

Some victims call back multiple times in an effort to collect all the details. The scammer thus makes their money out of the fees charged for the calls. Telecommunications relay services [ ] Many scams use telephone calls to convince the victim that the person on the other end of the deal is a real, truthful person.

The scammer, possibly impersonating a person of a nationality, or gender, other than their own, would arouse suspicion by telephoning the victim. In these cases, scammers use, a US federally funded relay service where an operator or a text/speech translation program acts as an intermediary between someone using an ordinary telephone and a deaf caller using or other device. The scammer may claim they are deaf, and that they must use a relay service. The victim, possibly drawn in by sympathy for a disabled caller, might be more susceptible to the fraud.

FCC regulations and confidentiality laws require operators to relay calls verbatim, and adhere to a strict code of confidentiality and ethics. Thus, no relay operator may judge the legality and legitimacy of a relay call, and must relay it without interference. This means the relay operator may not warn victims, even when they suspect the call is a scam. Said about one percent of their IP Relay calls in 2004 were scams. Tracking phone-based relay services is relatively easy, so scammers tend to prefer Internet Protocol-based relay services such as. In a common strategy, they bind their overseas IP address to a router or server located on US soil, allowing them to use US-based relay service providers without interference.

TRS is sometimes used to relay credit card information to make a fraudulent purchase with a stolen credit card. In many cases however, it is simply a means for the con artist to further lure the victim into the scam. Invitation to visit the country [ ] Sometimes, victims are invited to a country to meet government officials, an associate of the scammer, or the scammer themselves. Some victims who travel are instead held for ransom.

Scammers may tell a victim that they do not need a, or that the scammers will provide one; if the victim does this, the scammers have the power to extort money from the victim. Sometimes victims are ransomed or murdered. According to a 1995 U.S. State Department report, over fifteen persons were murdered between 1992 and 1995 in Nigeria after following through on advance-fee frauds.

In 1999 Norwegian millionaire Kjetil Moe was lured to South Africa by 419 scammers, and murdered. Wealthy George Makronalli was lured to South Africa and killed in 2004. Variants [ ]. Main article: The lottery scam involves fake notices of lottery wins, although the intended victim has not entered the lottery. The 'winner' is usually asked to send sensitive information such as name, residential address, occupation/position, lottery number etc. To a free email account which is at times untraceable or without any link.

In addition to harvesting this information, the scammer then notifies the victim that releasing the funds requires some small fee (insurance, registration, or shipping). Once the victim sends the fee, the scammer invents another fee.

The technique described above is also used. Fake or stolen checks, representing a part payment of the winnings, being sent; then a fee, smaller than the amount received, is requested. The bank receiving the bad check eventually reclaims the funds from the victim. In 2004 a variant of the lottery scam appeared in the United States: a scammer phones a victim purporting to be speaking on behalf of the government about a grant they qualify for, subject to an advance fee of typically US$250.

Online sales and rentals [ ] Many scams involve the purchase of goods and services via classified advertisements, especially on sites like,,. These typically involve the scammer contacting the seller of a particular good or service via telephone or email expressing interest in the item. They will typically then send a fake written for an amount greater than the asking price, asking the seller to send the difference to an alternate address, usually. A seller eager to sell a particular product may not wait for the check to clear, and when the bad check bounces, the funds wired have already been lost.

Some scammers advertise phony academic conferences in exotic or international locations, complete with fake websites, scheduled agendas and advertising experts in a particular field that will be presenting there. They offer to pay the airfare of the participants, but not the hotel accommodations.

They will extract money from the victims when they attempt to reserve their accommodations in a non-existent hotel. Sometimes, an inexpensive rental property is advertised by a fake landlord, who is typically out of state (or the country) and asking for the rent and/or deposit to be wired to them. Or the finds a property, pretends to be the owner, lists it online, and communicates with the would-be renter to make a cash deposit.

