Given life by e-mail, Nigerian letter fraud finds new victims

Posted 7:56AM on Thursday 11th April 2002 ( 23 years ago )

CHARLESTON, W.Va. - Among 10,000 Americans who reported being suckered by online hoaxes last year, 16 fell victim to an elaborate plot that pinged millions of e-mail inboxes: Nigerian letter fraud. Those 16 reported losses of $345,000, including two unidentified people who lost $78,000 and $74,000, respectively. The victims represent just the tip of the iceberg of those skimmed by the international scam, say officials with the Internet Fraud Complaint Center in Fairmont, where the crimes were reported. At least 20 years old, Nigerian letter fraud has been given new energy by e-mail, which makes it easy to contact millions of people from half a world away. In the online version of the con, e-mails allegedly from dignitaries representing "the Government of Nigeria" request use of the recipient's bank account to deposit millions of dollars in money. The "dignitaries" explain that the funds have been misappropriated by the Nigerian government, often as over-invoiced contracts, and remain untraceable. They promise recipients can keep about 10 percent of the cash for their trouble, which includes providing bank account numbers and other personal information. Scammers then make electronic withdrawals to clean out a victim's savings. They often also ask for upfront cash to pay for licenses, taxes, transfer fees or other nonexistent costs. "Unfortunately, a lot of people believe this scenario could take place because of the perceptions of the government corruption in Africa," said John Kane, research manager at the National White Collar Crime Center, which runs the complaint center with the FBI. International surveys routinely name Nigeria as the world's most corrupt country. A recent crime center study showed that only about one in 10 people report fraud cases of any kind. Kane said a "much, much smaller fraction" of Nigerian letter fraud victims seek the attention of law enforcement. In its first annual report, the Internet Fraud Complaint Center said this week almost 10,000 Americans last year reported losing $17.8 million in online scams. The center channels complaints received at its Web site to more than 2,700 law enforcement or regulatory agencies around the world. International scams are reported to the U.S. Secret Service. Of 17,000 fraud complaints, 2,600 concerned solicitations from Nigeria. That put the country at the top of those outside the United States generating complaints, followed by Canada, Romania and the United Kingdom.

http://accesswdun.com/article/2002/4/196155