Don't Fall Victim to a "4-1-9" Advanced Fee Fraud!

Advance Fee Frauds are very tricky, innovative and creative. Known internationally as the “4-1-9” fraud because most of the originating emails state that they are being sent from Nigeria (4-1-9 being the section of the Nigerian penal code that deals with fraud schemes), it is such a slick scheme that many people see through the situation as ridiculous but still fall for it anyway.

Here's how it works.

Letters, faxes or emails are sent from an alleged “official” of a foreign government or agency. They look official and legal enough, but in reality are forged documents bearing authentic-looking Nigerian government letterheads and seals. You may also be shown false letters of credit, payment schedules and bank drafts. The sender will say that he is a senior civil servant in one of the Nigerian Ministries, usually the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation.
Offers of vast sums of money to be deposited in your personal account are made. Anywhere from $10-$60 million is mentioned, and is purported to be money that the Nigerian government overpaid to some kind of procurement contract. Rather than return the money to the government, they suggest that it could be transferred to a foreign account; i.e. yours. For this courtesy – you being the middle man, that is – they usually offer up to a 30% commission for your assistance. Hard to resist that kind of money, isn't it? Here are some other forms of business proposals to look out for:

Proceeds from wills
Cash-on-delivery of goods or services
Real estate purchases
Conversion of hard currency
Crude oil purchases under market value

Blank letterheads, invoices and other forms are requested from you. This is to “legitimize” their transaction; you are told that they will use these forms to submit the transaction to the Central Bank of Nigeria. When approved, the funds will then be sent to your account. Unfortunately, these forms are frequently used to forge letters of recommendation to other victims of this scam.
You will almost certainly be asked to travel to Nigeria or a border country. Do not do this. Often, people are told that visas are not necessary, and the scam artists bribe airport officials to usher victims through Immigrations and Customs without incident. However, it is a major offense in Nigeria to enter the country without a valid visa. So the fraudsters will then use that fact as leverage to coerce victims into releasing funds. And make no mistake; violence can be used. In fact, an American was murdered in Lagos, Nigeria in June 1995 for participating in this kind of scam.
Confidentiality will be emphasized. Of course. They don't want to be found out!
Looks can be deceiving. To prove their “legitimacy,” scammers will often set up meetings with potential victims in legitimate government office buildings, using imposters and unoccupied offices to complete the illusion. They can also set up fake offices elsewhere.
Eventually, “problems” will arise. Invariably, some problem will show up concerning the scammer's “inside man” in the government. Demands for money ensue, which can be in the form of bribes, licensing fees, registration fees, taxes, attorney's fees and more. A telltale sign is that each of these “requests” will be described as being the very last fee you will be required to pay. But predictably, more oversights, errors and unforeseen roadblocks will be discovered, all with the purpose of stretching the scam out for as long as possible.
Don't be misled by the sheer amount of potential money. This is what the scammers are counting on: victims' dreams of fast and easy money, and lots of it. The Nigerian Government also ascribes the growing problem to their country's mass unemployment and extended family systems. It likely hasn't gotten that much press here in America because many victims don't report their losses out of fear of retribution or just plain embarrassment.

If you feel you have been scammed by a 4-1-9 fraud, or have suspicions currently, please contact your local Secret Service field office. You can easily find the nearest one at www.secretservice.gov.

Be careful – and alert. Scam artists never take a day off, and neither should you.