The online scam is among the oldest black holes in Internet history. Online scammers exploit both the ease of instantaneous communication and the eternal gullibility of persons, who just can’t say “No” to making money with seemingly little or no effort at all.
Over the years, I’ve been often invited to “invest”—at no initial cost to myself—to “richly promising” startups; to help “reputable citizens” in international banking million-dollar transfers and collect a hefty “assist fee;” to vouch for “aristocratic ladies in distress” seeking justice amid a “terrible divorce;” and to put down “advance investment fees” so that I can secure an early stake in a “guaranteed international billion-dollar trade company.”
In the early days, email applications provided little defense against online scammers. Thankfully, this security hole is now largely covered by advanced detection and antivirus software. But cyber criminals aren’t discouraged. They know that for every person who is aware of cyber threats, and adopts proactive defense, there are dozens who continue to fall for the most unsophisticated teasers.
One of the most persistent online rackets is the infamous “Nigerian scam,” also identified as the “419 scam,” that continues to fleece millions around the world despite widely publicized warnings and global media stories.
Earlier today, I got my latest Nigerian “invitation” to contribute toward yet another bogus $$$ millions bank transfer—which was duly flagged by Gmail as fraudulent. Here’s the text of the invitation by a certain “Mr. John Thomas,” who’s busy, I’m sure, with his laptop at who knows what primitive African backwater:
Best regards!
This mail may be a surprise to you because you did not give me the
permission to do so and neither do you know me but before I tell you
about myself I want you to please forgive me for sending this mail
without your permission. I know there may be scams and junk mails on
the internet but certainly, this is not one. I am writing this letter
in confidence believing that if it is the will of God for you to help
me and my family, God almighty will bless and reward you abundantly. I
need an honest and trust worthy person like you to entrust this huge
transfer project unto.
My name is Mr John Thomas Kofi, The Branch Manager of a Financial
Institution. I got your contact through a reliable source called
database through Ghana chamber of commerce. I am writing to solicit
your assistance in the transfer of US$12,500,000.00 Dollars. This fund
is the excess of what my branch in which I am the manager made as
profit last year (i.e. 2021 financial year). I have already submitted
an annual report for that year on 24th December to my head office in
Accra-Ghana as I have watched with keen interest as they will never
know of this excess of the fund. I have since, placed this amount of
US$14,500,000.00 Dollars on an Escrow Coded account without a
beneficiary (Anonymous) to avoid trace.
As an officer of the bank, I cannot be directly connected to this
money thus I am impelled to request for your assistance to receive
this money into your bank account on my behalf. I agree that 40% of
this money will be for you as a foreign partner, in respect to the
provision of a foreign account, and 60% would be for me. I do need to
stress that there is practically no risk involved in this. It's going
to be a bank-to-bank transfer OR E-online transfer. All I need from
you is to stand as the original depositor of this fund so that the
fund can be transferred to your account.
If you accept this offer, I will appreciate your timely response to
me. This is why and only reason why I contacted you, I am willing to
go into partnership investment with you owing to your wealth of
experience, so please if you are interested to assist on this venture
kindly contact me back for a brief discussion on how to proceed.
Best regards,
Mr John Thomas
Note the struggling language, the nebulous “banking” details, and the slithery tenor, all of which should be a dead giveaway to any person with basic intelligence.
Yet, as we speak, hundreds (if not thousands) of email recipients may be writing checks in favor of “John Thomas” in anticipation of collecting 40 pc of $12 million for their trouble—like the unaware daughter of an American former acquaintance, who lost her savings, and wrecked her credit rating, by “assisting” her own “Mr John Thomas.” Her case was investigated by law enforcement but I never found out if there was indeed a positive resolution to the whole affair.
Just in case you wish to know more about this type of crime, and ways to protect yourself, check these two sources (out of thousands that can be found online).
Here are the Top Online Scams You Need to Avoid Today - Learn how cybercriminals use different online scamming methods to trick you [source].
Common Scams and Crimes
The following are some of the most common scams and crimes that the FBI encounters, as well as tips to help prevent you from being victimized. Visit the Bureau’s White-Collar Crime and Cyber Crime webpages for information on more fraud schemes [source].
Secure your computer/smartphone with serious antivirus tools, use a reputable VPN (Virtual Private Network) application, never respond to people you don’t know, and never ever fall for “free money” that come out of nowhere.