Scam emails: Nigerian - My client, the late...

False Business Proposal Email Scams - Sample Emails - How to Recognize Them and How to Report Them

The Advance Fee Fraud (AFF) email is also known as "419" after the section of the Nigerian penal law that deals with this type of fraud. Below is a real example of a fake business proposal from Nigeria.  A rule of thumb: "It if is from Nigeria, it MUST be a scam" .  Nigeria ought to use a new slogan for their tourist office: "Nigeria: Land of Scams, Thieves and Scumbags - Don't come, just let us steal your money!" 

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Reporting a Fraudulent Business Proposal

In the United States contact:

U.S. Secret Service
Financial Crimes Division
1800 G Street, NW
Room 942
Washington, DC 20223

Phone: (202) 435-5850

Fax: (202) 435-5031

Or contact the local U.S. Secret Service Field Office.

Overseas,

Contact the Foreign Commercial Service (FSC) at the nearest U.S. Embassy or Consulate. If there is no FCS office, contact the American Citizens Services Unit of the Consular Section or the Regional Security Office.

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How to Recognize a Nigerian Scam

Let's look at some actual emails people received and see how we can spot that they are scam.

In general, notice the awesome amount of misspellings, poor grammar and run-on sentences.  Would you want to do business with someone who writes like that?

Sample Scam Emails by theme, subject or key phrase:

• "Looking for an American partner"

• "We require competent representatives who can help us establish a medium of getting to our customers in the USA, Canada and Europe as well as making payments through you to us."

• Anhui Guofeng Plastic Industry

 

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