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Ivory
Coast Fax Scams--Newer Version of Nigerian Fraud Letter:
Perhaps because of the
exposure the Nigerian letter has received of late, some of the
recent proposals are being faxed
to businesses. No fax number of origin is shown, presumably to
prevent tracking. It is assumed the faxes are either sent from
local U.S. numbers or somehow these fraudsters have developed a way
to freely use international lines.
An example of such a fax (including errors from the original and a
misplaced comma in the dollar figure) can be viewed from our Sample
Index.
For more detailed
information on the Ivory Coast version of this scam, we recommend
you visit Ivory
Coast Fraud
Sierra Leone and The
Gambia:
Variations of this fraud scam are also initiated by mail, e-mail and
fax from Sierra Leona and The Gambia, although in one case an
intended target, a savvy Italian, tracked the Yahoo e-mail of the
alleged Gambian, Abraham Alisu, back to Virginia, USA.
Religious Twist on
Nigerian Letter Scam:
Recently, members of certain
religious groups have been receiving variations of the Nigerian
Letter. The senders claim to be of the same religion as the
recipient--for instance a person of the Mormon faith--living in
Africa.
The writers claim to be persecuted because of the religious beliefs
they share with the recipient of the letter, but also claim to be
connected with the local government, customs or else hold a
significant position in business.
The letter goes on to say that the sender made excessive profits in
the prior year and will be using half of this to support the
religion in the relevant African nation. However, the writer
also promises to send a significant sum--usually in the millions of
dollars--to the recipient, perhaps to be used for good works.
All that is required is that the recipient fax back his or her bank
account information so the funds can be deposited.
This scam differs from the classic Nigerian letter only in the
religious terminology used; that is the recipient is offered a large
amount of money for doing virtually nothing, but providing
information on a bank account--which will be quickly cleaned out by
the fraudster.
Nigerian Letter Scam Targets
Veterinarians:
The Journal of the American
Veterinary Medical Association has reported that veterinarians are
being solicited by fraudulent letters from Nigeria. The scam is
still happening and has become even bolder, as the letters now begin
with "Dear Fellow Veterinarian." Plus, the letter implies
that the Nigerian VMA endorses the solicitation and is signed by a
Dr. G. Uwakwe.
Nigerian Fraud Scam by E-Mail:
Perhaps due to the U.S.
Postal Service's confiscation of Nigerian fraud letters sent in
envelopes bearing counterfeit stamps, an apparent wave of E-mail
proposals by these fraudsters has been initiated.
Samples of these offers can be viewed from our Sample index.
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