Have you been contacted by someone Report Scam from Nigeria asking for your help in transferring money out of the country? If so, then you are one of thousands of people all over the world, including doctors, lawyers engineers and professors, who have been targeted by what is sometimes called the “Nigerian letter scam” or “Nigerian advance fee fraud”.
Although “Nigerian” is the name given to it, this scam is international. The letter or email you get may also pretend to come from another country. It is estimated that Australians lose $2.5 million every month to the Nigerian scam!
How the scam works The scam varies, but usually you will receive a letter, or more often, a fax or email offering you a business “proposal” or transaction.
The Nigerian scam typically involve a letter or email from a person overseas claiming to need help transferring a large sum of money. They typically offer to provide a significant portion of that money in exchange for bank account details
Once you are hooked, you will be asked to pay all sorts of “advance fees” (eg. customs, taxes, bribes, legal fees) to facilitate the transfer. Of course, there is no wealth to be transferred and they just use your bank account details to swipe your hard-earned money from your account.
New versions of the notorious Nigerian scam circulating via email The Nigerian scam letter is popping up everywhere using slightly different names and different con stories. Regardless of what name is used, position they say they have, or what story is spun, these offers of quick wealth are fraudulent and will only result in lost time and money, and the awful feeling of knowing you have been fooled.