The scheme usually works as follows:

* An individual or company receives a letter or fax from an alleged "official" representing a foreign government or agency;

* An offer is made to transfer millions of dollars in "over invoiced contract" funds into your personal bank account;

* You are encouraged to travel overseas to complete the transaction;

* You are requested to provide blank company letterhead forms, banking account information, telephone/fax numbers; You receive numerous documents with official looking stamps, seals and logo testifying to the authenticity of the proposal;

* Eventually you must provide up-front or advance fees for various taxes, attorney fees, transaction fees or bribes.

The leading host nation for this form of fraud at present is Nigeria.

Top / Society / Issues / Fraud / Advance Fee Fraud

Advance Fee Fraud

Sub Directory

  • Humor

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  • Internet / Make Money Fast
  • Organized Crime / Nigerian Organizations

    • Site

  • Greater Things: Nigerian / 419 Scam
    The experience of a businessman fooled by this scam. Contact is initiated via letter, fax, or email offers of millions of dollars in compensation for holding even more millions of dollars in your bank account.
  • Nigerian Fraud Email Gallery
    An archive of several hundred scam letters, with date received, names of supposed senders, country where the money is supposed to have originated, and amount.
  • The 419 Coalition
    Devoted to fighting the advance money scam, in which victims are offered millions for allowing an even greater sum to be deposited in their bank account, but end up having their accounts drained or being fooled into advancing fictitious taxes, fees or bribes.
  • I crave your distinguished indulgence (and all your cash)
    The author describes the mass of offers he has received from African nations, offering him a share of millions, with a description of how the scam works. [Salon]
  • International Investigation Services, Nigeria Division
    Describing the Nigerian advance fee scam, with a searchable database of known names used by persons participating in the fraud, along with an archive of the letters and fake documents they use, and a bulletin board.
  • Nigerian Advance Fee Fraud
    Detailed information on the scheme, centered largely in Nigeria, wherein people are offered a share of millions of dollars to help transfer the money to their bank account. From the U.S. State Department. [1.04M]
  • Nigerian Scam
    Outlines the basics of this con, mentions variations, gives an example of a typical letter, explains how victims are taken in by this long-running scam. Links to further information.
  • West African Advanced Fee Fraud
    What the West African "419" fraud is, how it works, where victims meet up with the criminals operating this scheme, what residents of the UK should do if they receive a 419 letter. From the Metropolitan Police.
  • 419 Advance Fee Fraud Nigerian Scam
    An archive of e-mailed solicitations received, how much the web site owner would have supposedly made by now, which scenarios are used (e.g., dead foreigner, or chemically treated money), explanation of how the scam operates, and links.
  • The 419 Scam/Nigerian Scam
    People in academia can be targets of advance fee fraud schemes too. Sample letter, bullet list of common features of a "419" scam, and FAQ. From University of Pennsylvania Computing/Information Security.
  • Nigerian Advance Fee Fraud
    Pamphlet from the Australian Institute of Criminology. Press release, abstract, information on ordering the print publication.
  • Advance Fee Fraud and Banks
    Transcript of a talk on this type of fraud from a banker's perspective.
  • E-Mail Scams: How to Recognize Advance Fee Fraud
    The "Nigerian Letter" du jour, interspersed with comments. For the small business owner who might think that just possibly an offer out of the blue for a cut of millions of dollars could be truthful.
  • Scam 419
    An online database of scam 419 letters, explanation of how the scam operates, all the necessary links related to the 419 fraud.
  • ISCS Corporation and Receiver Corporation
    Info about an alleged employment and job training scam running in Chicago.
  • Nigerian Scams
    Describes some variations of the "Nigerian Scam," scam indicators, typical opening lines, phone numbers mentioned, web sites used by the scammers. Names, company names, and e-mail addresses used by the gangsters.
  • FW - Investment Consulting
    Examples of business financing fraud (based on advance fees) and other fraudulent schemes.
  • Africanscam.co.uk
    Information and links on 419 scams; correspondence and photographs from some scambaiting projects.
  • Nigeria E-Mail Scam aka 419 Scam aka Advance Fee Fraud
    Description of the scam's mechanics, history, senders' aliases, ways to easily identify the scam email, and related links.
  • 419Legal
    Advance Free Fraud forums, information and links to fraudulent sites.
  • Anatomy of a 419 scam
    Detailed examination of how an American man fell for a fraudulent scheme operating out of the UK. [The Register]
  • The Nigerian Nightmare
    Examines the 419 scam as well as its history, going back several decades. [Slate]
  • Brian Wizard
    Offers free pdf-format books about fighting Nigerian 419 letter scams and email fraud.
  • The Sani Abacha Fraud
    An insight to a fraudulent email campaign.
  • Advance Fee Fraud
    Outlines how common variations of this scam operate, including loans, phony sweepstakes, west African letters. From the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.
  • The "Nigerian" Scam: Costly Compassion
    Federal Trade Commission alert on those polite letters from strangers in trouble, which promise a large financial reward for discreetly helping them.
  • Artists Against 419
    Provides information on fake bank sites and how to distinguish them from legitimate ones, along with announcements of monthly flash mob events aiming to shut down fake bank sites through bandwidth siphoning.
  • Email Scams and Internet Frauds
    A collection of advance fee fraud messages from all over the globe.
  • Nigerian Advanced Fee Fraud
    The Minnesota Attorney General's office describes how the scheme works, and tells businesses, nonprofits, and individuals what they can do if they receive an offer through the mail to transfer money out of a foreign country.
  • ScamLetters.com
    Database of email scam messages, aimed at the general public and law enforcement.
  • Crackdown on £8.4m African sting
    The idea of the African elite offering untold riches to strangers via e-mail or fax may seem absurd, but the National Criminal Intelligence Service says that victims are losing millions of pounds. [Scotland on Sunday]

