Here is some information about the Nigerian scam that I pulled off the www.scambusters.org web site. It is a very dangerous scam.
Harvey Boots
Quote
What should you do if you receive a letter like this?
The U.S. Secret Service has instructed anyone in the US who has lost funds because of this scam to forward appropriate written documentation to:
U.S. Secret Service
Financial Crimes Division
950 H Street, NW,
Washington, DC 20001.
(202) 406-5850
Or send email using the Secret Service form or
direct to [log in to unmask]
If you have received a letter, but have not lost any monies to this scheme, please fax a copy of that letter to (202) 406-5031.
If you are outside the United States, you should report it to your local authorities and send documention via fax to the U.S. Secret Service.
Be careful. This scam can be physically dangerous as well as dangerous to your finances. Victims are almost always requested to travel to Nigeria or a border country to complete a transaction. Victims are often told that a visa will not be necessary to enter the country. The Nigerian scam artists may then bribe airport officials to pass the victims through Immigration and Customs. Because it is a serious offense in Nigeria to enter without a valid visa, the victim's illegal entry may be used by the scam artists as leverage to coerce the victims into releasing funds. Violence and threats of physical harm may be employed to further pressure victims. In June of 1995, an American was murdered in Lagos, Nigeria, while pursuing a 4-1-9 scam, and numerous other foreign nationals have been reported as missing.
Recommendation: Avoid these scams like the plague! Don't let promises of large amounts of money impair your judgment.
unquote
---- Original Message ------
From: George Bell <[log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Spam Question
Date: Mon, 26 May 2003 14:49:39 +0100
The Nigerian/African scam is known to Police Forces throughout the Word.
Here in the United Kingdom, it is known as 419 Fraud, and is being taken
very seriously.
Indeed one stupid British businessman in the town I live, actually
followed up on one of these messages. He went to South Africa, "to
negotiate the precise terms", and found himself kidnapped and held to
ransom.
Fortunately in this case, it resulted in a successful prosecution.
According to the British Home Office, the average successful rip-off is
around $75,000. So don't be tempted to respond in any way.
If you wish to investigate further, do an internet search for "419
fraud". As short a time ago as 1998, they were in snail-mail form - see
http://www.usps.com/websites/depart/inspect/pressrel.htm for an example.
George Bell
Techno-Vision Systems Ltd
>=20
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Justin Philips [mailto:[log in to unmask]]=20
> Sent: 26 May 2003 06:24
> To: [log in to unmask]
>=20
> --=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D57BB3B5F=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D
> Content-Type: text/plain; x-avg-checked=3Davg-ok-7AF8556B;=20
> charset=3Dus-ascii; format=3Dflowed
> Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit
>=20
> Well, that ftc address is a legitimate one and they are=20
> trying to prosecute the spammers.
>=20
> As to how you get them, many newsletters, mostly the shady=20
> ones, rent or sell the names and addresses to 3rd parties.=20
> There are also spambots or spiders that that scout all=20
> webpages for the "@" and grab all the email ids it can grab.=20
> Other spamers use the dictionary-like email-id gnerating=20
> software, which generates addresses and send it out to=20
> popular domains like hotmail, earthlink, etc.
>=20
> These things are only going to get worse, so you need to use=20
> filters, or get anti-spam software that will recognize and=20
> delete the spam for you.
>=20
> Justin
>=20
> At 05:20 PM 5/24/03 -0500, you wrote:
>=20
>>Hi everyone.
>>I have been getting two or three messages a day from someone in a=20
>>far-off country, usually Nigeria or Angola, asking me for=20
> some type of transaction.
>>I am just wondering if any one knows how the heck these things reach=20
>>only designated people on the web. I had a friend's father=20
> tell me to=20
>>forward all spam I receive to the following email:=20
> [log in to unmask] Having=20
>>known this friend and his family for quite a while and really liking=20
>>them, I trusted him and sent some junk mail I received to=20
> the address=20
>>he gave me but nothing has happened. Should I take this to=20
> mean that=20
>>the messages have been or are being processed and therefore=20
> it was the=20
>>right thing to do, or what? In the one I just received, something I=20
>>found rather interesting is that this person mentioned the=20
> war in Iraq. =20
>>Thanks for any possible explanation into this matter.
>>Jacob
>>VICUG-L is the Visually Impaired Computer User Group List.
>>To join or leave the list, send a message to=20
>>[log in to unmask] In the body of the message, simply=20
>>type "subscribe vicug-l" or "unsubscribe vicug-l" without=20
> the quotations.
>> VICUG-L is archived on the World Wide Web at=20
>>http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/vicug-l.html
>>---
>>Incoming mail is certified Virus Free.
>>Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com).
>>Version: 6.0.476 / Virus Database: 273 - Release Date: 4/24/03
>=20
> --=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D57BB3B5F=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D--
>=20
>=20
> VICUG-L is the Visually Impaired Computer User Group List.
> To join or leave the list, send a message to=20
> [log in to unmask] In the body of the message,=20
> simply type "subscribe vicug-l" or "unsubscribe vicug-l"=20
> without the quotations.
> VICUG-L is archived on the World Wide Web at=20
> http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/vicug-l.html
>=20
>=20
VICUG-L is the Visually Impaired Computer User Group List.
To join or leave the list, send a message to
[log in to unmask] In the body of the message, simply type
"subscribe vicug-l" or "unsubscribe vicug-l" without the quotations.
VICUG-L is archived on the World Wide Web at
http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/vicug-l.html
VICUG-L is the Visually Impaired Computer User Group List.
To join or leave the list, send a message to
[log in to unmask] In the body of the message, simply type
"subscribe vicug-l" or "unsubscribe vicug-l" without the quotations.
VICUG-L is archived on the World Wide Web at
http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/vicug-l.html
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