Within the last few years, the 419 fraud has quickly become one of the most prevalent forms of fraud out there. Due to widespread use of the Internet, it has since become far easier to commit fraudulent activity and target thousands of people, specifically through email accounts. In the course of this scam, the person getting the email is solicited for money under the illusion that they'll get more back.
While the advance-fee type scam has been around for a while now, it has since spread from its origin in African countries to others. Through email, the recipient is informed about a large volume of money, and all they need to do is send a small advance. Even though this smacks of an illegal activity many people have fallen for it, losing money.
The pretense of the email is that you have to pay an administration fee in order to receive the huge payment that they tell you you are entitled to, and they ask for your bank account numbers in order to transfer the money to you. However, this also means that victims can get money taken from their own bank account as well as the advance funds.
Since most 419 frauds are based in foreign countries, it becomes increasingly more difficult to find out whether or not the source of the offer is legitimate. If, by any chance, there is a telephone number it is important to use telephone services such as ip-oogle.com/1/index.htm to verify what he or she says. Very seldom does one receive anything but a name and an e-mail address, however, so caution should always be taken when considering a transaction of this kind.
Often the person receiving a 419 fraud communication is elderly or is low on funds. Since the offer is too good to pass up according to these people, they literally can't resist taking this gift for what it is. However, this is not the case, and victims lose the advance money and possibly even the remainder of their resources.
Any offer for a large amount of money from an overseas country should immediately be suspect. Immediate questions you should begin asking yourself are as follows: How did this person or company find my name and email address? What reason do they have for contacting me? Where is this offer coming from?
The Internet has connected the world and all of us. Communicating with individuals from foreign countries is enjoyable. Unfortunately, it has also opened the world to scammers who prey on elderly and trusting people. Just one example of this kind of manipulation is the 419 fraud.
When receiving an e-mail or other correspondence from an unknown person or persons one should always be on their guard. Don't trust anything that offers you something for nothing, especially over email. A thorough investigation should be made and, if suspect, the correspondence should be turned over to the fraud division of whichever government agency is concerned.
