What is the Nigerian Letter or ‘419’ Fraud?

For some reason Nigeria seems to be the originating country for a large number of different scams, and many of these pose a significant risk to your identity.  One of the most common has been dubbed the ‘419’ scam, which takes the form of a letter or email originating from Nigeria (and also some other countries), that offers the recipient a chance to profit by taking a percentage share in money being transferred out of the country.  The reasons for the transfer could be anything from the author of the letter claiming to be a state official trying to get money illegally moved out of the country for ‘safe keeping’ or for their own benefits, or it could be someone claiming they need to move money out of the country quickly to avoid paying hefty taxes on their supposed millions.  The main point is that you will be told you have to pay money in order to share in the scheme, but once you have paid you will receive nothing back, and also if you give these criminals access to your bank account or credit card number they could also use this information to run up fraudulent charges on your accounts.

Unfortunately the FBI and also the Nigerian Government are not sympathetic to victims of the 419 scheme, as in agreeing to be a part of the scheme you are actual showing a “propensity for larceny”, as you are conspiring to have money illegally removed from Nigeria and this violates section 419 of the Nigerian criminal code, which is why it been dubbed the 419 scheme.

You can avoid this scam by being very wary of any letters or emails offering you the chance to take part in any scheme that involves removing money from Nigeria (or any other countries), and if you do receive this kind of contact you should forward it immediately to the FBI or the US Secret Service.

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