419-Scams

What is it?

The 419-scam is one of the oldest electronic scams. It's usually initiated via email, where the victim is promised a substantial return or reward for a small upfront payment. Once the payment is made, the fraudster will either invent more reasons for the victim to make further payments or disappear.

419-scams usually involves massive amounts of money and seemingly prominent people. A typical example would be a “government official” claiming that they need to move funds (usually millions) to the victim’s country and that they need a valid bank account number to deposit the money. They will then promise the victim a large cut of this money in return for the favour of using their bank account. Once the victim responds favourably, they will invent some reason why he/she needs to first make a small payment to them – either as a show of good faith, administration fees or another made-up fee of some kind.

Warning signs

• There is usually some sense of urgency for the upfront “administration fee” to be paid
• You don’t know the sender of the email, but they claim to have some sort of elevated social status
• They claim that you have won a prize or lottery, or some sort of inheritance
• They usually request payments to be made through a cash send channel, not a bank
• All communication will be via email, and the sender will try to avoid telephonic or face-to-face conversations

How can you protect yourself?

If you receive an email that seems suspicious, do not reply. The age-old principle of “if it seems too good to be true, it probably is” applies. Any time massive returns are promised for little to no effort, there is likely to be a scam at play and your best option is to off simply ignore it. You can also report to the nearest Office In-Charge at your Police Station (Office In-charge) through an Anonymous Letter.