There are many ways to avoid fraudulent websites on the Internet. When you receive an email from a bank you don’t know, it’s most likely a phishing email attempting to obtain credit card information, bank account numbers, or a Social Security number by sending the potential scam victim to a fraudulent website. In addition to Internet phishing scams, there are Africa scams, which are usually fraudulent letters from Nigeria along with the check scam. Coming from the perspective of the email reader, the letter says that it will give the reader millions of dollars or pounds to help them get their fortune out of the country.
Another version of the fraudulent letter has the scammer’s character in the email dying of cancer. However, before they die, they want the recipient of the email to have part of his fortune in exchange for helping the orphans. This is a version of the charity scam used by scam letters from various foreign countries. To clarify, this scheme, which can be found on the African scam, involves a dying person who has cancer or some other disease and wants to donate the money to the person receiving the email. The con man claims that he is doing this because he has no relatives and has changed his mind in the face of death. As a result, they want the recipient of the email to start a charity to help poor orphans and motherless children.
Sometimes the victim of the scam has to send money or cash a check to release the large fortune. This is where the check scam comes in. The check scam involves the victim cashing the check and returning the money to the scammer before the bank realizes that it is counterfeit and withdraws the amount from the victim’s account. Phishing websites and check scams are some of the biggest scams on the Internet.
Communicating with the scammer usually involves receiving an email, at least initially. The scammer poses as any number of professions. The Africa scam usually has gold or cocoa traders from Ghana, Sierra Leone or Benin who have escaped to the Ivory Coast or Ivory Coast with their fortune. There is also the account manager or director of the Central Bank of Nigeria who has discovered a large fortune in the account of a deceased person. They want to give it to the victim of the scam either as a relative or next of kin if the account is not known and the bank employee is trying to get the money out of the country with the help of the victim. Nigeria seems to be a major source of email scams and the Nigerian letter scam is widely known.
The Africa scam is not just limited to Africa. While the theme and story are pretty much the same, the source can be from any country or continent. The scam letters come from Asia, Europe, Australia, North and South America, as well as Africa. Scams like the check scam also come from other countries.
Sometimes scams from Africa will mention the UN and claim that the UN is giving away money for economic development or some similar economic scheme. A more recent version of the Africa scam is related to Nigeria and the United Nations together, where 419 victims can receive compensation. In other words, scams in Africa attempt to defraud 419 victims a second time by telling them in another scam letter that they will get their money back from the previous scam. Some of the other countries where the African scam letter claims to originate include Burkina Faso, Sudan, and South Africa, as well as Nigeria.
One notorious scam that seems to come from Europe is the UK lottery scam. The recipient of the email receives an email with the subject line “congratulations, you won”. It is usually written in capital letters. The victim of the scam must provide information about themselves to receive the prize.
Although the Africa scam will occasionally use the lottery theme, most lottery scams appear to be associated with Europe or a large American company. Some of the countries besides the UK include Spain, with Madrid frequently mentioned, the Netherlands and Brussels, Belgium. Sometimes the lottery scam will claim to be from Yahoo, Microsoft, or Coca-Cola.
Learning to recognize scams on the Internet can prevent a potential loss of money for a criminal. Phishing and Africa scams, such as the Nigerian letter scam, are making a name for themselves. Scams from Africa can be recognized and reported.
