Email Scam: "REQUEST FOR URGENT BUSINESS RELATIONSHIP"

Have you ever received an email all in capital letters that begins something like this: "WE ARE TOP OFFICIAL OF THE FEDEARL GOVERNMENT CONTRACT REVIEW PANEL WHO ARE INTERESTED IN IMPORTATION OF GOODS INTO OUR COUNTRY WITH FNDS WHICH ARE PRESENTLY TRAPPED IN NIGERIA. IN ORDER TO COMMENCE THIS BUSINESS ACTION WE SOLICIT YOUR ASSISTANCE TO ENABLE US TO TRANSFER INTO YOUR ACCOUNT THE SAID TRAPPED MONIES INTO YOUR ACCOUNT"? If you've been on the internet for more than a few minutes, chances are you have.

The advance fee fraud scam, also called a "419 scam", is a way that scam artists con people who want something for nothing out of their money. Often these emails originate from Nigeria and have something to do with the Nigerian government and huge sums of money that will be given to you. It's called a 419 scam, because that is the section of Nigerian law which makes these scams illegal.

The way it works is that you will be offered a huge sum of money, but there end up being various "fees" and "bribes" which you need to pay so that the money can be transferred. Sometimes the Nigerian scammers will actually request that person come to Nigeria in person and kidnap them for a ransom! Of course the money is really there to be transferred, and they are only scamming you out of money.

There are multiple variations of this scam, so be on the lookout. One victim was told he had won the Nigerian lottery and had to pay fees in order to get his money, others claim they want to donate money to your local church, but need fees to transfer the money. One email actually suggested that the recipient of the email was being targeted for assassination by someone from their past and that the Nigerian scam artist wanted a bribe to not go ahead with the execution. Always be weary of solicitations over the internet, and never advance anyone funds because they promise you a huge sum of money.

Advance fee scams aren't the only major fraud in Nigeria, it is also a major source of counterfeiting of US currency, including standard currency, postal money orders, and bank checks.