The scammer may also be the renter as well, in which case they pretend to be a foreign student and contact a landlord seeking accommodation. They usually state they are not yet in the country and wish to secure accommodations prior to arriving. Once the terms are negotiated, a forged check is forwarded for a greater amount than negotiated, and the fraudster asks the landlord to wire some of the money back. Pet scams [ ] This is a variation of the online sales scam where high-value, scarce pets are advertised as bait on online advertising websites using little real seller verification like,, and.

The pet may either be advertised as being for-sale or up for adoption. Typically the pet is advertised on online advertising pages complete with photographs taken from various sources such as real advertisements, blogs or where ever an image can be stolen. Upon the potential victim contacting the scammer, the scammer responds by asking for details pertaining to the potential victim's circumstances and location under the pretense of ensuring that the pet would have a suitable home. By determining the location of the victim, the scammer ensures he is far enough from the victim so as to not allow the buyer to physically view the pet.

Should the scammer be questioned, as the advertisement claimed a location initially, the scammer will claim work circumstances having forced him to relocate. This forces a situation whereby all communication is either via email, telephone (normally untraceable numbers) and SMS.

Upon the victim deciding to adopt or purchase the pet, a courier has to be used which is in reality part of the scam. If this is for an adopted pet, typically the victim is expected to pay some fee such as insurance, food or shipping. Payment is via MoneyGram, Western Union or money mules' bank accounts where other victims have been duped into work from home scams.

Numerous problems are encountered in the courier phase of the scam. The crate is too small and the victim has the option of either purchasing a crate with air conditioning or renting one while also paying a deposit, typically called a caution or cautionary fee. The victim may also have to pay for insurance if such fees have not been paid yet. If the victim pays these fees, the pet may become sick and a veterinarian's assistance is sought for which the victim has to repay the courier. Additionally, the victim may be asked to pay for a health certificate needed to transport the pet, and for kennel fees during the recuperation period.

Visual Typewriter Keygen Music. The further the scam progresses, the more similar are the fictitious fees to those of typical 419 scams. It is not uncommon to see customs or like fees being claimed if such charges fit into the scam plot. Numerous scam websites may be used for this scam. This scam has been linked to the classical 419 scams in that the fictitious couriers used, as are also used in other types of 419 scams such as lotto scams. Romance scam [ ].

Main article: One of the variants is the Romance Scam, a money-for-romance angle. The con artist approaches the victim on an, an, or a social networking site.

The scammer claims an interest in the victim, and posts pictures of an attractive person. The scammer uses this communication to gain confidence, then asks for money. The con artist may claim to be interested in meeting the victim, but needs cash to book a plane, buy a bus ticket, rent a hotel room, pay for personal-travel costs such as gasoline or a vehicle rental, or to cover other expenses. In other cases, they claim they're trapped in a foreign country and need assistance to return, to escape imprisonment by corrupt local officials, to pay for medical expenses due to an illness contracted abroad, and so on. The scammer may also use the confidence gained by the romance angle to introduce some variant of the original Nigerian Letter scheme, such as saying they need to get money or valuables out of the country and offer to share the wealth, making the request for help in leaving the country even more attractive to the victim. Scams often involve meeting someone on an online match-making service. The scammer initiates contact with their target who is out of the area and requests money for transportation fare.

Scammers will typically ask for money to be sent via a or due to the need to travel, or for medical or business costs. When a victim travels to a meeting, it can have deadly consequence as in the case of Jette Jacobs, 67, from Australia. Jette Jacobs traveled to South Africa to supposedly marry her scammer, Jesse Orowo Omokoh, 28, after having sent more than $200,000 to him over a three-year period. Her body was discovered on February 9, 2013 under mysterious circumstances, two days after meeting up with Omokoh. Omokoh has fled back to Nigeria. After questioning in Nigeria, Omokoh was arrested.

He was found to have had 32 fake online identities. He was never charged with murder due to authorities' inability to prove he had a hand in the death of Jette Jacobs, and was charged only with fraud. Mobile tower installation fraud [ ].