Don’t Get Duped: How To Deal With Nigerian Letter (419) Scams

True to its name, the Nigerian Letter Scam is a grand hoax commonly sent by a Nigerian national or anybody from West Africa to lure recipients into funneling huge sums of money as advanced payments for bogus reimbursements and providing personal account information for further milking.

Victims are convinced and encouraged to participate in a type of larceny that seeks to extract illegal funds out of Nigeria, but, in the end, are left with zero in their bank accounts and no hope of financial return. The main targets of such letters and “invitations” are those who have the propensity to commit criminal acts in exchange for supposedly gargantuan financial gains.

How Does The Nigerian Letter Scam Work?

The Nigerian Letter Scam, or 419 Scam, is called such because it commonly sources from a self-proclaimed Nigerian underground syndicate, government official, or businessman. The 419 dub happened because this act is a violation of section 419 of the Nigerian criminal code.

The scheme starts out with an e-mail, a fax, or a regular mail that contains a business proposal, wherein the victim is asked to participate in illegally funneling out millions or even billions of dollars out of the country. This could easily dupe those desperate for money or those hungry for additional finances.

To facilitate the “processing” of papers, the victim is then asked to provide bank details, blank stationeries containing his or her company’s letterhead, as well as other personal information. After which, he or she will be asked for advanced fees (supposedly to be reimbursed after the said funds have been taken out of Nigeria) in installments to cover various reasons; for instance, to bribe a (non-existent) official. The victim obliges, of course, thinking that the end will eventually justify the means.

In the end, the victim is left with nothing but loss. However, the pain does not stop when the victim becomes unable to send money. Because he or she has also provided the scammer his or her financial information, these will then be used to impersonate him or her to gain access to other kinds of financial services, until the victim is not just broke but also very deep in debt.

The Nigerian Scam Makes A Victim And Criminal Of You

More often than not, those who fall prey to this scheme do not just end up bankrupt, but also criminally liable. Case in point: An Australian financial adviser once bilked A$1,000,000 off his clients’ money to send to the scammers, thinking that a reimbursement of a much bigger sum is imminent. Of course, nothing arrives and the financial adviser resorts to conning other people, as well, just to cover his trail.

How To Protect Yourself

The best defense against Nigerian Letter Scams, therefore, is to not respond and then immediately forward the letter to the FBI. If you had already been duped, don’t even think of seeking help from the Nigerian government, because it will not be sympathetic to your plight. After all, you had originally conspired to leak out illegal funds from its country and agreed to violate their laws. The lesson, therefore, is protect yourself from potential scammers by not engaging in illegal activity. Do not expect to get any form of compensation, not even a dollar, for your loss. The greatest way you can contribute to stopping this heinous crime from reaching others is to inform people of the consequences and to be a valuable aid to the FBI.

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