SCAMS BULLETIN Host Jay White is  volunteer attorney who provides free legal services for low income seniors in San Mateo County, California.

May 29, 2020

NIGERIAN SCAMS

Nigeria is home to a wide variety of online fraud variants. They are all designed to wrongfully take a victim’s money. Nigeria has a track record of being home to e-mail scammers since the 1990s.

A Nigerian e-mail scam usually results in a victim being convinced to take leap of faith, transferring money online in anticipation of receiving a valuable good or service. In most cases, the victim does not receive anything.

How Nigerian Scam E-mails Work

A scammer may send the victim an e-mail message telling the victim that the scammer is in communication with the representative of the estate of a deceased Nigerian prince. The victim is told they have been chosen to inherit a certain amount of wealth from the “prince.” The victim is asked to send a few thousand dollars as a gesture of goodwill and pay expenses before the full sum is distributed. Once the scammer receives the money from the victim, the “prince” disappears without a trace.

A scammer may represent himself as being in questionable possession of a large amount of gold. It can be obtained for a very low price that would allow a purchaser to realize a big gain. The gold would be shipped to the victim after the victim has paid the requested amount. No gold will be delivered.

A scammer purports to be an attorney representing the estate of a victim’s relative who died in Nigeria. The victim is told they are entitled to a large distribution from the estate. First, however, the victim must send money to cover attorney fees, medical, funeral and other expenses. No such relative existed.

Caution is advised in response to any Nigerian communication requesting money.

ATTRIBUTION: scambusters.org