    • Web Search

  • Advance-fee fraud - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
    URL : en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Advance-fee_fraud
    An advance-fee fraud is a confidence trick in which the target is persuaded to ... Nigerian financial authority mandated to investigate against advance-fee frauds. ...[2008/11/28]
  • Advance Fee Fraud E-Mails
    URL : www.svbizlaw.com/nigerian.419.letters.htm
    Advance Fee Scam E-mails and Internet Fraud Archive ... If you are victimized by the fraud, there is not much that you can do. ...[2008/08/09]
  • How to Recognize An Advance Fee-fraud E-mail Scam | eHow.com
    URL : www.ehow.com/how_4512434_recognize-advance-feefraud-email-scam.html
    How to article - how to recognize an advance fee-fraud e-mail scam. Advance fee-fraud e-mails, letters, and faxes have been around for years. Today, they are often...[2008/12/02]
  • Advance Fee Fraud
    URL : www.rcmp-grc.gc.ca/scams/advance_fee_e.htm
    Scams/Frauds. Detachments. Publications. Institutional links. National RCMP. Home. About the RCMP ... Advance Fee Fraud schemes include: West African Fraud ...[2008/11/26]
  • Nigerian "Advance Fee Fraud" Schemes
    URL : www.sec.gov/answers/nigeria.htm
    Advance fee fraud gets its name from the fact that an investor is asked to pay a fee up front or ... from a Nigerian "Advance Fee Fraud" scheme, please contact ...[2008/11/21]
  • Fraud Scheme Information - U.S. Consulate General Amsterdam, Netherlands
    URL : amsterdam.usconsulate.gov/advance_fee_fraude.html
    Advance Fee Fraud - Fraud Scheme Information. Public Awareness. Each year, thousands of people lose money to sophisticated Advance Fee Fraud (AFF) schemes. ...[2008/11/24]
  • Federal Bureau of Investigation - Common Fraud Schemes
    URL : www.fbi.gov/majcases/fraud/fraudschemes.htm
    ... frauds combine the threat of impersonation fraud with a variation of an advance ... The variety of advance fee schemes is limited only by the imagination ...[2008/11/27]
  • Embassy of the Federal Republic of Nigeria
    URL : www.nigeriaembassyusa.org/fraud.shtml
    PRESS STATEMENT ON ADVANCE FEE FRAUD/SCAM. DON'T BE FOOLED! MANY HAVE LOST MONEY! ... 2. The advance fee fraud is perpetrated by enticing the victim with bogus ' ...[2008/10/24]
  • advance fee fraud: Definition from Answers.com
    URL : www.answers.com/topic/advance-fee-fraud
    An advance fee fraud is a confidence trick in which the target is persuaded to ... Nigerian financial authority mandated to investigate against advance fee frauds. ...[2008/11/15]
  • Advance Fee Fraud emails: Next of Kin sought (10)
    URL : www.svbizlaw.com/advancefee.nextofkin10.htm
    Advance fee fraud Next of Kin e-mails posted by attorney to alert public (10) ... Advance Fee Scam E-mails (10) ... victimized by the fraud, there is not much ...[2008/10/30]
    • Top / Society / Issues / Fraud / Advance Fee Fraud
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